28 Sep 2012[Lately Updated].
Today
we honor the Appearance Day of Srila Haridasa Thakura, an associate of
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Haridāsa Ṭhākura daily chanted 300,000 names of
the Lord. Certainly the chanting of 300,000 holy names of the Lord is
wonderful. No ordinary person can chant so many names, nor should one
artificially imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura’s behavior. It is essential,
however, that everyone fulfill a specific vow to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa
mantra.
Haridāsa Ṭhākura said that liberation and freedom from
the reactions of sinful activities are only by-products of chanting the
holy name of the Lord. If one chants the holy name of the Lord purely,
he attains the platform of loving service to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. (SB 5.24.20)
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta 1975 Edition
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Madhya-lila, Chapter 7, Text 37
tomāra dui hasta baddha nāma-gaṇane
jala-pātra-bahirvāsa vahibe kemane
tomāra—Your;
dui—two; hasta—hands; baddha—engaged; nāma—the holy name; gaṇane—in
counting; jala-pātra—waterpot; bahir-vāsa—external garments; vahibe—will
carry; kemane—how.
TRANSLATION
“Since Your two hands
will always be engaged in chanting and counting the holy names, how will
You be able to carry the water pot and external garments?
PURPORT
From
this verse it is clear that Caitanya Mahāprabhu was chanting the holy
names a fixed number of times daily. The Gosvāmīs used to follow in the
footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and Haridāsa Ṭhākura also followed
this principle. Concerning the Gosvāmīs-Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla
Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrīla Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī,
Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī-Śrīnivāsa
Ācārya confirms:
saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ. (Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 6)
In
addition to other duties, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu introduced the system
of chanting the holy name of the Lord a fixed number of times daily, as
confirmed in this verse (tomāra dui hasta baddha nāma-gaṇane). Caitanya
Mahāprabhu used to count on His fingers. While one hand was engaged in
chanting, the other hand kept the number of rounds. This is corroborated
in the Caitanya-candrāmṛta and also in Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Stava-mālā:
badhnan prema-bhara-prakampita-karo granthīn kaṭī-dorakaiḥ
saṅkhyātuṁ nija-loka-maṅgala-hare-kṛṣṇeti nāmnāṁ japan
(Caitanya-candrāmṛta 16)
hare kṛṣṇety uccaiḥ sphurita-rasano nāma-gaṇanā-
kṛta-granthi-śreṇī-subhaga-kaṭi-sūtrojjvala-karaḥ
(Prathama-Caitanyāṣṭaka 5)
Therefore
devotees in the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu must chant at least
sixteen rounds daily, and this is the number prescribed by the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Haridāsa Ṭhākura daily
chanted 300,000 names. Sixteen rounds is about 28,000 names. There is no
need to imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura or the other Gosvāmīs, but chanting
the holy name a fixed number of times daily is essential for every
devotee.