How to chant 1 lakh Hari Nams a day as said by Sri Caitanya? How Haridas Thakkur chanted 3 lakh Hari Nams a day?
Surbhi Kursija asked like this:
Radheshyam Prabhuji, First of all please accept my pranams. I want to ask one question and know you will guide me in best way.
I have read somewhere that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said that one should chant 1 lakh Harinam per day. I really want to make this neeyam but when I calculated its like 926 rounds per day. Pls guide me how can I bring this in my devotional practice. I have also heard that many saints chant 3 lakh and more Harinaam in one day. That is around 3000 rounds per day. How to chant 926 rounds to complete 1 lakh Harinaam. Pls guide me
Thank You. Dandwat Pranam. Radheshyam
REPLY:
Good question that I myself was thinking of writing as an article in our site. I welcome such useful questions that makes our site a storehouse of all the clarifications of the innocent doubts of the devotees!
It is possible to chant One Lakh Hari Nams a day as said by Sri Caitanya Maha Prabhu.
(Why Sri Caitanya Maha Prabhu said that chanting does not require initiation? READ HERE!)
You are thinking that Maha Prabhu meant one lakh times of Hare Krishna Maha Manthra.
It is not so.
Hare Krishna Maha Manthra has 16 units/ elements/ words in it. ‘Hare’ is a word; ‘Krishna’ is a word; ‘Rama’ is a word.
Thus, if you chant one round, you are chanting 108 x 16 = 1728 Hari Nams. Since ‘Hare’ also denotes Krishna/ Rama’s energy, it is also a Hari Nam. No difference between the Lord and His energy.
(WHY 16 ROUNDS OF CHANTING IS RECOMMENDED? READ HERE!)
If you chant 64 rounds a day, it comes to 1728 x 64 = 1,10,592 Hari Nams.
To chant one round properly, it takes 7 minutes; For 64 rounds, it takes 448 minutes, ie, 7.5 hours.
So, it is possible to chant One Lakh Hari Nams every day, if you manage time and if your schedule permits.
HOW DID HARIDAS THAKKUR CHANT 3 LAKH HARI NAMS A DAY?
It is also possible for a full time devotee who has dedicated his life only for the Lord.
See, to chant Hare Krishna maha manthra, it takes 7 minutes for a round. So, 3 lakh times of Hari Nam means, time for one lakh multiplied by three that comes to 22.5 hours a day.
So, if you chant 192 rounds of Hare Krishna a day throughout the day except 1.5 hours, you can chant 3 lakh Hari Nams a day.
(I get angry while chanting when Krishna does not favor me. What to do? READ THE REPLY HERE!)
Here, another minute detail.
7 minutes will be required only to chant Hare Krishna Maha Manthra because it has different words.
If you chant Krishna, Krishna, or Govinda Givindha or Vasudeva Vasudeva or Mukunda Mukunda, like that, you can chant 108 Hari Nams in just 3 minutes.
So, you can chant 3 lakh Hari Nams in just 10-11 hours.
Are you clear now?
(READ THIS ALSO: CHANTING HARE KRISHNA MAHA MANTHRA : IMPORTANCE, TIPS AND COMPLETE PROCEDURE!)