Why Prabhupada fixed 16 rounds Chanting when his guru fixed 64?
Srila prabhupada has mercifully reduced the number of rounds of chanting.
He has clearly explained the reasons involved in it through his letters, books and discussions.
The Social trend and the Work environment were not like that exist today during the days of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati, the guru of Srila Prabhupada.
During those days, the devotees had no need to work this much for their living. Agriculture, Cow Production and exchange of produced goods were the major earning sources for the people during those days.
The people had no need to work till 10pm as done by today’s employees in many sectors. If they start for agriculture works in the morning, they finish everything and returned by 4pm. Milk production too also required just a few hours of follow up every day.
These are just examples. The people depended on the natural resources for their living. So, they had more time to follow devotional practices.
Srila Prabhupada first wished to fix it as 64 rounds only. However, considering plenty of services and duties of the devotees, he later reduced it to 16 and fixed it as minimum for the initiated devotees after various discussions.
Acharyas like Srila Prabhupada are empowered to alter the recommendations considering the changing trends of the society.
(How Chanting protects us from material problems? READ HERE!)
Let us see here some of those discussions that can give you many tips:
(1)
Letter to: Indira (Iris Mendoza), Ekayani (Esther Mendoza), San Francisco, 17 December, 1967:
“I am very glad to learn you are chanting 48 rounds. Actually it is all right that one should chant 64 rounds, even 16 rounds, so if one is able to chant more than 16 rounds up to 64, it is very good. You fix up your rounds. Try to increase it but never decrease it.”
(2)
Letter to: Hamsaduta, Hawaii, 23 March, 1969:
“Yes, it is very good if you can chant 64 rounds; this is very nice if you can do it.”
(3)
Letter to: Bhaktijana, Los Angeles, 12/2/1968:
“I shall advise you again to chant always, increasing the counting, namely, 16 rounds is generally prescribed, but for the time being you can stop all other activities and increase the chanting to 64 rounds.”
(RIGHT WAY OF STOPPING CHANTING IN EXCEPTIONAL SITUATIONS! READ HERE!)
(4)
Shrimad-Bhagavatam 4.24.70 purport:
“That is the instruction given by Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in His Shikshashtaka 3. Kirtaniyah sada harih: [Cc. adi 17.31] “The holy name of the Lord should be chanted twenty-four hours daily.” Therefore in this Krishna consciousness movement we request the devotees to chant at least sixteen rounds on their beads daily. Actually one has to chant twenty-four hours daily, just like Thakura Haridasa, who was chanting the Hare Krishna mantra three hundred thousand times daily. Indeed, he had no other business.”
(5)
Shri Chaitanya-caritamrita Antya-lila 3.137 purport:
“Surrender is the ultimate instruction of the Bhagavad-gita, but for one who cannot surrender to the lotus feet of Krishna, it is better to chant the Hare Krishna mantra constantly, under the instruction of Haridasa Thakura. In our Krishna consciousness movement we are teaching our followers to chant the Hare Krishna mantra continuously on beads. Even those who are not accustomed to this practice are advised to chant at least sixteen rounds on their beads so that they may be trained.[…] Sada means “always.” Haridasa Thakura says, nirantara nama lao: “Chant the Hare Krishna mantra without stopping.” […] One’s real duty is to
surrender to the lotus feet of Krishna, but if one is unable to do so, he should adopt this process, as introduced by Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His most confidential servant, Namacarya Shrila Haridasa Thakura. This is the way to achieve success in Krishna consciousness.”
(How to develop a taste in chanting thinking of Krishna while chanting? READ HERE!)
(6)
The Nectar of Devotion, Vrindavana, 20/10/1972:
“Just like we have asked our students to finish sixteen rounds chanting minimum. Sixteen rounds is nothing. In Vrindavana there are many devotees, they chant 120 rounds. Like that. So sixteen rounds is the minimum. Because I know in the Western countries it is difficult job to finish sixty-four rounds or 120 rounds, like that. Minimum sixteen rounds. That must be finished.”
(7)
Letter to Purusottama, Mumbai, 23/10/1973:
“Because we have got many duties, [text missing] …ve minimized the amount to 16 rounds, otherwise [text missing] …minimum is 64 rounds, but Western people cannot [text missing] …this. So 16 rounds must be executed.”
(8)
Nectar of Instruction, Verse 5, purport:
“The Krishna consciousness movement prescribes sixteen rounds daily because people in the Western countries cannot concentrate for long periods while chanting on beads. Therefore the minimum number of rounds is prescribed. However, Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura used to say that unless one chants at least sixty-four rounds of japa (one hundred thousand names), he is considered fallen (patita). According to his calculation, practically every one of us is fallen, but because we are trying to serve the Supreme Lord with all seriousness and without duplicity, we can expect the mercy of Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is famous as patita-pavana, the deliverer of the fallen.”
(Ten offences against chanting the Holy name of Krishna! READ HERE!)
(9)
Srila Prabhupada on a Morning Walk, November 10, 1975, Bombay:
Lokanatha: Some devotees have fixed different number than sixteen. Some are chanting twenty minimum or twenty-five.
Prabhupada: Yes. It should be increased.
Lokanatha: Is it recommended for our…
Prabhupada: But don’t decrease. Don’t decrease; increase. Therefore one number is fixed. “At least this much I shall do.” That is sixteen rounds.
Lokanatha: But you are recommending sixteen as a minimum, and some devotees are choosing twenty as a minimum.
Prabhupada: So who forbids? Who says that “Don’t do it”?
Lokanatha: They can chant?
Prabhupada: Yes. That is wanted. But because you cannot do it, therefore we have fixed up this minimum. Sankhyata asankhyata Sankhyata means with vow, numerical strength. And asankhyata means there is no limit.”
(How to chant all the 24 hours a day as said by Sri Caitanya? READ HERE!)
(10)
The Hare Krishna Explosion, p. 63, by Hayagriva dasa, Palace Press 1985:
“Now that you have beads,” Swamiji says the next morning, “you should chant sixty-four rounds every day.”
“Sixty-four rounds?” To pronounce every word of the mantra distinctly, we require five minutes to chant a round. Sixty-four rounds would take over five hours. “Impossible!” we say. “We’ll never have the time.”
“All right,” Swamiji says. “Thirty-two rounds.”
“Impossible,” we say. “We’ll never be able to do it. It’s way too much.”
“All right,” Swamiji says. “Sixteen rounds. No less.”
(11)
HOW MANY ROUNDS SRILA PRABHUPADA CHANTED?
H.H.Tamal Krishna Gosvami’s Diary says:
“Many years ago, he (Shrila Prabhupada) was chanting sixty-four rounds, then gradually less, until a number of years ago it was SIXTEEN.”
(WHY 16 ROUNDS OF CHANTING HARE KRISHNA IS RECOMMENDED? READ HERE!)