View source for Suppose if we don't follow it (the counting of number of rounds on japa), it's not beneficial?

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[[Category:Questions asked to Srila Prabhupada]]
[[Category:Questions asked to SP... 1977]]
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<div id="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="section" sec_index="5" parent="compilation" text="Conversations and Morning Walks"><h2>Conversations and Morning Walks</h2>
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<div id="1977_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="10" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1977 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1977 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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<div id="RoomConversationJanuary311977Bhuvanesvara_0" class="quote" parent="1977_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="70" link="Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara" link_text="Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara">
<div class="heading">Beneficial, but you must fill up your promise, vow, that "I shall chant." Dṛḍha-vrata. First be dṛḍha-vrata. If your chanting is not finished, you should give up your sleeping. You must try to finish. That is called dṛḍha-vrata.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara|Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Guest (2): Daily how many times you'll utter the names of Lord Kṛṣṇa?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Twenty-four hours. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ ([[Vanisource:CC Adi 17.31|CC Adi 17.31]]). There is no question of "How many times?" But if you have got other business, make some minimum quantity.</p>
<p>Guest (2): Minimum?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Quantity. Minimum number.</p>
<p>Satsvarūpa: If you can't chant all day—you have other business—at least make a quota and chant that every day. In our... Prabhupāda's disciples, we promise to chant at least sixteen rounds on the beads, japa-mālā, every day. One round is 108 mantras.</p>
<p>Guest (2): Sixteen rounds.</p>
<p>Satsvarūpa: Yes. Sixteen of those rounds at least.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: It comes to twenty-five thousand. So Haridāsa Ṭhākura was chanting three lakhs. That is not possible. Twenty-five thousand minimum. Now you can increase as much as you like.</p>
<p>Guest (3): Is there a difference between Rāma and Kṛṣṇa?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No difference. Rāma is Bhagavān. Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu. Bhagavān has got many incarnations: Nṛsiṁha-deva, Varāhadeva, Rāma, Rāma, Paraśurāma, Balarāma, Dāśarathi Rāma. So whomever you like, you can worship. (pause)</p>
<p>Guest (5): Should you count every day how much you do japa?</p>
<p>Satsvarūpa: Should you count every day how much japa you do?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: That is... He's doing at least sixteen times.</p>
<p>Guest (4): No, suppose if we don't count?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No, the mālā is counting.</p>
<p>Guest (4): No. Suppose if we don't follow it, it's not beneficial?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Beneficial, but you must fill up your promise, vow, that "I shall chant." Dṛḍha-vrata. First be dṛḍha-vrata. If your chanting is not finished, you should give up your sleeping. You must try to finish. That is called dṛḍha-vrata. So whatever promise, quota—"I must finish it." Stop all other business. That is called dṛḍha-vrata. Bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ. Find out this verse, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha ([[Vanisource:BG 9.13|BG 9.13]]). No, then satataṁ kīrtayanto mām ([[Vanisource:BG 9.14|BG 9.14]]).</p>
<p>Satsvarūpa: Not mahātmānas? Next one. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 9.14|BG 9.14]]).</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Dṛḍha-vrata. If you have no dṛḍha-vrata, (laughing) that is no vow. So that dṛḍha-vrata means you must promise that "I shall chant at least, minimum, so many times." That is called dṛḍha-vrata.</p>
<p>Satsvarūpa: "With determination."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: With determination. Otherwise, satataṁ kīrtayanto mām ([[Vanisource:BG 9.14|BG 9.14]]). Satatam means twenty-four hours. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ ([[Vanisource:CC Adi 17.31|CC Adi 17.31]]). Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam ([[Vanisource:CC Adi 17.21|CC Adi 17.21]]). But that we cannot do. Therefore to keep dṛḍha-vrata, we have fixed up a certain quantity. Chant that. Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau. About the Gosvāmīs-saṅkhyā-pūrvaka: "So many times." Not only chanting, also offering obeisances. Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ. Nati means praṇati. "I shall offer obeisances hundred times." Gosvāmīs, they used to do that. Still in Rādhā-kuṇḍa, Vṛndāvana, you'll see many devotees. They offer, counting, flat, so many times. So we have to take some labor. It is not so easy thing that you realize (chuckling) God so easily. Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau. The valuable time of human life should be utilized only for cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is perfect. No other business. Sarva-dharmān parityajya ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66|BG 18.66]]). That is sarva-dharmān. But if you cannot do that, all right, make</p>
<p>minimum: "So many times I shall chant. So many times I shall offer obeisances." Make some dṛḍha-vrata. Then gradually it will be successful.</p>
<p>Guest (5): (Bengali)</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa-twenty-four hours. Japa-tapa. Tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyed sattvam ([[Vanisource:SB 5.5.1|SB 5.5.1]]). Japa means tapa, tapasya. And that is dṛḍha-vrata. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa ([[Vanisource:SB 6.1.13|SB 6.1.13]]). Tapasya begins with brahmacarya. There is no tapasya, there is no brahmacarya, there is no dṛḍha-vrata, there is no understanding, and they are becoming guru. Just see these Europeans, Americans. Their life beginning was meat-eating. And they have given up everything. This is tapasya. And we shall eat everything, do everything... Yato mata tato patha. "Whatever I like, I do, and still a devotee." What is this nonsense? Jaya.</p>
<p>Guest (6): Viśvāsa first, faith strong.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No, where is faith if we do not execute tapasya? Where is faith? Viśvāsa sudṛḍha niścaya. That is viśvāsa, the same thing. This is viśvāsa: "Kṛṣṇa said this; I shall do." This is viśvāsa. And if you do not do anything, what Kṛṣṇa says, where is viśvāsa? There is no viśvāsa. Kṛṣṇa says, satataṁ kīrtayanto mām: ([[Vanisource:BG 9.14|BG 9.14]]) "Anyone who is chanting Me, Hare Kṛṣṇa..." So Kṛṣṇa says; I must do it. That is viśvāsa. If you do not do that, where is viśvāsa? What do you mean by viśvāsa? Viśvāsa means sudṛḍha niścaya. "Yes, Kṛṣṇa has said. I shall do." That is viśvāsa. If you have no faith in the words of Kṛṣṇa, where is your viśvāsa? What do you mean by viśvāsa? Hm?</p>
<p>Guest (6): Bhagavān's servant.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Bhagavān is your servant. Whatever you like, you can do, and He'll serve you. You'll not serve Him. He will serve you. Is that viśvāsa? "Whatever nonsense I do, Kṛṣṇa will support." Is that viśvāsa? Viśvāsa means "What Kṛṣṇa says, I shall do." That is viśvāsa. That has been impressed at the modern age, that "Whatever I do, Kṛṣṇa will accept it." Is it not? Do you mean viśvāsa means this, that "Whatever nonsense you do, Kṛṣṇa will accept"? Do you mean viśvāsa means this? Then what is viśvāsa? Explain. "Whatever Kṛṣṇa says, I will do," that is viśvāsa. Or "Whatever nonsense I do, Kṛṣṇa will favor"? Which one viśvāsa? What do you mean...? Huh?</p>
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