of sense enjoyment. That is the test.

Just like cure of the disease means diminishing the

fever, temperature. This is the test.
Devotee (1): What if that fever is not being diminished?
Prabhupada: Then he should try to chant Hare Krsna mantra, instead of sixteen rounds,
sixty-four rounds. That is the way. Sixteen round is the minimum. Otherwise Haridasa
Thakura was 300,000. So you have to increase. That is the only remedy. If one has got
determination, he will make progress without any trouble. That
determination is very difficult, that determination, "I must be Krsna
conscious fully." That
(c) 1991 by Bhaktivedanta Book Trus
Devotee (8): When chanting our sixteen rounds, we are not sure if
these rounds are sincere...
Prabhupada: You should be sure.
Devotee (8): How can we be sure?
Prabhupada: There is beads.
Brahmananda: No, he's saying that when we chant our rounds, how
can we be sure that when we chant the round that the round is a
perfect, attentive round, sincere?
Prabhupada: Therefore it is sastra, "You must." There is no question of
understanding. Brahmananda: The quality of the chanting he's asking.
How can we make the quality the best? Prabhupada: Quality, you'll
understand first of all come to the quality. Without having quality, how
he'll understand the quality? You follow the instruction of your spiritual
master, of the sastra. That is your duty. Quality, no quality--it is not
your position to understand. When the quality comes there is no force.
You will have a taste for chanting. You will desire at that time, "Why
sixteen round? Why not sixteen thousand rounds?" That is quality.
That is quality. It is by force. You'll not do it; therefore at least sixteen
rounds. But when you come to the quality, you will feel yourself, "Why
sixteen? Why not sixteen thousand?" That is quality, automatically.
Just like Haridasa Thakura was doing. He was not forced to do. Even
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He requested, "Now you are old enough. You
can reduce." So he refused, "No. Up to the end of my life I shall go on."
That is quality. Have you got such tendency that you will go on
chanting and nothing to do? That is quality. Now you are forced to do.
Where is the question of quality? That is given a chance so that one
day you may come to the quality, not that you have come to the
quality. Quality is different. Athasaktih. Asakti, attachment. Just like
Rupa Gosvami says that "How shall I chant with one tongue, and how
shall I hear, two ears? Had it been millions of tongue and trillions of
ear, then I could enjoy it." This is quality. Quality is not so cheap.
Maybe after many births. For the time being you go on following the
rules and regulations. It is being done by force. Where is the quality?
So you wanted to understand quality. This is the quality. You'll not be
forced, but automatically you'll desire. That is quality. I am writing
books. I am not being forced by anyone. Everyone can do that. Why

one does not do it? Why I get up at night, one o'clock, and do this job?
Because I cannot do without it. How one will do it artificially? This is
quality. Therefore they like my purports. That quality is shown by
Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda virahena
me. "Oh, I do not see Govinda. The whole world is vacant."
Sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda virahena me. This is quality. Just like
we have got practical example. One man's beloved has died, and he is
seeing the whole universe vacant. Is it vacant? So that is quality of
love. So there is no formula of quality. It is to be understood by
himself. Just like if after eating something you feel refreshed and get
strength, that is quality. You haven't got to take certificate: "Will you
give me a certificate that I have eaten?" You'll understand whether
eaten or not. That is quality. When you will feel so much ecstasy in
chanting Hare Krsna, that is quality. Not artificially--"Chant. Chant.
Otherwise get out." This is not quality. This is in expectation that
someday you may come to quality. That requires time. That requires
sincerity. But quality is there. Sravanadi suddha citte karaye... It will be
awakened. Not by force. Just like love between two persons, it cannot
be forced. "You must love him. You must love her." Oh, that is no love.
That is not love. When automatically you love one another, that is
quality. Dora vede(?) prema. And therefore formerly, at least in the
Indian society, at an early age they were married. There is no quality
in that quality. But gradually, remaining together, the quality of love
increases. Then the wife takes care of the husband, and the husband
takes care. They become bound up, united in love. That is quality. In
the beginning, what the child knows about love? No. But they are
allowed to remain as husband and wife. They are thinking that "I have
got my husband," "I have got my wife," and as the age increases, the
dealings become intimate. Then they become affectionate. That is
quality. Not in the beginning there is any quality.
(c) 1991 by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
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. (break)

Yasomatinandana: ...are higher than any other activities or they are on

the same platform? Any activities in Krsna consciousness... Is chanting
the most exalted or...?
Prabhupada: Everything is exalted. Therefore there are nine processes.
sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam, arcanam
vandanam dasyam, so many. They are all exalted. Yasomatinandana:
So why is it recommended, chanting in this age particularly?
Prabhupada: Suppose if you have no temple, so you cannot perform
arcana. So this is common, greatest common. It is not that because
you have no temple, therefore your devotional service is stopped.
There are other processes. You can do. Hare Krsna. Jaya. Lokanatha:
Prabhupada? If we chant more than sixteen rounds, so how can we
know whether we are imitating Haridasa Thakura or following his
footsteps? Prabhupada: Imitation is also good. If you imitate Haridasa
Thakura, that is also your great fortune, even if you imitate. (break)
imitating, it does not mean you are condemned. Even if you imitate,
that is also good. (break) If you have some other business and if you
say, "Now I am imitating Haridasa Thakura, I cannot do it," that is very
bad. "I am busy in imitating Haridasa Thakura." That is not good. That
is very bad. (break) Brahmananda: If the devotees are asked for
service they say, "Oh, I have to chant." Prabhupada: "I am imitating."
Yes. "I am imitating Haridasa. This is my first business." That is very
bad. (end)
(c) 1991 by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Prabhupada: You must fix up.
Aksayananda Swami: Counting.
Prabhupada: You must fix up in numerical strength. Aksayananda
Swami: I see.
Prabhupada: Whatever you can.
Aksayananda Swami: Yes.
Prabhupada: But I have fixed up sixteen rounds, because you cannot
do.
Aksayananda Swami: That's all we can do.
Prabhupada: (smiling, touch of irony) Yes. That also is difficult.
Aksayananda Swami: Yes. (laughing)
Prabhupada: Otherwise, Haridasa Thakura was chanting 300,000. So,
That is not possible. You should not imitate, but whatever you fix up
you must do.
Aksayananda Swami: Yes. Yes.
Prabhupada: That is wanted.
Aksayananda Swami: Yes. I was told in the beginning you asked the
first disciples to chant 64 rounds?

Prabhupada: Yes. l asked them to chant 32? Prabhupada: (grinning)

Hm.
Aksayananda Swami: Is that correct?
Prabhupada: Sankhy-purvaka nama-gana-natibhih. Sankhya purva, or
numerical strength must be there. And you should follow rigidly.
Aksayananda Swami: So if, if we are serious and sincere, it means that
that sixteen will increase to, ah, to continuously chanting.
Prabhupada: You can do also now. It's not that because I've finished
sixteen rounds... Aksayananda Swami: No.
Prabhupada: You can increase. But that sixteen must be finished.
Aksayananda Swami: Yes. (pause) What I mean is, that's to bring us to
the platform of chanting constantly. That at least we do that numerical
number, finally we may be able to do, if we're fortunate to chant
constantly day and night.
Prabhupada: Yes.
(c) 1991 by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Indian lady: Is number important in chanting? It has to be certain
number, or you can just chant? Prabhupada: Number? Yes, of course,
no. Actually, kirtaniyah sada harih. Always to be chanted. But because
you cannot do that, therefore you must fix up a number. Sankhyapurvaka-nama-gana-natibhih. Sankhya-purvaka, that "I must chant so
many times." That is determination. I have prescribed to my disciples
that "You must chant at least sixteen rounds." That is very easy. But
there is sankhya. Sankhya-purvaka-nama-gana-natibhih. The
Gosvamis, they used to do that. So it is; otherwise, kirtaniyah sada
harih. The chanting should go on twenty-four hours. Just like Haridasa
Thakura used to do. He was simply chanting. But that is not possible
for ordinary man. Therefore they should have a fixed up, that "I must
chant so many times." That will fix up the determination. Bhajante
mam drdha-vratah. There must be some drdha-vratah, that "I must do
it." Then the devotion grows very firm. If we become lenient, "All right,
I shall do later on..." No, must be done. Drdha-vratah. Mahatmanas tu
mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah. Drdha-vratah. Everything should
be determined. Then spiritual progress will be rapid.
(c) 1991 by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust