Today, being Ekādaśī, I somehow got the inspiration that I should chant 64 rounds. After moving to Chicago, this was the first time I could do so. Although I may have had the time on other days, I was lazy I suppose. But today, I resolved to complete 64 rounds.
Sometimes, when the thought of chanting more number of rounds arises (Many a times, it may not come as well!), we may question:
Will anarthas disappear in one day? Surely not.
Isn’t it better to read for three or four hours? Something will at least go inside.
The mind may argue in unlimited number of ways.
Yet, if we can try to give exclusive time to chanting which is the yuga-dharma for this age, we only stand to gain.
We chant because we have taken a vow in front of spiritual master, we chant because we want to go to spiritual world, and yes, there are a few more reasons why we exclusively give time for more chanting!
Chanting for Protection
Many times, we are overwhelmed by māyā, if not battered and beaten by her. Māyā is always planning how to distract and divert us from Kṛṣṇa.
If we do not make a counter-plan to protect ourselves from māyā, we are sure to land on her plate.
Chanting Hare Krishna protects us from māyā’s onslaught.
Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in the Bhagavad-gītā 9.31 purport, “The chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare should be continued without stoppage. This will protect a devotee from all accidental falldowns. He will thus remain perpetually free from all material contaminations.”
Therefore, chanting is a powerful means to protect our consciousness, protect our bhakti, and protect the devotional seed that we are trying to grow so carefully.
Chanting for Purification
Another reason we chant is purification of the heart.
Chanting has the power to purge unlimited sins and contaminations present within us. Scriptures repeatedly glorify the purifying potency of the holy name.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.1.14 states, “Living beings who are entangled in the complicated meshes of birth and death can be freed immediately by even unconsciously chanting the holy name of Kåñëa, which is feared by fear personified.”
When we chant Hare Krishna, Krishna is at once present on the tongue of the sincere chanter. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in SB 1.2.17 Purport, “Whenever, therefore, offenseless hearing and glorification of God are undertaken, it is to be understood that Lord Kåñëa is present there in the form of transcendental sound, which is as powerful as the Lord personally.”
The presence of Krishna does not allow sinful tendencies to remain simultaneously. Therefore, to the degree Krishna is present in our chanting, to that degree purification takes place in the heart.
Chanting for Empowerment
Another important reason for chanting is empowerment for service.
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura chanted one billion names of Krishna to gain the strength to preach throughout India. Śrīla Prabhupāda would many times chant 64 rounds to gain empowerment to preach the message of Lord Caitanya in the Western world.
The holy name is non-different from Krishna. When we pray intensely and helplessly to the holy name, it gives us strength to overcome even the greatest obstacles that may come in our service to Krishna’s mission.
Chanting for Transformation
Finally, we chant for transformation.
Not only for the transformation of our own selves, but transformation of others.
Haridāsa Ṭhākura stayed with the prostitute for three days, not for his own purification – he was already delivered – but solely for her transformation. Out of compassion, he remained there.
Śrīla Prabhupāda was chanting helplessly while being alone in Tompkins Square Park, calling out to Krishna. His chanting was not only for himself, but for the transformation of the entire Western world.
Even today, when we hear Prabhupāda’s kīrtanas or bhajans, they stir our hearts and bring us closer to Krishna. This is because the sound vibration of great souls carries their purity, compassion, and deep longing to serve Krishna’s mission.
When such earnestness enters the holy name, that same holy name becomes even more powerful.
This does not mean that we stop chanting our own sixteen rounds and only listen to recordings. It means that the potency of the holy name multiplies in the presence of sincerity and purity.
When Śrīla Prabhupāda chanted, people naturally felt drawn to surrender their lives to him, because the holy name coming from his tongue was not an ordinary sound vibration. It was coming from Goloka, carrying his special mercy.
Therefore, giving up all reservations, we must try to chant for our protection, purification, empowerment, and transformation.
