When I got brahmana initiation an year back, I asked one of my superiors a foolish question (which I often ask), “Should I tie the brahmana thread in the ear in the clockwise direction, or anti-clockwise while answering the nature’s call?”

The devotee replied, “Whatever works!”

There is no such hard and fast rule for that!

In a similar way, sometimes new devotees face a question, “While chanting, should we pull the counter beads up or down after completing a round?”

While chanting, there is no strict injunction whether to move the chanting beads in the upward or in the downward direction. Counter beads are generally kept to maintain the count, and from whichever side one feels convenient, one can pull the counter beads. Main focus is to be attentive in chanting, and the methodology of counting is a small detail.

Generally, I pull my counter beads from top to bottom after completing a round. I feel it’s easier to pull down than to pull up, which takes quite a bit more energy if you are having big counters.

Today, as I completed my first round, I did the opposite. I pulled the counter from the bottom way up to the top. A thought came to my mind – With every round of our chanting, we should be pulled above in our relation with Krishna.

When the chanting of Holy Name is infested with offenses, when we are dozing, or distracted, or munching on the thoughts of sense gratification, such chanting doesn’t take us up, meaning it doesn’t elevate us. Rather, it pulls us down. It’s like after each round, we are going more below.

bahu janma kare yadi śravaṇa, kīrtana
tabu ta’ nā pāya kṛṣṇa-pade prema-dhana
If one is infested with the ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, despite his endeavor to chant the holy name for many births, he will not get the love of Godhead that is the ultimate goal of this chanting. CC Adi 8.16

I decided that I won’t pull up the counter if that particular round didn’t help me in getting closer to Krishna. I am not sure if I totally followed it, but, at least I was trying to focus on the Holy Name during the course of my chanting.

Some POINTERS on ‘COUNTER’ (Beads):

1] Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura mentions, “dine dine vṛddhi hauk nāmera prabhāve” – May I advance day by day with the influence of the Holy Name. Each round, rather, each Mantra has the potential to take us closer to Krishna, only if we realize it!

eka kṛṣṇa-nāme kare sarva-pāpa kṣaya
nava-vidhā bhakti pūrṇa nāma haite haya
Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa once, a person is relieved from all the reactions of a sinful life. One can complete the nine processes of devotional service simply by chanting the holy name. CC Madhya 15.107

2] Just as it is easier to pull the counter beads down, it is easy to be pulled down by maya. Our engagement with maya never elevates us, and can never do so, even if we try unlimited number of times. We generally choose to follow the path of least resistance. That is the reason why I had chosen to pull down my counters each and every time. In the same manner, how many countless number of times have I given up my guard, and offered myself to maya, thus going down in the eyes of Krishna!

Therefore, in CC Madhya 22.16 the devotee states his frustration in going repeatedly down battered by the waves of maya. He resolves to not listen to the dictates of his mind and senses.

kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśās
teṣāṁ jātā mayi na karuṇā na trapā nopaśāntiḥ
utsṛjyaitān atha yadu-pate sāmprataṁ labdha-buddhis
tvām āyātaḥ śaraṇam abhayaṁ māṁ niyuṅkṣvātma-dāsye

‘O my Lord, there is no limit to the unwanted orders of lusty desires. Although I have rendered these desires so much service, they have not shown any mercy to me. I have not been ashamed to serve them, nor have I even desired to give them up. O my Lord, O head of the Yadu dynasty, recently, however, my intelligence has been awakened, and now I am giving them up. Due to transcendental intelligence, I now refuse to obey the unwanted orders of these desires, and I now come to You to surrender myself at Your fearless lotus feet. Kindly engage me in Your personal service and save me.’

Therefore, as we are chanting the Holy Names of Krishna, we must pray to be pulled up by Krishna, and not be pulled down by distractive and destructive things. And the ‘counter’ is a very nice tool to help us in that. With every round, a prayer can also come from the core of our hearts to advance in our Krishna Consciousness.

King Kulashekhara prays in the Mukunda Mala Stotra,
andhasya me hṛta-viveka-mahā-dhanasya
cauraiḥ prabho balibhir indriya-nāmadheyaiḥ
mohāndha-kūpa-kuhare vinipātitasya
deveśa dehi kṛpaṇasya karāvalambam
O Lord, the powerful thieves of my senses have blinded me by stealing my most precious possession, my discrimination, and they have thrown me deep into the pitch-dark well of delusion. Please, O Lord of lords, extend Your hand and save this wretched soul.