# Sixteen Rounds Daily The first regulative principle is that one must chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra loudly enough so that he can hear himself, and one must vow to chant a fixed number of rounds. Of all the regulative principles, the spiritual master's order to chant at least sixteen rounds is most essential. --- ## The First Regulative Principle **The first regulative principle is that one must chant a fixed number of rounds:** ![[cc/antya/11/24#purport|Unless one has come to the platform of spontaneous love of God, he must follow the regulative principles...The first regulative principle is that one must chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra loudly enough so that he can hear himself, and one must vow to chant a fixed number of rounds]] —Cc. [[cc/antya/11/24|Antya 11.24]] Purport --- **Of all the regulative principles, the spiritual master's order to chant at least sixteen rounds is most essential:** ![[cc/madhya/22/113#purport|One may have other duties to perform under the direction of the spiritual master, but he must first abide by the spiritual master's order to chant a certain number of rounds. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we have recommended that the neophyte chant at least sixteen rounds. This chanting of sixteen rounds is absolutely necessary if one wants to remember Kṛṣṇa and not forget Him. Of all the regulative principles, the spiritual master's order to chant at least sixteen rounds is most essential]] —Cc. [[cc/madhya/22/113|Madhya 22.113]] Purport --- ## Following the Great Ācāryas **Following the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, the Six Gosvāmīs and Haridāsa Ṭhākura:** ![[cc/madhya/7/37#purport|p1,2]] —Cc. [[cc/madhya/7/37|Madhya 7.37]] Purport --- ## Essential Instructions **The devotee should not divert his attention from the basic principle of chanting sixteen rounds:** ![[cc/adi/16/15#purport|The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based upon this instruction of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu that one must chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra regularly and according to the prescribed principles. We simply ask our Western students to chant at least sixteen rounds a day, but sometimes we find that they fail to chant even these sixteen rounds, and instead they bring many austere books and a worshiping method that diverts their attention in so many ways]] —Cc. [[cc/adi/16/15|Ādi 16.15]] Purport --- **The devotees of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must be very careful to complete their sixteen rounds:** Of course, this taste takes time to awaken, but when Rūpa Gosvāmī was chanting he was thinking, "I have only one tongue and two ears. What can I appreciate of chanting? If I could have millions of tongues and trillions of ears, then I could relish something by chanting and hearing." Of course, we should not imitate him, **but the devotees of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must at least be very careful to complete their sixteen rounds, their minimum amount of prescribed chanting.** Nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ: we have to increase our taste for singing and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. —*Teachings of Queen Kuntī* --- **Śrīla Prabhupāda requests all his students to chant sixteen offenseless rounds:** ![[cc/adi/17/23#purport|It is our practical experience in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world that many millions of people are factually coming to the spiritual stage of life simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra regularly, according to the prescribed principles. Therefore our request to all our students is that they daily chant at least sixteen rounds of this harer nāma mahā-mantra offenselessly, following the regulative principles. Thus their success will be assured without a doubt]] —Cc. [[cc/adi/17/23|Ādi 17.23]] Purport --- **Students of this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement must chant at least sixteen rounds daily:** ![[cc/adi/10/43#purport|It is essential, however, that everyone fulfill a specific vow to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Therefore we have prescribed in our society that all our students must chant at least sixteen rounds daily. Such chanting must be offenseless in order to be of high quality. Mechanical chanting is not as powerful as chanting of the holy name without offenses]] —Cc. [[cc/adi/10/43|Ādi 10.43]] Purport --- ## The Sixty-Four Rounds Standard **Although Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī prescribed sixty-four rounds, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement prescribes sixteen:** The Kṛṣṇa 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, **Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī 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 Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is famous as patita-pāvana, the deliverer of the fallen. —*The Nectar of Instruction* Text 5 --- ## The Example of Haridāsa Ṭhākura **Haridāsa Ṭhākura would not even accept prasāda or sleep until he finished his daily rounds:** ![[bg/6/17#purport|Ṭhākura Haridāsa would not even accept prasāda nor even sleep for a moment without finishing his daily routine of chanting with his beads three hundred thousand names]] —Bg. [[bg/6/17|6.17]] Purport --- **[← Back to Śrī Nāmāmṛta](wiki/compile/sri-namamrita)**