have to come to the stage of quality yourself. How can you understand
the meaning of quality without experiencing it yourself? Your duty is
to follow the instructions of your spiritual master and sastra.
Quality or no quality—it is not your position to understand this. When
the quality comes there is no force. You will have a taste for
chanting. You will desire at that time, "Why sixteen rounds? Why not
sixteen thousand rounds?" That is the meaning of quality. Therefore
chant at least sixteen rounds. When you come to chanting with quality,
you will feel "Why sixteen rounds? Why not sixteen thousand?" That
means quality, it comes automatically.
Just like Haridasa Thakura was doing. He was not forced to chant. Even
Caitanya Mahaprabhu requested him, "Now you are old enough. You can
reduce your rounds." But Haridasa Thakura refused "No. Up to the end
of my life I shall go on." That is quality. Do you have such a
tendency that you will go on chanting and do nothing else? Now you are
forced to chant. Where is the question of quality? There is a chance
that one day you may experience quality. You haven’t come there yet.
Quality is different. Athasaktih. Asakti, attachment.
Just like Rupa Gosvami says that "How shall I chant with one tongue,
and how shall I hear with two ears? If I had millions of tongues and
trillions of ears, then I could enjoy it." Quality is not cheap. Maybe
after many births you will achieve it. For now you go on with
following the rules and regulations by force. Where is the quality?
You wanted to understand quality. It means you’ll not be forced, but
automatically you’ll desire. 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 otherwise.
How can one do it artificially? This means quality. Therefore, people
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 .
We have got a practical example. One man’s beloved has died, and he
sees the whole universe as vacant. Is it vacant? That is the quality
of love. There is no formula of quality. It is to be understood by
oneself. Just like feeling refreshed and getting strength after
eating. You don’t need a certificate: "Will you give me a certificate
that I have eaten?" You’ll understand whether you have eaten or not.
That means quality. When you will feel so much ecstasy in chanting
Hare Krishna, then you have achieved quality. It does not mean
chanting artificially—"Chant. Chant. Otherwise get out." This is not
quality. This is expecting 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....
(Srila Prabhupada - Morning walk, Nairobi, November 2, 1975)
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