Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Three months ago I was asking myself how can I chant continuously without break, without feeling sleepy and with more focus and enthusiasm.
I was also asking how did the famous namacharya Haridas Thakur chanted 22 hours per day without stopping, and will only take food after?
Then I began to listen closely to the famous recorded chanting of Srila Prabhupada, the with His Divine Grace saying "SEAT PROPERLY ". At first I thought that HDG is not breathing. But then eventually I noticed that Srila Prabhupada spent all his breath with the Maha Mantra: "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare".
Since then I tried chanting the Mahamantra using all the breath that I take in. At first I could only chant 3 sets of Mantras per breath. Then it went up to 5, 6, 7, and 8 mantras per breath. While doing this I felt that urge to continue chanting without stop until I finish 16 rounds.
I don't fall asleep, my mind and ears are focus on the Holy Names, and I finish the 16 rounds 1 hour and 45 minutes. One can chant more rounds daily because of the focus and non-stoppage.
Side benefits: your voice becomes solid and you can sing bhajans solidly without short of breath, your deep breathing will be a natural thing and if you used to experience short of air when climbing stairs, you will feel that your stamina has increased a lot.
I think this is the secret of the namacharya Haridas Thakur and the how Srila Prabhupada chanted in the recorded japa audio.
It has been said so many time, "practice makes perfect". And this is perfection when we are able to continuously chant the HOLY NAMES with focus, so that at the time of death the Holy Names can dance in our tongues with ease dedication and devotion.
Please try this, it's so easy and the tremendous amount of benefits are there to be had.
Your servant,
Mahendra das, Philippines
Comments
Hello Milan Prabhu,
I have started chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra but i run out of breath when chanting, this breaks my concentration.
I wish to chant continuously.
can you elaborate?
How do you breath during the Japa?
Do you stop and inhale through your nose fully and then chant? or do you inhale through your mouth?
Please any tips you can give me will be appreciated.
Hare Krishna
Madhavabhakt
Hare Krishna!
Hi Sharvn Prabhu,
Thank you again for the comment.
I still cannot locate the recorded lecture.
Any way I tried to make a calculation in an Excel Spread sheet and came out with this:
CHANTING SPREAD SHEET
Number of hours/day of chanting 22 hours/day
Minutes per hour 60 minutes/hour
Minutes of chanting / day 1,320.0 minutes/day
Rate of Chanting per round 7.0 Minutes/round This can vary: say between 6-8 minutes
Holy Names/round (108x16) 1,728 holy names/round
325,851 Number of Holy Names Chanted/day
Number of hours/day of chanting 22 hours/day
Minutes per hour 60 minutes/hour
Minutes of chanting / day 1,320.0 minutes/day
Rate of Chanting per round 7.5 Minutes/round This can vary: say between 6-8 minutes
Holy Names/round (108x16) 1,728 holy names/round
304,128 Number of Holy Names Chanted/day
What is the source of this information Prabhuji?
As I have said in my first reply, from a recorded lecture but still can not locate it.
Where did you read that Haridas Thakur chanted for 22 hours everyday?
I did not read, but heard from a lecture, but made some calculations, so based on the above table around 22 hours is the most probable time of chanting, more or less. Two hours can be used for eating and resting (this is an assumption or speculation, forgive me for this)
Where does it say that he chanted without breaks?
There is no written document which says there was no break, but if one chants like Haridas Thakur and using the breath for the Holy Names one can go on chanting without the break. (So another assumption or speculation, forgive me for this.)
I have read that he chanted Nama 300,000 times. No where I have seen a reference to him taking 22 hours to do it.
Same as the above.
Again I would like to ask forgiveness for my speculation.
Still the point, is by sacrificing the breath for the holy names, somehow we may get the mercy of Haridas Thakur, which the calculations above shown that it is possible for us to do the same, if we are willing to sacrifice time, for less eating, less sleeping, less defending and less sex.
I’m begging everyone’s forgiveness for the assumptions and speculations I have made in my post.
Ys, Md
Please forgive me if I offended you in any way.
Nice post Prabhuji. Please accept my humble obeisances.
You said in the second paragraph, "namacharya Haridas Thakur chanted 22 hours per day without stopping"
What is the source of this information Prabhuji?
Where did you read that Haridas Thakur chanted for 22 hours everyday?
Where does it say that he chanted without breaks?
I have read that he chanted Nama 300,000 times. No where I have seen a reference to him taking 22 hours to do it.