Fortnightly Message (4 March - 19 March 2026)

Fortnightly Message (4 March - 19 March 2026)
Viṣṇu Māsa, Kṛṣṇa Pakṣa, Amāvasyā, 540 Gaurābda

My dear dīkṣā, sheltered, aspiring, śikṣā, grand-disciples, and well-wishers, Please accept my blessings, best wishes, and praṇāmas as appropriate.
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Home Base: Śrī Māyāpur Candrodaya Mandir.
Camp: ISKCON Bhadrak

Date: 19 March 2026

Highlights

We arrived at ISKCON Bhadrak yesterday for the Deity installation of Śrī Śrī Rādhā Govinda, Śrī Śrī Gaura Gopāla Jiu and Patitapāvana Jagannātha. Yesterday evening, we had the ceremony called ‘netronmilana’ which means that with the chanting of mantras and offering of ghee, the lotus eyes of the Deities were opened. Today we had the abhiṣeka and prāṇa-pratiṣṭhā. Many sannyāsīs were also present for the installation ceremony. The temple is very big; it's huge, and the Deities are very beautiful.

Lord Caitanya visited Bhadrak with Rāmānanda Rāya during his first attempt to go to Vṛndāvana. There is a river behind the temple where Lord Caitanya took bath. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura also lived here for many years. So this is a very special place for us.

The Gaura Gopāla Mandir was registered under ISKCON in 1977. Śrīla Prabhupāda personally accepted the land that was donated by Śrī Śacidānanda Mohantī.

I was reminded that in 1978, I conducted the first initiation ceremony at this Gaura Gopāla Mandir accepting three devotees as my disciples.

The spiritual safari devotees are also here. We started the spiritual safari in the 1980's. We start the safari after Gaura-Pūrṇimā and travel to different places until Rāma Navamī for around 21 days. Every year we go to different holy places where Lord Caitanya visited and this year the safari is in Gauḍa-maṇḍala, establishing Lord Caitanya’s lotus footprints in different places of Bengal.

Last week we celebrated the appearance day of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. He was a special associate of Lord Caitanya and Lord Caitanya performed the confidential kīrtana pastimes in his house. During the saṅkīrtana, Lord Caitanya would manifest many amazing ecstasies. Sometimes He would become so heavy like the weight of a universe, yet still jump five to ten feet in the air while dancing, and when He landed, it would cause earthquakes. Other times, He would become as light as cotton, and devotees could lift Him with just one finger and carry Him overhead. His body temperature also changed dramatically. Sometimes burning so hot that sandalwood paste would instantly dry up like water on a hot skillet, and other times so cold that devotees' hands would freeze at His touch. In this way, he exhibited many different ecstasies while doing saṅkīrtana at Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura's house.

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Message

Every night, I am reading about the glories of the holy name. Śrīla Prabhupāda always emphasized the importance of chanting 16 rounds daily.

“So far as your question about arranging time, our first business is to regularly complete our chanting 16 rounds each day.”

—Letter to Kīrtanānanda, Los Angeles, 2 December 1968

“There are many regulative principles in the śāstras and directions given by the spiritual master. These regulative principles should act as servants of the basic principle — that is, one should always remember Kṛṣṇa and never forget Him. This is possible when one chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Therefore, one must strictly chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra twenty-four hours daily. 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.” –(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.113 purport)

“Sixteen... It takes only two hours, sixteen rounds…..So you have to spend two hours for Kṛṣṇa out of twenty-four.”—(Morning Walk at Stow Lake, March 23, 1968, San Francisco)

“Caitanya Mahāprabhu was chanting the holy names a fixed number of times daily. The Gosvāmīs used to follow in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and Haridāsa Ṭhākura also followed this principle. In addition to other duties, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu introduced the system of chanting the holy name of the Lord a fixed number of times daily, as confirmed in this verse (tomāra dui hasta baddha nāma-gaṇane). Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to count on His fingers. While one hand was engaged in chanting, the other hand kept the number of rounds. Therefore devotees in the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu must chant at least sixteen rounds daily, and this is the number prescribed by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.”—Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 7.37, Purport

My Message

I received some letters asking that they have reduced their chanting, and if that is all right.

So I wanted to remind my disciples of how, at the time of initiation, you have vowed to chant 16 rounds and follow four regulative principles.

Haridāsa Ṭhākura chanted 300,000 names of Kṛṣṇa a day and he would chant aloud 100,000, softly 100,000, and mentally 100,000. We only chant 25,000 names of Kṛṣṇa or 16 rounds. So, it's recommended that we try to chant loudly.

I am reading the Śrī Nāmāmṛta book every day, and Śrīla Prabhupāda has said how chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is so beneficial that even though Kali-yuga is full of defects, the one overriding good quality is that just by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, one goes back to the spiritual world. So, some or another, whether loudly, softly, or mentally, somehow we should try to complete the 16 rounds.

And Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra protects one from the influence of Kali-yuga.

As far as possible, chant on beads. But when not possible, chant on your counter machine. Somehow or another, chant 1,728 mantras of Hare Kṛṣṇa, or 16 rounds a day. And at intervals chant the Pañca-tattva mantra to get Their blessings and somehow or another meet your count. So, in this way, even though one gets old and sick or whatever, they can chant at all times, some way or another. You can ask forgiveness from Kṛṣṇa when your quality of chanting is not good.

I am physically challenged in many ways. But somehow or another, I always chant more than 16 rounds.

So my request to all the disciples is that you should keep chanting, no matter what, because chanting is very, very important.

Inspirational Stories

I wanted to share with you all a very inspiring report about distributing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, started by devotees of ISKCON South Bengaluru. Two years ago, the devotees of ISKCON South Bengaluru launched the Har Ghar Bhāgavatam campaign, meaning "Bhāgavatam in Every Home", dedicated to the pleasure of Śrīla Prabhupāda. They received the number one position in Bhāgavatam distribution among small and medium-sized ISKCON temples for two consecutive years.

The campaign's reach extends well beyond Bengaluru. Devotees regularly conduct Zoom meetings with members of other ISKCON temples across India and around the world, inspiring them to take up Bhāgavatam distribution as a personal service.

The results have been remarkable. They have distributed over a thousand Bhāgavatam sets. They have also developed a systematic way of distributing Bhāgavatam and prepared a booklet of 108 ideas for distributing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets, which is available in six languages, and a calendar based on Bhāgavatam produced in nine languages.

One of the most distinctive aspects of this campaign is that they do not offer discounts, gifts, or śāstra-dāna. Instead, they explain to people about the glories of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, inspiring them to purchase at full price. To know more, you can write to jaganmohanagopaladasa@gmail.com

And devotees from ISKCON Seshadripuram Jagannātha Mandir informed me that they got 3rd place for book distribution in India and also for the whole world under the small temple category. I am very happy to receive these reports.

I hope this finds you in good health and blissful Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Your well-wisher always,
Jayapatākā Swami

JPS/rrsdb