18
Šrū Calitanya, caritāmrta
[[Madhva-lila Ch 7]
TRANSLATION
“Since Your two hands will always be engaged in chanting and counting the holy names, how will You be able to carry the water pot and external garments?
PURPORT
From this verse it is clear that 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 Thākura also followed this principle. Concerning the Gosvāmīs—Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrīla Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī—Śrīnivāsa Ācārya confirms:  saṅkhyā-pūr-vaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ.  ( Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka , 6) 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. This is corroborated in the  Caitanya-candrāmṛta  and also in Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī's  Stava-mālā :
badhnan prema-bhara-prakampita-karo granthīn kaṭīḍorakaiḥ saṅkhyātuṁ nija-loka-maṅgala-hare-kṛṣṇeti nāmnāṁ japan  
    (Caitanya-candrāmṛta, 9)
hare krṣṇety uccaiḥ sphurita-rasano nāma-gaṇanā-kṛta-granthi-śreṇī-subhaga-kaṭi-sūtrojjvala-karaḥ  (Caitanyāṣṭaka, 5)
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. Haridāsa Ṭhākura daily chanted 300,000 names. Sixteen rounds is about 28,000 names. There is no need to imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura or the other Gosvāmīs, but chanting the holy name a fixed number of times daily is essential for every devotee.
Text 38
প্রেমাবেশে পথে তুমি হবে অচেতন। এ-সব সামগ্রী ভোমার কে করে রক্ষণ ॥ ৩৮ ॥
premāveśe pathe tumi habe acetana e-saba sāmagrī tomāra ke kare rakṣaṇa