Can I chant less than 16 rounds and still go to Goloka?

Chanting 16 rounds is an instruction from Srila Prabhupada. It’s not a Vedic injunction nor a demand from Sri Krishna or even Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Those who want to approach Krishna through the disciples of Srila Prabhupada are most likely going to have to agree to chant 16 rounds because that is the instruction from Prabhupada.

It is not there is some magic in the number 16. This number is given because a minimum amount of time should be spent chanting everyday.

Chanting Hare Krishna is an art as well as a science.

Although it is said there are no hard and fast rules, that should be understood in context. For chanting many mantras there are specifics that must be observed. For instance the time of day, being clean, our location and company, the direction we are facing, if we have undergone purificatiory samskars, and so on. For chanting Hare Krishna, none of these apply. This mantra can be chanted by anyone, at any time, in any place, in any condition. That is what no hard and fast rules refers to.

However there are ten offences that must be avoided. They are hard and fast. Plus one must chant attentively. It is not so much a question of how many rounds we chant, but how many rounds we hear when we chant. There’s no use attending all our classes at college with earphones in listening to our favourite music. We may have attended class but we haven’t paid attention. Similarly every time we chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare and our mind is somewhere else, not hearing what we are saying, we have missed much of the benefit of that mantra. There will still be benefit, just not as much as if we are focused on hearing the words. It’s really hard to focus only on hearing the Mahamantra round after round without the mind wandering off. Really really hard. That is the art of chanting. It’s something that can be improved through regular practice and that’s what the 16 rounds are for.

The science is that Krishna is present in His name and by hearing His name we become purified and attachment for Krishna and His name develop. Before we see Krishna directly, we will realise Krishna in His name.

In a humble state of mind we should chant as attentively as possible aware that Krishna is present. We should chant with the goal to improve our chanting. When our chanting improves there is the desire to chant more. Whether we are chanting half a round or 16 rounds, there must be some effort to improve. No one is an expert in any field or discipline immediately. Time is needed. So the more time we spend trying to improve the more likely it is we will improve. It’s possible for one person to derive more benefit from chanting one round than another who chants 16 rounds, but it’s going to be unlikely. If someone works out at the gym for two hours everyday, and another person for ten minutes, who is likely to get the better result?

Anyway whether one round or 16 rounds the idea is to chant and improve. The more we improve the closer we are to Goloka.