Mahā-Japa-Yajña Vrata
Hare Kṛṣṇa Koṭi-Nāma
A vow to collectively chant 10 million names
(1 crore names) of Kṛṣṇa by 9 July 2023
Dedicated to
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
The Founder-Ācārya of the Worldwide Hare Kṛṣṇa Movement
REGISTRATION
Kindly schedule your chanting session with us.
HARE KRISHNA
PURPOSE OF VRATA
It is an ardent collective prayer to Lord Kṛṣṇa appealing for His blessings to enable us to acquire the new property at 556-562 Sims Ave for His service in the matter of propagation of Sanātana Dharma, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
The property deal is already underway, the completion date of which is 9 July 2023.
COUNTING METHOD
One chant of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is:
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma
Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
… which is 16 names in total.
1 mālā (round) = 108 beads.
1 mālā = 108 x 16 names = 1,728 names.
Approximately, 100,000 names is calculated to be 64 rounds.
So, 10,000,000 (1 crore) names = 6,400 rounds.
PARTICIPATION
- Anyone in Singapore can participate
- Must chant in front of the Deities in the Temple Hall
- Must chant on the beads given by the temple, if one does not already own a personal 108-beads mālā
- Temple devotees will guide the participants
- For devotees, daily personal sādhana rounds do not count, rounds for this yajña have to be separately counted
- Everyone is encouraged to take up a vow of how many rounds he will chant for the yajña
- After each session, one must enter his name and number of rounds chanted in the Koṭi-Nāma Japa-Yajña register maintained by the Temple
- Total rounds chanted will be updated daily on the Temple Notice Board and on social media channels
- Complete the Registration Form
PHOTO GALLERY
MERITS OF CHANTING
The Vedic scriptures say (as quoted in Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā 3.79 purport):
go-koṭi-dānaṁ grahaṇe khagasya
Prayāga-gaṅgodaka-kalpa-vāsaḥ
yajñāyutaṁ meru-suvarṇa-dānaṁ
govinda-kīrter na samaṁ śatāṁśaiḥ
“Even if one distributes ten million cows in charity during an eclipse of the sun, lives at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamunā for millions of years, or gives a mountain of gold in sacrifice to the brāhmaṇas, he does not earn one hundredth part of the merit derived from chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.”
SASTRIC UNDERSTANDING
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā 10.25:
yajñānāṁ japa-yajño ‘smi —
”Of sacrifices, I am the chanting of the holy names (japa).”
- The greatest sacrifice is to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa.
- We are sacrificing our tendency to speak about material topics, and instead chant the pure holy names of Kṛṣṇa.
- Such prayers to Kṛṣṇa by chanting Kṛṣṇa’s names such as this vrata and engagement in His devotional service should be ahaitukī (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.2.6), only be done for the sake of Kṛṣṇa’s service.
- It should never be done with a motive for personal gain. That is offensive to Kṛṣṇa.
- Since this vow is being undertaken to purchase a property that will be used entirely for His service, it is bona fide.
- The great Ācārya Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī wrote (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11):
anyābhilāṣitā śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy anāvṛtaṁ
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā“First-class devotional service should be devoid of all material desires, philosophical speculation, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Kṛṣṇa favorably, as Kṛṣṇa desires.”
EFFECTS OF CHANTING
Lord Caitanya declares (Śikṣāṣṭaka 1):
ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ
śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam
ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ
sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam
“Let there be all victory for the chanting the holy names of Kṛṣṇa (the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra), which produces the following effects …
- ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ — thoroughly cleanses the dusty mirror of one’s contaminated mind
- bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ — completely extinguishes the blazing-forest-fire-like miseries of material life caused by a sinful life
- śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ — chanting is the cooling waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities.
- vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam — chanting is the life and soul of all education (by chanting, one will have achieved the perfection of all knowledge)
- ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ — produces a limitless ocean of bliss that is ever-expanding
- prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ — it enables us to taste full nectar at every step of our lives
- sarva-ātma-snapanaṁ — it is a thorough bathing of the soul, washing it of all contamination
REGISTRATION
Kindly schedule your chanting session with us.
HARE KRISHNA