Question: What is the proper method to chant the Hare Krishna mantra? If someone is chanting 16 rounds, then should one chant the Panca-tattva mantra after every round or should we chant the Panca-tattva mantra at the beginning of chanting & then continuously chant the Hare Krishna mantra without break?
Did Srila Prabhupada introduce the chanting of Panca-tattva mantra after every round? Please enlighten me on this.
Answer by Romapada Swami:
There are no hard and fast rules in chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Most standard Vedic mantras are governed by specific rules and prohibitions in chanting; but the holy names of Lord Krishna and specifically the Hare Krishna maha-mantra can be chanted in any condition regardless of the time, place or any other consideration.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms this in His Siksastakam prayers (Verse 2)
namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis
tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kaalah
“O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krishna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names.”
Regarding chanting of the Panca-tattva mantra, in the Caitanya Caritamrita, Srila Prabhupada indicates a general recommendation or instruction that before chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra one must chant the Panca-tattva’s names and offer respects to them. There are ten offenses to be avoided in chanting the Holy Names, but Lord Caitanya and His associates the Panca-tattva, being the most magnanimous, do not consider any offenses. Thus chanting their names will enable one to derive the full benefit of chanting the maha-mantra. (See Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi Lila 7.4 & 8.4)
Many devotees have chanted in this way since the Caitanya Caritamrita was published, i.e. chanting Panca-tattva mantra before beginning every round of Maha Mantra. Also, many don’t chant the Panca-tattva mantra interspersed within the Maha Mantra. But in either case, the general principle is to offer respects to the Panca-tattva, who are the inaugurators of the yuga dharma of chanting Hare Krishna mantra, in order to quickly achieve success in chanting Hare Krishna purely.
