Baladeva’s alarm clock went off at 1:00 A.M.,
and our cowbells followed.
He administered my wake-up rituals.
I went into the room
where the Deities are and bowed down.
I began my japa at a moderate pace.
I practiced “just hear,”
the method where you chant and hear
with no other meditation.
I am capable of doing this
and I am comfortable with it.
There are higher stages of perfection
in japa, but “just hear” is elevated in
itself. Anyone who understands that
the Name is non-different from
Krishna Himself, and who absorbs himself
in the transcendental sound vibration,
is achieving a rare state of japa.
I could not achieve such a rare state,
but I tried.
I met my quota after four rounds
with minutes to spare. Then I
turned to writing in my Japa Report.

I began the second set at a moderate pace.
Although I was chanting silently in the mind
I heard the Names clearly, with attention
and concern to pronounce the words properly.
But I was distracted by planning ahead
what to write in the next Japa Report.
I was committing aparadha:
inattention to the Name,
so my chanting was faulty.
But the maha-mantra is
so merciful and powerful that it
vanquishes past sinful reactions,
ushers in liberation
and brings one gradually to love of God,
even when chanted with imperfections
as I was doing.
(I like to repeat the lines
about the power of the maha-mantra.
I use them as affirmations.
They give me confidence that
I am making progress, even though
I am making mistakes.)
I met my quota after eight rounds
with minutes to spare.

I began the third set at a brisk pace.
I avoided mere mechanical chanting
by cultivating thoughtfulness and
devotional feelings. For thoughtfulness,
I adhered to “just hear.” This enabled
me to concentrate on each separate mantra
without mixing or missing them.
For feeling, I glanced at Radha-Govinda
and imbibed Their sweetness.
I acknowledged that Radha-Krishna are
the heart of the Hare Krishna mantra,
composed exclusively of Their Names
and uttered as a prayer to be
engaged in Their service.
I finished my twelfth round
with minutes to spare on the quota.
So far, I felt no eyestrain or headache.

I began my fourth set emphasizing speed
as a priority over quality. But I
kept attention to the mantras
and did not rush recklessly. I
turned from external to internal.
I did this by practicing “just hear”
intensely, and adding some visualizing
of Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavana.
It was relief to do that.
I completed my sixteenth round
with minutes to spare.

I considered it a decent session.
I was alert and wide awake the whole time.
I suffered no bodily pain.
I pronounced all the mantras
clearly and avoided being
merely mechanical. I followed
the process where one does
a prescribed number of rounds
in obedience to the order
of the spiritual master,
a sacred vow.