hare rama vs. hare krishna

[Guest guest]

dear all,

 

i hope the following post is taken in the right spirit. it is only

from an intellectual point of view to understand the history of the

mahamantra and not to offend sentiments or faith.

 

1) the upanishadic mantra starts with hare rama. i have heard / read

that it was altered to start as hare krishna as smartha brahmins

opposed caitanya for teaching vedic mantras to non-brahmins based on

casteist arguments. can some one let me know the exact reference to

this incidence ?

 

2) does this incidence find its place in any of the contemporary

works of caitanya ? bhagavatha, mangala etc.

 

3) what was caitanya's age when this happened ?

 

4) before this incidence, were caitanya's followers chanting hare

rama or hare krishna ?

 

5)which other sampradaya chants hare krishna or hare rama mantra -

ramanuja, vallabha,nimbarka, madhwa, sankara etc ?

 

thanks for the information.

[Guest guest]

achintya, "v_raja_ram" <v_raja_ram> wrote:

 

> 1) the upanishadic mantra starts with hare rama.

 

Some North Indian recensions of the Upanishad apparently have it as

starting with hare kR^iShNa..... Kushakratha dasa apparently

translated one such edition.

 

i have heard / read

> that it was altered to start as hare krishna as smartha brahmins

> opposed caitanya for teaching vedic mantras to non-brahmins based

on

> casteist arguments. can some one let me know the exact reference to

> this incidence ?

 

As far as I can tell, the only reference is the old Gaudiya Vaishnava

FAQ by Agrahya dasa. He himself never cites his source, and he more

or less implies that it is a rumor.

 

I have yet to see any canonical reference substantiating

this "changed mantra" theory.

 

> 2) does this incidence find its place in any of the contemporary

> works of caitanya ? bhagavatha, mangala etc.

 

None that I have heard of.

 

> 3) what was caitanya's age when this happened ?

 

No idea. Like I said, it sounds like more of an old wives' tale.

 

> 4) before this incidence, were caitanya's followers chanting hare

> rama or hare krishna ?

 

I am not aware of any reference to them having chanted the mantra in

a different order from the beginning.

 

> 5)which other sampradaya chants hare krishna or hare rama mantra -

> ramanuja, vallabha,nimbarka, madhwa, sankara etc ?

 

My grandfather learned and taught the mantra as hare raama hare

raama... hare kR^iShNa hare kR^iShNa.... Our family is from smaartha

tradition, and this particular order of the mantra is the way it is

apparently found in South Indian recensions.