Inquiries Into the Absolute: Digest 116, Chanting the Panca-tattva

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Digest 116, March 2nd, 2005. Answers by His Holiness Romapada Swami Maharaja

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Chanting the Panca-tattva mantra before the Hare Krsna mantra?

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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:

 

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 (Siksastakam

Verse 2 http://vedabase.net/cc/antya/20/16/en)

 

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, http://vedabase.net/cc/adi/7/4/en and

http://vedabase.net/cc/adi/8/4/en respectively)

 

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.

 

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