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The Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra

 

Mantra Meditation

 

 

 

 

Click HERE to listen to the Maha mantra sung by

HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad

 

 

 

The Philosophy Behind The Holy Name

Chant

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

 

and be Happy

 

 

 

The Search For Happiness

Everyone wants to be happy. The quest for happiness is natural. Some seek

happiness in family life, in natural healthy living, in successful carriers,

active social lives, fine gourmet foods, gambling, sports and exercise. Others

experience happiness in politics, arts, music, academia, or in hobbies like

drama

philanthrophy, welfare work etc. Still others find happiness in liquors, mood

elevators, tranquilizers or other drugs. One indeed derives pleasure from the

above mentionned activities. But non can claim to have received full

satisfaction from these. The reason being that the pleasure derived from these

material sources is temporary. Even what many people consider to be man's most

basic

and fundamental pleasure - eating and sex - can occupy only a few momemts of

each day. Our bodies constantly thwart our plans for enjoyment. After all one

can only eat so much before becoming ill. Even sex has its limits. But the

quest for pleasure and happiness is nonetheless a natural thing. This is

because

our original nature is that we are all spiritual entities. We are not our

bodies but spiritual souls within. Our original nature, as described in the

Vedic

litteratures, is sat-cit-ananda i.e we are eternal spirit souls full of

knowledge and bliss. Due to our ignorance of these spiritual facts we wrongly

identify ourselves with our bodies. Man has become so much engrossed in

material

sense enjoyment that he has forgotten his real identity. Since our bodies are

but

temporary coverings all pleasures and happiness derived in relation with these

bodies will also be temporary.

..

In this age of Kali Yuga (present age of quarrel and hypocrisy), the best way

to purify our consciousness and come to the realisation of our real spiritual

and blissful identity is by chanting the Holy names of God. Thus Mohammed

counseled, "Glorify the name of your Lord, the most high"[Koran: 87.2]. Saint

Paul said, "Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved"

[Romans:

10.13]. Lord Buddha declared,"All who sincerely call upon My name will come to

me after death, and I will take them to Paradise"[Vows of Amida Buddha]. King

David preached, "From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the

Lord is to be praised" [Psalms:113.3]. And the world's oldest scriptures, the

Vedas of India, emphatically state,"Chant the holy name, chant the holy name of

 

the Lord. In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy there is no other way, there

is no other way, no other way to attain spiritual enlightenement."

[brhadnaradiya Purana]. The Kali Santarana Upanishad specifically enjoins us to

chant the

Maha Mantra:

..

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

 

Srila Prabhupada says :

"Chanting Hare Krishna is the easiest process by which to become purified,

especially in this age, when people are so dull that they cannot very easily

understand spiritual knowledge. If one chants Hare Krishna , then his

intelligence becomes purified, and he can understand spiritual things."

..

"The transcendental vibration established by the chanting of Hare Krishna

Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

is

the sublime method for reviving our transcendental consciousness." God being

omnipotent, is non different from His name. Thus by chanting His names one can

be purified since His name is all-pure and all-pufirying. The chanting

awakens within one the dormant love that everyone has for the Supreme

Personality of

Godhead, bringing great happiness and ecstasy.

..

"We have seen it practically. Even a child can take part in the chanting, or

even a dog can take part in it. The chanting should be heard, however, from

the lips of a pure devotee of the Lord, so that immediate effect can be

achieved. As far as possible, chanting from the lips of a nondevotee should

be avoided, as much as milk touched by the lips of a serpent causes

poisonous effect."(A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Purport to Hare

Krishna Mantra Record Intro.)

..

What is the Maha Mantra ?

Maha is a Sanskrit word meaning great. Mantra is formed by two words, mana

and tra. Mana means mind and tra means freeing. So the Maha Mantra is the great

 

chanting for deliverance. It is the sound that liberates the mind from

ignorance. Hare is the vocative for Hara. Hara is the form of addressing the

energy

of the Lord. Krishna and Rama are names of the Lord meaning "the

all-attractive" and "the supreme pleasure " respectively.

..

So the Maha Mantra means "O energy of the Lord (Hare), O all-attractive Lord

(Krishna), O Supreme Enjoyer (Rama), please engage me in Your service." By

constantly chanting the names of the Lord and asking Him to engage us in His

service, and actually engaging ourselves in His transcendental loving service

one

indeed feels spiritual bliss.

..

Srila Prabhupada says : "But there is no doubt that chanting takes one

immediately to the spiritual platform, and one shows the first symptom of this

in

the urge to dance along with the chanting of the mantra. We have seen this

practically. Even a child can take part in the chanting and dancing. Of course,

for

one who is too entangled in material life, it takes a little more time, but

even such a materially engrossed man is raised to the spiritual platform very

quickly. When the mantra is chanted by a pure devotee of the Lord in love, it

has the greatest efficacy on the hearers, and as such this chanting should be

heard from the lips of pure devotee of the Lord, so that immediate effects can

be achieved.Chanting the Hare Krishna mantra is the easiest process of

meditation in this age. As soon as one chants the Hare Krishna mantra, he sees

the

forms of Krishna, Rama and their energies and this is the perfect stage of

trance. One should not artificially try to see the form of the Lord while

chanting Hare Krishna but when the chanting is performed offenselessly the Lord

will

automatically reveal Himself to the view of the chanter. The chanter

therefore has to concentrate on hearing the vibration and without extra effort

on His

part the Lord will appear automatically."

 

 

 

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

 

 

 

There are two ways of chanting the Maha Mantra.

(a) Japa meaning reciting the mantra to oneself as a form of personal

meditation. In this way one should concentrate on hearing the sound of the holy

 

names, pronouncing the names clearly and distinctly as one chants, addressing

the

Lord in a prayerful mood. Thus one personally associates with the Lord.

(b) Kirtan (or sankirtan) meaning congregational chanting of the holy names

often accompanied with musical numerous instruments, and clapping. In this way

the Holy names can be shared with others and with the public, benefiting all

who hear Them.

 

Everyone is encouraged to chant this Maha Mantra. It is free of charge and

can be chanted wherever one is and in whatever conditions one may be. For more

information on personal or public chanting, how you can try this and where, and

 

books on the subject contact your local Hare Krishna centre as found in the

list on the Homepage or at Every Town and Village.

 

Chant

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

 

.............and be happy