meaning of maha mantra

[niche]

i wonder why do we glorify rama with krishna in the maha mantra ?!!

isnt krishna the greatest and ultimate alone ??!!

 

i remember asking this question once in the temple .... and i was told why not ..they are both d same!! .... but didnt find this logical enough .

 

i mean it sometimes bothers me to follow something i dont understand deep.

 

 

kindly enlighten ....... hopefully theres no offence done ??!!

 

niche !

[raga]

Rama, according to the Gaudiya Vaisnava understanding, refers to Krishna who is the carefree enjoyer of pastimes.

 

--

 

Sri Gopala Guru Goswami has explained the names in the mantra as follows:

 

vijJApya bhagavat-tattvaM cid-ghanAnanda-vigraham |

haraty avidyAM tat-kAryam ato harir iti smRtaH ||

 

“By causing realization of bhagavat-tattva, which is concentrated spiritual bliss personified, he destroys ignorance and its effects; for this reason, he is known as Hari.”

 

harati zrI-kRSNa-manaH kRSNAhlAda-svarUpinI |

ato harety anenaiva zrI-rAdhA parikIrtitA ||

 

“She steals away Sri Krishna’s mind and is the intrinsic form of Krishna’s delight; Sri Radha is therefore praised as Hare.”

 

Anandaika-sukhaH zrImAn zyAmaH kamala-locanaH |

gokulAnando zrI-nanda-nandanaH kRSNa Iryate ||

 

“The sole source of joyful bliss, the beautiful, dark Shyama with lotus-eyes, the bliss of Gokula, the son of Nanda – he is known as Krishna.”

 

vaidagdhI-sAra-sarvasvaM mUrta-lIlAdhidaivatam |

zrI-rAdhAM ramayan nityaM rAma ity abhidIyate ||

 

“In whom cunning beauty is the all-in-all, the presiding deity of pastimes incarnate who always enjoys with Sri Radha; this is how Rama is understood.”

[niche]

so the rama in the mahamantra means krishna ??!! and not the ram avatar ??!

 

didnt know this ... how come no body told this to me before ..??!! i myself have read the meaning and explanation but dont think i ever read this view !!

 

can somebody doubly confirmthis ??!! i'll be truly grateful !

 

thanks !

[raga]

Gopala Guru was Caitanya Mahaprabhu's companion. The same meaning of Rama is noted in Jiva Gosvami's vyakhya on the maha-mantra.

 

This is actually common knowledge among Gaudiya Vaisnavas, I don't know why ISKCON has missed the point.

 

Ekanta-bhakti means worship of one ista-devata, not many -- even if they be different aspects of Visnu.

 

The meaning of Rama as either Balarama or Ramacandra is impossible when Hare is read as the vocative for Harā, or Rādhā -- neither are together with her by her side.

 

Of course devotees of other sampradayas may take Hare to mean Hari and Rama to mean Ramacandra, Balarama, Parasurama or whomsoever else they wish.

[niche]

[quote=ragaEkanta-bhakti means worship of one ista-devata, not many -- even if they be different aspects of Visnu.

 

The meaning of Rama as either Balarama or Ramacandra is impossible when Hare is read as the vocative for Harā, or Rādhā -- neither are together with her by her side.

[raga]

Was there something uncertain in what I explained over Gaudiya Vaisnavas' considering the Rama as referring to Krishna alone?

[niche]

no prabhu ..not uncertainity

just that i was hoping for someone else also to underline what you said.. coz i havent heard this from ne other source so far neither do i remember reading it anywhere else.

 

as i said this bothers me ...i wanted to be doubtfree about this whole thing for once and ever .

 

amslightly surprized maybe that no one else came forwrd to guide me on this....

 

certainly i am thankful to you for the explanation..which makes complete sense to me . was just hoping for a second opinion.

 

hope am not being offensive seeking this

thanks and regards

 

hare krishna !!

[raga]

In moving from doubt to certainty, you'll need to establish a criteria for valid evidence. A hundred voices singing in chorus doth not evidence make.

 

If the writings of the Gaudiya Vaisnava acaryas are valid evidence in your philosophical framework, I can assure you that what I've said is an accurate representation of their views.

 

Let me give you contemporary second opinions, however.

 

 

B.V. Narayana Maharaja:

 

"In the maha-mantra, Rama does not refer to Dasaratha's son Rama, nor to Parasurama, nor to Balarama. The meaning of Rama here is Krishna - Radha-Raman Krishna who engages in 'ramana' with Radha. Ramana means to play. He plays with Radharani, and so He is called Ramana or Rama."

 

http://www.purebhakti.com/lectures/lecture20000305.shtml

 

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:

 

"The word Hara is a form of addressing the energy of the Lord, and the words Krishna and Rama (which mean "the highest pleasure eternal") are forms of addressing the Lord Himself. Hara is the supreme pleasure energy of the Lord, and when addressed as Hare in the vocative, She helps us to reach the Supreme Lord."

 

http://www.krishna.com/main.php?id=316

You can find more with a Google search for maha-mantra "Rama means".

 

And then some extensive references for you to study.

 

http://www.granthamandira.org/details.php?image_id=712 (Sanskrit)

http://www.granthamandira.org/details.php?image_id=718 (Translation)

[Mrs. MOore]

like, you know the radha raman temple in vrindavan? that's his name. krishna's name.

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

 

The meaning of Rama as either Balarama or Ramacandra is impossible when Hare is read as the vocative for Harā, or Rādhā -- neither are together with her by her side.

 

Hara indicates Revati when Rama refers to Balarama. Hara refers to Sita when Rama refers to Ramachandra. Hara refers to Radha when Rama refers to Krishna.

[mrs.moore]

yes but which do we prefer....?

[guru]

"In this connection we may mention an incident that took place between two of our sannyāsīs while we were preaching the Hare Krsna maha-mantra in Hyderabad. One of them stated that "Hare Rama" refers to Sri Balarama, and the other protested that "Hare Rama" means Lord Rama. Ultimately the controversy came to me, and I gave the decision that if someone says that the "Rama" in "Hare Rama" is Lord Ramacandra and someone else says that the "Rama" in "Hare Rama" is Sri Balarama, both are correct because there is no difference between Sri Balarama and Lord Rama. Here in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta we find that Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvāmī has stated the same conclusion:

 

yei yei rūpe jāne, sei tāhā kahe

sakala sambhave kṛṣṇe, kichu mithyā nahe

 

If someone calls Lord Rāmacandra by the vibration Hare Rāma, understanding it to mean "O Lord Rāmacandra!" he is quite right. Similarly, if one says that Hare Rāma means "O Śrī Balarāma!" he is also right. Those who are aware of the viṣṇu-tattva do not fight over all these details."

 

- Srila Prabhupada, Cc. Adi 5.132, Purport

[niche]

actually just to know that RAMA is a valid name for krishna is enough for me to chant peacefully now !!

 

thanks everybody

 

hare krishna