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
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Hare Hare
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