Hare Krishna!
In the chanting of the Lord’s Holy Name there is the most rare bliss. One who has realized the power of the Lord’s Name or has directly experienced has attained everything—he needs nothing more.
The easiest way to get liberation from this maya (illusion) is kirtan. Compared to yajña, rituals, or other forms of worship, chanting and kirtan are far superior. If someone only engages in chanting and kirtan, even then he can be established in his true spiritual form, the self.
This “Hare Krishna” mantra which I am telling you about is found in the Kali-Santarana Upanishad of the Krishna Yajurveda. There is also a story related to this mantra which describes the importance of chanting “Hare Krishna.”
The words of this holy name kirtan of the Lord are as follows:
|| Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare||
Here, “Hare” means “remove”. It is a cry for deliverance from the sorrowful bondage of worldly life (please liberate me from this). In this, the devotee is calling upon the Lord.
Why chant the Hare Krishna mantra?
When we chant the “Hare Krishna” mantra, the mind which is scattered in worldly subjects turns toward devotion. For liberation, there is no simpler means than devotion—only exclusive love and surrender to God.
You can understand devotion like a coin: one side has one mark, the other side another. Similarly, on one side is bhakti (devotion), and on the other side mukti (liberation). Thus devotion and liberation are two sides of the same coin.
This mantra is not only for the devotee of God. Even if someone feels that devotion is not possible for him, still, if he chants this mantra constantly, he can transform himself into a devotee. Whoever has even a slight desire for liberation, whoever loves God, whoever has attachment to Him, for such a person chanting this mantra is extremely beneficial. He attains perfection very quickly—there is no doubt in this. By the kirtan of “Hare Krishna” one is able to escape from death and attain immortality.
Krishna is your first love. From the time you were born in this world, you have always loved Krishna. If you don’t see your love for Krishna now, if you don’t feel rasa (taste) in Krishna, don’t worry—you still love only Krishna. It is like a magnet and iron nails: every nail always goes toward the magnet.
Krishna is that magnet who attracts everyone. Even if someone doesn’t know “Who is Krishna?”, still he worships Krishna only. The wise worship Krishna, but even the ignorant do so. The problem with the ignorant is that they worship Krishna but also worship the world equally.
We should want only Krishna, not the world. The world that is settled in our mind must be destroyed through this mantra. Whenever the mind shows the world, you show it the Lord’s Name. Doing so, you will worship only Krishna. Krishna alone is complete. This body cannot attain completeness. You must go beyond this body, its senses, and its limited understanding, because you are not this body or mind—you are the Atman (pure consciousness). The Atman has no relation with the world. Like the body, the Atman is not bound by the bonds of this world.
O devotees of Hari! In the Kali-Santarana Upanishad (also called Hari-Nama Upanishad because it is related to the Holy Name of Hari), there is a story connected with the Hare Krishna mantra.
When the age of Kali was about to begin, Devarshi Narada appeared before Pitamaha Brahmaji. Narada asked:
“O Pitamaha! As I travel on this earth, I see that because of this Kali age, the living entities wander away from the supreme goal of life. Therefore, kindly tell me how one can be saved from the faults of this Kali age and attain the most rare liberation.”
Pitamaha Brahma became pleased at hearing this and replied:
“O child, today you have asked me a very good question. Today I will tell you the most secret knowledge of the Vedas.”
“This is the mantra by which even by hearing alone devotion will arise in you. By chanting the holy names of the Supreme Lord, the primeval Person, you can protect yourself from the destructive influences of Kali-yuga. By merely chanting this mantra, man destroys all the faults of Kali-yuga and attains the association of the Supreme Lord Narayana.”
Then Narada asked: “Which is that name?”
Brahma replied:
“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.”
“By chanting these sixteen words, man is certainly able to attain knowledge and Brahma-nirvana in Kali-yuga. I do not see a better means than this even in the four Vedas.”
Just as when the clouds scatter the rays of the sun shine forth, similarly by this chanting the coverings of the living being are destroyed, and he attains the supreme state.
Then Narada asked: “What is the method of chanting this mantra?”
Brahma replied: “There is no method. Chant at any time. Pure or impure, auspicious or inauspicious, even a sinner—by constantly chanting this mantra, he can attain liberation.”
What benefits do we get from chanting the Hare Krishna mantra?
The chanting and kirtan of this mantra has many important benefits for a blissful life—benefits that are necessary for all of us.
Freedom from worldly faults
Living in this world is not easy. Here, only that person is happy who is not tainted by worldly defects. Otherwise, just look around at how most people’s lives are. Chanting “Hare Krishna” can be a very effective way to keep yourself pure within. You can test this yourself. By chanting this mantra, the tendencies of your mind which push you into good or bad actions can be controlled. Thus you can attain liberation.
Love for God
While chanting the Lord’s name, the mind turns toward God. We all love Krishna, but because of worldly faults that love gets hidden. By chanting this mantra, we invoke that love for God in our hearts.
The rare bliss
When we chant the Hare Krishna mantra and remember the beautiful form of the Lord, our consciousness moves toward liberation from bodily bondage. In doing so, we experience bliss. When this state becomes steady, the devotee merges into the eternal sat-cit-ananda (being-consciousness-bliss) form of the Lord.
Realization of the sat-cit-ananda form of God
By chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, one attains realization of the Lord. Once someone attains even once this supreme state, he can never forget it in his whole life, because that supreme state is like that. It is the Lord’s very form. And even if he falls away from it, he is easily inspired again to practice to attain it.
The natural tendency of every living being is to move toward God, toward freedom. But under the influence of maya, we lose this natural tendency. Crossing over this great maya is not an easy task—even the demigods cannot conquer it. But the devotee engaged in bhakti can easily cross over it.
Other benefits of chanting this mantra include:
- Helps to regulate daily routine—sleeping, waking, eating properly.
- Prevents wasting life in unnecessary talk, by turning the mind in the right direction.
- Awakens the longing for spiritual knowledge.
- Improves social and family relationships.
- Brings clarity in thoughts.
- Removes mental impurities such as lust, anger, greed, attachment, envy.
- Helps overcome fear without becoming frightened.
- Develops a gentle and simple nature.
