The Nature of the Hare-Krishna Maha-Mantra

by :

Shanti Devi Dasi:


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Sri Caitanya Caritamrita Adi 7.83

krishna-nama-maha-mantrera ei ta' svabhava
yei jape, tara krishne upajaye bhava

"'It is the nature of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra that anyone who chants it immediately develops his loving ecstasy for Krishna.

PURPORT by Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Svami Prabhupada

In this verse it is explained that one who chants the Hare Krishna mantra develops bhava, ecstasy, which is the point at which revelation begins. It is the preliminary stage in developing one's original love for God. Lord Krishna mentions this bhava stage in the Bhagavad-gita (10.8):

aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate
iti matva bhajante mam budha bhava-samanvitah

"I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts." A neophyte disciple begins by hearing and chanting, associating with devotees and practicing the regulative principles, and thus he vanquishes all of his unwanted bad habits. In this way he develops attachment for Krishna and cannot forget Krishna even for a moment. Bhava is the almost successful stage of spiritual life.

A sincere student aurally receives the holy name from the spiritual master, and after being initiated he follows the regulative principles given by the spiritual master. When the holy name is properly served in this way, automatically the spiritual nature of the holy name spreads; in other words, the devotee becomes qualified in offenselessly chanting the holy name. When one is completely fit to chant the holy name in this way, he is eligible to make disciples all over the world, and he actually becomes jagad-guru. Then the entire world, under his influence, begins to chant the holy names of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Thus all the disciples of such a spiritual master increase in attachment for Krishna, and therefore he sometimes cries, sometimes laughs, sometimes dances and sometimes chants. These symptoms are very prominently manifest in the body of a pure devotee. Sometimes when our students of the Krishna consciousness movement chant and dance, even in India people are astonished to see how these foreigners have learned to chant and dance in this ecstatic fashion. As explained by Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, actually this is not due to practice, for without extra endeavor these symptoms become manifest in anyone who sincerely chants the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.

Many fools, not knowing the transcendental nature of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, sometimes impede our loudly chanting this mantra, yet one who is actually advanced in the fulfillment of chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra induces others to chant also. Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami explains, krishna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana: unless one receives special power of attorney from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he cannot preach the glories of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. As devotees propagate the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, the general population of the entire world gets the opportunity to understand the glories of the holy name. While chanting and dancing or hearing the holy name of the Lord, one automatically remembers the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and because there is no difference between the holy name and Krishna, the chanter is immediately linked with Krishna. Thus connected, a devotee develops his original attitude of service to the Lord. In this attitude of constantly serving Krishna, which is called bhava, he always thinks of Krishna in many different ways. One who has attained this bhava stage is no longer under the clutches of the illusory energy. When other spiritual ingredients, such as trembling, perspiration and tears, are added to this bhava stage, the devotee gradually attains love of Krishna.

The holy name of Krishna is called the maha-mantra. Other mantras mentioned in the Narada-pancaratra are known simply as mantras, but the chanting of the holy name of the Lord is called the maha-mantra.


Jaya Srila Prabhupada !


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