<\/p>\n
The Mah\u0101-mantra<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The importance of chanting Hare K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, Hare K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, Hare Hare\/ Hare R\u0101ma, Hare R\u0101ma, R\u0101ma R\u0101ma, Hare Hare is very strongly stressed in the Second Canto, 1st Chapter, 11th verse, of the \u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam in the following way. \u015aukadeva Gosv\u0101m\u012b tells Mah\u0101r\u0101j Par\u012bk\u1e63it: \u201cMy dear King, if one is spontaneously attached to the chanting of the Hare K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a mah\u0101-mantra, it is to be understood that he has attained the highest perfectional stage.\u201d It is specifically mentioned that the karm\u012bs who are aspiring after the fruitive results of their activities, the salvationists who are aspiring to become one with the Supreme Person, and the yog\u012bs who are aspiring after mystic perfections can achieve the results of all perfectional stages simply by chanting the mah\u0101-mantra. \u015aukadeva uses the word nir\u1e47\u012btam, which means \u201cit is already decided.\u201d He was a liberated soul and therefore could not accept anything which was not conclusive. So \u015aukadeva Gosv\u0101m\u012b especially stresses that it is already concluded that one who has come to the stage of chanting the Hare K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a mantra with determination and steadiness must be considered to have already passed the trials of fruitive activities, mental speculation and mystic yoga.<\/p>\n
The same thing is confirmed in the \u0100di Pur\u0101\u1e47a by K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. While addressing Arjuna He says, \u201cAnyone who is engaged in chanting My transcendental name must be considered to be always associating with Me. And I may tell you frankly that for such a devotee I become easily purchased.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the Padma Pur\u0101\u1e47a also it is stated: \u201cThe chanting of the Hare K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a mantra is present only on the lips of a person who has for many births worshiped V\u0101sudeva.\u201d It is further said in the Padma Pur\u0101\u1e47a, \u201cThere is no difference between the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself. As such, the holy name is as perfect as the Lord Himself in fullness, purity and eternity. The holy name is no material sound vibration, nor has it any material contamination.\u201d The holy name cannot, therefore, be chanted offenselessly by one who has failed to purify his senses. In other words, materialistic senses cannot properly chant the holy names of the Hare K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a mah\u0101-mantra. But, by adopting this chanting process, one is given a chance to actually purify himself so that he may very soon chant offenselessly.<\/p>\n
Caitanya Mah\u0101prabhu has recommended that everyone chant the Hare K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a mantra just to cleanse the dust from the heart. If the dust of the heart is cleansed away, then one can actually understand the importance of the holy name. For persons who are not inclined to clean the dust from their heart and want to keep things as they are, it is not possible to derive the transcendental result of chanting the Hare K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a mantra. One should, therefore, be encouraged to develop his service attitude toward the Lord, because this will help him to chant without any offense. And so, under the guidance of a spiritual master, the disciple is trained simultaneously to render service and at the same time to chant the Hare K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a mantra. As soon as one develops his spontaneous service attitude, he can immediately understand the transcendental nature of the holy names of the mah\u0101-mantra.<\/p>\n
In the Padma Pur\u0101\u1e47a there is a statement about the importance of living at holy places like Mathur\u0101 or Dv\u0101rak\u0101. It is stated there: \u201cTo travel to different places of pilgrimage means to attain emancipation from material bondage. This emancipation, however, is not the highest perfectional stage. After attaining this liberated stage, one has to become engaged in devotional service to the Lord. After attainment of the brahma-bh\u016bta [SB 4.30.20] [liberation] stage one can further advance to engagement in devotional service. So this attainment of transcendental loving devotional service to the Lord is the goal of life, and it can be achieved very easily for one who lives in Mathur\u0101-ma\u1e47\u1e0dala even for a few seconds.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is further said: \u201cWho is that person who will not agree to worship the land of Mathur\u0101? Mathur\u0101 can deliver all the desires and ambitions of the fruitive workers and of the salvationists, who desire to become one with the supreme Brahman. Certainly Mathur\u0101 will deliver the desires of the devotees, who simply aspire to be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord.\u201d In the Vedic literature it is also stated: \u201cHow wonderful it is that simply by residing in Mathur\u0101 even for one day, one can achieve a transcendental loving attitude toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead! This land of Mathur\u0101 must be more glorious than Vaiku\u1e47\u1e6dha-dh\u0101ma, the kingdom of God!\u201d<\/p>\n
Five kinds of service
\nR\u016bpa Gosv\u0101m\u012b has stated that five kinds of devotional activities-namely, residing in Mathur\u0101, worshiping the Deity of the Lord, reciting \u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam, serving a devotee, and chanting the Hare K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a mantra-are so potent that a small attachment for any one of these five items can arouse devotional ecstasy even in a neophyte.
\nRegarding worship of the form of the Lord, or Deity, R\u016bpa Gosv\u0101m\u012b has written the following verse: \u201cMy dear friend, if you still have any desire to enjoy the company of your friends within this material world, then don\u2019t look upon the form of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, who is standing on the bank of Ke\u015b\u012b-gh\u0101\u1e6da [a bathing place in V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana]. He is known as Govinda, and His eyes are very enchanting. He is playing upon His flute, and on His head there is a peacock feather. And His whole body is illuminated by the moonlight in the sky.\u201d
\nThe purport of this verse is that if someone becomes attached to the \u015ar\u012b M\u016brti, or Deity of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, by worshiping at home, then he will forget his relationships of so-called friendship, love and society. Thus it is the duty of every householder to install Deities of the Lord at home and to begin the process of worshiping along with all of his family members. This will save everyone from such unwanted activities as going to clubs, cinemas, dancing parties, smoking, drinking, etc. All such nonsense will be forgotten if one stresses the worship of the Deities at home.
\nR\u016bpa Gosv\u0101m\u012b further writes, \u201cMy dear foolish friend, I think that you have already heard some of the auspicious \u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam, which decries seeking the results of fruitive activities, economic development and liberation. I think now it is certain that gradually the verses of the Tenth Canto of \u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam, describing the pastimes of the Lord, will enter your ears and go into your heart.\u201d
\nIn the beginning of the \u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam it is said that unless one has the capacity to throw out, just like garbage, the fruitive results of ritualistic ceremonies, economic development and becoming one with the supreme (or salvation), one cannot understand \u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam. The Bh\u0101gavatam deals exclusively with devotional service. Only one who studies \u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam in the spirit of renunciation can understand the pastimes of the Lord which are described in the Tenth Canto. In other words, one should not try to understand the topics of the Tenth Canto, such as the r\u0101sa-l\u012bl\u0101 (love dance), unless he has spontaneous attraction for \u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam. One must be situated in pure devotional service before he can relish \u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam as it is.
\nIn the above two verses of R\u016bpa Gosv\u0101m\u012b there are some metaphorical analogies, which indirectly condemn the association of materialistic society, friendship and love. People are generally attracted to society, friendship and love, and they make elaborate arrangements and strong endeavors to develop these material contaminations; but to see the \u015ar\u012b M\u016brtis of R\u0101dh\u0101 and K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a is to forget such endeavors for material association. R\u016bpa Gosv\u0101m\u012b composed his verse in such a way that he was seemingly praising the material association of friendship, love, etc., and was condemning the audience of \u015ar\u012b M\u016brtis or Govinda. This metaphorical analogy is constructed in such a way that things which seem to be praised are condemned, and things which are to be condemned are praised. The actual import of the verse is that one must see the form of Govinda if one at all wants to forget the nonsense of material friendship, love and society.
\n\u015ar\u012bla R\u016bpa Gosv\u0101m\u012b has similarly described the transcendental nature of relishing topics which concern K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. A devotee once said, \u201cIt is very astonishing that since I have seen this Personality of Godhead who is washed by the tears of my eyes, there is shivering of my body, and He has made me a failure in executing my material duties. Since seeing Him I cannot remain silently at home. I wish to go out to Him always.\u201d The purport of this statement is that as soon as one is fortunate enough to contact a pure devotee, he must be anxious immediately to hear about K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, to learn about K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, or, in other words, to become fully K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a conscious.
\nSimilarly, there is a statement about hearing and chanting the mah\u0101-mantra: \u201cIt is said that saints have been able to hear the vibrating strings of the v\u012b\u1e47\u0101 in the hands of N\u0101rada, who is always singing the glories of Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. Now this same sound vibration has entered my ears, and I am always feeling the presence of the Supreme Personality. Gradually I am becoming bereft of all attachment for material enjoyment.\u201d
\nAgain, he has described Mathur\u0101-ma\u1e47\u1e0dala: \u201cI remember the Lord standing by the banks of the Yamun\u0101 River, so beautiful amidst the kadamba trees, where many birds are chirping in the gardens. And these impressions are always giving me transcendental realization of beauty and bliss.\u201d This feeling about Mathur\u0101-ma\u1e47\u1e0dala and V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana by R\u016bpa Gosv\u0101m\u012b can actually be felt even by nondevotees. The places in the eighty-four-square-mile district of Mathur\u0101 are so beautifully situated on the banks of the River Yamun\u0101 that anyone who goes there will never want to return to this material world. These statements by R\u016bpa Gosv\u0101m\u012b are factually realized descriptions of Mathur\u0101 and V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana. All these qualities prove that Mathur\u0101 and V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana are situated transcendentally. Otherwise, there would be no possibility of invoking our transcendental sentiments in these places. Such transcendental feelings are aroused immediately and without fail after one arrives in Mathur\u0101 or V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana.
\nIn these statements about devotional service, sometimes it may appear that the results have been overestimated; but actually there is no overestimation. Some devotees, as is evidenced from revealed scriptures, have had immediate results by such association, although this is not possible for all. For example, the Kum\u0101ras immediately became devotees simply by smelling the incense in the temple. Bilvama\u1e45gala Th\u0101kur simply heard about K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a and then immediately gave up his beautiful girl friend and started out for Mathur\u0101 and V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana, where he became a perfect Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava. So these statements are not overestimations, nor are they stories. They are actual facts, but are true for certain devotees and do not necessarily apply to all. These descriptions, even if considered overestimations, must be taken as they are in order to divert our attention from the fleeting material beauty to the eternal beauty of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness. And for a person who is already in contact with K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness, the described results are not unusual.
\nSome scholars argue that simply by following the principles of var\u1e47a and \u0101\u015brama one can gradually rise to the perfections reached by practicing devotional service, but this argument is not accepted by the great authorities. Lord Caitanya also condemned this idea while He was talking with R\u0101m\u0101nanda Rai about the gradual development of devotional service. He rejected the idea of the importance of var\u1e47\u0101\u015brama-dharma when it was put forward by R\u0101m\u0101nanda Rai. He said that this advancement of var\u1e47a and \u0101\u015brama is merely external. There is a higher principle. In the Bhagavad-g\u012bt\u0101 also the Lord says that one has to give up all other principles of elevation and take simply to the method of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness. That will help him in achieving the highest perfection of life.
\nIn the Eleventh Canto, 20th Chapter, 8th verse, of the \u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam the Lord Himself says: \u201cOne should execute the prescribed duties of var\u1e47a and \u0101\u015brama as long as he has not developed spontaneous attachment for hearing about My pastimes and activities.\u201d In other words, the prescribed forms of var\u1e47a and \u0101\u015brama are ritualistic ceremonies of religion intended for economic development, sense gratification or for salvation. All of these things are recommended for persons who have not developed K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness; in fact, all such activities are recommended in the revealed scriptures only to bring one to the point of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness. But one who has already developed spontaneous attachment for K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a does not require to execute the duties prescribed in the scriptures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Mah\u0101-mantra The importance of chanting Hare K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, Hare K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, Hare Hare\/ Hare R\u0101ma, Hare R\u0101ma, R\u0101ma R\u0101ma, Hare Hare is very strongly stressed in the Second Canto, 1st Chapter, 11th verse, … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-03 19:56:39","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28442"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28442\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}