TheHare Krishna (Devanagari:हरे कृष्ण)mantra, also referred to reverentially as theMahā-mantra (Devanagari:महामन्त्र;lit. 'Great Mantra'), is a 16-wordVaishnava mantra mentioned in theKali-Saṇṭāraṇa Upaniṣad.[1] In the 15th century, it rose to importance in theBhakti movement following the teachings ofChaitanya Mahaprabhu. This mantra is composed of threeSanskrit names – "Krishna", "Rama", and "Hare".[2][3][4]
Since the 1960s, the mantra has been widely known outside India throughA. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his movement,International Society for Krishna Consciousness (commonly known as the Hare Krishnas or the Hare Krishna movement).[5]
The Hare Krishna mantra is composed of threeSanskrit names:Hare,Krishna, andRama. It is a poeticstanza inanuṣṭubh meter (a quatrain of four lines (pāda) of eight syllables with certain syllable lengths for some of the syllables).
The mantra as rendered in the oldest extant written source, theKali-Saṇṭāraṇa Upaniṣad, is as follows:[1][6]
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
— Kali-Santarana Upanisad
When followers ofChaitanya Mahaprabhu teach and practice the Mahamantra, it is rendered with the name Krishna first.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
Pronunciation of mantra in IPA (Sanskrit):
This mantra has multiple interpretations. "Hare" can be interpreted as thevocative form ofHari, another name ofVishnu meaning "he who removes illusion". Another interpretation is as the vocative ofHarā,[7] a name ofRadha,[4] Krishna's eternal consort or his energy (shakti). According toA. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada,Harā refers to "the energy/shakti of Supreme Personality of Godhead" whileKrishna andRama refer to Supreme Godhead himself, meaning "He who is All-Attractive" and "He who is the Source of All Pleasure".[8][9] In the hymnVishnu Sahasranama chanted byBhishma in praise of Krishna after theKurukshetra War, Krishna is also calledRama.[10]
It is sometimes believed that "Rama" in "Hare Rama" means "Radharamana" or the beloved of Radha (another name for Krishna). The more common interpretation is that Rāma refers toRama of theRamayana, an earlier avatar of Krishna. "Rama can also be a shortened form ofBalarama, Krishna's first expansion."[11] The mantra is repeated, either sung out loud (bhajan), congregationally (kirtan), or to oneself aloud or mentally onprayer beads made oftulasi (japa). A. C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada describes the process of chanting the Mahamantra as follows:
Krishna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind; this consciousness is the original energy of the living entity. When we hear the transcendental vibration, this consciousness is revived [...] This chanting of 'Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare' is directly enacted from the spiritual platform, and thus this sound vibration surpasses all lower strata of consciousness – namely sensual, mental, and intellectual [...] As such anyone can take part in the chanting without any previous qualification.[12]
The mantra is first attested in theKali-Saṇṭāraṇa Upaniṣad (Kali SantaranaUpanishads), an Upanishad, which is commented on by Raghunandan Bhattacharya in his workHarinamarthah-ratna-dipika.[13] In thisUpanishad,Narada is instructed byBrahma (in the translation of K. N. Aiyar):
Hearken to that which allShrutis (theVedas) keep secret and hidden, through which one may cross theSaṃsāra (mundane existence) ofKali. He shakes off (the evil effects of) Kali through the mere uttering of the name of LordNarayana, who is the primevalPurusha.
Narada asks to be told this name ofNarayana, and Brahma replies:
Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare; these sixteen names are destructive of the evil effects of Kali.[14] No better means than this is to be seen in all the Vedas.
Some versions of the Kali Santarana Upanishad give the mantra withHare Rama precedingHare Krishna (as quoted above), and others withHare Krishna precedingHare Rama, as in Navadvipa version of the manuscript. The latter format is by far the more common within the Vaishnava traditions.[15] It is a common belief that the mantra is equally potent when spoken in either order.[16]
Tradition believe thatChaitanya Mahaprabhu received this mantra at his initiation (diksha).[1]Emic tradition claims that the mantra was popularized by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu roughly around 1500 A.D. when he began his mission to spread Harinam publicly to "every town and village" in the world, traveling throughout India, and especially within the areas ofBengal andOdisha.[17][better source needed]A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada brought the teachings of Chaitanya from India and spread them around the Western world. Beginning in New York City 1965, he encircled the globe fourteen times in the final eleven years of his life, thus making 'Hare Krishna' a well-known phrase in many parts of the world.[18]
The practice ofchanting the Hare Krishna mantra is recommended in thePuranas, thePancharatra, and throughout Vaishnava literature in general.[19] For example:
All the grievous sins are removed for one who worships LordHari, the Lord of all lords, and chants the holy name, the Maha-mantra.
— Padma Purana, 3.50.6
When the sixteen names and thirty-two syllables of the Hare Krishna mantra are loudly vibrated, Krishna dances on one's tongue
— Stava-mala-vidyabhusana-bhasya,Baladeva Vidyabhushana in Bhaktisiddhanta's Gaudiya Kanthahara 17:30
… [Anyone] can immediately become eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices if he once utters the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or chants about Him, hears about His pastimes, offers Him obeisances or even remembers Him."
— Bhagavata Purana, 3:33 6
The Hare Krishna mantra appears in a number of famous songs, notably those ofGeorge Harrison. His first solo single "My Sweet Lord" topped charts around the world in 1970–71. Harrison put a Hare Krishna sticker on the back of the headstock ofEric Clapton's 1964Gibson ES-335; the sticker also appears on Gibson's 2005 reproduction of the guitar.
Produced by Harrison,Radha Krishna Temple's recording "Hare Krishna Mantra" was issued as a single on the Beatles'Apple record label in 1969. The single was a commercial success, peaking at number 12 in the UK, and led to the Temple devotees appearing on the popular Britishmusic chart television programmeTop of the Pops.
TheBroadway musicalHair has a song, "Hare Krishna", containing the mantra, along with some additional lyrics.
The Muppet Movie (1979) has arunning gag in which characters respond to people being lost by suggesting Hare Krishna. The second time this occursKermit the Frog acknowledges that this has become a running gag and it's used throughout the rest of the film.
The mantra also prominently appears inJesus Loves You's "Bow Down Mister" (1990) and inthe Pretenders' "Boots of Chinese Plastic" from their 2008 album,Break Up the Concrete.[citation needed] Stevie Wonder used the devotees chanting Hare Krishna in his song "Pastime Paradise".[citation needed]
Less well-known recordings of the Hare Krishna mantra include versions bythe Fugs on their 1968 albumTenderness Junction (featuring poetAllen Ginsberg), byNina Hagen, in multiple songs by English psychedelic rock bandQuintessence (produced byJohn Barham, a frequent collaborator of George Harrison), the American psychedelic rock bandMad River featured the Hare Krishna mantra on an early version of their song Wind Chimes, recorded in 1967, and byHüsker Dü on their 1984 albumZen Arcade.Kula Shaker,Boy George, and members ofthe Rubettes have recorded music tracks about Krishna Consciousness.
In a 2010 experimental study involving both devotees and non-devotees, singing vowels like "ah" and "eh" was found to be more joyful than singing vowels like "oh" and "uh", possibly due to afacial feedback effect.[21]
