PURPORT
By His Divine
Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupâda
(The
acarya - teacher by example - that brought this mantra to
the West)
The
transcendental vibration established by the chanting of
Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare, Hare
Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is the sublime
method of reviving our Krsna consciousness. As living
spiritual souls we are all originally Krsna conscious
entities, but due to our association with matter from
time immemorial, our consciousness is now polluted by the
material atmosphere. The material atmosphere, in which we
are now living, is called Maya, or illusion. Maya means
"that which is not." And what is this illusion? The
illusion is that we are all trying to be lords of
material nature, while actually we are under the grip of
her stringent laws. When a servant artificially tries to
imitate the all-powerful master, this is called illusion.
In this polluted concept of life, we are all trying to
exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we
are becoming more and more entangled in her complexities.
Therefore, although we are engaged in a hard struggle to
conquer nature, we are ever more dependent on her. This
illusory struggle against material nature can be stopped
at once by revival of our Krsna consciousness.
Krsna
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. And this process is
recommended for this age by authorities. By practical
experience also, one can perceive that by chanting this
maha-mantra, or the Great Chanting for Deliverance, one
can at once feel a transcendental ecstasy coming through
from the spiritual stratum. And when one is factually on
the plane of spiritual understanding--surpassing the
stages of senses, mind, and intelligence--one is situated
on the transcendental plane. This chanting of Hare Krsna,
Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, 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. There is no need,
therefore, to understand the language of the mantra, nor
is there any need for mental speculation or any
intellectual adjustment for chanting this maha-mantra. It
springs automatically from the spiritual platform, and as
such, anyone can take part in the chanting without any
previous qualification, and dance in ecstasy.
We
have seen this practically. Even a child can take part in
the chanting, or even a dog can take part in it. Of
course, for one who is too entangled in material life, it
takes a little more time to come to the standard point,
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 a pure devotee
of the Lord, so that immediate effects can be achieved.
As far as possible, chanting from the lips of non
devotees should be avoided. Milk touched by the lips of a
serpent has poisonous effects.
The
word Hara is the form of addressing the energy of the
Lord, and the words Krsna and Rama are forms of
addressing the Lord Himself. Both Krsna and Rama mean
"the supreme pleasure," and Hara is the supreme pleasure
energy of the Lord, changed to Hare in the vocative. The
supreme pleasure energy of the Lord helps us to reach the
Lord.
The
material energy, called Maya, is also one of the multi
energies of the Lord. And we, the living entities, are
also the energy--marginal energy--of the Lord. The living
entities are described as superior to material energy.
When the superior energy is in contact with the inferior
energy, an incompatible situation arises; but when the
superior marginal energy is in contact with the superior
energy, called Hara, the living entity is established in
his happy, normal condition.
These
three words, namely Hare, Krsna, and Rama, are the
transcendental seeds of the maha-mantra. The chanting is
a spiritual call for the Lord and His internal energy,
Hara, to give protection to the conditioned soul. This
chanting is exactly like the genuine cry of a child for
its mother. Mother Hara helps the devotee achieve the
grace of the supreme father, Hari, or Krsna, and the Lord
reveals Himself to the devotee who chants this mantra
sincerely.
No
other means of spiritual realization, therefore, is as
effective in this age as chanting the maha-mantra. Hare
Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama,
Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
