Chanting Hare Krishna

One of the most powerful practices of bhakti-yoga is to hear transcendental sound, which means to hear about Krishna’s qualities and activities as described in Srimad-Bhagavatam, or to hear Krishna’s practical instructions on how to achieve the transcendental state as given in Bhagavad-gita As It Is, or to chant the Hare Krishna mantra. (A mantra is a sound that frees one from illusion.) The Hare Krishna mantra, which is described in the Vedas as the great mantra or,"Mahamantra" can be chanted by anyone regardless of religious affiliation. It consists of three names of Krishna in a special arrangement: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare HareThe name Krishna means the all-attractive person. This name is perfectly appropriate since Krishna attracts everyone by His superexcellent qualities. Even those who are not aware of their relationship with Krishna are attracted to His qualities as they appear in various people and natural phenomena in the physical world. (Everything attractive in this world is a reflection of Krishna’s qualities.) The name Rama means ever-increasing transcendental ecstasy. One can immediately experience transcendental ecstasy if one chants this mantra sincerely. "Hare" is an address to the internal potency of Krishna that helps us to achieve pure love for Him. This hearing process is extremely powerful and has the potency to elevate anyone to the position of self-realization, which is the ultimate perfection of existence. There are no hard and fast rules on how to chant Hare Krishna. The "Mahamantra", the great mantra, is a transcendental vibration that goes beyond matter and benefits anyone who hears it by uncovering and reawakening the spiritual consciousness dormant in all beings. However, the full revival of our original God consciousness doesn’t generally happen overnight – it is a gradual process. But even the first-time chanter can experience the bliss of mantra meditation and get profound realizations from their practice right from the start. why not try it out and see for yourself?

When to Chant? You can sit down legs crossed, or however you feel comfortable, and chant Hare Krishna. You can take a walk and chant, you can chant when you’re taking a shower, driving a car, playing guitar, weeding the garden – anything. But for steady progress towards self-realization, the Vedas offer practical guidelines on how to execute mantra meditation most successfully. The peaceful, early morning hours when the passions of the new day have not surrounded you yet with work or school obligations, traffic noises and dealings with other people, are the best for sadhana, or spiritual practice. If morning is not a good time for you, you can schedule out some other time that you specifically dedicate for chanting. Even if you can only find 5 or 10 minutes every day to set aside as your meditation time you will reap the benefit and is a great start to a regular "sadhana", or spiritual practice.

How to Chant? When you chant the mantra softly, speaking and repeating the mantra so that only you or someone close to you can hear you chant, it is called japa. When you sing the mantra to a melody, it is called kirtana. You can do either kirtana or japa at any time you want, but it is especially recommended to do japa-chanting during that meditation time you set aside every day. You can chant with a set of japa beads and

count the mantras. A set of chanting beads, "japa mala" has 108 beads. You chant the Hare Krishna mantra once on each bead, then move on to the next bead. I chant 16 rounds on my beads every day, which means 16 times 108 mantras. This is “the standard” amount of japa for those who have taken the vow of chanting, and it takes about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Why to Chant? The idea is not really to clear your mind of all thoughts and desires, as many misunderstand as the purpose of meditation. Krishna consciousness is a positive process for self-realization, and by chanting Hare Krishna all your thoughts and desires will be purified and restored to their original spiritual nature. This means that instead of remaining self-centered on the material conception of self, your consciousness will become more and more God-centered. You will realize more and more how you are not your temporary body, but the eternal spiritual being within. Consequently, the ups and downs of life will not affect you as intensely as before because your daily chanting will keep you in this transcendental state of mind.

What is the Meaning of Hare Krishna Mantra? "Hare" refers to the female and more compassionate aspect of the Supreme. ""Krishna" means “all-attractive” and is God’s name. "Rama" means the spiritual pleasure that exists between Krishna and His loving servant. Hare Krishna mantra is a prayer wherein you ask God to accept you in His service. Srila Prabhupada translates the Hare Krishna mantra like this: “Oh Lord, oh energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your divine loving service.”