Why chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra?

Why only chant the HARE KRISHNA MAHAMANTRA? According to different situation, time, age, people etc, there is different means or ways to attain the path of spiritual liberation and revive our spiritual relationship with the Supreme. And for this age the prescribed process is the chanting of the Holy names or the practice of sankirtana Yajna. What is so special about the name of God? It is non-different than God. Golokera premedana harir nama sankirtan, the sound of God’s name have descended from the spiritual world, it’s not a material vibration although we can say it with our tongue and hear it with our ear, it’s a divine sound and that sound have created this existence and can destroy all illusion. It can awaken the eternal truth within us. There is many names of God, in all the great religions, there is a name of God and if we chant those holy names sincerely, under proper direction, that name liberates us from all anxiety and great treasure of spiritual love is awaken within our heart. But then why more emphasize is placed on chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra only? In this article, I will try to present some of the valid reasons with reference to the sastras as to why the Hare Krishna Mahamantra is the perfect process for this age. Excerpts are also used from the lecture “The power of sound vibration” of HH Radhanath Swami. Lord Caitanya, the incarnation of Lord Krishna for this age; He Himself chanted and as well recommended us to chant nothing else but only this Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Lord Caitanya prayed in the Sikshastakam: ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṇkīrtanam ॥1॥  Glory to the śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This saṅkīrtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious. Since the Supreme Lord Himself urges us to chant this Mahamantra, we need to have faith and be firm that there is no other better way to attain Him. This is one valid reason as to why only chant the Mahamantra. We find in the Brhadnaradiya purana the following; Harer nama Harer nama Harer namiva kevalam, Kalu nasteva nasteva nasteva gatir anyatha. In this age of kali, there is no other better method; in fact there is no other way to awaken the dormant love within us, that spiritual consciousness than by the chanting of the holy names of Lord Hari or Krishna. Careful analysis of the different scriptures establishes the supremacy of the Holy names. Following are the “Glories of the Holy Names” with reference to various sastras. 1. Srimad Bhagavatam 11.5.36: “Those who are advanced in knowledge are able to appreciate the essential value of this age of Kali. Such enlightened persons worship the Kali-yuga because in this fallen age all perfection of life can easily be achieved by the performance of Sankirtana”. 2. Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.15: “Living begins who are entangled in the complicate meshes of birth and death can be freed immediately by even unconsciously chanting the holy name of Krishna’s which is feared by the fear personified”. 3. Chaitanya Caritamrita Adi-leela 7.82: “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”. 4. Srimad Bhagavatam 4.23.6: “Krishna is so kind, especially in this age; that He appears in the transcendental vibration of His holy name”. 5. Srimad Bhagavatam 7.15.74: “The process of chanting the holy name of the Lord is so powerful that by this chanting even householders can very easily gain the ultimate result achieved by persons in the renounced order”. 6. Srimad Bhagavatam 7.9.39: “By hearing the  holy names of the Lord, one comes to the platform of understanding the personal form of the Lord”. 7. Srimad Bhagavatam 4.8.43: “If one goes on chanting the holy name of the Lord, which are non-different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, naturally his mind becomes absorbed in thought of the Lord”. 8. Srimad Bhagavatam 4.24.69: “The process of worshipping the Lord is considered to be very easy and complete, for anyone can sit down anywhere and in any condition of life and simply chant the holy names of the Lord”. 9. Srimad Bhagavat Gita 9.20 purport: “Devotional service beings with the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and side by side trying to understand Krishna in truth.” 10. Narada Bhakti Sutra: “The holy name of Krishna is so attractive that anyone who chants it including all living entities moving and non-moving and even Lord Krishna Himself becomes imbued with the love of Krishna. This is the effect of Chanting the Mahamantra”. 11. Bhakti Vinod Thakur said: “If one sincerely takes shelter of the holy names of Krishna by chanting Hare Krishna, he will achieve spiritual perfection within the compass of his normal daily activities”. 12. Krishna Consciousness: The Top Most Yoga System: This chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra is enacted from the spiritual platform, and thus this sound vibration surpasses all lower strata of consciousness—namely sensual, mental and intellectual. The Kali Santarana Upanishad, this scripture is like the prescription given by the Lord and great sages for the diseases people of this age. This scripture tells that chanting of the holy names is the medicine that will cure one from all the symptoms of ego, ignorance and selfishness. The following is found in the Kali Santarana Upanishad: Etishodisha kam nam nam Kali kalmasha nashanam  Natapara dropaya sarva vedeshu drishyati. “In this age of kali, there is no more effective and powerful means of awakening our original spiritual consciousness than the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra”. Isvara uvaca: “Sri rama rama rameti rame rame manorame, sahasra nama tatulyam rama nama varanane” Lord Siva addressed Parvati: “O Varanana (lovely-faced woman), I chant the holy name of Rama, Rama, Rama and thus constantly enjoy this beautiful sound. This holy name of Ramachandra is equal to one thousand holy names of Lord Vishnu (Vishnu-sahasra-nama-strotram)”. Taken further, 3000 names of Vishnu (Vishnu Sahasranama x3) =3 names of Rama=ONE name of Krishna-when chanted in Krishna Consciousness. Hence the Hare Krishna Mahamantra is said to include all the names of God. Therefore it’s not a sectarian idea; there is one God who is all attractive, Krishna, who is all pleasing to the heart, Rama and His eternal consort who is the source and giver of all compassion and love, Hare or Radha or Sita or Lakshmi. So the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is the most powerful spiritual sound in all existence and it goes beyond to explain it. It is not any ordianary mantra, it is called mahamantra. Maha means great. It is the greatest of all mantra. So the result of chanting of this mahamantra is all maha, great. Srila Prabhupad wrote in a letter: Without cleansing the mind, nobody can advance in spiritual understanding. And chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra is the cleansing process of mind. Further Prabhupad said: There is no difference between, chanting Hare Krishna and meeting Krishna eye to eye, face to face. One simply has to realize.    Haribol