Question: My question is regarding the Maha Mantra – HARE KRISHNA, HARE KRISHNA, KRISHNA, KRISHNA, HARE, HARE; HARE RAM, HARE RAM, RAM, RAM, HARE, HARE. Lords Krishna and Rama had different personalities and characters; both of them were avatara (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu in two different Yugas. My question is why these two names are combined in the Maha Mantra? Could you please kindly explain about the Maha Mantra? How did it derive? What are the meanings, if any, behind the Mantra? For instance, when we chant the Mantra, does the vibration provide positive effect in our body etc?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
The words `Krishna’ and `Rama’ both refer to one Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Absolute Truth is called Krishna because He is “all-attractive”; He is called “Rama” which means `the reservoir of all pleasure’. Although these two names specifically refer to two different incarnations, essentially Krishna and Rama are not different persons. They are two different features or manifestations of the same Absolute Truth.
More specifically, Krishna is the Original Personality of Godhead and Rama, the lord of Sita, is one of the innumerable manifestations of that Original Personality. Srila Prabhupada sometimes explained this by saying that Lord Vishnu is God in an official mood, and Krishna is God at home, but both are the same person. [We understand Krishna not just as an avatar, but as the source of all avataras as concluded in Srimad Bhagavatam (SB 1.3.28). However, when He or any of His other expansions descend to the material world, they descend through Lord Vishnu, and are hence sometimes described as an avatar of Vishnu.]
Regarding the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, it is recommended especially for this age in many Vedic literatures such as Kali-Santarana Upanishad, and was propagated by Lord Caitanya, who is the yuga-avatara for this age.
Srila Prabhupada would say that the chanting of the mahamantra is to be performed exactly in the mood of a child helplessly crying for its mother: “O Energy of the Supreme Lord (Hara), O all-attractive Lord (Krishna), O Reservoir of all bliss (Rama), please engage me in Your service.” This is the meaning of the maha-mantra.
In the material world, we are ceaselessly and fruitlessly engaged in the service of matter; but by chanting the Maha-mantra we are calling out for the mercy of God, not for any material profit but simply to be engaged in His service instead of that of maya.
The maha-mantra, being a powerful spiritual vibration, cleanses the mirror of the heart of all contaminations. As the seat of our consciousness is purified, naturally it has a positive effect on all levels of our existence — physical, mental, intellectual and beyond. Nonetheless, scriptures ordain that we refrain from giving interpretations or speculative purports to the Holy names. Nor is it necessary for us to make any intellectual adjustments in trying to understand how the mantra acts. The recommended process is that the practitioner accepts the authoritative explanations given in the scriptures and simply chant the mantra attentively and hear the sound vibrations – by this cultivation the true import of the Holy names will automatically be realized in the heart.
