Hare Krishna (mantra)

{{for|the religious organization known as the Hare Krishna movement|International Society for Krishna Consciousness}}

File:Hare Krishna.png ({{transliteration|sa|devanāgarī}}) script.]]

The Hare Krishna mantra, also referred to reverentially as the {{IAST|Mahā-mantra}} ({{lit|Great Mantra}}), is a 16-word Vaishnava mantra mentioned in the Kali-Saṇṭāraṇa Upaniṣad.{{sfn|Beck|1993|p=199}} In the 15th century, it rose to importance in the Bhakti movement following the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This mantra is composed of three Sanskrit names – "Krishna", "Rama", and "Hare".{{Cite news| url=http://www.krishna.com/info/hare-krishna-mantra| title=Hare Krishna mantra| work=Krishna| access-date=28 July 2015| archive-date=5 August 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150805150315/http://www.krishna.com/info/hare-krishna-mantra| url-status=live}}{{cite news| url=http://www.iskconhk.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=37&Itemid=115&lang=en| title=Chant and be happy| work=iskcon| access-date=28 July 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020135346/http://www.iskconhk.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=37&Itemid=115&lang=en| archive-date=20 October 2017| url-status=dead}}

Since the 1960s, the mantra has been widely known outside India through A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his movement, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (commonly known as the Hare Krishnas or the Hare Krishna movement).[http://www.religion-encyclopedia.com/H/hare_krishna.htm Religion Encyclopedia – Hare Krishna (ISKCON)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701152023/http://www.religion-encyclopedia.com/H/hare_krishna.htm |date=1 July 2007 }}

Mantra

The Hare Krishna mantra is composed of three Sanskrit names: Hare, Krishna, and Rama. It is a poetic stanza in {{transliteration|sa|anuṣṭubh}} meter (a quatrain of four lines ({{transliteration|sa|pāda}}) of eight syllables with certain syllable lengths for some of the syllables).

The mantra as rendered in the oldest extant written source, the Kali-Saṇṭāraṇa Upaniṣad, is as follows:{{sfn|Beck|1993|p=199}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/kali-santarana-upanishad-of-shukla-yajurveda/d/doc217041.html|title=Contents of the Kali-Saṇṭāraṇa Upaniṣad|date=2018-04-16|website=www.wisdomlib.org|access-date=2019-12-31|archive-date=31 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231123431/https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/kali-santarana-upanishad-of-shukla-yajurveda/d/doc217041.html|url-status=live}}

{{poemquote|

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

|source=Kali-Santarana Upanisad}}

When followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu teach and practice the Mahamantra, it is rendered with the name Krishna first.

{{poemquote|

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

}}

Pronunciation of mantra in IPA (Sanskrit):

{{poemquote|

{{IPA|sa|ɦɐreː kr̩ʂɳɐ ɦɐreː kr̩ʂɳɐ

kr̩ʂɳɐ kr̩ʂɳɐ ɦɐreː ɦɐreː

ɦɐreː raːmɐ ɦɐreː raːmɐ

raːmɐ raːmɐ ɦɐreː ɦɐreː|}}}}

This mantra has multiple interpretations. "Hare" can be interpreted as the vocative form of Hari, another name of Vishnu meaning "he who removes illusion". Another interpretation is as the vocative of {{transliteration|sa|Harā}},[http://www.salagram.net/harernam-page.html Meditations on the Hare Krishna Mahamantra] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907224528/http://www.salagram.net/harernam-page.html |date=7 September 2008 }} "[Hare] = O Hari!...." & "Because she steals Krishna's mind and because she is the embodiment of Krishna's divine joy, Sri Radha is known as Harā. Hare is the vocative form of that name". a name of Radha,{{cite book

| author = Rosen, S.

| year = 2006

| title = Essential Hinduism

| publisher = Praeger Publishers

| isbn = 0-275-99006-0

}}P.4: It was preserved in the confidential sampradayas, or esoteric lineages, that were guardian to these truths from the beginning. p.244:

In a more esoteric sense, the word "Hare" is a vocative form of "Harā," which refers to Mother Harā, or Sri Radha. Krishna's eternal consort or his energy ({{transliteration|sa|shakti}}). According to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, {{transliteration|sa|Harā}} refers to "the energy/shakti of Supreme Personality of Godhead" while Krishna and Rama refer to Supreme Godhead himself, meaning "He who is All-Attractive" and "He who is the Source of All Pleasure"."The word Harā is a form of addressing the energy of the Lord, and the words Krishna and Rama (which mean "the highest pleasure eternal") are forms of addressing the Lord Himself." – A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. See [http://www.krishna.com/node/388 Krishna.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011225619/http://www.krishna.com/node/388 |date=11 October 2007 }} article.[http://www.gaudiya.com/index.php?topic=practice Gaudiya.com – Practice] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417220833/http://www.gaudiya.com/index.php?topic=practice |date=17 April 2008 }} "Rama is another name for Him [Krishna], meaning the one who brings delight to Radha". In the hymn {{Transliteration|sa|Vishnu Sahasranama}} chanted by Bhishma in praise of Krishna after the Kurukshetra War, Krishna is also called Rama.{{cite book

|author=T. V. Gopal

|title=Hrishikesa: Krishna – A Natural Evolution

|publisher=Universal Publishers

|location=Parkland, Fla

|year=2000

|page=101

|isbn=1-58112-732-4

}}

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 to Rama of the Ramayana, an earlier avatar of Krishna. "Rama can also be a shortened form of Balarama, Krishna's first expansion."[http://caitanyacaritamrta.com/adi/5/132/en1 Chaitanya Charitamrita Adi-5.132] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927225603/http://caitanyacaritamrta.com/adi/5/132/en1 |date=27 September 2007 }} "if someone says that the "Rama" in "Hare Rama" is Lord Ramacandra and someone else says that the "Rama" in "Hare Rama" is Sri Balarama, both are correct". The mantra is repeated, either sung out loud (bhajan), congregationally (kirtan), or to oneself aloud or mentally on prayer beads made of tulasi (japa). A. C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada describes the process of chanting the Mahamantra as follows:

{{blockquote|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.For the original text, see this [http://www.krishna.com/main.php?id=316 Krishna.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051030230225/http://www.krishna.com/main.php?id=316 |date=30 October 2005 }} article.}}

History

The mantra is first attested in the {{IAST|Kali-Saṇṭāraṇa Upaniṣad}} (Kali Santarana Upanishads), an Upanishad, which is commented on by Raghunandan Bhattacharya in his work {{transliteration|sa|Harinamarthah-ratna-dipika}}.{{cite web|title=The Prominence of Hari-Naam in Hinduism: Benefits of Chanting "Hare Krishna" Mahamantra|date=3 June 2020|website=NewsGram|url=https://www.newsgram.com/prominence-hari-naam-hinduism-benefits-hare-krishna-mahamantra/|access-date=10 February 2021|archive-date=26 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226094150/https://www.newsgram.com/prominence-hari-naam-hinduism-benefits-hare-krishna-mahamantra/|url-status=live}} In this Upanishad, Narada is instructed by Brahma (in the translation of K. N. Aiyar):

{{blockquote|Hearken to that which all Shrutis (the Vedas) keep secret and hidden, through which one may cross the Saṃsāra (mundane existence) of Kali. He shakes off (the evil effects of) Kali through the mere uttering of the name of Lord Narayana, who is the primeval Purusha.}}

Narada asks to be told this name of Narayana, and Brahma replies:

{{blockquote|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.{{Cite web|url=https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_upanishhat/kalisantarana_upan.html?lang=sa|title=Kalisantarana Upanishat|website=sanskritdocuments.org|access-date=2 December 2018|archive-date=2 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181202202602/https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_upanishhat/kalisantarana_upan.html?lang=sa|url-status=live}} No better means than this is to be seen in all the Vedas.}}

Some versions of the Kali Santarana Upanishad give the mantra with Hare Rama preceding Hare Krishna (as quoted above), and others with Hare Krishna preceding Hare Rama, as in Navadvipa version of the manuscript. The latter format is by far the more common within the Vaishnava traditions.Steven J. Rosen, Vaiṣṇavism: contemporary scholars discuss the Gauḍīya tradition {{ISBN|81-208-1235-2}}, p. 274. It is a common belief that the mantra is equally potent when spoken in either order.[http://www.prabhupadavani.org/Bhagavatam/text/368.html No Water in the Desert] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927004208/http://www.prabhupadavani.org/Bhagavatam/text/368.html|date=27 September 2007}} Bombay, 12 December 1974: "Sometimes they first of all place "Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare." And sometimes they place "Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna..." There is no difference. Sometimes they say, "No, it should be Hare Rama first." Sometimes they..., "No, Hare Krsna." But that is not very important".

Tradition believe that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu received this mantra at his initiation (diksha).{{sfn|Beck|1993|p=199}} 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 of Bengal and Odisha.{{Cite web|url=https://gaudiya.com/index.php?topic=history|title=History|website=gaudiya.com|access-date=31 May 2023|archive-date=14 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614171749/http://gaudiya.com/index.php?topic=history|url-status=live}}{{better source needed|date=March 2023}} 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.[http://www.prabhupada.com/biography.html Biography of Srila Prabhupada] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070316035911/http://www.prabhupada.com/biography.html |date=16 March 2007 }}.

Scriptural references

The practice of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra is recommended in the Puranas, the Pancharatra, and throughout Vaishnava literature in general.{{Cite web |title=References to the Maha Mantra (pdf) |url=http://www.gaudiya.com/pdf/References_to_the_Hare_Krishna_Maha-Mantra.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080530025102/http://www.gaudiya.com/pdf/References_to_the_Hare_Krishna_Maha-Mantra.pdf |archive-date=30 May 2008 |access-date=27 March 2007}} For example:

{{blockquote|All the grievous sins are removed for one who worships Lord Hari, the Lord of all lords, and chants the holy name, the Maha-mantra.|Padma Purana|3.50.6}}

{{blockquote|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}}

{{blockquote|… [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}}

Popular culture

File:Hare Krishna Tree.jpg in Tompkins Square Park, New York City, under which Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada began the first recorded public chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra outside India.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=10823|title=Hare Krishna Tree|access-date=27 March 2007|archive-date=2 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090602190814/http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=10823|url-status=live}}]]

The Hare Krishna mantra appears in a number of famous songs, notably those of George 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 of Eric Clapton's 1964 Gibson 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 British music chart television programme Top of the Pops.

The Broadway musical Hair has a song, "Hare Krishna", containing the mantra, along with some additional lyrics.

The mantra also prominently appears in Jesus Loves You's "Bow Down Mister" (1990) and in the Pretenders' "Boots of Chinese Plastic" from their 2008 album, Break Up the Concrete.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} Stevie Wonder used the devotees chanting Hare Krishna in his song "Pastime Paradise".{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

Less well-known recordings of the Hare Krishna mantra include versions by the Fugs on their 1968 album Tenderness Junction (featuring poet Allen Ginsberg), by Nina Hagen, in multiple songs by English psychedelic rock band Quintessence (produced by John Barham, a frequent collaborator of George Harrison), the american psychedelic rock band Mad River featured the Hare Krishna mantra on an early version of their song Wind Chimes, recorded in 1967, and by Hüsker Dü on their 1984 album Zen Arcade. Kula Shaker, Boy George, and members of the 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 a facial feedback effect.Böttger, D. (2010) To say "Krishna" is to smile – emotion psychology and the neurology of mantra singing. In "The Varieties of Ritual Experience" (ed. Jan Weinhold & Geoffrey Samuel) in the series "Ritual Dynamics and the Science of Ritual", Volume II: "Body, performance, agency and experience". Wiesbaden, Germany: Harrassowitz. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZkgFTzlX14 Video summary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202022151/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZkgFTzlX14 |date=2 February 2017 }}

Footnotes

Sources

{{cite book|surname=Beck |given=Guy L. |title=Sonic Theology: Hinduism and Sacred Sound

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cY1Xw1ZlIeQC |place=Columbia, SC |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |year=1993 |series=Studies in Comparative Religion |isbn=0872498557}}