Hare Krishna Mahamantra · हरे कृष्ण महामन्त्र

Sixteen words, three names — Hare, Krishna, Rama — sung in the streets of Vrindavan and New York alike. Where does the Mahamantra come from, and why do its devotees call it the simplest path for our age?

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare / Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. Hare is read as the vocative of Harā — the divine energy, Radha — or of Hari; Krishna is "the all-attractive"; Rama is "the one who gives joy". It is a call, not a request: "O energy of the Lord, O Krishna, O Rama — please engage me in your service."

The mantra is found in the Kali-Santarana Upanishad, a short text in which the sage Narada, at the end of the Dvapara Yuga, asks Brahma how people can cross the age of Kali. Brahma's answer is these sixteen names. Interestingly, the oldest form of the text puts the two lines in a different order…

• Two orders, one mantra
• Chaitanya and the sankirtan movement
• How it is chanted
• A note on what mantras promise

Read every chapter with Wisdom Library membership →

• Kali-Santarana Upanishad
• Shikshashtakam — Chaitanya Mahaprabhu