A) Sankirtana Yajna : Sole Hope for World Peace and Prosperity
Sankirtana Yajna means congregational chanting of the holy names of the Supreme Lord. This is the path prescribed in the Vedic literatures for achieving spiritual perfection in the human form of life, namely God-realization and ending all the sufferings that we undergo in this world.
There are so many other different ways such as ashtanga yoga, cultivation of transcendental knowledge by logic and reasoning, performing austerities and so on – all meant for self-realization. We have also learnt of many great souls in history who have achieved perfection through these practices in different ages and even now we find many spiritual aspirants following these methods.
What we see is that a particular path is best suited for a specific age and can be practiced well considering the duration of life, religiosity and the virtues of the people in that age.
In Satya-yuga people had a long duration of life and were very peaceful and religious and they couldpractice meditation for thousands of years. In Treta-yuga, they could perform various Vedic sacrifices (yajnas) as there were qualified brahmanas, expert in chanting the Vedic mantras and conducting yajnas.In Dwapara-yuga, people could perform elaborate Deity worship. In the present Kali-yuga which is fraught with so many defects and deficiencies, the people are hardly interested in pursuing the spiritual path. They are short-lived and disturbed by many physical and mental ailments. Violence, criminality, corruption and many unlawful activities are widespread in the society. Under these circumstances, the scriptures recommend that the only way for a common man towards spiritual realization in Kali-yuga is Sankirtana Yajna which is the Yugadharma of this age. It is the simplest yet sublime method that can be practiced by everybody with no pre-qualification. It is mentioned in the Vishnu Purana, Padma Purana and Brihan-Naradiya Purana that the results obtained in the previous yugas by different processes of spiritual perfection can also be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting and glorifying the names of the Lord.
This Sankirtana Yajna comprising Shravanam (hearing the glories of the Lord) and Kirtanam (chanting His glories) helps in remembering the Lord (Smaranam) always. In this manner if one is able to remember the Lord even at the point of death, by His mercy, one can attain liberation from the pangs of birth and death and go back to the spiritual world inhabited by the Lord and His devotees. Many exalted acharyas such as Madhvacharya, Ramanujacharya and other great saints of the Bhakti tradition in the past have stressed this important point based on scriptural authority.
Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who appeared over 500 years ago, was the leading advocate of the path of Bhakti and He introduced the chanting of the holy names of Lord Krishna in the form of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Sri Chaitanya was Lord Krishna Himself who pioneered a spiritual revolution by spreading the Sankirtana movement throughout India.
It is stated in the Kalisantarana Upanishad: “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare — these sixteen names composed of thirty-two syllables are the only means to counteract the evil effects of Kali-yuga. In all Vedas it is observed that to cross the ocean of nescience there is no alternative to the chanting of the holy name.”
Although the Supreme Lord has thousands of names in connection with His form, qualities, pastimes, etc., the name Krishna is principal among them. Krishna means all attractive. Lord Krishna unlimitedly possesses all the opulence – wealth, power, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation and hence He attracts every living being.
Brahmanda Purana stresses the glories of the name Krishna by saying that the pious results derived from chanting the thousand holy names of Vishnu thrice can be attained by only one repetition of the holy name of Krishna. Such is the potency of the name of Krishna.
The words Krishna and Rama in the Hare Krishna maha-mantra are forms of addressing the Lord and the word Hare is the form of addressing the supreme pleasure potency of the Lord. When a person chants this mantra sincerely, Mother Hara helps him achieve the grace of the supreme father, Hari or Krishna who reveals Himself to the faithful devotee.
Lord Krishna is the Supreme Absolute Truth as revealed in the Vedic literatures like Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. This truth is also established by great authorities like Sri Vyasadeva, Sri Narada, etc., and it is declared by Lord Krishna Himself in the Gita. Lord Krishna being the absolute truth, His names are non-different from Him, being fully spiritual and having all the potencies of the Lord. Therefore when one chants His names, one is purified by coming in direct contact with the Lord who is supremely pure. The spiritual vibration of Hare Krishna maha mantra acts like a medicine to clean our hearts and destroy our sinful propensities which force us to commit evil acts resulting in miserable returns.
The word Yajna means Lord Vishnu or Krishna, and this word also refers to any work we perform for the satisfaction of Vishnu. Sankirtana Yajna is meant for pleasing the Lord by glorifying and chanting His holy names with devotion. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita (10.25): “Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names.” In Padma Purana (Uttara-khanda, 71.270) the Lord tells Narada, “My dear Narada, actually I do not reside in My abode, Vaikuntha, nor do I reside within the hearts of the yogis, but I reside in that place where My pure devotees chant My holy name and discuss My form, pastimes and qualities.”
There are no stringent rules for chanting the Hare Krishna maha mantra. Any person belonging to any country and of any religion and language can chant at any time under all circumstances. The mantra can be sung loudly, individually or in a group with musical instruments (Sankirtana) or uttered softly to oneself (Japa).
Although Kali-yuga is characterized by so many flaws and imperfections, there is still one wonderful quality of this age. Just by chanting the Hare Krishna maha mantra, one can be freed from the cycle of birth and death and can go back to the spiritual world where one leads a perpetual, blissful life in association with the Lord. The Sankirtana Yajna is the only hope for creating a spiritual atmosphere in the world which automatically leads to peace, prosperity and happiness in the society by driving away all the imperfections of this age.
B) Chant and make your life sublime
The Vedas recommend that in the present age the most effective means for achieving self-realization is to always hear about, glorify, and remember the all-good Supreme Lord, who is known by many names. One of these names is “Krishna” which means “He who is all-attractive,” another is “Rama” which means “He who is the reservoir of all pleasure,” and “Hare” indicates the Lord’s inconceivable energy.
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
This sublime chanting puts us directly in touch with the Supreme Lord through the sound vibration of His holy names and gradually awakens us to our original relationship with God. ISKCON’s primary mission is to encourage all members of the human society to devote at least some portion of their time and energies to this process of hearing and chanting about God. In this way they will gradually come to realize that all living beings are spirit souls, eternally related to the Supreme Lord in service and in love.
It is mentioned in the scriptures that Sri Krishna, the Reservoir of Pleasure, dances on the tongue of the chanter of His name. To chant and hear fixes the mind, in meditation, in direct contact with God. The mantra is not to be mistaken for an ordinary song or anything tinged with the mundane; it is a pure transcendental sound vibration of the Absolute and has been upheld as such since time immemorial by the great sages and Vedic scriptures.
Anyone who hears the chanting also benefits if he simply likes the sound of the chanting or he appreciates the sankirtana in some way or other. The holy name is compared to a fire; whether one is scientifically conversant with all the properties of fire or knows nothing about it, if one puts his hand in fire, he will be burnt. Sincere chanting and hearing of the mantra will cleanse the mind and elevate one and all to the natural original position of spirit soul.
Srila Prabhupada on Chanting
The transcendental vibration established by the chanting of
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
is the sublime method of reviving our Krishna consciousness. As living spiritual souls we are all originally Krishna conscious entities, but due to our association with matter from time immemorial, our consciousness is now polluted by the material atmosphere. The material atmosphere, in which we are now living, is called maya, or illusion. Maya means “that which is not.” And what is this illusion? The illusion is that we are all trying to be lords of material nature, while actually we are under the grip of her stringent laws. When a servant artificially tries to imitate the all-powerful master, this is called illusion. In this polluted concept of life, we are all trying to exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we are becoming more and more entangled in her complexities. Therefore, although we are engaged in a hard struggle to conquer nature, we are ever more dependent on her. This illusory struggle against material nature can be stopped at once by revival of our Krishna consciousness.
Krishna consciousness
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. And this process is recommended for this age by authorities. By practical experience also, one can perceive that by chanting this maha-mantra, or the Great Chanting for Deliverance, one can at once feel a transcendental ecstasy coming through from the spiritual stratum. And when one is factually on the plane of spiritual understanding – surpassing the stages of senses, mind, and intelligence – one is situated on the transcendental plane.
The Process
We have seen this practically. Even a child can take part in the chanting, or even a dog can take part in it. Of course, for one who is too entangled in material life, it takes a little more time to come to the standard point, but even such a materially engrossed man is raised to the spiritual platform very quickly. When the mantra is chanted by a pure devotee of the Lord in love, it has the greatest efficacy on the hearers, and as such, this chanting should be heard from the lips of a pure devotee of the Lord, so that immediate effects can be achieved. As far as possible, chanting from the lips of non-devotees should be avoided. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects.
The word Hara is the form of addressing the energy of the Lord, and the words Krishna and Rama are forms of addressing the Lord Himself. Both Krishna and Rama mean “the supreme pleasure,” and Hara is the supreme pleasure energy of the Lord, changed to Hare in the vocative. The supreme pleasure energy of the Lord helps us to reach the Lord.
The material energy, called maya, is also one of the multi-energies of the Lord. And we, the living entities, are also the energy – marginal energy – of the Lord. The living entities are described as superior to material energy. When the superior energy is in contact with the inferior energy, an incompatible situation arises; but when the superior marginal energy is in contact with the superior energy, called Hara, the living entity is established in his happy, normal condition.
These three words, namely Hare, Krishna and Rama, are the transcendental seeds of the maha-mantra. The chanting is a spiritual call for the Lord and His internal energy, Hara, to give protection to the conditioned soul. This chanting is exactly like the genuine cry of a child for its mother. Mother Hara helps the devotee achieve the grace of the supreme father, Hari or Krishna, and the Lord reveals Himself to the devotee who chants this mantra sincerely.
No other means of spiritual realization, therefore, is as effective in this age as chanting the maha-mantra:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Scriptural Reference
Following are the Scriptural references for Hare Krishna maha mantra:
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)
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)
One who chants the holy name of the Lord is immediately freed from the reactions of unlimited sins, even if he chants indirectly (to indicate something else), jokingly, for musical entertainment, or even neglectfully. This is accepted by all the learned scholars of the scriptures.
(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.2.14)
The nama sankirtana(public chanting) of Hare Krishna maha-mantra delivers a complete revelation of all of spiritual reality. (Brahmanda Purana 6.59-60)
My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom. (Srimad Bhagavatam – 12.3.51)
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