There are three stages of elevation in the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. In the first stage, the chanting polishes the mirror of the mind. Like a mirror, the mind has reflective power. It is meant to form clear pictures from the sensations that strike it. But because contact with matter has covered our minds with material contamination, just as dust might cover a mirror, our reflections are no longer clear. The transcendental sound of the holy name of God cleanses the dust from the mirror of the mind, and this automatically brings one to the second stage in chanting.
In the second stage, the chanting frees one from the symptoms of material existence, namely, hankering and lamentation. In material life, one hankers for what he does not have – I want a car. I want a wife. I want money – and he laments what he has lost – I’ve lost my car. I’ve lost my wife. I’ve lost my money, etc. Regularly chanting Hare Krishna frees one from such twofold anxieties and elevates one to the liberated stage described as follows in Bhagavad-gita (18.54):
brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param
“One who is transcendentally situated at once realises the Supreme Spirit. He never laments nor desires to have anything. Being equally disposed to every living entity, he attains the highest devotional perfection.”
In the third stage of chanting, one attains an all-blissful life (anandamayo ‘bhyasat). When situated on this platform, one is never disturbed by anything. Bhagavad-gita describes this as follows: “In the stage of perfection called samadhi, or trance, one’s mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This is characterised by one’s ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth, and upon gaining this, he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of the greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact” (Bg. 6.20-23).
The absolute nature of the holy name
God is absolute, and therefore anything directly connected with Him – such as His holy name, form, pastimes, paraphernalia and entourage – is identical with Him. In the material world of duality, things are different from their names. For example, a thirsty man’s calling out “Water! Water! Water!” will not satisfy his thirst because the name water and the substance water are completely different. But in the absolute world, there are no such differences; there a thing and its name are one. Therefore, simply by vibrating the holy name of God, one associates with God directly.
In the material world, we experience this in a crude way when we associate with someone thousands of miles away by radio waves. This same principle works in the spiritual world, but it works perfectly, bringing one beyond the limits of time and space.
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, an incarnation of Krishna, recommended that one chants the maha-mantra 24 hours a day to make one’s life perfect. He said: “One can chant the holy name of God in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and always ready to offer all respects to others. In such a humble state of mind, one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.”
Chanting Hare Krishna gradually detaches one from material concepts and brings one to samadhi, a trance in which one realises the Supersoul (Paramatma) through his transcendental mind and intelligence, without mis-identifying himself with the Supreme. This is the goal of yoga. A living being is called jivatma (the atomic self), and Krishna is called Paramatma (the Supreme Self). In perfect Krishna consciousness, one realises the eternal relationship between the atomic soul and the Supreme Soul.
In this age, therefore, the best method of practising yoga is to chant and hear the holy names of God, as found in the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This is the beginning of bhakti-yoga, or Krishna consciousness.
There are no hard and fast rules for chanting; one can chant at any time or in any place while at the same time continuing to work in his present occupation. One need not give up his job or family because the chanting automatically purifies one’s life, adjusting unwanted and unnecessary difficulties. The authorised scriptures of the world’s civilised nations give various names for God, but the Vedic scriptures especially recommend the chanting of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. We therefore humbly request you to chant this maha-mantra and be happy.