Anonymous
2010-07-01 21:59:17 UTC
A 'different' version...
..enjoy!
--
The Hare Krishna mantra, also referred to reverentially as the Maha
Mantra ("Great Mantra"), is a sixteen-word Vaishnava mantra which
first appeared in the Kali-Santarana Upanishad, and which from the
15th century rose to importance in the Bhakti movement following the
teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
According to Gaudiya Vaishnava theology, this higher consciousness
takes the form of pure love of God (Krishna). Since the 1960s, the
mantra has been made well known outside of India by A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his International Society for
Krishna Consciousness (commonly known as "the Hare Krishnas").
The Hare Krishna mantra is composed of Sanskrit names in the vocative
case: Hare, Krishna, and Rama (in Anglicized spelling, the
transliteration of the three vocatives is hare, k???a and rama,
pronounced ['h?re?, 'kr????, 'ra?m?]). It is an anustubh poetry
stanza:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
"Hare" can be interpreted as either the vocative of Hari, another name
of Vishnu meaning "he who removes illusion", or as the vocative of
Hara, a name of Radha, Krishna's eternal consort or Shakti. According
to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Hara refers to "the energy of
God" while Krishna and Rama refer to God himself, meaning "He who is
All-Attractive" and "He who is the Source of All Pleasure". Rama can
refer to Ramachandra or to Krishna as Radha-Raman, another name of
Krishna meaning beloved of Radha. In the hymn Vishnu Sahasranama
spoken by Bhishma in praise of Krishna after the Kurukshetra War,
Krishna is also called Rama. Rama can also be a shortened form of
Balarama, Krishna's first expansion.
The mantra is repeated, either out loud (kirtan), softly to oneself
(japa), or internally within the mind. A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami
describes the process of chanting the Maha Mantra as follows:
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.
The mantra is first attested in the kalisa??ara?opani?ad (Kali
Santarana Upanishad), a Vaishnava Upanishad associated with the
Krishna Yajurveda. In this Upanishad, Narada is instructed by Brahma
(in the translation of K. N. Aiyar):
Hearken to that which all Shrutis (the Vedas) keep secret and hidden,
through which one may cross the Samsara (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:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare
Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare; These sixteen names are destructive of the
evil effects of Kali. No better means than this is to be seen in all
the Vedas.
The mantra was popularized by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu roughly around 1500
CE when he began his mission to spread this mantra publicly to "every
town and village" in the world, travelling throughout India, and
especially within the areas of Bengal and Orissa.[12] Some versions of
the Kali Santarana Upanishad give the mantra with Hare Rama preceding
Hare Krishna, and others with Hare Krishna preceding Hare Rama (as
quoted above). The latter format is by far the more common within the
Vaishnava traditions, within which it is a common belief that the
mantra is equally potent when spoken in either order.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a pure devotee of Krishna in
disciplic succession, on the order of his guru, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura, brought the teachings of Sri Chaitanya from Bharat
(India) and single-handedly took the responsibility of spreading them
around the Western world. Beginning in New York 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.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Hare Krishnas became confused
with the hippie subculture. The 1971 Hindi film Hare Rama, Hare
Krishna, written and directed by Dev Anand, was shot with many
real-life hippie extras. This confusion is most probably due to the
usage of Ganja as a traditional offering for Lord Shiva and his
followers during the festival of Shivaratri. In reality, the genuine
Hare Krishna followers were a far cry from certain hippies. Although
Prabhupada was open to anyone becoming a member of the Hare Krishnas,
they had to follow the four regulative principles, one of which is "no
intoxicants." Elevation and joy were to be derived from chanting God's
holy names.
The hippie Broadway musical "Hair" has a song, "Be-In" with the mantra
in it, along with some additional lyrics.
The Hare Krishna mantra appears in a number of famous songs, notably
those sung by The Beatles (in the lyrics of John Lennon and George
Harrison), and has been at the number-one spot in the UK singles
charts on more than one occasion within songs such as Harrison's "My
Sweet Lord." George Harrison put a Hare Krishna sticker on the back of
the headstock of Eric Clapton's 1964 Gibson ES-335; the sticker also
appeared on Gibson's 2005 reproduction of the guitar.
The mantra also appears in The Pretenders' Boots of Chinese Plastic.
The Radha Krsna Temple's recording Hare Krsna Mantra was released as a
single on The Beatles' Apple Records label in 1969, and reached #12 in
the UK music chart and appeared on the music show Top of the Pops. It
also made the #1 slot in both German and Czechoslovakian music charts.
Less well-known but equally relevant to fans of pop music culture are
recordings of the Hare Krishna mantra by The Fugs on their 1968 album
Tenderness Junction (featuring poet Allen Ginsberg) and by Nina Hagen.
Kula Shaker, Boy George, and members of The Rubettes have done music
tracks about Krishna Consciousness.
At the 2008 and 2009 VMA Awards, the host, English comedian Russell
Brand ended the ceremony by saying Hare Krishna, as he does at all his
shows.
The Washington D.C. Production duo Thievery Corporation released a
track on the 2008 album entitled, "Hare Krishna".
In the Seinfeld episode The Subway, a patron in Monk's restaurant
yells, "Hare Krishna! Hare Krishna!" when he sees George walk in
wearing only a bedsheet. A similar scenario occurs in Scrubs when J.D.
shaves his head in support for a chemo patient.
The practice of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra is recommended in the
Puranas, the Pañcaratra, and throughout Vaishnava literature in
general. For example:
All the grievous sins are removed for one who worships Lord Sri 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 Vidyabhusana in
Bhaktisiddhanta's Gaudiya Kanthahara 17:30
--
..enjoy!
--
The Hare Krishna mantra, also referred to reverentially as the Maha
Mantra ("Great Mantra"), is a sixteen-word Vaishnava mantra which
first appeared in the Kali-Santarana Upanishad, and which from the
15th century rose to importance in the Bhakti movement following the
teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
According to Gaudiya Vaishnava theology, this higher consciousness
takes the form of pure love of God (Krishna). Since the 1960s, the
mantra has been made well known outside of India by A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his International Society for
Krishna Consciousness (commonly known as "the Hare Krishnas").
The Hare Krishna mantra is composed of Sanskrit names in the vocative
case: Hare, Krishna, and Rama (in Anglicized spelling, the
transliteration of the three vocatives is hare, k???a and rama,
pronounced ['h?re?, 'kr????, 'ra?m?]). It is an anustubh poetry
stanza:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
"Hare" can be interpreted as either the vocative of Hari, another name
of Vishnu meaning "he who removes illusion", or as the vocative of
Hara, a name of Radha, Krishna's eternal consort or Shakti. According
to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Hara refers to "the energy of
God" while Krishna and Rama refer to God himself, meaning "He who is
All-Attractive" and "He who is the Source of All Pleasure". Rama can
refer to Ramachandra or to Krishna as Radha-Raman, another name of
Krishna meaning beloved of Radha. In the hymn Vishnu Sahasranama
spoken by Bhishma in praise of Krishna after the Kurukshetra War,
Krishna is also called Rama. Rama can also be a shortened form of
Balarama, Krishna's first expansion.
The mantra is repeated, either out loud (kirtan), softly to oneself
(japa), or internally within the mind. A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami
describes the process of chanting the Maha Mantra as follows:
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.
The mantra is first attested in the kalisa??ara?opani?ad (Kali
Santarana Upanishad), a Vaishnava Upanishad associated with the
Krishna Yajurveda. In this Upanishad, Narada is instructed by Brahma
(in the translation of K. N. Aiyar):
Hearken to that which all Shrutis (the Vedas) keep secret and hidden,
through which one may cross the Samsara (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:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare
Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare; These sixteen names are destructive of the
evil effects of Kali. No better means than this is to be seen in all
the Vedas.
The mantra was popularized by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu roughly around 1500
CE when he began his mission to spread this mantra publicly to "every
town and village" in the world, travelling throughout India, and
especially within the areas of Bengal and Orissa.[12] Some versions of
the Kali Santarana Upanishad give the mantra with Hare Rama preceding
Hare Krishna, and others with Hare Krishna preceding Hare Rama (as
quoted above). The latter format is by far the more common within the
Vaishnava traditions, within which it is a common belief that the
mantra is equally potent when spoken in either order.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a pure devotee of Krishna in
disciplic succession, on the order of his guru, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura, brought the teachings of Sri Chaitanya from Bharat
(India) and single-handedly took the responsibility of spreading them
around the Western world. Beginning in New York 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.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Hare Krishnas became confused
with the hippie subculture. The 1971 Hindi film Hare Rama, Hare
Krishna, written and directed by Dev Anand, was shot with many
real-life hippie extras. This confusion is most probably due to the
usage of Ganja as a traditional offering for Lord Shiva and his
followers during the festival of Shivaratri. In reality, the genuine
Hare Krishna followers were a far cry from certain hippies. Although
Prabhupada was open to anyone becoming a member of the Hare Krishnas,
they had to follow the four regulative principles, one of which is "no
intoxicants." Elevation and joy were to be derived from chanting God's
holy names.
The hippie Broadway musical "Hair" has a song, "Be-In" with the mantra
in it, along with some additional lyrics.
The Hare Krishna mantra appears in a number of famous songs, notably
those sung by The Beatles (in the lyrics of John Lennon and George
Harrison), and has been at the number-one spot in the UK singles
charts on more than one occasion within songs such as Harrison's "My
Sweet Lord." George Harrison put a Hare Krishna sticker on the back of
the headstock of Eric Clapton's 1964 Gibson ES-335; the sticker also
appeared on Gibson's 2005 reproduction of the guitar.
The mantra also appears in The Pretenders' Boots of Chinese Plastic.
The Radha Krsna Temple's recording Hare Krsna Mantra was released as a
single on The Beatles' Apple Records label in 1969, and reached #12 in
the UK music chart and appeared on the music show Top of the Pops. It
also made the #1 slot in both German and Czechoslovakian music charts.
Less well-known but equally relevant to fans of pop music culture are
recordings of the Hare Krishna mantra by The Fugs on their 1968 album
Tenderness Junction (featuring poet Allen Ginsberg) and by Nina Hagen.
Kula Shaker, Boy George, and members of The Rubettes have done music
tracks about Krishna Consciousness.
At the 2008 and 2009 VMA Awards, the host, English comedian Russell
Brand ended the ceremony by saying Hare Krishna, as he does at all his
shows.
The Washington D.C. Production duo Thievery Corporation released a
track on the 2008 album entitled, "Hare Krishna".
In the Seinfeld episode The Subway, a patron in Monk's restaurant
yells, "Hare Krishna! Hare Krishna!" when he sees George walk in
wearing only a bedsheet. A similar scenario occurs in Scrubs when J.D.
shaves his head in support for a chemo patient.
The practice of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra is recommended in the
Puranas, the Pañcaratra, and throughout Vaishnava literature in
general. For example:
All the grievous sins are removed for one who worships Lord Sri 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 Vidyabhusana in
Bhaktisiddhanta's Gaudiya Kanthahara 17:30
--