322
See also: A rational world 92–99 ■ Devotion through puja 114–15 ■ Buddhas and
bodhisattvas 152–57 ■ The performance of ritual and repetition 158–59T
he Hare Krishna movement
or International Society for
Krishna Consciousness
(ISKCON) is best known for the
practice of chanting the Maha
Mantra. ISKCON has its roots in the
Gaudiya Vaishnava movement in
Hinduism, founded by Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu (1486–1534), in which
believers use devotional practices
known as bhakti to please and to
develop a loving relationship with
the god Krishna, believed to be the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.The Maha Mantra
The mantra is chanted as a means
of clearing the mind and cleansing
the heart. The repeated use of
the holy name enables Krishna
consciousness to emerge from
the soul, free of the distraction of
sensual or physical consciousness.
The chant “Hare Krishna, Hare
Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare
Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama,
Rama Rama, Hare Hare” calls upon
the energy of God (Hare), the
all-attractive (Krishna), and the
highest eternal pleasure (Rama).Chaitanya taught that by using this
mantra anyone, even if born outside
the Hindu class system, could
achieve Krishna consciousness.
In the 1960s, one of Chaitanya’s
followers, A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada, traveled to
the US and founded ISKCON.
Its ideas dovetailed well with the
hippie culture and a new interest
in Eastern spirituality, and spread
to Europe after being popularized
by celebrities such as the Beatles. ■CHANTING HARE
KRISHNA CLEANSES
T H E H E A R T
DEVOTION TO THE SWEET LORD
IN CONTEXT
KEY FIGURE
A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami PrabhupadaWHEN AND WHERE
From 1960s, US and
western EuropeBEFORE
4th century BCE First
evidence of worship of Lord
Krishna, a key figure in the
Hindu epics, appearing as
an avatar of the god Vishnu
in the Mahabharata.6th century The bhakti
tradition of devotional worship
develops in Hinduism.16th century The Gaudiya
Vaishnava movement in India
sees Krishna as the original
form of God—the source of
Vishnu, and not his avatar.1920 Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada
founds the Gaudiya Math, an
organization to spread the
Gaudiya Vaishnava message
around the world.Lord Krishna provides
everything we need
to bring the spiritual
world into our lives.
A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada