Chant "Hare Krishna"

[kasalt]

Here is something we all can do. I myself can testify to the effectiveness of chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra. It consists of only three unique words: Hare, Krishna, and Rama. ("Hare" is pronounced "ha-ray".) The mantra is chanted as follows:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

The following information explains thoroughly the meaning and significance chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra:

Mantra-yoga is the process of concentrating on the sound vibration within a mantra. By chanting and hearing the holy sounds of the mantra, one can come to the platform of spiritual realization. This is the process of mantra-yoga.

"Man" means the mind, "tra" means deliverance. Therefore, a spiritual mantra is the pure sound vibration for delivering the mind from material to spiritual consciousness. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is known as the maha or great mantra. This mantra can deliver one to the realm beyond material existence.

The reason that chanting the Lord's names is such an effective process is because the Lord and His names are identical: they are the same spiritual energy. By chanting Hare Krishna we are in immediate contact with God. If we chant someone else's name, we cannot enjoy their association because the name and the person are different. For example, by chanting "water, water, water," we do not quench our thirst because water and the name are two different things. But in the spiritual world everything is absolute. Krishna is nondifferent from His names and, therefore, we can feel His presence simply by chanting His names. Krishna's name is the same as Krishna Himself, and is not material in any way. It gives spiritual benedictions and is full of pleasure. But in the material world everything is different. Furthermore, the Hare Krishna maha-mantra is said to be the sound incarnation of Krishna, and anyone who chants this mantra is in direct association with Krishna and is delivered from the clutches of the material energy. Because chanting the names of God brings us in direct contact with God in proportion to the chanter's purity, this process of self-realization is the way of success for everyone.

The holy name of Krishna is the controller of the opulence of liberation, and it is identical with Krishna. Simply by touching the holy name with one's tongue, immediate effects are produced.

In the association of saintly devotees, there is always the discussion about God, and those who partake in such hearing and chanting about the Lord's glories are certainly purified of all sins. In this way, whoever hears, chants and respectfully opens his heart to these topics about the Lord becomes faithfully dedicated to Him. Thus, he achieves devotional service to Lord Krishna. Then, as Lord Krishna Himself asks, "What more remains to be accomplished for the perfect devotee after achieving devotional service unto Me, the Supreme Absolute Truth, whose qualities are innumerable and who am the embodiment of all ecstatic experience?" (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.26.28-30)

The holy names of the Supreme Lord are all-auspicious because they describe His transcendental birth and pastimes, which He performs for the upliftment and salvation of all conditioned souls. For this reason the Lord's holy names are sung throughout the world. By chanting these holy names of the Supreme, one reaches the level of love of God, in which one becomes fixed as an eternal servant of the Lord. Then such a devotee becomes very attached to a particular name and form of the Lord in his service. As his heart melts in ecstatic love, he may laugh loudly or cry or shout. Sometimes he may even sing or dance like a madman in such ecstasy because he becomes indifferent to the opinion of others. (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2.39-40)

The holy sound of Hare Krishna, as uttered by the pure devotee, moves our intellect and we begin to consider the Vedic philosophy. When the intelligence is thus energized by spiritual knowledge, the transcendental sound vibration, after cutting through the senses, mind, and intelligence, makes contact with the soul. Thus, we are able to hear the holy name with our real spiritual ear, and actual spiritual revelation and self-realization is open to us. Then the soul, having made contact with the Supreme in the form of transcendental sound, recapitulates, sending the vibration back through our intelligence, mind and senses. At that time, when we chant Hare Krishna, the Supreme Infinite Lord is there in the vibration and our whole being experiences a deluge of unlimited spiritual ecstasy.

The mystery behind these names of God is further explained in the Sri Caitanya Upanishad, texts 12-14. It explains that the names of the Supreme that are used in the Hare Krishna mantra have specific meanings. Hari refers to "He who unties the knot of a person's material desires." Krishna is divided into Krish, which means "He who is attractive to everyone," and Na, which means "the greatest spiritual pleasure." And Rama means "He who is full of spiritual bliss and attracts all others." The Hare Krishna mantra consists of the repetition of these names of the Supreme (Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare) and is the best of all mantras and most confidential of secrets. Those who are serious about making spiritual progress continually chant these holy names and cross over material existence.

For one who takes shelter of the maha-mantra, he is sure to reach the Supreme because such mystic meditation engages the mind and intelligence in Krishna. By such continued remembrance of Krishna, even though one may seem to be engaged in so many duties, one regains his spiritual consciousness which is the prerequisite for entering back into the spiritual world. As Sri Krishna explains in Bhagavad-gita (8.7-8), a person should think of Him as Krishna and carry out one's duty with the mind and intelligence fixed on Him. Thinking and meditating on Krishna in this undeviated way, one can be sure to reach the divine Supreme Spirit.

From this information we can understand that if we can continue setting some time aside everyday for chanting the maha-mantra and spiritualizing our consciousness, we will be prepared for entering the spiritual realm after death. This is the most important aspect of any yoga or religious system--being free from material consciousness and remembering the Supreme at the time we give up our body. This requirement is easily fulfilled simply by remembering the Lord through chanting His holy names. This is confirmed in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.9.15) which declares that one who takes shelter of Krishna by invoking His spiritual names at the time of leaving the body is cleansed of many lifetimes of sin and attains Krishna without fail.
(This article is from: http://www.stephen-knapp.com)

The following was written by Swami Prabhupada to further explain the meaning and significance of chanting Hare Krishna:

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 for reviving our transcendental 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 adulterated 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, he is said to be in illusion. We are 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 eternal Krishna consciousness.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare is the transcendental process for reviving this original, pure consciousness. By chanting this transcendental vibration, we can cleanse away all misgivings within our hearts. The basic principle of all such misgivings is the false consciousness that I am the lord of all I survey.

Krishna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind. This consciousness is the original, natural energy of the living entity. When we hear this transcendental vibration, this consciousness is revived. This simplest method of meditation is recommended for this age. 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.

In the material concept of life we are busy in the matter of sense gratification, as if we were in the lower, animal stage. A little elevated from this status of sense gratification, one is engaged in mental speculation for the purpose of getting out of the material clutches. A little elevated from this speculative status, when one is intelligent enough, one tries to find out the supreme cause of all causes--within and without. And when one is factually on the plane of spiritual understanding, surpassing the stages of sense, mind, and intelligence, he is then on the transcendental plane. This chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is enacted from the spiritual platform, and thus this sound vibration surpasses all lower strata of consciousness--namely sensual, mental, and intellectual. There is no need, therefore, to understand the language of the mantra, nor is there any need for mental speculation nor any intellectual adjustment for chanting this maha-mantra. It is automatic, from the spiritual platform, and as such, anyone can take part in the chanting without any previous qualification. 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.

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 energy, to give protection to the conditioned soul. This chanting is exactly like the genuine cry of a child for its mother's presence. Mother Hara helps the devotee achieve the Lord Father's grace, and the Lord reveals Himself to the devotee who chants this mantra sincerely.

No other means of spiritual realization is as effective in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy as the chanting of the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way." (Brhan-naradiya Purana 38.126)

"Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Vishnu, in Treta-yuga by performing sacrifices and in Dvapara-yuga by serving the Lord's lotus feet can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.3.52)

[eternal_spirit]

Be carefull Hare Krishna is not what you think it is. But if you feel like you're getting something good out of it go ahead. Guess you've had others say it's a con before.:rolleyes:

[kasalt]

Why do you think the chant is a con?

[eternal_spirit]

Okay I'll try word it better another time and try go in depth. Time is short at the mo......but for now simply this...... Anything that claims to put you in touch with God is a con.

[abrilliantone]

you ain't never lying eternal spirit. the whole of all religious dogma is garbage. no matter which one you choose they all are design to trap and enslave the human mind. in the form of fear and self guilt. david icke talks about this as well as many others. oh and if it vibrates it's a illusion. Infinite Oneness doesn't vibrate I chillllllls :cool:

[kasalt]

you ain't never lying eternal spirit. the whole of all religious dogma is garbage. no matter which one you choose they all are design to trap and enslave the human mind. in the form of fear and self guilt.

I'm only suggesting a Vedic mantra to chant. Chant "Hare Krishna" and immerse yourself in "an ocean of nectarean love of Godhead". That's all.

david icke talks about this as well as many others.

What has David Icke said about chanting the Hare Krishna mantra? Please let me know because I've missed it.

oh and if it vibrates it's a illusion. Infinite Oneness doesn't vibrate...

I hold here in my hand one of David Icke's first books, entitled Truth Vibrations. I've only just finished the second chapter, but everything I've read so far only helps to confirm the information I posted at the top of this thread. Here are a few choice quotes:

"The earth is moving on to the next stage of her evolution, and new energies, new vibrations, are beginning to encircle the planet...I have called these new energies Truth Vibrations, because they will affect -- are affecting -- our consciousness and understanding in a way that we will open our eyes to the truths about God and life, truths which have been forgotten for so long. ... As I was to learn, everything has a spirit, and we pass on our own spiritual vibration to everything we create."

Now, if you will compare this to the info I posted at the beginning of this thread, I think you will see that they are in agreement. A chant is a sound, and a sound is a vibration. Chanting "Hare Krishna" creates a vibration that facilitates changes in our consciousness that will help "open our eyes to the truths about God and life", as David says.

[auron]

I love Hare Krishna's!! Great people! :)

[abrilliantone]

I'm not doubting anything you've said kasalt. yes this world is made up of different energy fields vibrating amongst each other. yes those energy fields effects us all, but I know also that all of this is a illusion and if vibrates it's not Oneness including those energy fields. I can't recall anything specific david said about the vedic mantra chant. but you need only read The Biggest Secret up to his latest book Infinite Love is the Only Truth Everything Else is Illusion to see how he explains how religions were created to enslave your mind. Speaking of which I hold in my hand Infinite Love is the Only Truth and Everything Else is Illusion. pg 190 and I quote. " This entire reality is based on polarity. When we accept this as real, and who we are, we disconnect from the consciousness of the One in awareness of itself. There are no polarities in Oneness and so no vibration. There is only one One and it has nothing with which to resonate" You Are Infinite Love.

[kasalt]

you need only read The Biggest Secret up to his latest book Infinite Love is the Only Truth Everything Else is Illusion to see how he explains how religions were created to enslave your mind.

I agree with that, and at no point did I promote a religion or a religious organization, only a mantra.

I hold in my hand Infinite Love is the Only Truth and Everything Else is Illusion. pg 190 and I quote. " This entire reality is based on polarity. When we accept this as real, and who we are, we disconnect from the consciousness of the One in awareness of itself. There are no polarities in Oneness and so no vibration. There is only one One and it has nothing with which to resonate" You Are Infinite Love.

Here you bring up what I agree is an excellent point. The Absolute, by definition, does not and indeed can not vibrate. I will check up on that point and get back to you with an answer as soon as I can.

[tru3]

Why do you think the chant is a con?


imo, strictly speaking, it's not. any phrase can be a mantra; the goal is actually one-pointedness of mind.

contemplation is a wonderful exercise: that is, i go about my daily business, thinking a specific thought over and over:

how am i not being myself?

i have given this [insert object, person, place or thing] all the meaning it has for me.

really, anything will do. which is precisely why i have an issue with transcendental meditation, where you have to pay for your mantra. that's bullshit, as far as i'm concerned. you are the Self. you are already That. t-m sells water by the riverside, imo. on the other hand, people will always buy it.



however, i believe that certain mantras can become "memes", thoughtforms or energy patterns that become persistent in form the more people repeat them. they enter the collective unconscious. that's how i understand it, anyway.

so please, do be careful. for all our sakes. :)

[nickatnoon61]

THis mantra works for me. Look in the mirror and chant...."OWAH......AGUH.....FYAM" Very uplifting!!!!:eek:

[tru3]

THis mantra works for me. Look in the mirror and chant...."OWAH......AGUH.....FYAM" Very uplifting!!!!:eek:

sounds like you're counting buicks, doing the technicolor yawn, praying to the porcelain pony, if you get my drift. :eek:

[infinitetruth]

certain words and musical notes are known to be able to vibrate certain parts of the body - try it. Ohm vibrates the heart, throat and head in sequence. Some believe that these vibrations heal and align the chakras. There is nothing wrong with that. Its just sound therapy.

Specific words, notes and tones can change the pattern of vibrations.

I am not remotely religious however, but I am open to the methods that other cultures use in healing and spiritual growth.

[eternal_spirit]

certain words and musical notes are known to be able to vibrate certain parts of the body - try it. Ohm vibrates the heart, throat and head in sequence. Some believe that these vibrations heal and align the chakras. There is nothing wrong with that. Its just sound therapy.

Specific words, notes and tones can change the pattern of vibrations.

I am not remotely religious however, but I am open to the methods that other cultures use in healing and spiritual growth.

Yes I have considered this before and I'm aware of the theory. But not everyone is affected in the same way to the same vibration. Take music for example someone will say isn't that a wonderful piece of music and gain happiness and a kind of vibrational healing. Whilst another will say about the same piece of music that's a terrible sound and it will make them feel bad.

But people can change their taste in music over time maybe it's to do with their state of vibrational being at different times can be healed by different types of sounds.

I don't wan't to vibrate to the frequency of Hare Krishna after all it's based on ancient hindu vedic scriptures so it's nothing new.

[eternal_spirit]

George Harrison ( Beatles ) helped spread Krishna conciousness using his money and influence to buy properties to convert them into places of worship.

That song he wrote called my sweet Lord has Krishna chants as part of the lyrics it's an awful song one of the worst I've heard. Ask yourself this if Harrsion was a Krishna advocate it didn't help his creativity did it? I can't think of one good song he composed after converting to Hindu, Krishna conciousness.

What if these chants put you in sync with something ungodly deviant spirits or even reps.

[infinitetruth]

Yes I have considered this before and I'm aware of the theory. But not everyone is affected in the same way to the same vibration. Take music for example someone will say isn't that a wonderful piece of music and gain happiness and a kind of vibrational healing. Whilst another will say about the same piece of music that's a terrible sound and it will make them feel bad.

But people can change their taste in music over time maybe it's to do with their state of vibrational being at different times can be healed by different types of sounds.

I don't wan't to vibrate to the frequency of Hare Krishna after all it's based on ancient hindu vedic scriptures so it's nothing new.

I understand - it is completely up to you. But in my own opinion, experimenting with your own voice, sounds etc to find out whats right for you is more beneficial than any religious prayer or chant that you are forced to repeat. As you have said, it depends on where you are at the time, where you are in your spiritual growth, life etc as to what works for you best.

[eternal_spirit]

I understand - it is completely up to you. But in my own opinion, experimenting with your own voice, sounds etc to find out whats right for you is more beneficial than any religious prayer or chant that you are forced to repeat. As you have said, it depends on where you are at the time, where you are in your spiritual growth, life etc as to what works for you best.

.................................................. .

Nothing like a bit of laughter to make you feel good another form of healing by sound. The way words sound can make someone trust or mistrust you, this is definatley the case with animals and young children. It is a vibrational thing which in turn affects the emotions.

[abrilliantone]

certain words and musical notes are known to be able to vibrate certain parts of the body - try it. Ohm vibrates the heart, throat and head in sequence. Some believe that these vibrations heal and align the chakras. There is nothing wrong with that. Its just sound therapy.

Specific words, notes and tones can change the pattern of vibrations.

I am not remotely religious however, but I am open to the methods that other cultures use in healing and spiritual growth.

I totally agree with you:cool:

[eternal_spirit]

I totally agree with you:cool:
-----------------

I don't agree
its a crock

[tru3]

.................................................. .

Nothing like a bit of laughter to make you feel good another form of healing by sound. The way words sound can make someone trust or mistrust you, this is definatley the case with animals and young children. It is a vibrational thing which in turn affects the emotions.

just say HA! HA! HA! HA! over and over. eventually, you will start to genuinely laugh, especially if you do it with another person.

Laughter is the Best Medicine Humans were designed to laugh. Laughter is nature's stressbuster. It lifts our spirits with a happy high that makes us feel good and improves our behavior towards others.

Just a few generations ago happy healthy humans spent 20 minutes a day or more in laughter. Now adult daily laughtime is down to 5 minutes or less in many countries. This is one of the worst aspects of 'modern life'.

Laugh yourself healthy We all know that laughter makes us feel good. A regular 20 minute laughter session can have a profound impact on our health and wellbeing. Laughter is gentle exercise. It fill your lungs and body with oxygen, deep-clears your breathing passages and exercises your lungs. This is really important for people who don't get regular aerobic exercise.

When we laugh our bodies release a cocktail of hormones & chemicals that have startling positive effects on our system. Stress is reduced, blood pressure drops, depression is lifted, your immune system is boosted & more. Western science is just starting to discover the great effects of laughter.

Why Laughter Yoga? Eleven years ago Dr Madan Kataria, an Indian doctor and student of Yoga was writing a paper for a medical journal titled 'Laughter is the best medicine'.

Convinced of the medical benefits of laughter and Yogic breathing exercises, Doctor Kataria was searching for a way to bring these benefits to modern man. You can't prescribe 20 minutes of laughter a day, and for best effect a range of different types of laughter should be combined.

In a flash of inspiration Laughter Yoga was born. Thanks to Doctor Kataria, countless people all over the world today enjoy the benefits of a daily dose of laughter practicing Laughter Yoga at laughter clubs or at their workplace.

Anyone can laugh without reason Laughter Yoga combines laughter exercises and yoga breathing to give you the health benefits of hearty laughter.

Laughter exercises almost always lead to real laughter, especially when practiced in a group.

http://www.laughteryoga.org/

it really does work! :D

[eternal_spirit]

nice one tru :D some people do have an infectious laugh, my gran was one she'd start and everyone in the room would be laughing within seconds.

[kasalt]

I'm not sure why many of us in this forum seem to be more interested in contention rather than in edification. This strikes me as ironic, coming as it does from some who profess to have come to the realization that "infinite love is the only truth". This thread is entitled "What We Can Do", so the thought occurred to me to post the simplest, most effective thing I knew to do, for the benefit of others. Of course, if you believe you have a valid and reasonable objection, by all means post it. But why resort to vitriol?

That song he wrote called my sweet Lord has Krishna chants as part of the lyrics it's an awful song one of the worst I've heard.

Musical likes and dislikes are a matter of opinion, not a matter of fact. I happen to love the song, "My Sweet Lord", and I deeply appreciate the spirit of loving devotion in which it was written. Why even bother taking the time out to trash something as beautiful as that?

Ask yourself this if Harrsion was a Krishna advocate it didn't help his creativity did it? I can't think of one good song he composed after converting to Hindu, Krishna conciousness.

Frank Sinatra hated the Beatles, having once accused them of "ruining music", but when he heard "Something", he called it "the greatest love song ever written". Well, that song was written and sung by George Harrison after he took to Krishna consciousness. George was even quoted as saying that he wrote it with God (Krishna) in mind, so I can't say it hurt his creativity then. Nor did it hurt his creativity when he recorded the monumental "All Things Must Pass" triple album, which was both a critical and commercial success. And let's not forget the Concert for Bangladesh! "My Sweet Lord" was a huge hit, so I know I'm not alone in my deep appreciation of it.

What if these chants put you in sync with something ungodly deviant spirits or even reps.

Oh, wow...:rolleyes: I've never been a mantra addict, but I've been chanting Hare Krishna on and off for 20 years, and when I do chant its always positive, 100% positive thank you very much. But if its not for you, just take a pass. No need to rain on someone else's parade is there? Chanting Hare Krishna is beneficial to all, even if it is chanted only once in a lifetime. ;)

[eternal_spirit]

My intention was not to offend but too try inform kasalt. I've come across info that states the Krishna thing isn't all light and love, but something sinister. I have no evidence I can post at the mo :D lol so take it in good faith and do some research if you are serious, devoted or thinking of becoming involved in their movement.

If the chant works and you feel it's doing you some good fine.

[notaslave]

I used to do all that meditation/chanting stuff along with the occasional spliff. Still do the occasional spliff - like very rarely ie 2 years ago was last one - but never do the other stuff. Made me too weird - but that was just my experience.

As someone above said - laughter is the best cure for everything, except maybe a split lip. Also it must really piss off the NWO when they shit on us and we still laugh.

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

[kasalt]

I've come across info that states the Krishna thing isn't all light and love, but something sinister. I have no evidence I can post at the mo :D lol so take it in good faith and do some research if you are serious, devoted or thinking of becoming involved in their movement.

The ranks of ISKCON have seen at least their share, if not more than their share, of wrongdoing for a religious organization. My philosophy is not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but to take the essence and progress. I have suggested a mantra, but not a religious institution.

If the chant works and you feel it's doing you some good fine.

Works for me.

[tru3]

nice one tru :D some people do have an infectious laugh, my gran was one she'd start and everyone in the room would be laughing within seconds.

exactly! i've done a version of laughing yoga with over 20 people, and in about 3 minutes i was just rolling on the floor, my sides cramping with laughter. i couldn't tell you why, it was more of a feeling of catching this wave of the utter absurdity of ever worrying about anything. hard to put into words, really. :)

btw, there's a vid out there on laughing yoga with some guy wearing love beads. if you notice, he uses the top end of his voice register, doing all these cutesy little hand movements. and if you look at his diaphragm, he's breathing from the chest.

my advice is if you're going to do this, sound off like you got a pair! breathe from the belly, and put some energy into it. that's how it worked best for me.

[kasalt]

Originally Posted by abrilliantone
I hold in my hand Infinite Love is the Only Truth and Everything Else is Illusion. pg 190 and I quote. " This entire reality is based on polarity. When we accept this as real, and who we are, we disconnect from the consciousness of the One in awareness of itself. There are no polarities in Oneness and so no vibration. There is only one One and it has nothing with which to resonate" You Are Infinite Love.

I thought this was a good point, so I emailed this quote to a spiritual leader within ISKCON for his reaction. Here is his reply:

To say that only Love exists all by itself is an absurdity.
Love is a relationship between two beings. If they want
a reality of undifferentiated oneness, they must be prepared
to live in a reality completely devoid of love. They can have it.
I will take a reality with love.

I am hoping this meets you in the best of health
and in an ecstatic mood.

Always your well-wisher,

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

http://www.backtohome.com/

[kasalt]

The Siksastaka

by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

1
Glory to the Sri Krsna sankirtana (the congregational chanting of "Hare Krishna"), which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.

2
O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names like Krsna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by chanting Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.

3
One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.

4
O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service birth after birth.

5
O son of Maharaja Nanda (Krsna), I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms of Your lotus feet.

6
O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs on my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name?

7
O Govinda! Felling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.

8
I know no one but Krsna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly in His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord unconditionally.

[kasalt]

The Yamadutas at the Time of Death (Terminal Restlessness)
By Subhangi Devi Dasi

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupad! All glories to all of the Vaishnavas, especially the preachers who are saving the world from hell! All glories to your service!

Have you ever heard of terminal restlessness? Probably not, unless you are a doctor or a nurse. But although the name is new, the condition is described in Srimad Bhagavatam. Srila Prabhupada says: "And similarly, miserable condition of death. When one is lying in coma, so many sufferings is going on, so many dreaming, the Yamaduta is coming. Sometimes the man on the deathbed cries, he's so much suffering but there is no remedy. Everyone is helpless. So that is the miserable condition of death...." — Srila Prabhupad, Gorakhpur Feb 18, 1971

I will tell you how I found out about it, and this story is a classic example of the dreadful reality faced by all the suffering souls of this material world. It also shows clearly what Srila Prabhupad has saved us from and why we should feel eternally indebted to him.

It all started when I received a phone call from my parents saying that Dad was sick with cancer. I believe in omens, and my right eye started twitching profusely, so I knew that the outcome wouldn't be good. That was in the beginning of November. But Dad was optimistic. He was sure he could overcome everything, as he had always been the controller in every situation and had faced many trials in life and overcome them all. Until now he seemed to be a lucky guy, enjoying good facilities and good karma in every respect. Little did he know that his good karma had come to a grinding halt. If Krsna wants to save you no one can kill you, but if Krsna wants to kill you no one can save you.

Dad had prostate cancer, and it had spread into his bones. He was having chemotherapy, but it failed twice. I rang one day, and he literally wept. "I'm dying," he said. I felt compassion for him. He was helpless in the hands of cruel fate. I tried to help. "Well don't worry," I said. "There is reincarnation. You will be okay. Just pray. God is kind." But it was little comfort to someone who was bewildered and didn't know God. After that I felt that I was somehow connected to his suffering. I could feel all of his fear and anxiety. I would pray all the time. I didn't want to experience any of it, but I guess I was karmically connected to him, so there was no escape no matter how far away I was. The physical suffering was nothing compared to the mental torture he was experiencing. He became humble, and I dropped everything a couple of times and flew from Vrindavan to be with him.

In the past he had never wanted to hear anything about Krishna, so I had given up trying years ago. We never discussed the subject. I would just feed him prasad (he loved my cooking) and talk about other things. I had Vrindavan dust with me and some Jamuna water mixed with Ganga. There were also some small Jagannatha Deities. I deposited all these things in the house, hoping they would have an effect and using them whenever possible, in Dad's food and so on. I kept praying and hoping that somehow I could convince him about Krishna before he died. He was so bewildered and humbled by his lack of control over the situation that he was willing to listen to some degree. He was clutching at straws.

I read him some Bhagavad Gita, and he said that it was comforting. I also read to him from Coming Back. He liked that because the idea of reincarnation was something positive to look for in the future, and he was desperate for that. I saw in there the chapter about Ajamila and felt I should read it to him, but thought maybe it was too much to thrust upon him. Besides, I was there, and because I was chanting everything it would be okay, or so I thought. I really believed you could just chant Hare Krishna and all bad things would go away. I guess this is a superficial and neophyte viewpoint. The material world is such a heavy place, and with my great ego I, was overestimating my own purity. I realized later that I'm really not even a devotee. If you are incapable of saving yourself, how can you possibly save anyone else?

I had to fly back to Vrindavan several times, as I had family and business commitments, but the whole time I could feel him pulling me. I had zero mental peace during this time. I think he really wanted me there and was emotionally dependent on me, as I was the only one offering any tangible solutions. People are basically not sympathetic either, and he needed a lot of understanding. I am not good at handling suffering, so this was difficult to bear— seeing someone you care for suffering so much anxiety. I left my Jagannatha Deities there and asked them to forgive any offense but to please protect my father while I went back to India on business just for a couple of weeks.

Then my mother rang. She was at her wits' end. "Please come," she said. "He is in hospital now, and we need you here." I jumped on the first flight, and as soon as I arrived, I moved into the hospital with Dad. It was incredible how Krishna seemed to arrange it. They gave us a private room and let me sleep there and care for him.

Nobody questioned my authority, and my mother just backed off and let me do anything. She is a Roman Catholic and doesn't usually allow me to speak about Krishna. I realized that the karmis are so far into denial that they try to avoid the reality of death as much as possible, so it was a way out for her if I took the burden. She could go home and pretend nothing was happening, yet still know that Dad was being taken care of by me. Or maybe deep down she also felt desperate for his spiritual welfare, and I was the best solution they had. I'm not really sure. Once it all goes beyond their material perception and control, they become completely bewildered. I only know that I was able to fully take over the care of my father.

Many people must suffer and die alone in hospitals going through what I am about to tell...

I slept next to Dad and tended to his every need. I managed to get Tulasi beads on him, which one demoniac nurse kept taking off. I got mental about it. Oh no, I thought, he is so sinful, he can't wear Tulasi. Then I just got in this mindset that I was going to be aggressive and keep those beads on him no matter what. She would take them off, and I would just smile sweetly and put them right back on.

I read some Bhagavad Gita to him. He didn't eat at all for the twelve days leading up to his death. For eight of those days he had only Ganga and Jamuna water and nothing else. I controlled everything that went into his mouth. I even started sprinkling Vrindaban dust in his water as well.

Toward the end, he was on another level, not of this world. He seemed to be perceiving things that other people couldn't. For example, every night I would put on a Shiva T-Shirt to wear to bed. There was a large picture of Lord Shiva on the front of it. My habit was to wait till he was asleep and in a subtle manner, sprinkle a little bit of Vrindaban dust on his head in case he died while I was asleep.

One night I had just sprinkled the dust, and he sprang up with a wide-eyed look of amazement. "Oh, you're all surrounded by dust," he said. Another night, in the same way, he sprang awake and looked at my Lord Shiva shirt. "Careful!" he said. "There's fire coming out of your shirt." The day before he died, he said there were big dogs in the room and an ugly person floating outside the window.

The evening before his death he began to feel disturbed. "Untie my legs," he was saying to I don't know whom, and he was visibly distressed. My mother and my daughter decided to stay overnight at the hospital, which they didn't normally do. I drifted off to sleep and so did Mum.

At about 9.30 pm my daughter woke me up. "Mum," she said, "come quickly! Something's happening to Granddad." I raced over to the bed and Dad was moaning. "Please, please," he was saying, "I beg you, let me loose, please let me loose." His tone was humble and terrified, and his eyes were lowered. He was to say these words many, many times over the next six hours. He was trying to jump off the bed and hide under his pillow. You have to understand that he was skin and bones. He couldn't even urinate without help, and here he was suddenly trying to get up and run off. He was thrashing around like a mad man. This is really inauspicious, I thought. I grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Dad," I said, "what's happening? You okay?" He was terrified. "Oh Sue," he cried out, "I tried to get away, I really did, but they got me." His voice went up to a shout. "She's got me!" he yelled out.

At that time I should have realized what was happening, but the fact that he said, "She's got me" put me off, and somehow I got covered over, and for the next six hours I just tried to comfort him. He cried out again and again. "Oh, for God's sake," he would shout, "just let me rest, just ten minutes. Please, I beg you." His tone of voice was terrified and all the while humble and begging. I would chant and he would relax a little. Then a nurse would come and distract me, and he would start again, thrashing and begging.

"What's wrong?" I asked He seemed exasperated. "I'm trying to tell you," he said, "but I just can't." Then at 3 am it suddenly dawned on me that the Yamadutas had him. It was so obvious, and I felt so foolish for not realizing it until now. I turned to my 13-year-old daughter and told her I thought the Yamadutas had him.

"Yes," she said. "I know. I woke you up because I saw three of them floating above his bed, and he was cowering and looking up." She had actually seen them. She described later how they looked, with boar-like tusks coming upward out of their mouths and glaring eyes. She had thought they were some kind of ghosts trying to steal his soul from his body. Of course, by Krishna's arrangement, my mother was sleeping, oblivious the whole time. What to do? I thought. I started to pray to Krishna: "Oh, please let him go, Krishna." I was begging. Then Supersoul would answer. "Why?" He would say. "He will only offend again." Then I was really upset. I started praying to Yamaraja" "Please, Yamaraja..." And all the while, I was chanting. I told Dad I was sorry I hadn't realized sooner that they had hold of him. He nodded, traumatized. His whole death experience was hellish. I'm sorry that any souls have to experience such a thing and understand now why Srila Prabhupada felt such urgency to save everyone.

"Dad," I said, "do you want me to hold you and chant?" "Yes, yes," he said. "Have they still got you?" "No, they let me go."

Then I held him tight for the next three hours, and he slowly gave up his life, through his mouth, peacefully with me chanting right in his ear and dripping Ganga and Jamuna water into his mouth. I stayed fully focused on chanting very close to his ear until he breathed his last, at 6 am. He went straight out of his mouth and his eyes just closed.

Poor him! Cruel, cruel, hellish material world! It had been only seven months from the start of his illness, and the seventy-one-year story of his life was forcibly ended. While he would be thrashing and crying out— "Let me loose!"— I'd ask the nurses what was happening. "Oh, it's normal," they'd say. "He's just fighting it, and it happens to everyone. There's even a term for it. It's called terminal restlessness. And they give nurses' seminars about how to deal with it."

Well I've got news for you, folks. It's actually terminal Yamadutaness. Of course they are advised to just pump them full of morphine and ignore all their ramblings.

Another thing is that no one is meant to know about it. It was purely Krishna's mercy that we were able to realize it, and even then I almost missed it. For six hours I was confused and yet Dad was telling me quite clearly and begging for help, so some sort of maya is covering the whole thing and people aren't aware of it. Only the person who is going through it knows. Mention is made of the dogs. A devotee told me afterwards that they were reading Yamaraja scriptures, which give detailed descriptions, and it is said that the hounds of hell come ahead several days before and sniff out where the rascals are dying.

There was also the fact that he said, "She's got me." Apparently the Yamadutas have their own society with wives, kids and everything. Since they are also living entities in this material world, they are born into that society.

I don't usually put pen to paper, as I don't feel at all qualified to do so, but mother Radha Kunda Devi Dasi encouraged me and said that this experience should be shared with all the devotees. So please excuse my shortcomings. I am not very philosophical or academic. Here are some of Srila Prabhupada's comments on the subject:

"To see the Yamadutas, or the carriers of order of Yamaraja, superintendent of death, to see face to face... At the time of death, when one very sinful man is dying, he sees the Yamaraja or the order carriers of Yamaraja. They are very fierce looking. Sometimes the man on the deathbed becomes very much fearful, cries, 'Save me, save me.' " — Srimad Bhagavatam lecture, Denver, July 2, 1975

"But you take this mission and go everywhere, in every corner. I am thankful to you. You are already doing that, in Europe and America, [people are] deep asleep. Because people are sleeping under misguidance, and they are becoming candidate for being carried away by the Yamaduta. This is the position of the whole world, Yamaduta. Yamaduta will not excuse you, however you may be very proud of becoming independent. This is not possible. To save the human civilization, the rascal civilization, that 'There is no life after death, and you go on enjoying as much as you like,' this wrong civilization is [a] killing civilization. So you save them. You save them. Otherwise the Yamaduta is there."— Vrindaban, September 5, 1975

"This man was like this, and he must be carried to Yamaraja for punishment..." Why punishment? No, to make him purified, it is said, 'Punishment required.' This is nature's law. Just like if you have infected some disease, the punishment is you must suffer for it. The punishment is good. If you have infected some disease, and when you suffer, that means you become purified from the disease. Suffering is not bad, to become purified. Therefore when a devotee suffers, he does not take it ill. He thinks that, 'I am being purified. I am being purified.'"— Vrindaban, September 5, 1975

So I suppose that even though Dad had Tulasi beads on… He was a good man by ordinary standards, but he liked to hunt, and he had been a drinker, womanizer, and cow eater. And even though he had had all facilities for the last 28 years, he didn't surrender to Krishna. Even at the time of death, he didn't seem able to think of Krishna as the solution to his woes.

Srila Prabhupad sums it up in the purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 6.2.49: "At the time of death one is certainly bewildered because his bodily functions are in disorder. At that time, even one who throughout his life has practiced chanting the holy name of the Lord may not be able to chant the Hare Krsna mantra very distinctly. Nevertheless, such a person receives all the benefits of chanting the holy name.

While the body is fit therefore, why should we not chant the holy name of the Lord loudly and distinctly? If one does so, it is quite possible that even at the time of death he will be properly able to chant the holy name of the Lord with love and faith."

Purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 6.2.15: "Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail. If one practices chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, he is naturally expected to chant Hare Krsna when he meets with some accident. Even without such practice, however, if one somehow or other chants the holy name of the Lord (Hare Krsna) when he meets with an accident and dies, he will be saved from hellish life after death. One is immediately absolved from having to enter hellish life, even though he is sinful."

In the purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 6.2.7: "The Yamadutas had considered only the external situation of Ajamila. Since he was extremely sinful throughout his life, they thought he should be taken to Yamaraja and did not know that he had become free from the reactions of all his sins. The Visnudutas therefore instructed that because he had chanted the four syllables of the name Narayana at the time of his death, he was freed from all sinful reactions."

In the same purport, Srila Prabhupada quotes the following verses:

"Simply by chanting one holy name of Hari, a sinful man can counteract the reactions to more sins than he is able to commit."— Brhad-Visnu Purana

"If one chants the holy name of the Lord, even in a helpless condition or without desiring to do so, all the reactions of his sinful life depart, just as when a lion roars, all the small animals flee in fear."— Garuda Purana

"By once chanting the holy name of the Lord, which consists of the two syllables ha-ri, one guarantees his path to liberation."— Skanda Purana

I can only hope and pray that somehow my father had a small thought of Krishna because of my feeble efforts and the causeless mercy of Guru and Gauranga.

Anyway, I would like the feedback of all the devotees. Do others have similar experiences to tell? What do you all think about this topic? Please all of you Vaishnavas pray for my father that he may have an opportunity to serve Krishna. I was thinking myself to be the big hero, going to save my father, only to find that I'm just a big bag of hot air— zero. I am such a fallen rascal that I couldn't help him in his hour of need, and I hope this story helps others to advance their efforts in Krishna consciousness so that we can all help Srila Prabhupada in his mission to relieve all the sufferings of the fallen conditioned souls.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada, savior of the whole world!

Your fallen servant,

Subhangi Devi Dasi


Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

[kasalt]

From a 1982 interview with George Harrison...

Mukunda Goswami: Oftentimes you speak of yourself as a plainclothes devotee, a closet yogi or "closet Krishna," and millions of people all over the world have been introduced to the chanting by your songs. But what about you? How did you first come in contact with Krishna?

George Harrison: Through my visits to India. So by the time the Hare Krishna movement first came to England in 1969, John and I had already gotten ahold of Prabhupada's first album, Krishna Consciousness. (Listen to Side A (http://www.iskconny.com/audio/HareKrishnaMahaMantra.m3u)) We had played it a lot and liked it. That was the first time I'd ever heard the chanting of the maha-mantra.

Mukunda: George, you were a member of the Beatles, undoubtedly the greatest single pop group in music hisiory, one that influenced not only music, but whole generations of young people as well. After the dissolution of the group, you went on to emerge as a solo superstar with albums like All Things Must Pass, the country's top selling album for seven weeks in a row, and its hit single "My Sweet Lord," which was number one in America for two months. That was followed by Living in the Material World, number one on Billboard for five weeks and a million-selling LP. One song on that album, "Give Me Love," was a smash hit for six straight weeks. The concert for Bangladesh with Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, and Billy Preston was a phenomenal success and, once the LP and concert film were released, would become the single most successful rock benefit project ever. So, you had material success. You'd been everywhere, done everything, yet at the same time you were on a spiritual quest. What was it that really got you started on your spiritual journey?

George: It wasn't until the experience of the sixties really hit. You know, having been successful and meeting everybody we thought worth meeting and finding out they weren't worth meeting, and having had more hit records than everybody else and having done it bigger than everybody else. It was like reaching the top of a wall and then looking over and seeing that there's so much more on the other side. So I felt it was part of my duty to say, "Oh, okay, maybe you are thinking this is all you need-to be rich and famous--but actually it isn't."

Mukunda: George, in your recently published autobiography, I, Me, Mine, you said your song "Awaiting on You All" is about japa-yoga, or chanting mantras on beads. You explained that a mantra is "mystical energy encased in a sound structure," and that "each mantra contains within its vibrations a certain power." But of all mantras, you stated that "the maha-mantra [the Hare Krishna mantra] has been prescribed as the easiest and surest way for attaining God Realization in this present age." As a practitioner of japa-yoga, what realizations have you experienced from chanting?

George: Prabhupada, acarya (spiritual master) of the Hare Krishna movement, told me once that we should just keep chanting all the time, or as much as possible. Once you do that, you realize the benefit. The response that comes from chanting is in the form of bliss, or spiritual happiness, which is a much higher taste than any happiness found here in the material world. That's why I say that the more you do it, the more you don't want to stop, because it feels so nice and peaceful.

Mukunda: What is it about the mantra that brings about this feeling of peace and happiness?

George: The word Hare is the word that calls upon the energy that's around the Lord. If you say the mantra enough, you build up an identification with God. God is all happiness, all bliss, and by chanting His names we connect with Him. So it's really a process of actually having a realization of God, which all becomes clear with the expanded state of consciousness that develops when you chant. Like I said in the introduction I wrote for Prabhupada's Krsna book some years ago, "If there's a God, I want to see Him. It's pointless to believe in something without proof, and Krishna consciousness and meditation are methods where you can actually obtain God perception."

[kasalt]

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.


If you open up your heart
You will know what I mean
We've been polluted so long
Now here's a way for you to get clean

By chanting the names of the Lord and you'll be free
The Lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see
Chanting the names of the Lord and you'll be free
The Lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see


Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

[kasalt]

George Harrison - Gopala Krishna - YouTube

[octopusrex]

Jay!

[amercury]

[QUOTE]That song he wrote called my sweet Lord has Krishna chants as part of the lyrics it's an awful song one of the worst I've heard. Ask yourself this if Harrsion was a Krishna advocate it didn't help his creativity did it? I can't think of one good song he composed after converting to Hindu, Krishna conciousness.

My Sweet Lord
That is a great song...one of my favorites:p

[truthbomb]

well, you'd all be better off chanting:

"hairy ballsack, hairy ballsack,
ballsack hairy, hairy ballsack,
ballsack ballsack, ballsack ballsack,
hairy hairy, hairy ballsack"

and you'll all be happy. it made me laugh and smile! give it a go! chanting hare krishna won't do much. the hare krishna movement is full of hypocrisy and false info (regarding veganism and "sense-gratification" (when did enjoying your senses become a sin?)) to be honest.

...

have a look at this documentary about the hare krishna movement and enlightenment in general:

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=6138851398124600341&q=Louis+Theroux&total=225&start=10&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=2

[kasalt]

the hare krishna movement is full of hypocrisy and false info (regarding veganism...

Hare Krishnas are vegetarians, not vegans. In what way do you find them to be hypocritical about vegetarianism?

If you or anyone else is interested in vegetarianism as it relates to the Hare Krishnas, here is a good online book on the subject:

The Higher Taste: A Guide to Gourmet Vegetarian Cooking and a Karma-Free Diet
http://www.webcom.com/~ara/col/books/VEG/ht/chapone.html

Chapter Three is particularly interesting in that "the ethical foundations of vegetarianism are set forth, focusing on the writings of some of the world's greatest philosophers, authors, and religious leaders, among them Pythagoras, Plato, Leonardo da Vinci, Rousseau, Franklin, Shelley, Tolstoy, Thoreau, Gandhi, and others. The principle of nonviolence, as found in the teachings of Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism, is also examined."

the hare krishna movement is full of hypocrisy and false info (regarding..."sense-gratification" (when did enjoying your senses become a sin?)) to be honest.

Hypocrisy...yes, I catch myself behaving like a hypocrite from time to time, and I have no doubt that there are many occasions when I am being hypocritical but I'm not aware of it. How easily do we percieve hypocrisy in others, yet how rarely do we percieve it within ourselves. Indeed, hypocrisy is so prevalent in human behaviour that it would seem to be an integral part of the human condition.

Regarding the question of sense gratification, you may find this quote from Swami Prabhupada's Bhagavad Gita to be of some interest:

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2

TEXT 62-63
While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises. From anger, delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost, one falls down again into the material pool.

PURPORT
One who is not Krsna conscious is subjected to material desires while contemplating the objects of senses. The senses require real engagements, and if they are not engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, they will certainly seek engagement in the service of materialism. In the material world everyone, including Lord Siva and Lord Brahma--to say nothing of other demigods in the heavenly planets--is subjected to the influence of sense objects, and the only method to get out of this puzzle of material existence is to become Krsna conscious...a sincere devotee of the Lord shuns all material sense enjoyment due to his higher taste for spiritual enjoyment in the association of the Lord. That is the secret of success. One who is not, therefore, in Krsna consciousness, however powerful he may be in controlling the senses by artificial repression, is sure ultimately to fail, for the slightest thought of sense pleasure will agitate him to gratify his desires.

By development of Krsna consciousness one can know that everything has its use in the service of the Lord. Those who are without knowledge of Krsna consciousness artificially try to avoid material objects, and as a result, although they desire liberation from material bondage, they do not attain to the perfect stage of renunciation. On the other hand, a person in Krsna consciousness knows how to use everything in the service of the Lord; therefore he does not become a victim of material consciousness. For example, for an impersonalist, the Lord, or the Absolute, being impersonal, cannot eat. Whereas an impersonalist tries to avoid good eatables, a devotee knows that Krsna is the supreme enjoyer and that He eats all that is offered to Him in devotion. So, after offering good eatables to the Lord, the devotee takes the remnants, called prasadam. Thus everything becomes spiritualized and there is no danger of a downfall. The devotee takes prasadam in Krsna consciousness, whereas the nondevotee rejects it as material. The impersonalist, therefore, cannot enjoy life due to his artificial renunciation; and for this reason, a slight agitation of the mind pulls him down again into the pool of material existence. It is said that such a soul, even though rising up to the point of liberation, falls down again due to his not having support in devotional service.

Source: http://www.asitis.com/2/62.html (ff)

[truthbomb]

listen, that's all good and well, power to you mate, but i'm not just charging in here having not researched my shit. i was well into the hare krishna movement myself, did all the chanting and didn't eat meat (or dairy) for a long time.

let me tell you, it's not true. meat does not "clog up your third eye" or give you bad karma, who are you fooling? meat is full of brain enhancing vitamins and nutrients....B12 and more. Vital things for clear thinking and mental wellbeing. if anything it should help your third eye. the fact of the matter is we evolved on meat, that's it. we have teeth for ripping apart flesh and that's how we were created/evolved, end of story, that's it, sorry.

the problem is eating too much meat, then it's bad for you. but a bit of steak every 1-2 weeks is not bad. all of this karma stuff too, look around you. is your household cat in danger of having bad karma because his instincts require him to eat meat? no, it's in its dna, as it's in ours. no buts about it. the whole world is based on creation and destruction. everything eats each other, it's a shitty matrix but we're stuck with it.

i started eating meat and dairy again after starting to get depressed and apathetic very often, had NO energy, bags under eyes, yellowish skin on my palms and all sorts. i took some B12 and started eating meat again and i feel the most enlightened and happy i've ever felt in years.

also, i've met lots of vegetarians and vegans and they all look ill, they actually look physically sick. not good....A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is probably the most unhealthy looking person i know....should he be really healthy and happy looking is he is truly bearing the knowledge of bliss and health?

[kasalt]

Thanks for the speedy reply. If vegetarianism didn't work for you for health reasons, then I'd say you had no choice but to quit it. I've read in the ISKCON literature that if a person is required to eat meat for vital health reasons, then it is permissible for them to do so. I have come into contact with numerous vegetarians in my life, most of whom have looked as healthy as anyone else.

Some of the greatest men of intellect in history have been vegetarians. I have never heard David Icke espouse vegetarianism to others, but I have read that he is a vegetarian himself.

[phildee3]

That song he wrote called my sweet Lord has Krishna chants as part of the lyrics it's an awful song one of the worst I've heard. Ask yourself this if Harrsion was a Krishna advocate it didn't help his creativity did it? I can't think of one good song he composed after converting to Hindu, Krishna conciousness.

What if these chants put you in sync with something ungodly deviant spirits or even reps.

"Give me Love."

Awful song; - such demonic lyrics.
Give me peace on earth???
Disgusting!
Harrison was sooo deviant and ungodly.

[dinachick]

I am learning about the whole Hare Krishna thing having gone every few weeks or so to a local temple.

I think they do not eat meat because it lowers the vibration. Think about it, having read Icke, when did humans start developing a taste for blood and meat? That reminds me of the Reptilians!

I am being a bit of a hypocrite here as do eat chicken and fish/shellfish and eggs as I still want to eat them once in a while, knowing darn well I need to be more aware of how the senses really do control us. I have a long way to go before I could host a Hare Krishna gathering using my kitchen, they would have to bring food in knowing how strict they are with keeping their diet "clean".

I sold beef calves for 11 years through a local 4-H club and being raised on a farm I had my fair share of eating all kinds of meat, so I would have a lot to answer for, I don't think I would make a good initiate...:o

[tumblerpigeon]

I find the Hare Krishna chant pleasant too. Don't know if it does what they say it does, but I doubt it does harm.

I imagine they're vegetarian because of the reincarnation and karma beliefs, but then they think even killing plants should be minimised, and I don't think I would care who ate me if I were reincarnated as a plant. Wouldn't care about anything, on account of not having a brain. :confused:

[phildee3]

I find the Hare Krishna chant pleasant too. Don't know if it does what they say it does, but I doubt it does harm.

I imagine they're vegetarian because of the reincarnation and karma beliefs, but then they think even killing plants should be minimised, and I don't think I would care who ate me if I were reincarnated as a plant. Wouldn't care about anything, on account of not having a brain. :confused:

Plants have feelings.
Harvest and injest them with the greatest of thanksgiving.
Then they are happy.

[tumblerpigeon]

That is a nice thought phildee3. I just personally don't see reason to believe it. Though please share if you do. :)

[phildee3]

That is a nice thought phildee3. I just personally don't see reason to believe it. Though please share if you do. :)



We have no reason to believe anything without a direct experience of it,
and I don't think we should.

Have a look at this:

http://myhome.iolfree.ie/~vitalize/biog.htm

Hari bol

[dinachick]

The Guru has told me about Earthlings so I'm downloading it now. This is not going to be easy to watch, and will most likely be the thing to turn me completely veggie instead of 80% of the time...

[pri01]

Plants have feelings.
Harvest and injest them with the greatest of thanksgiving.
Then they are happy.


I totally agree on this one. There's nothing magical to me about receiving a bunch of dead flowers. Although when alive, I believe that plants and other living vegetation have an energy. This is because, they too are made up of living cells, DNA, as we are. They may not have the same nervous system that we have, but they must have some control centre. Their only differences to us that I at present can see is in the structure of their cell walls, and their respiration. Everything else is the same, they have all 4 DNA nucleotides that we have, they're just arranged in different sequences.

[phildee3]

I totally agree on this one. There's nothing magical to me about receiving a bunch of dead flowers. Although when alive, I believe that plants and other living vegetation have an energy. This is because, they too are made up of living cells, DNA, as we are. They may not have the same nervous system that we have, but they must have some control centre. Their only differences to us that I at present can see is in the structure of their cell walls, and their respiration. Everything else is the same, they have all 4 DNA nucleotides that we have, they're just arranged in different sequences.



That energy is life-force, orgone, christos, krsna, -
it is consciousness!

http://myhome.iolfree.ie/~vitalize/biog.htm

[ichi wa zen]

Chanting is for amateurs, just clear your mind!

[cruise4]

"oh and if it vibrates it's a illusion"

But maybe thats all there is until you return to the source, or God. Wherupon the whole journey may begin again. So I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry to get to this Oneness, as that misses the point of the experience.

The 'illusion' is important to us NOW. I submit you are NOT going to break the illusion and suddenly become wonderful oneness and if you did the whole thing would be pointless. Incremental return is the game, and there's a long long way to go. So lets concentrate on making the illusion better.

[dedicate]

Hare Krishna.. Hare Krishna.. Hare Rama.. Hare Rama.. Rama Rama.. Krishna Krishna.. Hare Hare Rama Ramma.... To the world and beyond. Jai Sri Gurudev!

Get with it people. Religion is a con, only if it is a trap. And it's not always a trap.

Religions were not "created" to ensnare people. If it ensnares you, its not religion.

[ichi wa zen]

Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu

[pilgrim]

Hare Krishna Explosion at Times Square - YouTube

[cataleptik]

Be carefull Hare Krishna is not what you think it is. But if you feel like you're getting something good out of it go ahead. Guess you've had others say it's a con before.:rolleyes:


the chant is a con.

in other eras that archaeologists call "the New Stone Age" the Aryans appeared and murdered, mass murdered. that was the material origin of the Hare Krishna philosophy...not by accident Adolf Hitler used the svastica as a symbol for his movement and if you look you will find the svastica inseperable from the ISKCON. i would like to see the person who started this conversation explain the svastica.

[cataleptik]

I find the Hare Krishna chant pleasant too. Don't know if it does what they say it does, but I doubt it does harm.

I imagine they're vegetarian because of the reincarnation and karma beliefs, but then they think even killing plants should be minimised, and I don't think I would care who ate me if I were reincarnated as a plant. Wouldn't care about anything, on account of not having a brain. :confused:


lions hunt and eat antelopes. should they be put into prisons or reeducated.


whales and dolphins (gasp) eat other fish. maybe we should organize strike teams to thin out the predatory and obviously evil whale and dolphin herd. after all, some of those whales are killers.


human beings have alot of retarding philosophies keeping them feeling superior to the other life forms and in general not members of the planet.

[kasalt]

i would like to see the person who started this conversation explain the svastica.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika#Religion_and_mythology

[skylark]

know a tree by its fruits. At Glastonbury '92 the Hare Krishnas at their tent were generating astonishingly positive and powerful energy with their music. Seriously -and i mean SERIOUSLY-hard-faced mercenerary drug dealers(people with the darkest, most menacing energy) were trying to suppress their own joy, as they were embarrassed at others seeing them like this and some were slinking off in hysterical joyous laughter to 'get a grip' but most simply couldn't. Like everyone I was utterly caught up in these waves of ever more heightened or sublime ecstasy/spiritual bliss (as mentioned in Kesalts thread )that is impossible to counterfeit and made even the most potent MDMA experience (and i've had a few)come a very very very poor and synthetic second. Best to you all.

[razed1]

Here is something we all can do. I myself can testify to the effectiveness of chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra. It consists of only three unique words: Hare, Krishna, and Rama. ("Hare" is pronounced "ha-ray".) The mantra is chanted as follows:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

The following information explains thoroughly the meaning and significance chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra:

Mantra-yoga is the process of concentrating on the sound vibration within a mantra. By chanting and hearing the holy sounds of the mantra, one can come to the platform of spiritual realization. This is the process of mantra-yoga.

"Man" means the mind, "tra" means deliverance. Therefore, a spiritual mantra is the pure sound vibration for delivering the mind from material to spiritual consciousness. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is known as the maha or great mantra. This mantra can deliver one to the realm beyond material existence.

The reason that chanting the Lord's names is such an effective process is because the Lord and His names are identical: they are the same spiritual energy. By chanting Hare Krishna we are in immediate contact with God. If we chant someone else's name, we cannot enjoy their association because the name and the person are different. For example, by chanting "water, water, water," we do not quench our thirst because water and the name are two different things. But in the spiritual world everything is absolute. Krishna is nondifferent from His names and, therefore, we can feel His presence simply by chanting His names. Krishna's name is the same as Krishna Himself, and is not material in any way. It gives spiritual benedictions and is full of pleasure. But in the material world everything is different. Furthermore, the Hare Krishna maha-mantra is said to be the sound incarnation of Krishna, and anyone who chants this mantra is in direct association with Krishna and is delivered from the clutches of the material energy. Because chanting the names of God brings us in direct contact with God in proportion to the chanter's purity, this process of self-realization is the way of success for everyone.

The holy name of Krishna is the controller of the opulence of liberation, and it is identical with Krishna. Simply by touching the holy name with one's tongue, immediate effects are produced.

In the association of saintly devotees, there is always the discussion about God, and those who partake in such hearing and chanting about the Lord's glories are certainly purified of all sins. In this way, whoever hears, chants and respectfully opens his heart to these topics about the Lord becomes faithfully dedicated to Him. Thus, he achieves devotional service to Lord Krishna. Then, as Lord Krishna Himself asks, "What more remains to be accomplished for the perfect devotee after achieving devotional service unto Me, the Supreme Absolute Truth, whose qualities are innumerable and who am the embodiment of all ecstatic experience?" (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.26.28-30)

The holy names of the Supreme Lord are all-auspicious because they describe His transcendental birth and pastimes, which He performs for the upliftment and salvation of all conditioned souls. For this reason the Lord's holy names are sung throughout the world. By chanting these holy names of the Supreme, one reaches the level of love of God, in which one becomes fixed as an eternal servant of the Lord. Then such a devotee becomes very attached to a particular name and form of the Lord in his service. As his heart melts in ecstatic love, he may laugh loudly or cry or shout. Sometimes he may even sing or dance like a madman in such ecstasy because he becomes indifferent to the opinion of others. (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2.39-40)

The holy sound of Hare Krishna, as uttered by the pure devotee, moves our intellect and we begin to consider the Vedic philosophy. When the intelligence is thus energized by spiritual knowledge, the transcendental sound vibration, after cutting through the senses, mind, and intelligence, makes contact with the soul. Thus, we are able to hear the holy name with our real spiritual ear, and actual spiritual revelation and self-realization is open to us. Then the soul, having made contact with the Supreme in the form of transcendental sound, recapitulates, sending the vibration back through our intelligence, mind and senses. At that time, when we chant Hare Krishna, the Supreme Infinite Lord is there in the vibration and our whole being experiences a deluge of unlimited spiritual ecstasy.

The mystery behind these names of God is further explained in the Sri Caitanya Upanishad, texts 12-14. It explains that the names of the Supreme that are used in the Hare Krishna mantra have specific meanings. Hari refers to "He who unties the knot of a person's material desires." Krishna is divided into Krish, which means "He who is attractive to everyone," and Na, which means "the greatest spiritual pleasure." And Rama means "He who is full of spiritual bliss and attracts all others." The Hare Krishna mantra consists of the repetition of these names of the Supreme (Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare) and is the best of all mantras and most confidential of secrets. Those who are serious about making spiritual progress continually chant these holy names and cross over material existence.

For one who takes shelter of the maha-mantra, he is sure to reach the Supreme because such mystic meditation engages the mind and intelligence in Krishna. By such continued remembrance of Krishna, even though one may seem to be engaged in so many duties, one regains his spiritual consciousness which is the prerequisite for entering back into the spiritual world. As Sri Krishna explains in Bhagavad-gita (8.7-8), a person should think of Him as Krishna and carry out one's duty with the mind and intelligence fixed on Him. Thinking and meditating on Krishna in this undeviated way, one can be sure to reach the divine Supreme Spirit.

From this information we can understand that if we can continue setting some time aside everyday for chanting the maha-mantra and spiritualizing our consciousness, we will be prepared for entering the spiritual realm after death. This is the most important aspect of any yoga or religious system--being free from material consciousness and remembering the Supreme at the time we give up our body. This requirement is easily fulfilled simply by remembering the Lord through chanting His holy names. This is confirmed in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.9.15) which declares that one who takes shelter of Krishna by invoking His spiritual names at the time of leaving the body is cleansed of many lifetimes of sin and attains Krishna without fail.
(This article is from: http://www.stephen-knapp.com)

The following was written by Swami Prabhupada to further explain the meaning and significance of chanting Hare Krishna:

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 for reviving our transcendental 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 adulterated 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, he is said to be in illusion. We are 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 eternal Krishna consciousness.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare is the transcendental process for reviving this original, pure consciousness. By chanting this transcendental vibration, we can cleanse away all misgivings within our hearts. The basic principle of all such misgivings is the false consciousness that I am the lord of all I survey.

Krishna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind. This consciousness is the original, natural energy of the living entity. When we hear this transcendental vibration, this consciousness is revived. This simplest method of meditation is recommended for this age. 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.

In the material concept of life we are busy in the matter of sense gratification, as if we were in the lower, animal stage. A little elevated from this status of sense gratification, one is engaged in mental speculation for the purpose of getting out of the material clutches. A little elevated from this speculative status, when one is intelligent enough, one tries to find out the supreme cause of all causes--within and without. And when one is factually on the plane of spiritual understanding, surpassing the stages of sense, mind, and intelligence, he is then on the transcendental plane. This chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is enacted from the spiritual platform, and thus this sound vibration surpasses all lower strata of consciousness--namely sensual, mental, and intellectual. There is no need, therefore, to understand the language of the mantra, nor is there any need for mental speculation nor any intellectual adjustment for chanting this maha-mantra. It is automatic, from the spiritual platform, and as such, anyone can take part in the chanting without any previous qualification. 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.

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 energy, to give protection to the conditioned soul. This chanting is exactly like the genuine cry of a child for its mother's presence. Mother Hara helps the devotee achieve the Lord Father's grace, and the Lord reveals Himself to the devotee who chants this mantra sincerely.

No other means of spiritual realization is as effective in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy as the chanting of the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way." (Brhan-naradiya Purana 38.126)

"Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Vishnu, in Treta-yuga by performing sacrifices and in Dvapara-yuga by serving the Lord's lotus feet can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.3.52)

youve fallen for the corrupted form of hindooism :confused:

[phildee3]

youve fallen for the corrupted form of hindooism :confused:



...or raised to a perfected form of it ;)

[marpat]

I'm not doubting anything you've said kasalt. yes this world is made up of different energy fields vibrating amongst each other. yes those energy fields effects us all, but I know also that all of this is a illusion and if vibrates it's not Oneness including those energy fields. I can't recall anything specific david said about the vedic mantra chant. but you need only read The Biggest Secret up to his latest book Infinite Love is the Only Truth Everything Else is Illusion to see how he explains how religions were created to enslave your mind. Speaking of which I hold in my hand Infinite Love is the Only Truth and Everything Else is Illusion. pg 190 and I quote. " This entire reality is based on polarity. When we accept this as real, and who we are, we disconnect from the consciousness of the One in awareness of itself. There are no polarities in Oneness and so no vibration. There is only one One and it has nothing with which to resonate" You Are Infinite Love.

So if you look in the Biggest Secret chapter 20 David Icke is not trying to actively promote what a lot of religions are doing? He discusses trying to unite with the universal I (God essentially) and he discusses using the cakra system. I find it odd that he even refers to them as such energy systems belong to the disciples of mystics and God worshippers. They also form a part of the Hindu religious system formed by a caste based, oppresive society. He also discusses trying to overcome the negative reptoids by the power of love. Do religions not generally preach love? I know the Hare Krishna ideals are based on it, as well as christian, buddhist, ad infinitum.

The spiritual ideas of David Icke are not superior to any other religion and everything he states in his books can be found in the beliefs on many religions. All he does is try and remove some of the specific, unnecessary dogma. It is not hard to find a direct comparison between his ideas and those of other religions.

Perhaps you can answer this. If the idea of religion (union with God) is to enslave the mind then what is the unversal I that David speaks of, that we all form a part of? why would he state that religion is oppresive then promote trying to be part of some universal level of being?
If it is a universal being then is this not God?

[paganus]

So if you look in the Biggest Secret chapter 20 David Icke is not trying to actively promote what a lot of religions are doing? He discusses trying to unite with the universal I (God essentially) and he discusses using the cakra system. I find it odd that he even refers to them as such energy systems belong to the disciples of mystics and God worshippers. They also form a part of the Hindu religious system formed by a caste based, oppresive society. He also discusses trying to overcome the negative reptoids by the power of love. Do religions not generally preach love? I know the Hare Krishna ideals are based on it, as well as christian, buddhist, ad infinitum.

The spiritual ideas of David Icke are not superior to any other religion and everything he states in his books can be found in the beliefs on many religions. All he does is try and remove some of the specific, unnecessary dogma. It is not hard to find a direct comparison between his ideas and those of other religions.

Perhaps you can answer this. If the idea of religion (union with God) is to enslave the mind then what is the unversal I that David speaks of, that we all form a part of? why would he state that religion is oppresive then promote trying to be part of some universal level of being?
If it is a universal being then is this not God?reading through a Pagan website,DI's books got very good reviews.i think he promotes some very good spiritual ideas.

[marpat]

reading through a Pagan website,DI's books got very good reviews.i think he promotes some very good spiritual ideas.

I agree but I don't think there is anything new or unique about them. When I read the stuff in chapter 20 I thought it was not much different to what I do myself, expressed in slightly different terms.

[paganus]

I agree but I don't think there is anything new or unique about them. When I read the stuff in chapter 20 I thought it was not much different to what I do myself, expressed in slightly different terms.no,not unique.kind of a blend of Hindu philosophy,Buddhism and Humanism.

[monkyies]

many of you seem to have negative opinions about a good mantra? Is it because of ISKON? they didn't discover it, it's from the vedas.

[paganus]

many of you seem to have negative opinions about a good mantra? Is it because of ISKON? they didn't discover it, it's from the vedas.i think its great!

[monkyies]

ya its my favorite meditation mantra.

[ichi wa zen]

Mantras are for dummies.

Clear your mind! The 10.000 things are the greatest mantra there is! Use that! Or this!

[farros]

I love Hare Krishna's!! Great people! :)

thats until you refuse a donation.

They give you a free book, ask for a donation, you say no.. so they take the book back.

[farros]

Mantras are for dummies.

!

the "AUM" resonance is very good for internal massaging.. with mantras, the translation of the word means nothing and is irrelevant... the resonance the word creates is what counts.

infact, you can chant ANY word and meditate on what muscles are used in pronouncing it.. keep on chanting it and you will excersise and massage those muscles.

God is the least religious out of anyone.

[paganus]

thats until you refuse a donation.

They give you a free book, ask for a donation, you say no.. so they take the book back.not in my experience.i only had 2p.they said 'keep it' and they gave me some joss sticks too!

[phildee3]

not in my experience.i only had 2p.they said 'keep it' and they gave me some joss sticks too!



The food is free, - and really good!
Many thanks to all those selfless service devotees out there.
Hari bol!

[pilgrim]

Sri Krishna Bhajan - YouTube

George Harrison and others - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra - YouTube

Hare Krishna - YouTube

[pilgrim]

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en-commons/e/e4/Mahamantra.gif

Benefits of Mantra-Meditation

Everyone knows that a happy life requires good health. Proper diet, adequate exercise, and sufficient rest are necessary to keep our bodies strong and fit. If we neglect these demands, our bodies become weakened and resistance wanes. Highly susceptible to infection, we eventually become ill.

More important, but less well known, is the inner self's need for spiritual nourishment and attention. If we ignore our spiritual health requirements, we become overwhelmed by negative material tendencies like anxiety, hatred, loneliness, prejudice, greed, boredom, envy, and anger.

In order to counteract and prevent these subtle infections of the self, we should, as recommended in the Vedic literatures, incorporate into our lives a program of self-examination and steady inner growth, based on spiritual strength and clarity of thought.

The transcendental potency necessary for developing complete psychological and spiritual fulfillment is already present within everyone. It must, however, be uncovered by a genuine spiritual process. Of all such authentic processes, India's timeless Vedas tell us that meditation on the Hare Krsna mantra is the most powerful.

The initial result of chanting the Hare Krsna mantra is summarized by Srila Prabhupada in his commentary on the Bhagavad-gita: "We have practical experience that any person who is chanting the holy names of Krsna (Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare) in course of time feels some transcendental pleasure and very quickly becomes purified of all material contamination."

In the preliminary stages of chanting, the practitioner experiences a clearing of consciousness, peace of mind, and relief from unwanted drives and habits. As one develops more realization by chanting, he perceives the original, spiritual existence of the self. According to the Bhagavad-gita, this enlightened state "is characterized by one's ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self "

[phildee3]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9t7c5bk-pQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI1xxPB0FGU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLLAUPS2C1A

Thank you for these, pilgrim.

I challenge anyone to post a link to a short utube video that can straighten me out like these!

Does anyone know, in musical terms, why they have such a soothing effect?
Besides using the names of God, and the vibration of sympathetic strings, are they using specific chord inversions?

[pilgrim]

Thankyou phildee3. :) Haribol!

There are dozens of traditional melodies (+ instruments) for chanting 'Hare Krishna', but the music is always secondary to the chanting itself.
The clapping of hands is sufficient, readily-available instrumentation and any rhythms or melodies can be used.

Hare Krishna 1967 - YouTube

[phildee3]

Thankyou phildee3. :) Haribol!

There are dozens of traditional melodies (+ instruments) for chanting 'Hare Krishna', but the music is always secondary to the chanting itself.
The clapping of hands is sufficient, readily-available instrumentation and any rhythms or melodies can be used.



Yes, I am fully aware of this,
but I am interested in the secondary function that harmony serves, as are other devotees who are musicians.

Hari KRSNA!

[pilgrim]

have a look at this documentary about the hare krishna movement and enlightenment in general:

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=6138851398124600341&q=Louis+Theroux&total=225&start=10&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=2

In 1977, after the passing of Srila Prabhupada, the Hare Krishna Movement (ISKCON - The International Society for Krishna Consciousness) was hijacked by 11 Judas-like disciples who have kicked the real devotees out and turned it into a criminal cult run by 80 gangsters posing as "Gurus".

Jayapataka, the fat ISKCON so-called "guru" in the video is one of the demons that gave Srila Prabhupada poison!
There is audio (& other) evidence that proves it!
Listen for yourself here:
http://www.prabhupada.org.uk/paul/prabhupada_poisoned.htm

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

I have been watching the iskCON movement for 20 years. They do not represent Prabhupada!
There is NOTHING wrong with the Hare Krishna philosophy and the chanting that Srila Prabhupada gave us!

Please see my posts on the 'Hare Krishna' thread here:
http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16586

[pilgrim]

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

[pilgrim]

Here’s a page full of reasons. fully upheld by evidence from Vedic writings like Bhagavad-gita, the Upanisads, and the Puranas:

Chanting Hare Krishna awakens love of God.

Chanting Hare Krishna brings liberation as a side benefit along the way.

When you chant Hare Krishna, you automatically develop knowledge and detachment.

Chanting Hare Krishna gets you out of the endless cycle of birth and death.

It is the most effective means of self-realization in the present Age of Quarrel. Nothing else works nearly as well.

Chanting Hare Krishna cleanses the heart of all illusions and misunderstandings.

By chanting Hare Krishna, you become free from all anxieties.

Chanting Hare Krishna brings you to self-realization—and shows you how to act as a self-realized soul.

It keeps you ever mindful of Krishna, the reservoir of pleasure.

There are no hard and fast rules for chanting. You can chant anywhere, any time, under any circumstances.

Krishna Himself is fully present in the transcendental sound of His name. And the more you chant, the more you realize it.

All other Vedic mantras are included in the chanting of Hare Krishna. So just by chanting this mantra, you get the benefit of all others.

Chanting Hare Krishna purifies not only you but every living entity around you. Whoever hears the chanting gets spiritual benefit.

A person who chants Hare Krishna develops all good qualities.

You can chant Hare Krishna softly for personal meditation or loudly with your family or friends. Both ways work.

Srila Prabhupada chanted Hare Krishna, and so did great souls in the past. So why not you?

It’s free. Chanting Hare Krishna never costs you money.

Chanting Hare Krishna brings the highest states of ecstasy.

There are no previous qualifications needed for chanting Hare Krishna. Young or old, anyone can chant—from any race, any religion, or any country of the world.

Even if you don’t understand the language of the mantra, it works anyway.

Chanting Hare Krishna brings relief from all miseries.

Chanting Hare Krishna is easy. When the best way is also the easiest, why make life hard for yourself?

Chanting Hare Krishna invokes spiritual peace—for you and for those around you.

When you chant Hare Krishna, Krishna Himself becomes pleased.

When you chant Hare Krishna, Krishna dances on your tongue.

By chanting Hare Krishna you can return to Krishna’s world, the eternal abode of full happiness and knowledge.

Chanting Hare Krishna frees you from the reactions of all past karma. Chanting Krishna’s name even once, purely and sincerely, can free you from the reactions of more karma than you could possibly incur.

Chanting Hare Krishna counteracts the sinful atmosphere of Kali-yuga, the present Age of Hypocrisy and Quarrel.

By chanting Hare Krishna you can relish at every step the full nectar that’s the real thirst of the soul.

The more you chant Hare Krishna, the better it gets.

If you look through all the Vedic scriptures, you’ll find nothing higher than the chanting of:
Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

[empyblessing]

Hare Krishna!

[pilgrim]

Hare Krishna!
Nitai-Gaura Haribol! :)

[octopusrex]

Hari Bol!

[razed1]

sare goray teri paan di lunn

[octopusrex]

Wakan Tanka tu u.

[pilgrim]

Spiritual songs by Srila Prabhupada:

http://www.prabhupadavani.org/Bhajans/Bhajans.html

(Click in small boxes to hear)

[pilgrim]

Hare Krishna singing (Australian tune) - YouTube

[brio313]

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.


Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare - YouTube


YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.



Chant and be happy:)

Haribol!

[noobcybot]

I have been reading 'The Journey Of Self Discovery',which is quite interesting.

Have any of the practicing Hare Krishnas here noticed any affects in life by chanting? Or am I missing the point there as it is more concearned with the next life.

[pilgrim]

I have been reading 'The Journey Of Self Discovery',which is quite interesting.

Have any of the practicing Hare Krishnas here noticed any affects in life by chanting? Or am I missing the point there as it is more concearned with the next life.
I've been chanting for 21 years. Yes, effects happen very quick. Try it and see. ;)

[brio313]

There is a remarkable effect at short notice:D

Just do it:)

[danster82]

Krishna Das - Rock in a Heart Space - YouTube