The importance of Hare Krishna Maha Mantra

Originally, the Maha Mantra was
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare.

This was the original Vedic Mantra and anyone and every one cannot invoke this mantra. It has to be properly invoked and only a qualified Brahmana has the required qualification to utter such holy mantra. This was possible only in the rest of the 3 previous yugas. However, in Kali Yuga, there are no Brahmanas at all to invoke the above mantra. In Kali Yuga, all are none but Sudras, because of the degradation.

Therefore, out of His causeless mercy for the fallen Kali Yuga Jeevas, Sri Chaitanya Maha Prabhu, who is none other than the Supreme Lord Krishna Himself, and who has incarnated 500 years ago, has changed the order of the above Mantra, while retaining the same potency of the original mantra, so that anyone and everyone can easily chant this holy name in this Kali Yuga and get purified. The newly-changed mantra is as follows :

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

Thus, the Lord has made His mercy more easily available to one and all without exception.

Chaitanya Charitaamrutha. Adi Leela. Text 17. 21
And Brhan-naaradiya Puraana

Text
harer näma harer näma
harer nämaiva kevalam
kalau nästy eva nästy eva
nästy eva gatir anyathä

Translation
‘In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.’

Kali Santarana Upanishad

Text
Iti shodasa naamnam
Kali kalmasha naasanam
Na tah parataropaayah
Sarva vedeshu drusyathe

Translation
This Hare Krishna Maha Mantra has 16 names of the Supreme Lord and this destroys all the sins of the Kali Yuga. If you search out even in the entire of Vedas, you will not find any other means other than this chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, to destroy all the sin and ills of Kali Yuga.

Chaitanya Charitaamrutha. Adi Leela. Text 17. 22

Text
kali-käle näma-rüpe Krishna-avatära
näma haite haya sarva-jagat-nistära


Translation
“In this Age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Krishna mahä-mantra, is the incarnation of Lord Krishna. Simply by chanting the holy name, one associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is certainly delivered.”

Chaitanya Charitaamrutha. Adi Leela. Text 17. 23

Text
daardhya lägi’ ‘harer näma’-ukti tina-vära
jada loka bujhäite punah ‘eva’-kära


Translation
“This verse repeats the word ‘eva’ [‘certainly’] three times for emphasis, and it also three times repeats ‘harer näma’ [‘the holy name of the Lord’], just to make common people understand.”

Purport
To emphasize something to an ordinary person, one may repeat it three times, just as one might say, “You must do this! You must do this! You must do this!” Thus the Bruhad-näradiya Puräanaa repeatedly emphasizes the chanting of the holy name so that people may take it seriously and thus free themselves from the clutches of mäyä. It is our practical experience in the Krishna Consciousness movement all over the world that many millions of people are factually coming to the spiritual stage of life simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mahä-mantra regularly, according to the prescribed principles. Therefore, our request to all our students is that they daily chant at least sixteen rounds of this Hare Krishna mahä-mantra offenselessly, following the regulative principles. Thus their success will be assured without a doubt.

Sreemad Bhagavatham 12.3.51

Text
kaler dosa-nidhe räjann
asti hy eko mahän gunah
kirtanäd eva krishnasya
mukta-sangah paraàm vrajet


Translation
My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mahä-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.

Purport
After mentioning the innumerable faults of this age of Kali, Sukadeva Gosvämi now mentions its one brilliant aspect. Just as one powerful king can kill innumerable thieves, one brilliant spiritual quality can destroy all the contamination of this age. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare, especially in this fallen age.

Sreemad Bhagavatham 12.3.52

Text
krte yad dhyäyato vishnum
tretäyäàm yajato makhaih
dväpare paricaryäyäàm
kalau tad dhari-kéertanät


Translation
Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Vishnu, in Tretä-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in Dväpara-yuga by serving the Lord’s lotus feet can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mahä-mantra.

Purport
A similar verse is found in the Vishnu Puräna (6.2.17), and also in the Padma Puräna (Uttara-khanda 72.25) and the Bruhad-näradéya Puräna (38.97):

dhyäyan krte yajan yajnais
tretäyäà dväpare ’rcayan
yad äpnoti tad äpnoti
kalau saìkértya kesavam

Translation
“Whatever is achieved by meditation in Satya-yuga, by the performance of sacrifice in Tretä-yuga, and by the worship of Lord Krishna’s lotus feet in Dväpara-yuga is obtained in the age of Kali simply by glorifying the name of Lord Kesava.”

Srila Jiva Gosvämi has further quoted from the Brahma-vaivarta Puräna concerning the degraded condition of people in Kali-yuga:

atah kalau tapo-yoga-
vidyä-yajnädikäh kriyäh
sängä bhavanti na krtah
kusalair api dehibhih

“Thus in the age of Kali the practices of austerity, yoga meditation, Deity worship, sacrifice and so on, along with their various subsidiary functions, are not properly carried out, even by the most expert embodied souls.

Srila Jiva Gosvämi has also cited the Cäturmäsya-mähätmya of the Skanda Puräna concerning the necessity of chanting Hare Krishna in this age:

tathä caivottamam loke
tapah çré-hari-kértanam
kalau yuge visesena
vishnuu-prityai samäcaret

“In this way the most perfect penance to be executed in this world is the chanting of the name of Lord Sri Hari. Especially in the age of Kali, one can satisfy the Supreme Lord Vishnu by performing sankeertana.’’

In conclusion, massive propaganda should be made all over the world to induce people to chant the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, by which human society can be rescued from the dangerous ocean of the age of Kali.