ISKCON Pranam Mantra

1. Sri Guru Pranam Mantra

This Pranam Mantra is recited to glorify the guru, because without the guru's mercy, no one can understand reality as it is. Being conditioned by material ignorance, we have assumed temporary to be the truth.

(1)

om ajnana-timirandhasya
jnananjana-salakaya
cakshur unmilitam yena
tasmai sri-gurave namah

I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the torchlight of knowledge.

(2)

mukam karoti vachalam
pangum langhayate girim
yat-kripa tam aham vande
shri-gurum dina-taranam

I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the deliverer of the fallen souls. His mercy turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains.

2. Sri Rupa Goswami Pranam Mantra

Rupa Goswami is considered the foremost teacher and guide in bhakti. Gaudiya Vaishnavas identify themselves as "Rupanugas" or followers of Rupa Goswami.

Śrī Caitanya-manobhiṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhūtale
śrī-rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam

When will Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?

3. Mangalacarana

The prayer reveals the path to the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna, beginning with the lotus feet of the spiritual master to guru parampara, the Vaishnavas, the six Goswamis, and the panch tattva.

vande ‘ham sri-guroh sri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaishnavams ca
sri-rupam sagrajatam saha-gana-raghunathanvitam tam sa jivam
sadvaitam savadhutam parijana-sahitam krishna-caitanya-devam
sri-radha-krishna-padan saha-gana-lalita- sri-visakhanvitams ca

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and of all the other preceptors on the path of devotional service.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaishnavas and unto the six Gosvamis, including Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Sanatana Gosvami, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Jiva Gosvami, and their associates.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Advaita Acarya Prabhu, Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and all His devotees, headed by Srivasa Thakura.

I then offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, Srimati Radharani, and all the gopis, headed by Lalita and Visakha.

4. Srila Prabhupada Pranam Mantra

Srila Prabhupada preached the message of Lord Chaitanya Deva all over the world. We offer these prayers unto his lotus feet which only can save us from the forest fire of this material world.

(1)

nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine

I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krishna on this earth, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvati Gosvami. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Chaitanya deva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.

(2)

tvaṁ naḥ sandarśito dhātrā
dustaraṁ nistitīrṣatām
kaliṁ sattva-haraṁ puṁsāṁ
karṇa-dhāra ivārṇavam ~ 1.1.22

tvam — Your Goodness; naḥ — unto us; sandarśitaḥ — meeting; dhātrā — by providence; dustaram — insurmountable; nistitīrṣatām — for those desiring to cross over; kalim — the Age of Kali; sattva–haram — that which deteriorates the good qualities; puṁsām — of a man; karṇa–dhāraḥ — captain; iva — as; arṇavam — the ocean.

We think that we have met Your Goodness by the will of providence, just so that we may accept you as captain of the ship for those who desire to cross the difficult ocean of Kali, which deteriorates all the good qualities of a human being.

5. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur Pranam Mantra

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, popularly known as the Lion Guru, was renowned for defeating Mayavadi scholars through his deep scriptural knowledge and powerful preaching.

nama om vişnu-pādāya krsna-presthāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktisiddhānta-sarasvatīti nāmine
śrī-vārṣabhānavī-devī-dayitāya kṛpābdhaye
krşņa-sambandha-vijñāna-dāyine prabhave namaḥ
mādhuryojjvala-premādhya-śrī-rūpānuga-bhaktida
śrī-gaura-karuņā-śakti-vigrahāya namo 'stu te
namas te gaura-vāņi-śrī-mūrtaye dīna-tāriņe
rūpānuga-viruddhāpasiddhānta-dhvānta-hāriņe

I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati, who is very dear to Lord Krsna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.

I offer my respectful obeisances to Srī Vārṣabhānavi-devi-dayita dāsa [another name of Srila Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati], who is favored by Srimatī Rādhārānī and who is the ocean of transcendental mercy and the deliverer of the science of Krsna.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto you, the personified energy of Sri Caitanya's mercy, who delivers devotional service which is enriched with conjugal love of Rādhā and Krsna, coming exactly in the line of revelation of Srila Rūpa Gosvāmī.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto you, who are the personified teachings of Lord Caitanya. You are the deliverer of the fallen souls. You do not tolerate any statement which is against the teachings of devotional service enunciated by Srila Rūpa Gosvāmī.

6. Srila Gaurakishora Das Babaji Maharaj Pranam Mantra

He was a revered Gaudiya Vaishnava, known for his pure bhakti. He used to reject all the pseudo-practitioners of religiosity.

namo gaura-kisoraya sakshad-vairagya-murtaye
vipralambha-rasambhode padambujaya te namah

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Gaura-kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja [the spiritual master of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati], who is renunciation personified. He is always merged in a feeling of separation and intense love of Krishna.

7. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur Pranam Mantra

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur revived the Gaudiya Vaishnavism and prepared the foundation of preaching this Krishna Consciousness worldwide.

namo bhaktivinodaya sac-cid-ananda-namine
gaura-sakti-svarupaya rupanuga-varaya te

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda, who is the transcendental energy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He is a strict follower of the Gosvamis, headed by Srila Rupa.

8. Srila Jagannatha Das Babaji Maharaj Pranam Mantra

He is renowned for his deep devotion to Lord Krishna and for confirming the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at Mayapur.

gauravirbhava-bhumes tvam nirdeshta saj-jana-priyah
vaishnava-sarvabhaumah shri-jagannathaya te namah

I offer my respectful obeisances to Jagannatha dasa Babaji, who is respected by the entire Vaishnava community and who discovered the place where Lord Caitanya appeared.

9. Vaishnava Pranam Mantra

By the mercy of a Vaishnava only, one can approach Lord Krishna.

vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca kripa-sindhubhya eva ca
patitanam pavanebhyo vaishnavebhyo namo namah

I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaishnava devotees of the Lord. They are just like desire trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone, and they are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.

10. Sri Panca-tattva Pranam Mantra

Lord Krishna manifested Himself in this age of Kali with His associates, all non-different from each other. These mantras can purify our hearts and give the mercy of the Panca-tattva.

(1)

pañca-tattvātmakaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ
bhakta-rūpa-svarūpakam
bhaktāvatāraṁ bhaktākhyaṁ
namāmi bhakta-śaktikam ~ CC Ādi 7.6

pañca-tattva-ātmakam — comprehending the five transcendental subject matters; kṛṣṇam — unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; bhakta-rūpa — in the form of a devotee; svarūpakam — in the expansion of a devotee; bhaktāvatāram — in the incarnation of a devotee; bhaktākhyam — known as a devotee; namāmi — I offer my obeisances; bhakta-śaktikam — the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Let me offer my obeisances unto Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who has manifested Himself in five as a devotee, expansion of a devotee, incarnation of a devotee, pure devotee, and devotional energy.

(2)

jaya sri-krishna-caitanya prabhu nityananda
sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is always accompanied by His plenary expansion Sri Nityananda Prabhu, His incarnation Sri Advaita Prabhu, His internal potency Sri Gadādhara Prabhu, and His marginal potency Srīvāsa Prabhu. He is in the midst of them as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

11. Gaur Nitai Pranam Mantra

In these prayers, Gaurang Mahaprabhu and Nityanand Prabhu are glorified as the sun and moon who can dissipate the darkness of ignorance.

(1)

vande sri-krsna-caitanya-
nityanandau sahoditau
gaudodaye puspavantau
citrau san-dau tamo-nudau ~ CC Ādi 1.2

vande — I offer respectful obeisances; śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya — to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya; nityānandau — and to Lord Nityānanda; saha-uditau — simultaneously arisen; gauḍa-udaye — on the eastern horizon of Gauḍa; puṣpavantau — the sun and moon together; citrau — wonderful; śam-dau — bestowing benediction; tamaḥ-nudau — dissipating darkness.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen simultaneously on the horizon of Gauḍa to dissipate the darkness of ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all.

12. Advait Acharya Pranam Mantra

Advaita Acharya, having appeared, found the world devoid of devotional service to Sri Krishna because people were engrossed in material affairs. He appealed to Sri Krishna with loud calls and thus made it possible for Krishna to appear in this age.

(1)

mahā-viṣṇur jagat-kartā
māyayā yaḥ sṛjaty adaḥ
tasyāvatāra evāyam
advaitācārya īśvaraḥ ~ CC Ādi 1.12

mahā-viṣṇuḥ — Mahā-Viṣṇu, the resting place of the efficient cause; jagat-kartā — the creator of the cosmic world; māyayā — by the illusory energy; yaḥ — who; sṛjati — creates; adaḥ — that universe; tasya — His; avatāraḥ — incarnation; eva — certainly; ayam — this; advaitācāryaḥ — Advaita Ācārya; īśvaraḥ — the Supreme Lord, the resting place of the material cause.

Lord Advaita Ācārya is the incarnation of Mahā-Viṣṇu, whose main function is to create the cosmic world through the actions of māyā.

advaitaṁ hariṇādvaitād
ācāryaṁ bhakti-śaṁsanāt
bhaktāvatāram īśaṁ tam
advaitācāryam āśraye ~ CC Ādi 1.13

advaitam — known as Advaita; hariṇā — with Lord Hari; advaitāt — from being nondifferent; ācāryam — known as Ācārya; bhakti-śaṁsanāt — from the propagation of devotional service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa; bhaktāvatāram — the incarnation as a devotee; īśam — to the Supreme Lord; tam — to Him; advaitācāryam — to Advaita Ācārya; āśraye — I surrender.

Because He is nondifferent from Hari, the Supreme Lord, He is called Advaita, and because He propagates the cult of devotion, He is called Ācārya. He is the Lord and the incarnation of the Lord’s devotee. Therefore I take shelter of Him.

13. Nityanand Prabhu Pranam Mantra

Srila Narottam Das Thakur has sung that “Unless one takes shelter under the shade of the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, it will be very difficult for him to approach Radha-Krishna”.

(1)

nityanandam aham naumi
sarvananda-karam param
hari-nama-pradam devam
avadhuta-shiromanim

I bow down to the Supreme Lord Nityananda Prabhu, who is the awarder of the highest joy to all, the bestower of the holy name and the crest jewel of all paramahamsa mendicants.

(2)

māyātīte vyāpi-vaikuṇṭha-loke
pūrṇaiśvarye śrī-catur-vyūha-madhye
rūpaṁ yasyodbhāti saṅkarṣaṇākhyaṁ
taṁ śrī-nityānanda-rāmaṁ prapadye ~ CC Ādi 1.8

māyā-atīte — beyond the material creation; vyāpi — all-expanding; vaikuṇṭha-loke — in Vaikuṇṭhaloka, the spiritual world; pūrṇa-aiśvarye — endowed with full opulence; śrī-catuḥ-vyūha-madhye — in the quadruple expansions (Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha); rūpam — form; yasya — whose; udbhāti — appears; saṅkarṣaṇa-ākhyam — known as Saṅkarṣaṇa; tam — to Him; śrī-nityānanda-rāmam — to Lord Balarāma in the form of Lord Nityānanda; prapadye — I surrender.

I surrender unto the lotus feet of Śrī Nityānanda Rāma, who is known as Saṅkarṣaṇa in the midst of the catur-vyūha [consisting of Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha]. He possesses full opulences and resides in Vaikuṇṭhaloka, far beyond the material creation.

14. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Pranam Mantra

Srila Rupa Goswami has glorified Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as “Namo Mahavadanyaya” because He is the most merciful incarnation, who is distributing love of Godhead freely.

(1)

paṅguṁ laṅghayate śailaṁ
mūkam āvartayec chrutim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande
kṛṣṇa-caitanyam īśvaram ~ CC Antya 1.1

paṅgum — one who is lame; laṅghayate — causes to cross over; śailam — a mountain; mūkam — one who is dumb; āvartayet — can cause to recite; śrutim — Vedic literature; yat-kṛpā — the mercy of whom; tam — unto Him; aham — I; vande — offer obeisances; kṛṣṇa-caitanyam — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is Kṛṣṇa Himself; īśvaram — the Lord.

I offer my respectful obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by whose mercy even a lame man can cross over a mountain and a dumb man recite Vedic literature.

(2)

namo maha-vadanyaya krishna-prema-pradaya te
krishnaya krishna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvishe namah

O most munificent incarnation! You are Krishna Himself appearing as Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing pure love of Krishna. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.

(3)

kathañcana smṛte yasmin
duṣkaraṁ sukaraṁ bhavet
vismṛte viparītaṁ syāt
śrī-caitanyaṁ namāmi tam ~ CC Ādi 14.1

kathañcana — somehow or other; smṛte — by remembering; yasmin — whom; duṣkaram — difficult things; sukaram — easy; bhavet — become; vismṛte — by forgetting Him; viparītam — just the opposite; syāt — become; śrī-caitanyam — Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; namāmi — I offer my respectful obeisances; tam — unto Him.

Things that are very difficult to do become easy to execute if one somehow or other simply remembers Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. But if one does not remember Him, even easy things become very difficult. To this Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu I offer my respectful obeisances.

15. Tulasi Maharani Pranam Mantra

This Mantra glorifies Tulasi Maharani who is very dear to Lord Krishna. She never leaves the lotus feet of Krishna and if she is pleased with someone’s service, she can grant that person eternal shelter in Vrindavan.

vrindaai tulasi devyai priyaai kesavasya ca
visnubhaktiprade devi satyavatyai namo namah

vrndayai — unto Vrnda; tulasi-devyai — unto Tulasi Devi; priyayai — who is dear; kesavasya — to Lord Kesava; ca — and; krsna-bhakti — devotional service to Lord Krsna; prade — who bestows; devi — O goddess; satyavatyai — unto Satyavati; namah namah — repeated obeisances.

I offer my repeated obeisances unto Vrnda, Srimati Tulasi Devi, who is very dear to Lord Kesava. O goddess, you bestow devotional service to Lord Krsna and possess the highest truth.

16. Tulasi Maharani Pradaksina Mantra

yani kani cha papani
brahma-hatyadikani cha
tani tani pranashyanti
pradakshinaha pade pade

yani kani — whatever; ca — and; papani — sins; brahma-hatya — killing of a brahmana; adikani — and so on; ca — also; tani tani — all of them; pranasyanti — are destroyed; pradaksinah — (by) the circumambulation (of Tulasi Devi); pade pade — at every step.

By the circumambulation of Srimati Tulasi Devi all the sins that one may have committed are destroyed at every step, even the sin of killing a brahmana.

17. Sri Radharani Pranam Mantra

Sri Radharani is the pleasure potency of Lord Krishna, She is the topmost devotee of Krishna and the queen of Vrindavan.

tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgi rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari
vṛṣabhānu-sute devi praṇamāmi hari-priye

I offer my respects to Rādhārāṇī, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vṛndāvana. You are the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, and You are very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

18. Jagannath Baladev Subhadra Pranam Mantra

Jagannath means the lord of the universe. This mantra glorifies Lord Jagannath along with Lord Baladev and Subhadra who reside eternally in Nilachala.

nīlācala-nivāsāya nityāya paramātmane
balabhadra-subhadrābhyāṁ jagannāthāya te namaḥ

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Jagannath, who eternally resides in the sacred land of Nilachala (Puri) along with His brother Balabhadra and His sister Subhadra, and who is the supreme soul of all living beings.

19. Sri Krishna Pranam Mantra

Lord Brahma glorifies Krishna as the primeval Lord, who has an eternal sac-cit-anand form and who is served by hundreds and thousands of Lakshmis in His abode.

(1)

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ
paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande
paramānanda-mādhavam ~ CC Madhya 17.80

mūkam — a person who cannot speak; karoti — makes; vācālam — an eloquent speaker; paṅgum — a person who cannot even walk; laṅghayate — causes to cross over; girim — the mountain; yat-kṛpā — whose mercy; tam — unto Him; aham — I; vande — offer obeisances; parama-ānanda — the transcendentally blissful; mādhavam — Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead has the form of sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha — transcendental bliss, knowledge and eternity. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Him, who turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains. Such is the mercy of the Lord.

(2)

he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho dīna-bandho jagat-pate
gopeśa gopikā-kānta rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te

O my dear Kṛṣṇa, ocean of mercy, You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are the master of the cowherd men and the lover of the gopīs, especially Rādhārāṇī. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.

(3)

namo brahmaṇya-devāya
go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca
jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya
govindāya namo namaḥ

namaḥ — all obeisances; brahmaṇya-devāya — to the Lord worshipable by persons in brahminical culture; go-brāhmaṇa — for cows and brāhmaṇas; hitāya — beneficial; ca — also; jagat-hitāya — to one who always is benefiting the whole world; kṛṣṇāya — unto Kṛṣṇa; govindāya — unto Govinda; namaḥ namaḥ — repeated obeisances.

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the worshipable Deity for all brahminical men, who is the well-wisher of cows and brāhmaṇas, and who is always benefiting the whole world. I offer my repeated obeisances to the Personality of Godhead, known as Kṛṣṇa and Govinda.

(4)

Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Hai
Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Hai
Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Raksa mam
Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Pahi mam
Krsna Kesava Krsna Kesava Krsna Kesava Raksa mam
Rama Raghava Rama Raghava Rama Raghava Pahi mam

O Lord Krsna, please protect me and maintain me. O Lord Rama, descendant of King Raghu, please protect me. O Krsna, O Kesava, killer of the Kesi demon, please maintain me.

20. Sambandhadhidev Pranam Mantra

The Vedic literatures reveal the eternal relationship (sambandha) between the living entity and Lord Kṛṣṇa. The predominating Deity of this understanding is Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Madana-mohana. By His mercy, the conditioned soul realizes his eternal position as a servant of Kṛṣṇa.

jayatāṁ suratau paṅgor
mama manda-mater gatī
mat-sarvasva-padāmbhojau
rādhā-madana-mohanau

jayatām — all glory to; su-ratau — most merciful, or attached in conjugal love; paṅgoḥ — of one who is lame; mama — of me; manda-mateḥ — foolish; gatī — refuge; mat — my; sarva-sva — everything; pada-ambhojau — whose lotus feet; rādhā-madana-mohanau — Rādhārāṇī and Madana-mohana.

Glory to the all-merciful Rādhā and Madana-mohana! I am lame and ill advised, yet They are my directors, and Their lotus feet are everything to me.

21. Abhidheyadhidev Pranam Mantra

The living entity's understanding of his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa and acting according to that relationship is called abhidheya. The presiding Deity of abhidheya is Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda, who engages the devotee in loving devotional service.

dīvyad-vṛndāraṇya-kalpa-drumādhaḥ-
śrīmad-ratnāgāra-siṁhāsana-sthau
śrīmad-rādhā-śrīla-govinda-devau
preṣṭhālībhiḥ sevyamānau smarāmi

dīvyat — shining; vṛndā-araṇya — in the forest of Vṛndāvana; kalpa-druma — desire tree; adhaḥ — beneath; śrīmat — most beautiful; ratna-āgāra — in a temple of jewels; siṁha-āsana-sthau — sitting on a throne; śrīmat — very beautiful; rādhā — Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī; śrīla-govinda-devau — and Śrī Govindadeva; preṣṭha-ālībhiḥ — by most confidential associates; sevyamānau — being served; smarāmi — I remember.

In a temple of jewels in Vṛndāvana, underneath a desire tree, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda, served by Their most confidential associates, sit upon an effulgent throne. I offer my humble obeisances unto Them.

22. Prayojanadhidev Pranam Mantra

Returning home, back to Godhead, is the ultimate goal of life and is called prayojana. The predominating Deity of prayojana is Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gopīnātha. By His mercy, the devotee attains pure love of Kṛṣṇa, the highest perfection of life.

śrīmān rāsa-rasārambhī
vaṁśīvaṭa-taṭa-sthitaḥ
karṣan veṇu-svanair gopīr
gopī-nāthaḥ śriye ’stu naḥ

śrī-mān — most beautiful; rāsa — of the rāsa dance; rasa — of the mellow; ārambhī — the initiator; vaṁśī-vaṭa — Vaṁśīvaṭa; taṭa — on the shore; sthitaḥ — standing; karṣan — attracting; veṇu — of the flute; svanaiḥ — by the sounds; gopīḥ — the cowherd girls; gopī-nāthaḥ — Śrī Gopīnātha; śriye — benediction; astu — let there be; naḥ — our.

Śrī Śrīla Gopīnātha, who originated the transcendental mellow of the rāsa dance, stands on the shore in Vaṁśīvaṭa and attracts the attention of the cowherd damsels with the sound of His celebrated flute. May they all confer upon us their benediction.

23. Hare Krishna Maha Mantra

This mantra contains 16 words; it is especially recommended for the present age of Kali-yuga. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu inaugurated congregational chanting of this mantra (sankirtan).

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

Hare Krishna Maha Mantra is a prayer to the Lord and His spiritual energy. "Hare" refers to Srimati Radharani, the Lord's internal potency, while "Krishna" and "Rama" are names of the Supreme Lord. The essence of the mantra is: "O Lord Krishna, O energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your devotional service."