Chanting Hare Krishna

In 7 languages, this book explores the rich history and myriad uses of chanting the most powerful mantra for the modern age that has kindled the recent explosion of interest in this ancient art. The Vedas proclaim that chanting the Hare Krishna mantra is the maha-sadhana, the best and only yoga practice for this dark age of conflict, wherein terror and tension prevail. It is the most powerful way to open the heart and experience ecstatic divine love. There can be no peace or harmony in the world unless the people of all nations garland their hearts with the Hare Krishna mantra. Throughout the centuries, all divine masters have taught the same principle-praise the Lord by singing and chanting His holy names. Such praise will pacify the mind, cleanse the heart of lust, anger and greed, and surcharge the soul with joy. The Art of Chanting Hare Krishna reveals the science of Mantra Yoga and describes over 60 scientifically proven meditation techniques while chanting by giving practical suggestions for improving concentration and controlling the mind. Discover Spirit in Sound by accepting this sublime process and swim in the ocean of ever expanding bliss.

What is life for? What may give it meaning? Does it have any meaning at all? A sage in ancient Israel brooded over these questions. In ancient India, too, such questions drove a despairing warrior to seek answers from his divine friend Krishna. The thoughts of the sage became the wisdom book Ecclesiastes; those of Krishna, the Bhagavad-gītā. Their wisdom speaks to our deepest concerns. In Vanity Karma, wisdom meets wisdom as these two perennial classics come together, both offering us profound understanding. And a deep and authentic spiritual understanding, we may find, can infuse our lives with meaning and with joy. Vanity Karma brings you on a journey through the full text of Ecclesiastes, a journey illuminated by traditional biblical scholarship, insights from the Bhagavad-gītā, a dash of autobiography, and a steady spiritual focus.

There are certain channels through which the higher spiritual frequencies become approachable by humanity, and by which the Infinite descends into this world. One channel is through transcendental sound. The Hare Krishna Maha-mantra is one such channel of pure spiritual vibration. The mantra is therefore a point of meditation for the mind, but also a formula or transcendental sound vibration that releases its energy into one's consciousness. Thus it can prepare a person for perceiving higher states of reality. With continued practice with this mantra, and with the proper devotional mood, the mantra can uplift our mind in many ways, help us rise above bad habits and thought patterns, and can even reveal the Absolute Truth to the practitioner. It can also show one's own spiritual identity and relationship that you have with the Supreme Being. Additional topics in this book include: How Mantra-Yoga is a necessity for this age. How to chant Om properly. How the Maha-mantra works and what makes it so effective. The meaning and significance of the Maha-mantra. How spiritual realization can be attained through chanting the Maha-mantra. The great good fortune of those who chant the Maha-mantra, and the bliss found in chanting it. How to attain the spiritual world through the Maha-mantra. How to practice the chanting of the Maha-mantra to release its fullest potential. This book will help open the spiritual possibilities as well as bliss that you can attain through the simple process of chanting the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra.

In June 1976, Bhavan’s Journal, a Bombay cultural and religious magazine, sent various religious and spiritual leaders a questionnaire looking for enlightened answers to some of the perplexing questions of the day, such as the place of religion in modern society. One recipient of their questionnaire was Srila Prabhupada, who took the opportunity to make a thorough presentation of the ideal Vedic civilization, show the faults of modern society from the viewpoint of transcendence, and offer practical solutions based on Krishna conscious teachings. His answers to the questionnaire were later compiled and published in this compact and lively book.

Although there are many types of yoga practice, the Vedic literature explains that no matter which practice you choose, success is only achieved when bhakti is present. What is bhakti-yoga, and how can you add it to your life or your current yoga practice? As bhakti is a pivotal element in any yogic or religious practice, it is known as the topmost yoga. In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna explains bhakti-yoga to his dear friend Arjuna, and here Srila Prabhupada expands these concepts in this introductory text.

The first draft of The Hare Krishna Explosion was written in July 1969 just after Srila Prabhupada’s first visit to New Vrindavan. At that time Hayagriva realized that the details of the beginnings of the Krishna Consciousness Movement had best be recorded when the events were still fresh. Working from notebooks, diaries and memories he compiled the first edition in a month. Then the manuscript remained packed away until Srila Prabhupada left the mortal world in 1977.

The word dharma, originally from the Sanskrit, refers to the inherent, unchanging nature of something – sugar’s dharma is to be sweet, water’s dharma is to be wet, and fire’s dharma is to emit heat and light. Dharma also refers to our natural duty. We humans have ordinary dharma and an ultimate dharma that relates to who we are at soul level. That dharma requires that we ask existential questions and then seek ultimate answers – questions such as Who am I? Why am I here? and What is my ultimate purpose? Dharma, the Way of Transcendence is a compilation of lectures on human dharma given by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1972 as he toured India. Here he teaches that the dharma of all humans and every other living embodied soul – is service. No one can exist for a moment without serving someone or something else, even if it’s only the mind and senses. So the question is, whom or what can we serve if we want to be truest to ourselves?

Treatise with English translation on Sanskrit poetics.

Most widely known for its adherents chanting “Hare Krishna” and distributing religious literature on the streets of American cities, the Hare Krishna movement was founded in New York City in 1965 by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Formally known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, or ISKCON, it is based on the Hindu Vedic scriptures and is a Western outgrowth of a popular yoga tradition which began in the 16th century. In its first generation ISKCON actively deterred marriage and the nuclear family, denigrated women, and viewed the raising of children as a distraction from devotees' spiritual responsibilities. Yet since the death of its founder in 1977, there has been a growing women’s rights movement and also a highly publicized child abuse scandal. Most strikingly, this movement has transformed into one that now embraces the nuclear family and is more accepting of both women and children, steps taken out of necessity to sustain itself as a religious movement into the next generation. At the same time, it is now struggling to contend with the consequences of its recent outreach into the India-born American Hindu community. Based on three decades of in-depth research and participant observation, Hare Krishna Transformed explores dramatic changes in this new religious movement over the course of two generations from its founding.