Hare Krishna Maha Mantra

The word mantra comes from the ancient Sanskrit language. Man means "mind," and tra means "release." So a mantra is a combination of transcendental sounds meant to release the mind from all the anxieties of material life. The Hare Krsna mantra is known as the maha-mantra, or great mantra. It is the essence of all mantras.

A mantra is a transcendental sound vibration that delivers the mind from material anxieties. Of all mantras, the Hare Krsna mantra is the maha-mantra, the great mantra. Composed entirely of God's names, it appears in the ancient Sanskrit scriptures called the Upanisads: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The name Hare addresses the spiritual energy of God. It's like calling out "O energy of God!" The name Krsna means "all-attractive" and thus calls upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Rama, another name of God, means "the highest pleasure."