Chant Hare Krishna

Sri Caitanya Caritamrita Adi 8.26

‘eka’ krishna-name kare sarva-papa nasa
premera karana bhakti karena prakasa

SYNONYMS

eka -- one; krishna-name -- by chanting the holy name of Lord Krishna; kare -- makes; sarva -- all; papa -- sinful life; nasa -- exhausted; premera -- of love of Godhead; karana -- cause; bhakti -- devotional service; karena -- becomes; prakasa --manifest.

TRANSLATION

Simply chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra without offenses vanquishes all sinful activities. Thus pure devotional service, which is the cause of love of Godhead, becomes manifest.

PURPORT

One cannot be situated in the devotional service of the Lord unless one is free from sinful life. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (7.28):

yesham tv anta-gatam papam jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta bhajante mam dridha-vratah

“Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the duality of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination.” A person who is already cleansed of all tinges of sinful life engages without deviation or duality of purpose in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. In this age, although people are greatly sinful, simply chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra can relieve them from the reactions of their sins. Eka krishna-name: only by chanting Krishna's name is this possible. This is confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.3.51): kirtanad eva krishnasya mukta-sangah. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has also taught us this. While passing on the road, He used to chant:

krishna krishna krishna krishna krishna krishna krishna he

krishna krishna krishna krishna krishna krishna krishna he

krishna krishna krishna krishna krishna krishna raksha mam

krishna krishna krishna krishna krishna krishna pahi mam

rama raghava rama raghava rama raghava raksha mam

krishna kesava krishna kesava krishna kesava pahi mam

If one always chants the holy name of Krishna, gradually one is freed from all reactions of sinful life, provided he chants offenselessly and does not commit more sinful activities on the strength of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. In this way one is purified, and his devotional service causes the arousal of his dormant love of God. If one simply chants the Hare Krishna mantra and does not commit sinful activities and offenses, one's life is purified, and thus one comes to the fifth stage of perfection, or engagement in the loving service of the Lord (prema pum-artho mahan).

Transalation by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness