# Chanting Hare Krishna *On the transcendental potency of the Holy Name* --- ### Become Spiritualized by Chanting > Therefore, chanting of His holy name is very important. *Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ* [Śikṣāṣṭaka 3]. Caitanya Mahāprabhu advises that you should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra* always, twenty-four hours; then you will remain in touch with Kṛṣṇa, just like the iron rod in touch with the fire. And gradually, as the iron rod turns to be fire, similarly, constantly in touch with Kṛṣṇa means you become Kṛṣṇa-ized, the same quality. That is wanted. We are now covered by material things. Inside we are there. *Dehino 'smin yathā dehe*. Inside we are spirit soul. Outside... Just like inside your coat you are there, but the coat is outside. When the coat and shirt is taken away, then you are clothed in your original body. Similarly, as soon as these material coverings are taken away, then we are spirit soul. — [[spoken/1975/750126cd.hk|Lecture, Hong Kong, January 26, 1975]] --- ### Direct Association with Krishna > Therefore, immediately we chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa means immediately we get in contact with Kṛṣṇa or in association. Just like we are sitting together. Similarly, as soon as you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, immediately Kṛṣṇa is with you. Immediately. Kṛṣṇa is with you always. Still, particularly, *tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktāḥ* [*Padma Purāna*]. And that is a fact. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra,* that means you directly associate with Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa being the Supreme Spirit, *para-brahma,* then, although we have got this material body, still, by association with Kṛṣṇa we become spiritualized. — [[spoken/1975/750126cd.hk|Lecture, Hong Kong, January 26, 1975]] --- ### Iron Rod in Fire > Just like you take one iron rod and put into the fire, the rod becomes warm. At last the rod becomes red hot. So when the iron is red hot, you put in touch with anything else, it will burn. It is no more iron rod. Although it is iron rod, but because it was in touch with fire, now it has attained the quality of fire. Similarly, if you always remain in touch with Kṛṣṇa by chanting His holy name, then you become spiritualized. — [[spoken/1975/750126cd.hk|Lecture, Hong Kong, January 26, 1975]] --- ### Not Material Sound > Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has described this Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra,* "not of this material sky." *Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana. Hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana,* this is not a material sound. And in the *Vedānta* it is stated, *śabdād anāvṛtti.* By chanting the spiritual sound... The impersonalists, they chant *oṁkāra: praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu.* All Vedic *mantras* are preceded by the spiritual *oṁkāra.* That *oṁkāra...* Kṛṣṇa says, *akṣarāṇām oṁkāro 'smi. Vedeṣu, praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu, A, U, M,* these are described in the *Bhagavad-gītā.* So either you vibrate *oṁkāra* or Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra,* they belong to the spiritual world. This sound does not belong to this material. Material sound, if you chant once, twice, thrice, you will feel disgusted. But spiritual sound, if you chant twenty-four hours, you will never feel disgusted, but you will feel more and more spiritual bliss. — [[spoken/1975/750122sb.bom|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.26.47, Bombay, January 22, 1975]] --- ### Never Feel Disgusted > That is the difference. Actually, you see these boys and girls and others, they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa practically from early in the morning, five o'clock, till ten o'clock daily, but nobody is feeling any disgust. They like to chant. That is the difference between material sound and spiritual sound. — [[spoken/1975/750122sb.bom|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.26.47, Bombay, January 22, 1975]] --- ### Hari-saṅkīrtana Is the Weapon > So one business is to give protection to the devotee and to annihilate the *duṣkṛta,* those who are sinful. So for annihilating, it requires weapon, *śaṇkha, cakra, gadā, padma[?].* Lord Rāmacandra has got bows and arrows, and Kṛṣṇa has got Sudarśana-cakra. But here it is said, *sāṅga-upāṅga-astra.* What is that *astra,* weapon? Caitanya Mahāprabhu has no *astra.* Seemingly there's a... But this is *astra,* this *hari-saṅkīrtana.* This is *astra.* In the Kali-yuga there is no profit by killing them. They're already killed. So therefore this is the *astra.* To kill the miscreants this is *astra,* this *hari-saṅkīrtana.* If they simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, this is *astra* that will kill all their sinful reaction of life; they'll become devotee. This is *astra.* — [[spoken/1976/760529sb.hon|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.30, Honolulu, May 29, 1976]] --- ### All Anarthas Subsided > So for all these *anarthas,* the only means is *bhakti-yoga. Śravaṇam. Bhakti-yoga* means *śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam.* Let everyone, all over the world, give chance to the people of this *śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam.* All the problems of the world will be solved. That's a fact. *Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣāt.* Directly you'll have. And you can realize from your own life how many..., how much *anarthas* were accompanying with you. Now they are all subsided. *Sākṣāt.* What is the means? This chanting. Now you enjoyed chanting, dancing. But people will not take it. This is the only means. Because you have been attracted by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra* and dancing, you are no more interested. — [[spoken/1974/740531sb.gen|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.6, Geneva, May 31, 1974]] --- ### By Chanting We Become Purified > So, so long we are in this material encagement we are supposed to be impurified. Because we are not purified, therefore we have to accept birth, death, old age and disease. Just like diseased condition is impurified. It requires to be purified by medical treatment to get out of the disease. So we living entities, we are part and parcel of God. Our original position is purified, but at the present moment we are contaminated. So by chanting the holy name of the Lord we become purified. The holy name of the Lord and the Lord, identical. By association with the Supreme Lord directly, by chanting the holy name, we become purified. — [[spoken/1974/740701in.mel|Initiation Ceremony, Melbourne, July 1, 1974]] --- ### Special Advantage of This Kali-yuga > *Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya paraṁ vrajet.* *Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya nitya-muktaḥ paraṁ vrajet.* This is the special advantage of this Kali-yuga, because people are so fallen that it is very difficult to raise them to the standard of spiritual understanding by the prescribed method. Prescribed method means *tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena damena niyamena tyāgena.* It is very difficult. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us His blessings, *kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ.* — [[spoken/1975/750805sb.det|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.52, Detroit, August 5, 1975]] --- *9 verified verbatim quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on chanting Hare Krishna*