Question: Can the Mahamantra Be Changed for Good?
I offer you my humblest obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Gurudeva, a few days back you wrote in "Thought for the Day" that chanting Krishna's name once equals three names of Rama.
So my question is shall I rather chant:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
instead of:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
The benefit derived would be more then. Please show me your mercy in answering this query.
An eternal servitor of Lord Krishna,
Dhaval
Answer: Don't Concoct. Follow the Previous Acharyas.
The most beneficial way to practice Krishna consciousness is to strictly follow the Vedic injunctions, the spiritual master, and the previous acharyas. Because they have given us:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
this is millions of times more powerful than:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
In other words, we should not try to concoct anything new according to our own fertile imaginations. Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He chanted:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
So should we think that we know something better than Lord Caitanya? This is not possible. It would be ludicrous for us to think so. Therefore we should simply follow the pathway chalked out by the great acharyas by chanting:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
Only this will deliver us from the cycle of birth and death.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
