The Absolute Nature Of The Holy Name

God is absolute, and therefore anything directly connected with Him-such as His holy name, form, pastimes, paraphernalia and entourage-is identical with Him. In the material world of duality, things are different from their names. For example, a thirsty man's calling out "Water! Water! Water!" will not satisfy his thirst because the name water and the substance water are completely different. But in the absolute world there are no such differences; there a thing and its name are one. Therefore simply by vibrating the holy name of God, one associates with God directly.

In the material world we experience this in a crude way when we associate with someone thousands of miles away by radio waves. This same principle works in the spiritual world, but it works perfectly, bringing one beyond the limits of time and space.

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, an incarnation of Krsna, recommended that one chant the maha-mantra twenty-four hours a day and thus make one's life perfect. He said: "One can chant the holy name of God in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and always ready to offer all respects to others. In such a humble state of mind, one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly."

Chanting Hare Krsna gradually detaches one from material concepts and brings one to samadhi, a trance in which one realizes the Supersoul (Paramatma) through his transcendental mind and intelligence, without misidentifying himself with the Supreme. This is the goal of yoga. A living being is called jivatma (the atomic self), and Krsna is called Paramatma (the Supreme Self). In perfect Krsna consciousness, one realizes the eternal relationship between the atomic soul and the Supreme Soul, Krsna.

In this age, therefore, the best method of practicing yoga is to chant and hear the holy names of God, as found in the maha-mantra-Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This is the beginning of bhakti-yoga, or Krsna consciousness. There are no hard and fast rules for chanting; one can chant at any time or in any place while at the same time continuing to work in his present occupation. One need not give up his job or family because the chanting automatically purifies one's life, adjusting unwanted and unnecessary difficulties. The authorized scriptures of the world's civilized nations give various names for God, but the Vedic scriptures especially recommend the chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. We therefore humbly request you to chant this maha-mantra and be happy.