Morning Program, step 4 of 12
Hare Krishna Maha Mantra
The Hare Krishna maha-mantra, the great chant for deliverance
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
The maha-mantra is chanted congregationally in kirtana, with instruments and dancing, and softly to oneself in japa on a string of 108 beads. One round of japa is the mantra chanted once on each bead. Srila Prabhupada set the standard of sixteen rounds a day for his initiated disciples.
The words Hare, Krishna, and Rama are addresses to the Lord and His energy. Krishna means the all-attractive one, Rama means the reservoir of all pleasure, and Hare is the vocative of Hara, the Lord's internal pleasure energy, Srimati Radharani. Chanting is a prayer: "O energy of the Lord, O Lord, please engage me in Your service."
Srila Prabhupada explains the mantra in full in his essay On Chanting Hare Krishna.