A simple method for Peaceful Liberation

Compiled by
Pitchumani Krishnan

"A mantra is mystical energy encased in a sound structure and each mantra
contains within its vibrations a certain power. But of all mantras, the mahamantra (the Hare Krishna mantra) has been prescribed as the easiest and
surest way for attaining God Realization in this present Kali age."

Whenever you chant this mantra, always keep its meaning in mind. Chant this
mantra with devotion and faith. While repeating his mantra request the God
almighty to take away all your sorrows, pains and failures and give you joy
and bliss.

There are many Vedic references which specifically recommend the chanting
of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra as the most effective and advantageous
means of reaching spiritual realization and counteracting all the problems of
this age. Some of these verses are the following:
These sixteen words--Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare
Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare--are especially meant

for counteracting the ill effects of the present age of quarrel and anxiety.
(Kali-santarana Upanishad)

All mantras and all processes for self-realization are compressed into the
Hare Krishna maha-mantra. (Narada-pancaratra)

Chant the holy names, chant the holy names, and chant the holy names. In
this age of Kali [the age of quarrel and confusion] without a doubt there is
no other way, there is no other way, and there is no other way. (Brihannaradiya Purana 38.126)

In this age there is no use in meditation, sacrifice and temple worship.

Simply by chanting the holy name of Krishna--Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare-one can achieve perfect self-realization. (Vishnu Purana 6.2.17)

The self-realization which was achieved in the Satya millennium by

meditation, in the Treta millennium by the performance of different
sacrifices, and in the Dvapara millennium by worship of Lord Krishna [as the
Deity in the temple], can be achieved in the age of Kali simply by chanting
the holy names, Hare Krishna. (Bhag.12.3.52) (Verses similar to this are also
found in the Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda 72.25, and the Brihan-naradiya
Purana 38.97)
Living beings who are entangled in the complicated meshes of birth and
death can be freed immediately by even unconsciously chanting the holy
name of Krishna, which is feared by fear personified. ( Bhag.1.1.14)
When instructing King Pariksit, the great sage Sri Shukadeva said, "O King,
constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord after the ways of the great
authorities is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all, including
those who are free from all material desires, those who are desirous of all
material enjoyment, and also those who are self-satisfied by dint of
transcendental knowledge. What is the value of a prolonged life which is
wasted, inexperienced by years in this world? Better a moment of full
consciousness, because that gives one a start in searching after his supreme
interest." (Bhag.2.1.11-13)

The reason that chanting the Lord's names is such an effective process is
because the Lord and His names are identical: they are the same spiritual
energy. By chanting Hare Krishna we are in immediate contact with God.

If we chant someone else's name, we cannot enjoy their association because

the name and the person are different. For example, by chanting "water,
water, water," we do not quench our thirst because water and the name are
two different things. But in the spiritual world everything is absolute.

Krishna is nondifferent from His names and, therefore, we can feel His
presence simply by chanting His names. This is further elaborated in
the Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila, 17.131-133), which explains that there
is no difference between the Lord's name, form, or personality, and they are
all transcendentally sweet.

Krishna's name is the same as Krishna Himself, and is not material in any
way. It gives spiritual benedictions and is full of pleasure. But in the material
world everything is different. Furthermore, in Caitanya-cartamrta (Adi-lila,
17.22, and the Padma Purana), the Hare Krishna maha-mantra is said to be
the sound incarnation of Krishna, and anyone who chants this mantra is in
direct association with Krishna and is delivered from the clutches of the
material energy.

It is explained that because chanting the names of God brings us in direct

contact with God in proportion to the chanter's purity, this process of selfrealization is the way of success for everyone. The Bhagavatam (2.1.11)
discloses that the chanting of God's names in the manner of the great
authorities is the doubtless way to spiritual success for everyone, no matter
whether they are full of material desires or free of all desires or selfsatisfied because of their spiritual knowledge.

Simply by relying on the chanting of the holy names of God, one need not
depend upon other processes, rituals, paraphernalia, or persons. One does
not even have to be initiated by a spiritual master to chant the maha-mantra.
As the Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila, 15.108) says, one does not have to
take initiation, but only has to chant the holy names. Thus, deliverance is
available to even the lowest of people. Furthermore, Rupa Gosvami writes
about the potency of the holy name in his Padyavali:

The holy name of Lord Krishna is an attractive feature for many saintly,
liberal people. It is the annihilator of all sinful reactions and is so powerful
that save for the dumb who cannot chant it, it is readily available to
everyone, including the lowest type of man, the chandala. The holy name of
Krishna is the controller of the opulence of liberation, and it is identical with
Krishna. Simply by touching the holy name with one's tongue, immediate
effects are produced. Chanting the holy name does not depend on initiation,
pious activities or the purascarya regulative principles generally observed
before initiation. The holy name does not wait for all these activities. It is
self-sufficient. (Padyavali 29)

Herein is evidence that the Hare Krishna maha-mantra is so powerful that

one who sincerely takes shelter of it will attain all the desired results of
connection with the Supreme. The Skanda Purana gives further evidence of
how powerful is the maha-mantra:
The name of the Lord need not be chanted with regard to place, time,
circumstantial conditions, preliminary self-purification or any other factors.
Rather, it is completely independent of all other processes and rewards all
the desires of those who eagerly chant it. (Skanda Purana)
Therefore, without a doubt, the Hare Krishna mantra is the most potent
mantra one can utilize for spiritual upliftment. The Caitanyacaritamrta (Madhya-lila, 15.107) also points out that one is freed of all sinful
reactions simply by chanting Krishna's names. And all the nine types of
devotional service are completed by this process. Thus, in Kali-yuga only the
chanting of the holy names is necessary for worshiping the Lord. However, if
one is not able to chant purely or follow the regulations for chanting, it is
recommended that one get further guidance from a bona fide spiritual
master.

In Kali-yuga the chanting of the holy names is certainly the most practical
and effective process for the conditioned souls. It is also the easiest
process whether one finds himself in Kali-yuga, Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, or
Dvapara-yuga. Regardless of what age one may be living in, the process of
chanting the holy names is always recommended for everyone. "The names of
the Supreme Lord who has the disc as His weapon should be glorified always

and everywhere." (Vaisakha-mahatmya section of the Padma Purana) But

since the age of Kali is the most difficult, where men have short durations
of life, it is also the most fortunate age. This is explained in SrimadBhagavatam (11.5.36-37 and 12.3.51) which states that those who are wise
know the value of this age of Kali because, in spite of the fallen nature of
this age, the spiritual perfection of life can be attained by the easy process
of sankirtana, the congregational chanting of Krishna's holy names. No
better position can be found to attain freedom from material existence and
entrance into the spiritual kingdom than joining the
Lord's sankirtana movement.

Even those living in other ages desire to take birth in Kali-yuga to take
advantage of this special concession of a speedy delivery from the cycle of
birth and death through the process ofsankirtana.

This is confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.5.38) where we find it said that

those who live during Satya-yuga and other ages wish to be born in Kali-yuga
just to take advantage of associating with the devotees of Lord Narayana .

The Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.5.32) explains that intelligent persons perform

congregational singing of Krishna's names to worship the incarnation of
Krishna who sings His own names, and who is accompanied by His associates
and confidential companions.

When the great sage Narada Muni was explaining to Srila Vyasadeva the
means by which he became enlightened, he said, "It is personally
experienced by me that those who are always full of cares and anxieties due
to desiring contact of the senses with their objects can cross the ocean of
nescience [illusory darkness] on a most suitable boat--the constant chanting
of the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead. It is true
that by practicing restraint of the senses by the yoga system one can get
relief from the disturbances of desire and lust, but this is not sufficient to
give satisfaction to the soul, for this [satisfaction] is derived from
devotional service to the Supreme Personality. " ( Bhag.1.6.34-35)

Lord Krishna goes on to explain to Uddhava that in the association of saintly

devotees, there is always the discussion about Him, and those who partake in
such hearing and chanting about the Lord's glories are certainly purified of

all sins. In this way, whoever hears, chants and respectfully opens his heart
to these topics about the Lord becomes faithfully dedicated to Him. Thus,
he achieves devotional service to Lord Krishna. Then, as Lord Krishna
Himself asks, "What more remains to be accomplished for the perfect
devotee after achieving devotional service unto Me, the Supreme Absolute
Truth, whose qualities are innumerable and who am the embodiment of all
ecstatic experience?" (Bhag.11.26.28-30)

As further related by Sukadeva Gosvami, "A person who with faith engages
in chanting the glories of these various pastimes and incarnations of Vishnu,
the Lord of lords, will gain liberation from all sins. The all-auspicious exploits
of the all attractive incarnations of Lord Shri Krishna, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, and also the pastimes He performed as a child, are
described in this Srimad-Bhagavatam and in other scriptures. Anyone who
clearly chants these descriptions of His pastimes will attain transcendental
loving service unto Lord Krishna, who is the goal of all perfected sages."
(Bhag.11.31.27-28)

Sri Suta Gosvami relates that in a conversation between Narada Muni and
Sanatkumara, Sanatkumara explained the way to attain freedom from this
world, even for the most wayward sinners. Even all those mean men who are
destitute of all good ways of behavior, who are of a wicked mind, who are
outcaste, who deceive the world, who are intent upon religious hypocrisy,
pride, drinking liquor, and wickedness, who are sinful and cruel, who are
interested in another man's wealth, wife and sons, become pure if they
resort to the lotus-like feet of Vishnu. The name of Vishnu, sure to succeed
here, protects those sinful men who transgress even Him who causes
divinity, who give salvation to the immobile beings and the mobile beings. A
man who has done all kinds of sins is freed if he resorts to Vishnu. If a
contemptible, wicked biped would commit sin against Vishnu, and by chance
resorts to His name, he is emancipated due to the (power of the) name (of
Vishnu). However, a man falls down due to his sin against (Vishnu's) name,
which is the friend of all. (Padma Purana 4.25.8-13)

The sage Kavi instructed King Nimi that the holy names of the Supreme Lord
are all-auspicious because they describe His transcendental birth and
pastimes, which He performs for the upliftment and salvation of all
conditioned souls. For this reason the Lord's holy names are sung throughout

the world. By chanting these holy names of the Supreme, one reaches the
level of love of God, in which one becomes fixed as an eternal servant of the
Lord. Then such a devotee becomes very attached to a particular name and
form of the Lord in his service. As his heart melts in ecstatic love, he may
laugh loudly or cry or shout. Sometimes he may even sing or dance like a
madman in such ecstasy because he becomes indifferent to the opinion of
others. (Bhag.11.2.39-40)

Death is a universal experience. No matter what our culture, our religion, our
race, or our country of origin, we will all die. How we approach death, how we
think about suffering and grief, and what we believe happens after we die
vary based on our culture, religion, and spiritual beliefs. Spiritual beliefs
ground our thinking about end-of-life concepts. Humanists, which include
atheists and agnostics, believe that death is the end.

Suffering for the Hindu is highly related to the concept of karma, for
example, "Belief in karma and reincarnation are strong forces at work in the
Hindu mind." Any good or bad thought or action leads to reward or
punishment either in this life or a future existence. Hindus believe that
there are certain life lessons to be learned before achieving moksha.
Working through the karmic situation will resolve that karmic issue resulting
in a lesson learned.

Ordinarily when a person dies, it is only his physical body that dies, he and
his mind do not die with the body because of the wordly attachement .

Ordinarily the mind of the dying person goes with him, and for a little while
after death he retains all his memory of his previous life. It is like what
happens with our dreams. After you wake up from sleep you remember your
dreams for a little while. Slowly the memory of dreams begins to fade and
by noontime it fades away completely. And by the even ing you cannot say
even a word about them.

Although you dream in your sleep, in your unconscious state, yet on waking
you can clearly recall a few fragments of your dreams, particularly the latter
part of your last dream. It happens because in the latter part of your sleep
you begin to wake up and you are only half asleep. You can remember the
dreams fully or partly that visit you in your half-asleep and half-waking

state. But even this memory does not last long; as hours pass it disappears.
In the same way a mans bodiless soul remembers its previous life, its
friends and relatives for a little while after his death. And this memory is
rather painful, because he cannot relate with them any more.

Hindus may endure pain or uncomfortable symptoms to face death with a

clear mind. They may use medication to control symptoms, but may avoid
using so much that it reduces their consciousness. Rabindrnath Tagore, a
Hindu philosopher, once said "let me not beg for the stilling of my pain but
for the heart to conquer it." Hindus will, if at all possible, be thinking of God
at the moment of death and therefore experience a higher state of
consciousness and a higher astral plane after death. Intentionally bringing all
one's attention and energy to the top of the head and thinking thoughts of
Superme Lord help the soul leave the body in the highest possible state.

It is for this reason that we do a few things. Soon after someone close to us
meets his death, so that he is relieved of the memories of his past
associations and attachments. Now it is not good to carry them, because
they are very painful. We Hindus cremate the dead bodies of their relatives
soon after their death; they try not to delay if it is avoidable. And it is
significant. Cremation destroys all identity and attachment of the dead with
their bodies, because they remember their past only through the medium of
their dead bodies. The dead body serves as a bridge between the released
soul and his past life. So cremation is in the interest of the departed souls.

When somebody dies suddenly or in an accident, he doesnt know he is dead.

For a little while he feels stunned and bewildered to see that he is
separated from his body, maybe, something has gone wrong somewhere. It
happens because inside the body nothing really dies except that the soul
leaves the body.

Not a few, but the majority of souls feel utterly confused and confounded
soon after their death. No one can figure out why his family members are
weeping and crying, why there is so much grief all around, because he feels
as much alive as before, except that his body is a little separate from him.
It is the body that gives him a sense of continuity, because it is the medium
of all his associations with the past.

Only meditative people or those who chanting the gods name regularly, those
who have experienced glories of supereme lord in deep meditation can
escape being pulled and bewildered, because they know that they are
separated from their bodies and also again it makes not think about the
wordly desires. After the seperation from the body they may think only gods
name. God and his name are same. So naturally they will be liberated from
Birth and death cycle.

Soon after cremation or burial of a dead body the soul is gradually freed
from its past memories and associations. It is like we gradually forget our
dreams. It is on the reckoning of time taken by different kinds of souls that
we have different death rites for our dead. Some people, particularly
children take only three days to forget their past associations. Most others
take thirteen days; so some communities in the East have thirteen-day long
death rites. There are a few souls souls with very powerful memories
who take a years time for this purpose. Because of them, some of our death
rites are spread over a full year. Three to thirteen days are the general
rule, and very few souls survive without bodies for a full year; most of them
are reborn with new bodies within a short time.

A person who dies with awareness of God , who remains fully in krishna
conscious and aware at the time of his death, does not die really; he knows
he is deathless. He is not dying, he is leaving his old body like we discard old
clothes. And a person who attains to such a state of deep awareness is rare;
he is free of all attachments and psychological memories.

He has neither friends nor foes; he is free of all cravings and desires. He is
a class by himself; dying with awareness he will be born with awareness,
unencumbered by his past or he may be elevated to higher loakas or he may
be liberated from birth and death cycle depends on their conciousness.

Just as one remembers his past for a while after death, so he does after his
new birth too. A newborn child carries with him for a brief time the
memories of his previous life as a spirit. But by and by this memory fades
away and by the time he learns speaking it is completely lost. It is rare that
a child remembers his past life even after he is articulate and able to
communicate with others. He is called a freak of nature. He must have been
a man of rare memory in his past existence.

o In this way, we can begin to understand how elevated the writer of

the Vedic scripture considers those who have adopted the process of
chanting Krishna's holy names. However, for those who do not like the
chanting of the holy names and blaspheme the process and criticize or try to
restrain those who do chant, we can understand that their sentiment is due
to their sinful and offensive activities and attachment towards wordly
matters . Such people are said to have no intelligence and work for no useful
purpose and simply contribute to the chaos and confusion within society and
again and again they have to take birth. The Bhagavatam (3.9.7) confirms
that those who do not engage in the blessed chanting and hearing about the
activities of the Supreme are bereft of intelligence and good fortune. They
perform sinful activities to enjoy sensual pleasure which lasts only for a
short time.
The Bagavatam States those who regularly chanting the Glories of Bagavan
and his Name will support for peaceful liberation with conciousness and they
can free from Birth and death cycle.

Hare Krishna ,Hare

Krishna, Krishna ,Krishna ,Hare Hare.
Hare Rama,Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare Hare,

Om Hreem Kleem Shreem Sivaya Bhrammanay Namaha.