Hare Krishna and all glories to Srila Prabhupada!

The maha-mantra is quoted in the Kali-Santarana Upanishad as being "Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare".

Some Gaudiya sects, while believing Krishna is the Supreme Godhead, also chant the maha-mantra as "Hare Rama...".

Is there an explanation as to why our acharyas have recommended that we chant it as Hare Krishna first?

thanks
Haribol

Srila Prabhupada gave the mantra to us with Hare Krishna coming first. There are various vedic references to the maha mantra using either of the arrangements.

Because Srila Prabhupada asked his disciples to chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare - this is how we chant it.

I do not have the reference to give you, but I do recall reading in either BTG or IWR (shows you how long ago that was!) the he explained that Lord Krishna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes first (after Srimati Radha = Hare) - then Lord Balarama ... much as we say Gaur-Nitai.

Hare Krishna!

It used to be:

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Then Lord Chaitanya changed it to:

Hare Krishna....

At the end of Gauranga Yuga, the 10,000 year golden age within Kali Yuga, does it get changed back to Hare Rama Hare Krishna?

Please give the scriptural reference to confirm this.

Is it documented in Caitanya Caritamrta/Bhagavata that Lord Caitanya changed it to Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare?

Also, I believe there is a narration in the Caritamrta between Lord Caitanya and a South Indian pundit about the Holy Name, where the pundit quotes from the Padma Purana that 1 name of Lord Rama is equal to 1000 names of Vishnu, and one name of Krishna is equal to 3 of Lord Rama. Does Lord Caitanya confirm this Himself? Also, my understanding is that the Vishnu Sahasranama includes the names of Krishna and Rama, so how can the above be true?

thanks!!
Haribol!

Can you please tell where in these books to find this?

Namaste

A short explanation from Srila B. R. Shridhara Maharaja in his "Loving search for the lost servant":

"The real importance of the name is not to be found merely in the arrangement of its syllables, but in the deep meaning within that divine sound. Some scholars argue that in the Kali-santarana Upanisad, Lord Brahma says that the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is properly pronounced only when the name of Rama precedes the name of Krsna: "Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare/ Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare."

In the Kali-santarana Upanisad, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is given in that way. But to say that the name of Rama must precede the name of Krsna in the mantra is a superficial understanding.

It is said that because it comes from the Upanisads, the Hare Krsna mantra is a Vedic mantra, and therefore, because the ordinary people may not have any entrance into Vedic mantras, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu readjusted this mantra by reversing the order of the words. In that way, it is said, the concern that it is a Vedic mantra is thereby canceled, and so Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave it to all without breaching the injunctions of the Vedas.

Some devotees in Uttar Pradesh who have great affection for Sri Caitanyadeva like to give this opinion.

But our faith is that the mentioning of "Hare Rama" first is only superficial. It concerns the idea that since the Rama avatara appeared first and the Krsna avatara afterwards, the name of Rama, "Hare Rama," should come first in the maha-mantra.

A deeper reading will consider that when two similar things are connected together, the priority will be ordered not on the basis of historical precedent, but in consideration of the most highly developed conception. The holy name of Krsna is higher than the holy name of Rama. This is mentioned in the Puranas: three names of Rama equal one name of Krsna."

(the notes I found for this: Brahmananda Purana - Brhad-visnu-sahasranama-stotra, Uttara-khanda, Padma Purana 72.335)

"The name of Krsna is superior to the name of Rama. Where the two are connected together, the first position should be given to the one that is superior. Therefore, the name of Krsna must come first in the maha-mantra.
This is one point.

Another point is that within the eternal plane, everything is moving in a cyclic order. In an eternal cycle, which is first and which is next cannot be ascertained, and so, in the eternal plane of lila, it cannot be determined whether Krsna is before Rama or Rama is before Krsna. So from that consideration also, since the names of Krsna and Rama are eternal and unrelated to any historical event, we may begin the mantra from any place.

But above these considerations, our sampradaya has given another, higher consideration. A deeper understanding will reveal that the Hare Krsna mantra is not at all concerned with rama lila.

In the name of Rama within the Hare Krsna mantra, the Gaudiya Vaisnavas will find Radha-ramana Rama. That means "Krsna, who gives pleasure (raman) to Srimati Radharani." In our conception, the Hare Krsna mantra is wholesale Krsna consciousness, not Rama consciousness.

Sri Caitanya's highest conception of things is always svayam bhagavan, krsna lila, radha-govinda lila. That is the real purpose of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's advent and teachings. In that consideration, the Hare Krsna mantra does not mention the rama lila of Ayodhya at all. There is no connection with that in the highest conception of the Hare Krsna mantra.

And the inner conception of the mantra is responsible for our spiritual attainment. When one pronounces the name Rama, if he means Dasarathi Rama, his attraction will take him there, to Ayodhya; if he means Parasurama, he will be attracted to another place. And if Rama means Radha-ramana Rama, he will go to Goloka. The inner conception of the devotee will guide him to his destination."

It seems, that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu chanted first "Hare Krishna", because all tradition describe it like this (not only the gaudiya vaishnvas, like for example Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his "Gitavali": Gay gora madhur svare - hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare - With sweet voice Shri Goura sings ....)

There are simply different understandings of the reasons.

All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gouranga!

Does the Kalki Avatara return the mantra to the Rama first position?

thanks so much for your thought-inspired response!