Hare Krishna and all glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Please accept my humble obeisances!

In the Gopala Tapani upanishad, Brahma says that who ever chants even once the mantra Klim Krishnaya Govindaya Gopijana Vallabhaya Svaha attains liberation with Sri Krishna and all sins are absolved.

In the Kali Santarana upanishad in a conversation between Brahma and Narada, it is stated that if one chants the Maha Mantra 35 million times, all sins are absolved and one attains liberation.

Are we to conclude that the Kama Bija is more powerful than the Maha Mantra? Why have our acaryas recommended the Maha-Mantra over the Kama-Bija?

thanks!
Haribol!

the power of the mantra really lies in the consciousness of the person using it.

the shastras often glorify mantras in a poetic way, but such statements have many layers of meaning and one of them is to inspire the sadhaka to concentrate on the mantra.

the kama-gayatri verse MUST be received from an authorized guru. this mantra must not be TAKEN. it can only be RECEIVED by qualified sadhakas. if used in an unauthorized way, this mantra has the potential to ruin the user. that is the warning from the scriptures.

however, there is no such risk with Maha-mantra.

Yes, what Kulapavana has said is perfectly right. This is the conclusion given by the previous Acharyas and given in the scriptures.

One thing though, the mantra with the names "krishna govinda gopijanaballabha" in it is not Kamagayatri. This "krishna govinda" mantra is called the Bijamantra. Kamagayatri is "kamadevaya vidmahe" etc.

The mantra "krishna govinda gopijanaballabha" is the mantra Sri Chaitanyadeva received from his Guru, Sri Ishwara Puri. Receiving this mantra is called "diksa". Receiving the Hare Krishna Mantra is called receiving Harinama. You are only supposed to have one diksa Guru - that is, you should only get the mantra "krishna govinda gopijanaballabha" from one Guru. Technically speaking, a person who has received the Harinama mantra has not received diksa. In regard to diksa, see what Mahaprabhu said: http://www.caitanyacaritamrta.com/madhya/15/108/en

Them mantras are required for a set amount time, maha-mantra carries on always..!

Pankaj,

the quote you are thinking of is here in the chapter "nama guru and mantra guru"

http://www.guardian-of-devotion.de/books/GURUAND.PDF

We accept the mantra only to help the nama-bhajana, the worship of the holy name. Otherwise, it may not be necessary at all. It has been judged in such a way. The name alone can do everything for a person. lt is full and complete. The mantra helps us to do away with the aparadhas, offenses, and the abhasa, or hazy conceptions in our bhajana.
Guru and His Grace.

Thankyou for your assocation. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]