Nama Sankirtana means congregational chanting of the holy names of the Supreme Lord. This is the path prescribed in the Vedic literature for achieving spiritual perfection in the human form of life, namely achieving God-realization and ending all the suffering that we undergo in this world.

Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who appeared over 500 years ago, was the leading advocate of the path of Bhakti and He introduced the chanting of the holy names of Lord Krishna in the form of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Sri Chaitanya was Lord Krishna Himself who pioneered a spiritual revolution by spreading the Sankirtana movement throughout India.

It is stated in the Kalisantarana Upanishad: “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare — these sixteen names composed of thirty-two syllables are the only means to counteract the evil effects of Kali-yuga. In all Vedas it is observed that to cross the ocean of nescience there is no alternative to the chanting of the holy name.”

Although the Supreme Lord has thousands of names in connection with His form, qualities, pastimes, etc., the name Krishna is principal among them. Krishna means all-attractive. Lord Krishna unlimitedly possesses all opulences – wealth, power, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation and hence He attracts every living being.

Brahmanda Purana stresses the glories of the name Krishna by saying that the pious results derived from chanting the thousand holy names of Vishnu thrice can be attained by only one repetition of the holy name of Krishna. Such is the potency of the name of Krishna.

The words Krishna and Rama in the Hare Krishna maha-mantra are forms of addressing the Lord and the word Hare is the form of addressing the supreme pleasure potency of the Lord. When a person chants this mantra sincerely, Mother Hare helps him achieve the grace of the supreme father, Hari or Krishna who reveals Himself to the faithful devotee.

There are no stringent rules for chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Any person belonging to any country and of any religion and language can chant at any time under all circumstances. The mantra can be sung loudly, individually or in a group with musical instruments (Sankirtana) or uttered softly to oneself (Japa).

Although Kali-yuga is characterized by so many flaws and imperfections, there is still one wonderful quality of this age. Just by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one can be freed from the cycle of birth and death and can go back to the spiritual world where one leads a perpetual, blissful life in association with the Lord. The Nama Sankirtana is the only hope for creating a spiritual atmosphere in the world which automatically leads to peace, prosperity and happiness in society by driving away all the imperfections of this age.