The sixteen-word "great chant" of the bhakti traditions, simply the names of the divine, called out in request.
The mantra
हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे
hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare
Meaning
O divine energy (Hare), O all-attractive one (Kṛṣṇa), O source of joy (Rāma); please engage me in your service. The names themselves are the prayer.
Listen, a free rendition
A free recording to chant along with, loaded only when you scroll to it, via YouTube's privacy-enhanced player.
In the tradition
No philosophy, no request beyond presence; the mahā-mantra is sixteen names and infinite patience. Chaitanya taught it as the practice for everyone irrespective of caste or learning, which was radical then and is simply a relief now.
Sources & further reading
- Kali-santaraṇa Upaniṣad , the Upaniṣadic corpus (the sixteen names given as the deliverance of this age)
- Chaitanya Charitāmṛta , Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja (Chaitanya's teaching of the mahā-mantra)
- Maha Mantra, 108 repetitions (video) (opens in a new tab) , traditional chanting rendition