About this reading
Read the familiar sequence of Hare, Krishna and Rama names for devotional repetition or singing in your tradition.
This is a devotional name chant collection. The explanations below are concise reading aids, rather than a complete word-by-word translation. Recitation traditions can differ.
This page presents the widely used Krishna-first sequence. Some textual and recitation traditions use a Rama-first sequence.
Original text and meaning
1. Hare Krishna Mahamantra
हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे ।
हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे ॥
Roman reading: hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare .
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare .
Meaning: A repeated devotional calling through the names Krishna, Rama and Hare. Traditions explain the devotional sense of Hare in different ways.
Reading and repetition
- Read the text slowly and understand its meaning first. You may begin with one name or one prayer.
- Sit comfortably and repeat at a natural pace. Clear, attentive reading matters more than a count; no number is prescribed for every reader.
- Roman text is a reading aid. It does not encode Vedic pitch accents or replace instruction in your recitation tradition. Follow appropriate guidance for a formal ritual.
- The accompanying artwork is a symbolic devotional depiction. Use it to connect the name being read with its subject.
Text reference
Consult the Sanskrit text reference
The collection uses selected names and short traditional texts. The explanations and reading guidance above were written for this collection.
