The Hare Krishna Mantra -  Maha-mantra

The Hare Krishna mantra is called the Maha-Mantra. It comprises of the Sanskrit names of God:

Hare Krishna Hare krishna
krishna krishna hare hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

The process of bhakti-yoga or devotional service involves chanting of this mantra incessantly. The maha-mantra is composed of three names of the Supreme person. These three words, namely Hare, Krishna, and Rama, are the transcendental seeds of the maha-mantra. The chanting is a spiritual call for the Lord and His energy, to give protection to the conditioned soul. This chanting is exactly like the genuine cry of a child for its mother's presence. Mother Hara helps the devotee achieve the Lord Father's grace, and the Lord reveals Himself to the devotee who chants this mantra sincerely.
The transcendental vibration established by the chanting of hare krishna, hare krishna, krishna krishna, hare hare / hare rama, hare rama, rama rama, hare hare is the sublime method for reviving our transcendental consciousness. As living spiritual souls, we are all originally Krishna conscious entities, but due to our association with matter from time immemorial, our consciousness is now adulterated by the material atmosphere. This contamination can be removed only by chanting the holy names of God.
No other means of spiritual realization is as effective in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy as the chanting of the maha-mantra.

harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way." (Brhan-naradiya Purana 38.126).
 
How should one chant the maha-mantra?

Since the ultimate goal of chanting is the development of love, it must be carried out with an attitude of humility and devotion. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu , the great teacher of bhakti-yoga who appeared in India in the fifteenth century describes this attitude as follows,

" One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street;one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly."

Scriptural evidence for Maha-mantra

The maha-mantra is glorified in various scriptures and is mentioned as the only means of deliverance in this age of Kali:

Srimad Bhagavatam, the cream of the Puranas, advises,
 
" Living beings who are entangled in the complicated meshes of birth and death can be freed immediately by even unconciously chanting the holy name of Krishna."

In the Vishnu-dharma it is said,

" This word Krishna is so auspicious that anyone who chants this holy name immediately gets rid of the resultant actions of sinful activities from many, many births."

The Upanisads on the Hare Krsna Maha-mantra:

(Kali-santarara Upanisad)
hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
iti sodasakam namnam kali-kalmasa-nasanam
natah parataropayah sarva-vedesu drsyate

 
"The sixteen names of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra: hare krsna hare krsna krsna
krsna hare hare, hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare destroy all the
inauspiciousness of the age of Kali. This is the conclusion of all the Vedas."

The Puranas on the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra:
(Agni-Purana)
hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
ratanti halaya vapi te krtartha na samsayah

 
"Hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare: Whoever chants this mantra, even
neglectfully, will attain the supreme goal of life. Of this there is no doubt."

CHANT HARE KRISHNA AND BE HAPPY