Thiis document contains three explanations of the Maha-mantra--

1. Jiva Goswami aisvarya-mayi, madhurya-mayi, and yugala-smarana-mayi vyakhyas
   
2. Gopala Guru Goswami's two vyakhyas, and
   
3. Raghunath Das Goswami's description of Radharani's chanting of the Mahamantra in separation from Krishna (Sri-Harinamartha-ratna-dipika).
   
   Jagat (2006-05-08)

Added by: Jagat
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Text version: 1.00 (legend)
Keywords: Mahamantra-vyakhya, Harinama, Jiva, Gosvamin, Gopala, Guru, Gosvamin, Raghunatha, Dasa, Gosvamin, Raghunath, Das, Goswami, Sri-Harinamartha-ratna-dipika, ratna, dipika

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Additional notes from the editors' research and selected discussion forum contributions.

(1) The Lord's divine qualities revealed in the Maha Mantra
The Lord is known as Hari because He takes away the sins and three types of suffering accumulated over millions of births, of those who remember him.

The root krish indicates the supreme attractiveness of the Lord, the suffix ëa indicates the supreme joy. Thus, the name Krishna indicates the Supreme Brahman who is the acme of these two characteristics.

The yogis take pleasure in the Supreme Self which is existence, knowledge and bliss absolute. Therefore that truth, known as the Param Brahman is also called Rama. (Rama-tapaniyopanishad, 1.6)

(2) The Lord's intimate qualities revealed in the Maha Mantra

The Lord is known as Hari because he takes away the ignorance of his devotees by revealing to them the actual nature of the Supreme Lord and his personal spiritual form.

Because she steals Krishna's mind, because she is the incarnation of Krishna's joy, Radha is also known by the name Harä.

The dark, lotus-eyed lord, the only master of the highest joy, who brings pleasure to Gokula, the son of Nanda, is known as Krishna.

Krishna is also known as Rama because the joys of conjugal life are the essence of his being, because he is the titulary deity of loving sports incarnate, and because he brings pleasure to Srimati Radharani.

(3) Remembering the Divine Couple through the Maha Mantra

Because she steals Krishna's mind and because she is the embodiment of Krishna's divine joy, Radha is known as Harä. Hare is the vocative form of that name.

Because he robbed the women of Vraja of their shame, their religious principles, their self-possession, and their pride, and through the playing of his flute drew them out of their homes and into the forest, he is known as Krishna.

Krishna is glorified by the name Rama because he constantly causes the Vraja cowherd women's minds and senses to enjoy the charms of his beauty.

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Gopala Guru Goswami's explanation
of the Maha Mantra

(1)

Hare! O Hari, steal my mind and deliver me from bondage to this material world.

Krishna! O Krishna, attract my mind.

Hare! O Hari! Capture my mind with the sweetness of your name, form and pastimes.

Krishna! O Krishna! Send me the association of your devotees who will purify my mind through instructions about your devotional service.

Krishna! O Krishna! Give me unflinching faith in your name, form, qualities and pastimes.

Krishna! O Krishna! Give me a taste for your name, form, qualities and pastimes.

Hare! O Hari! Make me worthy to engage in your service.

Hare! O Harä, Radha! Order me personally in the service you wish me to perform.

Hare! O Harä, Radha! Give me the opportunity to hear about your own favorite pastimes with your beloved Lord

Rama! O Rama! Give me the opportunity to hear about your own favorite pastimes with your beloved Radha.

Hare! O Harä, Radha! Give me the opportunity to see your intimate pastimes with your beloved Lord.

Rama! O Rama! Give me the opportunity to see your intimate pastimes with your beloved Radha.

Rama! O Rama! Engage me in hearing, chanting and remembering your name, form, qualities, pastimes.

Rama! O Rama! As I enter into those pastimes by the path of meditation, make me worthy to engage in your service.

Hare! O Hari! Please accept me and take pleasure from the service that I offer you.

Hare! O Hari! Take pleasure in me and enjoy with me.

(2)

Hare! Radha is known as Harä because she steals Krishna's mind. I call out to her, O Hare! O Radhe!

Krishna! The Lord is known as Krishna because he attracts Radha's mind. Therefore I call out to him, O Lord! O Krishna!

Hare! Radha steals Krishna's sense of public shame and his self-possession. She steals everything of his and is thus known as Harä. I therefore call out to her, O Radhe! O Hare!

Krishna! He drags away all of Radha's sense of shame and her self-possession. Therefore I call out to him, O Lord! O Krishna!

Krishna. Wherever Radha is standing, or wherever she happens to be going, she thinks, Krishna is watching me, he is touching me, he is pulling on my bodice. He is pulling on me. I call out to him, O Lord! O Krishna!

Krishna! Then Krishna makes her feel a thrill of excitement as he pulls her to the woods. I call out to him, O Lord! O Krishna!

Hare! Wherever Krishna goes, wherever he is situated, he sees Radha in front of him, by his side, all around him. In this way she disturbs his mind. I call out to her, O Radhe. O Hare!

Hare! She once again steals Krishna away, making him come to her kunja. She is thus known as Harä. I thus call out to her, O Radhe! O Hare!

Hare! She once again steals Krishna away, making him come to her kunja. She is thus known as Harä. I thus call out to her, O Radhe! O Hare!

Rama! Krishna is known as Rama because he brings Radha pleasure with his joking words and his loving glances. I thus call out to him, O Krishna! O Rama!

Hare! She robs Krishna of the momentary self-control he is able to muster in her presence. She is thus known as Harä, and so I call out to her, O Radhe! O Hare!

Rama! Krishna delights in kissing Radha, in touching her breasts and in embracing her. He is thus known as Rama, and so I call out to him, O Lord! O Rama!

Rama! Krishna causes Radha to reach the pinnacle of sexual excitement, so that she becomes aggressively active in the love battle, like a man. He is thus known as Rama, and so I call out to him, O Lord! O Rama!

Rama! All this brings extra delight to Krishna. He is thus known as Rama, and so I call out to him, O Lord! O Rama!

Hare! Once again, at the end of the Räsa dance, as she leaves to return home, she steals Krishna's mind and takes it away with her. She is thus known as Harä, and I therefore call out to her, O Radhe! O Hare!

Hare! Krishna also steals Radha's mind, taking it with him as he leaves. He is thus known as Hari, and I call out to him, O Krishna! O Hare!

--o)0(o--

Srila Raghunath Das Goswami's explanation of the Maha Mantra named Sri-Harinamartha-ratna-dipika, or "llumination on the jewels of meaning in the Holy Name."

One day, Radha was feeling separation from Krishna and was meditating on the reunion she hoped to have with him. In order to rid herself of the depression she felt in his absence, she began to repeatedly chant his names. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

O Hare! You steal my mind with your sweetness.

With her next utterance of the name Krishna, Radha explains how that is possible. The name Krishna comes from the combination of the syllables krish, which means everything, and ëa, which means an identity steeped in bliss. Thus Krishna is the form of eternity, knowledge and bliss who attracts and tempts everyone in every direction with the supreme joy of his own being, a joy which is superior to any other.

So, Hari, you take away even my most strongly held character traits, like self-control, shame, and fear of my superiors.

Then, Krishna, you draw us out of our houses and into the forest.

Then, when I have entered the woods, you suddenly appear out of nowhere and start pulling on my blouse.

Then, Krishna, you start touching my breasts.

Then, O Hari, you wrap me in your arms and lead me off to the bed of flower petals.

Then, O Hari, while I am sitting there helplessly, you tear off my skirt as well.

And so, O Hari, by taking my clothes off my body, you take away all the sufferings accumulated in my soul as a result of my separation from you.

Then, O Rama, you enjoy with me to your full satisfaction.

By so doing, O Hari, whatever little recalcitrance was left in me, that too was stolen by you.

And so, O Rama, I become so frenzied with passion that I take the initiative in lovemaking, like a man.

Then, O Rama, you who are the crest-jewel of the charming! Without any interference, I can now relish the beauty of your youthful face, indeed the very beauty of your very soul with both of my eyes.

Then O Rama, not only do you engage me in lovemaking by actively taking the role of a lover, even though this is true. It is as though you were also incarnate in the very act of love itself as its essence.

Then, O Hari, you who are like a lion, capture the deer of my mind. In other words, your loving makes me faint.

Because you are a lion, O Hari, you have shown such self-confidence, proficiency and boldness in the art of love.

Being separated from you, my dearest lover, it seems that even a moment is like a million millennia. How then will I be able to suffer through this age-long separation? Please consider this fact. This is the summary meaning of the sixteen names of the Maha Mantra. Having chanted them in this spirit, Krishna is attracted by Radha's chanting of these magnet-like names and he suddenly appears to experience the ecstasy of union. May the Divine Couple, Sri Sri Radha Krishna fulfill the desires of her sakhis, his cowherd friends, as well as of all those who today are engaged in the practices of devotional service in the hope of one day attaining the same mood of love.

--o)0(o--