Please mark your calendars for Saturday 12 September:
“World Holy Name Week,” a celebration of the spiritual practice of chanting God’s names begins September 2. The event also marks the 50th Anniversary of ISKCON’s founder-acarya, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada‘s accepting vows of renunciation, or sannyasa, thus launching his mission to spread the chanting of God’s names around the world. Srila Prabhupada, who came to America by cargo ship in 1965 at the age of seventy, is honored as the first to carry the millennia-old tradition of Krishna worship–with its special emphasis on the Hare Krishna mantra, or sacred chant– outside of India.
Although the Hare Krishna mantra is rooted in the ancient Vaishnava faith, a monotheistic denomination within the broad Hindu tradition, the practice of chanting – individually and congregationally – is found in most faith traditions.
“The Lord has millions of holy names and you can chant any one of them.” Srila Prabhupada wrote, “Each and every name of the Lord is full of potency.”
In Hamilton we will mark the occasion by bringing together the largest chanting party ever seen in Hamilton – at midday on Saturday 12 September. We have been chanting in Garden Place and the CBD for some years now – usually with just eight devotees. On Saturday 12 September we are hoping to have up to 50 devotees take part, with His Holiness Janananda Goswami Maharaj leading us. We want to show the spiritual power of this public chanting process. We warmly invite all spiritually-inclined people to come and join us in Garden Place at midday. This is a chance to experience the pleasure that comes from joyfully singing this maha mantra. To all of our regular temple visitors – please make a special effort to join us on Saturday 12 September, thus showing the Hamilton public that we are a significant and vibrant faith community – the more that join us the better.
For more information about World Holy Name Week, please visit www.worldholynameweek.org
The chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare goes back thousands of years. The mantra translates as “Oh Supreme Lord, of Divine Energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your service.” The chanting gained prominence in the early part of the 16th century, when a Bengali mystic named Caitanya Mahaprabhu revitalized the devotional tradition by introducing an expansive spiritual movement that swept India. Central to this renaissance was Caitanya’s emphasis on the public chanting of Krishna’s name.
Following in Caitanya’s footsteps, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada arrived in America in 1965, sat beneath a large elm tree in New York City’s Tompkins Square Park and held the first outdoor chanting session outside of India. In 2001, the city of New York recognized this historic event by officially naming the elm the “Hare Krishna Tree” and erecting a plaque describing its significance.
The mantra was popularized in the west by Krishna followers singing it on public streets. The mantra was featured in the Broadway musical “Hair,” and endorsed by pop culture figures such as Beatle George Harrison, who included it in his hit song “My Sweet Lord.” Today, the chanting of Hare Krishna has penetrated the mainstream, with well-known recording artists singing the mantra to packed auditoriums.
