Practice
The Hare Krishna maha-mantra and the prayers a Vaishnava recites through the day, with their words and translation. Choose one to jump straight to it.
A prayer to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates. It is recited before chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.
Sri-krishna-chaitanya
prabhu-nityananda
sri-advaita gadadhara
srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda
I offer my respectful obeisances to Śrī Krishna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all those in the line of devotion.
“Hare” addresses the energy of the Lord; “Krishna” and “Rama” are names of God. Śrīla Prabhupāda explained it as a plea: “O Lord, O energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your service.”
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
A prayer to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.
Nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine
I offer my respectful obeisances to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
We offer our respectful obeisances to you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Śrī Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.
A song sung before eating.
Sarira avidya-jal, jadendriya tahe kal
jive phele vishaya-sagare
ta’ra madhye jihva ati-, lobhamay sudurmati,
ta’ke jeta kathina samsare
krishna bada dayamay, karibare jihva jay,
sva-prasadanna dila bhai
sei annamrita pao, radha-krishna-guna gao,
preme dako chaitanya-nitai
O brothers, this material body is a net of ignorance, and the senses are our deadly enemies, for they throw the soul into the ocean of material enjoyment. Among the senses the tongue is the most greedy and unruly; in this world the tongue is very hard to control.
O brothers, Lord Krishna is very merciful and has given us the remnants of His own food so that we can control the tongue. Now please accept this nectarean Krishna prasādam and sing the glories of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Krishna; full of love, call out loudly: Caitanya! Nitāi!
Mantras recited while applying tilaka, one for each of the twelve marks.
Om keshavaya namah
om narayanaya namah
om madhavaya namah
om govindaya namah
om vishnave namah
om madhusudanaya namah
om trivikramaya namah
om vamanaya namah
om sridharaya namah
om hrishikeshaya namah
om padmanabhaya namah
om damodaraya namah
Prayers for offering food to Krishna before eating it.
Nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine
I offer my respectful obeisances to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
We offer our respectful obeisances to you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Śrī Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.
Namo maha-vadanyaya
krishna-prema-pradaya te
krishnaya krishna-chaitanya-
namne gaura-tvishe namah
O most magnanimous incarnation! You are Krishna Himself appearing as Śrī Krishna Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have taken the golden colour of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and You are freely distributing pure love for Krishna. We offer You our respectful obeisances.
Namo brahmanya-devaya
go-brahmana-hitaya ca
jagad-dhitaya krishnaya
govindaya namo namah
O my Lord, You are the well-wisher of the cows and the brāhmaṇas, and the well-wisher of all human society and of the whole world.
A prayer to the devotees of the Lord.
Vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca
kripa-sindhubhya eva ca
patitanam pavanebhyo
vaishnavebhyo namo namah
I offer my respectful obeisances to all the Vaishnavas, the devotees of the Lord. Like wish-fulfilling trees they can fulfil everyone’s desires, and they are full of compassion for the fallen souls.
The eight prayers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Cheto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam
sreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam
anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamritasvadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krishna-sankirtanam
Glory to śrī-krishna-saṅkīrtana, which cleans the heart of all the dust gathered over the years and puts out the fire of conditioned life, of repeated birth and death. This saṅkīrtana movement is the main blessing for all humanity, for it spreads the rays of the moon of blessing. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It expands the ocean of transcendental bliss and lets us fully taste the nectar we are always longing for.
Namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-shaktis
tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah
etadrisi tava kripa bhagavan mamapi
durdaivam idrisam ihajani nanuragah
O my Lord, Your holy name alone can bring every blessing to living beings, and so You have hundreds and millions of names, such as Krishna and Govinda. You have invested these holy names with all Your transcendental energies. O my Lord, out of kindness You let us approach You easily through Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I feel no attraction for them.
Trinad api sunichena
taror api sahishnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih
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, free from any 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.
Na dhanam na janam na sundarim
kavitam va jagad-isha kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare
bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi
O almighty Lord, I do not wish to gather wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. All I want is Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth.
Ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram
patitam mam vishame bhavambudhau
kripaya tava pada-pankaja-
sthita-dhuli-sadrisham vicintaya
O son of Mahārāja Nanda [Krishna], I am Your eternal servant, and yet somehow I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please lift me out of this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.
Nayanam galad-ashru-dharaya
vadanam gadgada-ruddhaya gira
pulakair nicitam vapuh kada
tava-nama-grahane bhavishyati
O my Lord, when will my eyes be adorned with tears of love flowing constantly as I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end as I recite Your name?
Yugayitam nimeshena
chakshusha pravrishayitam
sunyayitam jagat sarvam
govinda-virahena me
O Govinda, feeling Your separation, I consider a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears flow from my eyes like torrents of rain, and in Your absence the whole world seems empty to me.
Aslishya va pada-ratam pinashtu mam
adarshanan marma-hatam karotu va
yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato
mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva napara
I know no one but Krishna as my Lord, and He will remain so even if He handles me roughly in His embrace or breaks my heart by not being present before me. He is completely free to do whatever He likes, for He is always my worshipful Lord, without any condition.
Sacred mantras for any time.
Om ajnana-timirandhasya
jnananjana-salakaya
cakshur unmilitam yena
tasmai sri-gurave namah
I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. To him I offer my respectful obeisances.
Sri-caitanya-mano-’bhishtam
sthapitam yena bhu-tale
svayam rupah kada mahyam
dadati sva-padantikam
When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who established in this material world the mission of fulfilling Lord Caitanya’s desire, give me shelter at his lotus feet?
He krishna karuna-sindho
dina-bandho jagat-pate
gopesa gopika-kanta
radha-kanta namo ’stu te
O my dear Krishna, You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are the master of the gopīs and the lover of Rādhārāṇī. I offer my respectful obeisances to You.
Tapta-kancana-gaurangi
radhe vrindavanesvari
vrishabhanu-sute devi
pranamami hari-priye
I offer my respects to Rādhārāṇī, whose complexion is like molten gold and who is the queen of Vrindavan. You are the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, and you are very dear to Lord Krishna.
Vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca
kripa-sindhubhya eva ca
patitanam pavanebhyo
vaishnavebhyo namo namah
I offer my respectful obeisances to all the Vaishnavas, the devotees of the Lord. Like wish-fulfilling trees they can fulfil everyone’s desires, and they are full of compassion for the fallen souls.
Sri-krishna-chaitanya
prabhu-nityananda
sri-advaita gadadhara
srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda
I offer my respectful obeisances to Śrī Krishna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all those in the line of devotion.
Hare krishna hare krishna
krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama
rama rama hare hare