Now, at this present age, kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt, "In this age, simply by chanting the glories of the holy name of God." This was introduced by Lord Caitanya. And in India there are millions and millions people who follow this principle, and it may be a new thing in your country, but it is very easy and, I mean to say, authorized and immediately realizable.
If you follow this one principle, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare . . . there are sixteen names: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Actually, there are three names only—Hare, Kṛṣṇa and Rāma—but they are very nicely, systematically assorted in sixteen names, and it is very easy to chant. Just this evening one American child, girl, she was cycling in the street, and one of my student, she asked her to chant: "You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa," and she was very nicely chanting.
So it was . . . it is not very difficult. Because it is composed in Sanskrit words, it does not mean that you cannot chant. We have experimented. Now, I ask my students . . . they are all American boys and girls. None of them are Indians or Hindus. Not only here in Boston, but in many other cities like New York and San Francisco, Los Angeles, Buffalo, Santa Fe, Montreal, so they are very nicely chanting and enjoying.
Not only that, I have got some restriction. The student who comes to me for initiation, I ask them to restrict some habits. So they are easily doing that also. Just like I ask them not to indulge in any intoxication, including smoking, tea-taking, coffee-taking. So they are following. And I ask them not to eat meat. These things are very usual things in your country, but my students, they are very easily following. They don't feel any difficulty.
So this formula, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, this sound vibration, you can practice it. It is not difficult. There is no secret. I don't say that, "I have got a secret mantra which I shall give you, and you pay me fifty dollars" or like that. It is open secret. You have simply to accept it, kindly. Then you see the result. There is no loss on your part, but the gain is very great. Why don't you try it?
I request you, most humbly I request you, that you kindly chant these sixteen names—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. We have got our records also. If you want to practice, you can play the record and it will be very easy. So this is my humble request to you American ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. It is not difficult, but it has got a sublime effect. You will find it. If you practice it, you will find it.
So if you think that, "Why we shall chant 'Kṛṣṇa'? Kṛṣṇa was Indian, and it is Hindu god's name," but that is not a fact. Kṛṣṇa never claimed that He is Hindu or Indian or black or white. He doesn't claim anything. He says . . . most of you have read Bhagavad-gītā. He says, He claims:
- sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
- sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ
- tāsāṁ yonir mahad-brahma
- ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
- (BG 14.4)
Sarva-yoniṣu: "In all species of life, in all forms of life . . ." There are 8,400,000 forms of life. So Kṛṣṇa claims that "All forms of life, not only human being—the beast, the birds, the aquatics, the, I mean to say, reptiles—everywhere, wherever there is life, therefore, their mother is this material nature, and I am the seed-giving father."