Maha-mantra

Maha means “great” and mantra means “sacred chant for deliverance.”

Of all mantras in the Vedas, one is called the maha-mantra, or great mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Maha-Vishnu

Maha-Vishnu is the first of the Purushas (“controllers,” also known as Vishnus), incarnations of Krishna for the creation of the material universe.

Maha-Vishnu creates innumerable universes. He lies down in the Causal Ocean on the bed of Ananta Shesha and initiates the creation by glancing at His personified material energy, Maya.

From Maha-Vishnu come the other two Vishnus: Garbhodakashayi Vishnu and Kshirodakashayi Vishnu.

Bhagavan

Bhaga means “opulence” or “assets,” and van means “one who possesses.” Because God owns everything, He is called Bhagavan. The Vedic sage Parashara has defined Bhagavan as the one who possesses in full these assets: beauty, wealth, fame, strength, knowledge, and renunciation.

God, in His personal feature, has all the attributes found in other living beings—but His are all infinite, unlimited, unrestricted by the conditions of matter. That Supreme, the Personality of Godhead, Krishna, exists in His own realm, beyond all dualities and illusions.

Paramatma

The Absolute Truth exists in three phases: Brahman, Paramatama, and Bhagavan. Paramatma is God’s expansion as the Supersoul within our heart.

The Vedic sages distinguish between the Supersoul and the small individual soul. Both reside within the heart, but one is infinite, the other infinitesimal. The soul, the tiny spark of consciousness within, is our true self—eternal, blissful, and wise. But it is small, and so it may get lost in illusion and entangled in material life.

But the Supersoul, great and infinite, is ever beyond illusion.

Brahman

The word “Brahman,” or simply “Brahma,” is used in a generic sense to mean spirit. God, the individual souls, and the spiritual effulgence of God are all referred to as Brahman (its Sanskrit root means “the greatest”).

Chanting God's Names

The names of God are identical to Him and are therefore transcendental. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu taught that chanting the great mantra “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, or Krishna consciousness.

Krishna as the Supersoul

Krishna

Krishna is the Supreme Person, the Godhead.

Krishna is the speaker of the Bhagavad-gita, recognized throughout the world as one of mankind’s greatest books of wisdom. In the Gita, as it is also known, Krishna says repeatedly that He is God Himself, the source of everything.

Sri Chaitanya’s Teachings

Sri Chaitanya taught that Bhakti, or loving devotion to Krishna, is both the most effective spiritual practice and the ultimate goal of all spiritual practices.

Because He is Krishna Himself, His teachings are identical with those of Krishna in Bhagavad-gita. His only written work is His Shikshastaka, or “Eight Instructions,” a concise course in attaining spiritual perfection.

Sri Chaitanya’s Life and Mission

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (A.D. 1486-1534), also known as Lord Chaitanya, appeared in West Bengal, India, and showed us how to awaken our love for Krishna while living in this world.

He spent His first twenty-four years spreading the teachings of the Srimad-Bhagavatam and promoting the spiritual practice of chanting Krishna’s holy names. Extremely influential, He won the hearts and minds of the greatest scholars of His day.