The Maha Mantra

At Upbuild, our core spiritual practice is mantra meditation, centered on the Maha Mantra:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

These are three sacred names of the Divine:

  • Hare refers to the divine feminine, the energy of love and compassion.

  • Krishna means the all-attractive, the divine person who draws the heart.

  • Rama means the reservoir of all pleasure, the source of deep spiritual joy.

The Maha Mantra has been chanted for centuries as a way to quiet the mind, open the heart, and connect with God. For us, it is not an abstract idea. It is the engine behind everything we do.

What is mantra meditation?

In the ancient Vedic tradition, sound is understood to be the most subtle and powerful of the senses. Even in sleep, sound can reach us. An alarm can cut through layers of unconsciousness and wake us up.

Mantra meditation uses specific sound vibrations to do something similar on the spiritual level. The word mantra comes from two Sanskrit roots:

  • mana / manas: the mind

  • tra: to deliver, to protect, or to free

A mantra is therefore a sound vibration that calms, purifies, and ultimately liberates the mind.

These sounds are not ordinary words or affirmations. The syllables are arranged in a particular way so that even their pronunciation has a deep effect on our inner state. They are designed to resonate with the most subtle part of our being, the soul.

You can think of mantra meditation as a spiritual alarm clock. It helps wake up the deepest part of who we are.

Why sound matters so much

We are surrounded by sound all day.

  • Music in our headphones

  • Podcasts on the subway

  • People speaking harshly or kindly

  • The constant chatter of our own thoughts

All of this affects consciousness. Some sounds agitate. Some soothe. Some distract. Some uplift.

Most of what we hear is material sound. It keeps our awareness tied to temporary concerns and identities. The Maha Mantra is of a different quality. It comes from a spiritual plane and is meant to connect us to that plane. It gives the mind a new “channel” to tune into.

When we chant the Maha Mantra, we begin to:

  • Notice how restless and scattered the mind really is

  • Gently redirect it toward something sacred and stable

  • Bathe the heart in a different kind of sound vibration

Over time, this shifts the atmosphere of our inner life.

Why this mantra in particular?

The Vedic texts describe many mantras, each with a different purpose. Some are chanted for material success. Some for auspiciousness. Some for peace of mind.

The Maha Mantra is spoken of as the great mantra for deliverance. “Maha” means “great” or “supremely powerful.” This mantra does not simply address one area of life. Its purpose is to awaken the soul to its natural state:

  • Eternality

  • Awareness

  • Joy

In Sanskrit this is called sat-chit-ananda.

The Maha Mantra includes and goes beyond the effects of other mantras because it is aimed directly at our deepest identity as spiritual beings in relationship with the Divine.

What happens inside when we chant?

One classical metaphor is that of a mirror.

The heart is like a mirror that is meant to reflect who we really are. Over time, it gets covered with dust: fears, anxieties, old impressions, compulsive desires, shame, pride, and all the stories we tell about ourselves.

When the mirror is dirty, we cannot see ourselves clearly. We keep relating to our reflection through all those layers.

The Maha Mantra gradually cleans this mirror. In Sanskrit, this is described as ceto-darpana-marjanam, the cleansing of the mirror of the heart.

In practical terms, this looks like:

  • A decrease in the intensity of selfish or purely material desires

  • A softening of fear and anxiety

  • A growing sense that there is something truer and deeper than our ego stories

  • A desire to live in a way that is more loving, honest, and serviceful

You can measure spiritual progress through two simple questions:

  1. Are my self-centered, material desires decreasing over time?

  2. Is my desire to serve and connect deeply increasing over time?

Over years of steady practice, the inner experience can deepen into:

  • A felt sense of connection with the Divine

  • The realization that the soul is untouched by the temporary ups and downs of this world

  • A growing experience that life is not random, but part of a larger, loving reality

The Maha Mantra has the potential to “rewire” on desire. It does not remove ambition or passion. It reorients them. Desire gradually can shift from “How can I get everything I want from life?” toward “How can I live as who I really am and serve others from that place?”

In our relationships, this looks like moving from seeing others as objects in our story to seeing them as souls in their own right, deserving of care, respect, and service

None of us at Upbuild practices perfectly. The mind still wanders. The ego still resists. But the direction of travel is unmistakable.

How to chant the Maha Mantra

You can chant the Maha Mantra in many ways. Two of the most common are:

1. Kirtan: chanting with music

This is mantra set to melody, often in a group. In Sanskrit, this is called kirtan. It can be simple or very musical, quiet or joyful.

Kirtan:

  • Engages the heart

  • Uses melody and rhythm to focus the mind

  • Builds a shared spiritual atmosphere with others

It is also a beautiful way to experience the mantra for the first time, even just by listening.

In recent years, kirtan has even begun to be recognized in the wider music world. Our friend, kirtan artist Jahnavi Harrison, was nominated for a Grammy for her album Into the Forest, which features sacred mantra, including the Maha Mantra.

2. Japa: personal mantra meditation

Our daily foundational practice is called japa. This is individual chanting, usually in a quiet space, where the mantra is spoken softly so that you can hear yourself.

A simple way to begin:

  1. Sit comfortably.
    Find a place where you can sit upright and relatively undisturbed.

  2. Chant audibly but gently.
    Repeat the mantra so you can hear it with your own ears. Not in your head, but out loud, even if quietly.

    Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
    Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
    Hare Rama Hare Rama
    Rama Rama Hare Hare

  3. Focus on the sound.
    Let your attention rest in the syllables. When the mind wanders, bring it back to the sound, without harshness.

  4. Start small.
    If you have beads (like a rosary) with 108 beads, you can chant one mantra per bead. One full “round” is 108 mantras and typically takes 7 to 10 minutes.
    If you do not have beads yet, you can start by setting a timer for 2 to 5 minutes and chant steadily until it goes off.

  5. Chant daily.
    Consistency matters more than intensity. A small, sincere practice every day has more impact than a long, sporadic one.

Over time, many practitioners increase from a few minutes a day to several rounds. In our own tradition, some of us have taken a daily vow of 16 rounds, which can take around two hours. That level of practice is not where you begin. It is something you grow into, if and when you feel genuinely called.

What if my mind is all over the place?

That is normal.

When we sit to chant, we quickly see how scattered and restless the mind is. Thoughts jump to work, family, errands, resentments, fantasies, grocery lists. It can feel like the practice is “not working.”

In reality, this is one of the first gifts of chanting. It shows us what has already been going on inside, beneath the surface of our day.

The work of japa is not to shut the mind off by force. It is to:

  • Notice where the mind has gone

  • Gently return it to the sound of the mantra

  • Repeat this, over and over, with patience

It can feel like a struggle at times. But it is a meaningful struggle. We are already struggling in so many other ways. This is a struggle that moves us toward peace, clarity, and love.

How does this relate to other names of God?

The essence of this practice is calling on the Divine through sacred names.

Different traditions use different names: Krishna, Rama, Christ, Allah, Adonai, Yahweh, and many more. From our perspective, the Maha Mantra is a particularly potent combination of names that has been recommended for this age in the Vedic tradition, and we have experienced its power very personally.

At the same time, the deeper principle holds across traditions:
When we sincerely chant or recite holy names with an open heart, the heart begins to change.

How to begin your own practice

If you would like to experiment with the Maha Mantra, we suggest:

  1. Pick a simple commitment.
    For example: “I will chant the Maha Mantra for 3 minutes every morning for the next 21 days.”

  2. Create a quiet space.
    It can be a corner of a room, a chair, or a place in nature. Over time, that space will start to feel sacred to you.

  3. Chant out loud.
    Even softly, so you can hear yourself. Let the sound do the work. You do not have to “make something happen.”

  4. Notice the effects.
    Do not look only for dramatic mystical experiences. Pay attention to subtle shifts in mood, desire, relationships, and how you respond to stress.

  5. Stay connected.
    Spiritual practice is much easier to sustain in community. At Upbuild, we created a weekly practice called Morning Rounds to help people understand the Maha Mantra more deeply and to chant together with guidance and support.

If you are curious to explore this more, you are welcome to join us. Whether you chant once or daily, our sincere hope is that the Maha Mantra helps you come closer to who you truly are and to the Divine source of all love.