harer nÄma harer nÄma
harer nÄmaiva kevalam
kalau nÄsty eva nÄsty eva
nÄsty eva gatir anyathÄ
[Adi 1721]

 hareḥ nÄma - the holy name of the Lord Hari; hareḥ nÄma - the holy name of the Lord Hari; hareḥ nÄma - the holy name of the Lord; eva - certainly; kevalam - only; kalau - in this Age of Kali; na asti - there is not; eva - certainly; na asti - there is not; eva - certainly; na asti - there is not; eva - certainly; gatiḥ - means; anyathÄ - other.


Text

“ ‘In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.’ â€

Purport

Because the people of this age are so fallen, they can simply chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahÄ-mantra. In this way they can rid themselves of the bodily conception of life and become eligible to engage in the Lord’s devotional service. One cannot engage in the devotional service of the Lord without being purified of all contamination. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (7.28):

yeá¹£Äá¹ tv anta-gataá¹ pÄpaá¹ janÄnÄá¹ puṇya-karmaṇÄm
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktÄ bhajante mÄá¹ dá¹›á¸ha-vratÄḥ

“Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination.†Sometimes people are surprised to see young men and women take so seriously to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. By giving up sinful activity — illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling — and strictly following the injunctions given by the spiritual master, they have become purified of all contamination. They can therefore fully engage in the devotional service of the Lord.

In this Age of Kali, hari-kÄ«rtana is very, very important. The importance of chanting the holy name of the Lord is stated in the following verses from ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam (12.3.51-52):

kaler doá¹£a-nidhe rÄjann asti hy eko mahÄn guṇaḥ
kÄ«rtanÄd eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saá¹…gaḥ paraá¹ vrajet
ká¹›te yad dhyÄyato viṣṇuá¹ tretÄyÄá¹ yajato makhaiḥ
dvÄpare paricaryÄyÄá¹ kalau tad dhari-kÄ«rtanÄt

“The most important factor in this Age of Kali, which is an ocean of faults, is that one can be free from all contamination and become eligible to enter the kingdom of God simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. The self-realization that was achieved in the Satya millennium by meditation, in the TretÄ millennium by the performance of different sacrifices, and in the DvÄpara millennium by worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa can be achieved in the Age of Kali simply by chanting the holy names, Hare Kṛṣṇa.â€