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nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale Srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine We offer our respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvati Gosvami. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism. vancha-kalpa-tarubhyas ca krpa-sindhubhya eva ca patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah We offer respectful obeisances unto all the Vaisnava devotees of the Lord, who can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls. Sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda Sri-advaita gadadhara Srivasaadi-gaura -bhakta-vrnda We offer our obeisances to Sri Krsna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasa and all others in the line of devotion. hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare . iti sodasakam namnam kali-kalmasa-nasanam natah parataropayah sarva-vedesu drsyate "The sixteen words Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare are especially meant for counteracting the contaminations of Kali (the present age of quarrel and hypocrisy). These sixteen names composed of thirty-two syllables are the only means to counteract the evil effects of Kali-yuga. After searching through all the Vedic literature, one cannot find a method of religion more sublime for this age than the chanting of Hare Krsna." Of course, there are many books by Srila Prabhupada and his disciples on the chanting of Hare Krishna and one may question the necessity for another one. This present edition can be explained in the following way. This book is a humble attempt by the publishers to put Srila Prabhupada’s instructions on chanting in a format that takes the reader progressively from the most basic teachings through different stages and types of chanting and ultimately to the perfection of chanting and the final test at the time of death. Naturally, it is not meant to include all of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions as that would take many volumes and they can already be found in other books and in the Bhaktivedanta Vedabase. We should mention here that we are deeply indebted to the Bhaktivedanta Archives for their tremendous work of making Srila Prabhupada available through the Vedabase without which this book would never have been possible. However, what is being attempted here is a shortened and concise gathering of some of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions to make a book that is both easy to approach and an easy-to-read guide on chanting. We are hopeful that the audience will find it both elucidatory and inspiring, be one a total newcomer to chanting or even an advanced and longtime disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Our goal is to provide a collection of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings that will encourage the newcomer to take up chanting; the serious chanter to understand the significance of initiation and the ten offenses; the newly initiated to practice more strictly, seriously and sincerely; the practiced devotees to chant more themselves and then take to the streets to spread the glories of the holy names to others; and the older, senior devotees to relish and increase their taste in chanting the holy names in preparing for the time of death. Srila Prabhupada named his movement the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Yet everyone knew it as, and Srila Prabhupada himself called it, "the Hare Krishna Movement." He took pride in calling his disciples "the Hare Krishna people." "In 1966 this movement was registered in New York, and from 1966 it is spreading. So within four or five years it has spread all over the world. We have got branches in every part of the globe. And at least, these people know there is a movement, Krsna consciousness, and we are welcome everywhere as Krsna conscious people, ‘Hare Krsna People.’ Our name is ‘Hare Krsna People." "Actually we experienced this when we came to preach the Hare Krsna movement in the West. When we came to New York in 1965, we never expected that the Hare Krsna maha- mantra would be accepted in this country. Nonetheless, we invited people to our storefront to join in chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, and the Lord’s holy name is so attractive that simply by coming to our storefront in New York, fortunate young people became Krsna conscious.