Hare – He stole everything1 from Braja and descended in Nadia; hence this name ‘Hare’ for Sri Krishna Chaitanya is most apt.

Krishna – He attracted the hearts of all living beings and sowed the seed of bhakti, hence the name ‘Krishna’ indeed belongs to Him.

Krishna – He is ‘Krishna’ within and without, and His entire being is absorbed in the sound vibration of ‘Krishna’ – therefore we conclude He is ‘Krishna’.

Krishna – He assumed the garb of a sannyasi and attracted the atheists – thus He is definitely ‘Krishna’.

Hare – Gouranga steals the hearts and souls of the devotees with His extraordinary sweetness – this is the significance of His name ‘Hare’.

Hare – He steals the hearts of His devotees so that He can steal their hearts in return – for this reason Sri Chaitanya is named ‘Hare’.

Hare – Lord Krishna stole His Own sweetheart’s bhav and effulgence, and descended on earth – so Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Who is the essence of Kaliyug is ‘Hare’.

Ram – The Divine Couple unite with each other and thus wander in Nabadweep in supreme pleasure, therefore Sri Chaitanya is ‘Ram’ in this Kaliyuga.

Hare – Sri Chaitanya steals all the inauspicious qualities from the living beings, as a result, His name ‘Hare’ is most propitious.

Ram – He love-sports in the hearts of His devotees, hence He has the name ‘Ram’.

Ram – He is passionately aroused to relish Himself, therefore Sri Chaitanya has the name ‘Ram’.

Ram – Lord Chaitanya manifested His form of Sri Ram Who is the Son of queen Kaushalya and had appeared in the Treta yug – consequently He is ‘Ram’.

Hare – He stole Haridas Thakur’s heart with His sweetness; hence He got the name ‘Hare’.

Hare – He stole His own heart with His own sweet bhav and became like a tortoise. As a result He became famous in the world as ‘Hare’.

I have revealed the most confidential meaning of Harinam, something that none of the scriptures can even dream about.”

Srimat Jiva Goswamipad explains the  Mahamantra

sarva-cheto harah krishnasttasya chittam haratyasou,

vaidagdhi saravistarairato radha hara mata.1.

“Sri Krishna steals everyone’s heart, while Srimati Radharani steals His heart with Her intense vaidagdhi – hence She is called ‘Hara’ and addressed as ‘Hare’.”

karshati sweeya lavanya-murali-kala-nihswanaih,

sri-radham mohana-gunalankritah krishna irshyate.2.

“He drags Srimati Radharani with His lavanya and sweet vibrations of the flute – hence That mesmerizing One is called ‘Krishna3’.”

shruyate neeyate rase harina harinekshana,

ekakini rahahkunje hareyam tena kathyate.3.

“We have heard that during the Ras-leela, Sri Hari steals Srimati Radharani when She is alone and takes Her in a secluded kunja. Since She is ‘the stolen one’ – She is ‘Hara’.”

angashyamalimastomaih shyamalikritakanchanah, ramate radhaya sardhamatah krishno nigadyate.4.

“He turns the color of gold into dark green with His blue splendor; this means He makes the golden-complexioned Sri Radha look dark green when He makes love to Her – so He is ‘Krishna’.”

kritvaranye sarah shreshtham kantayanumatastaya,

akrishya sarvateerthani tajgyanat krishna irshyate.5.

“With the permission  of His  beloved Srimati Radharani, He attracted all the holy places in

Vrindaban and created a great lake (Shyamkund) – so He is ‘Krishna’.”

krishneti radhaya premna yamunatatakananam, leelaya lalitashchapi dheeraih krishna udahritah.6.

“Sri Krishna is attracted by Srimati Radharani’s love and He laments in the gardens on the banks of the Yamuna in dheer-lalita bhav – therefore the wise call Him ‘Krishna’.”

hatavan gokule tishthannarishtam dushtapungavam, sriharistam rasaduchchairgayatiti hara mata.7

“Sri Hari kills the evil Arishtasur in Braja and Srimati Radharani extols Him loudly as ‘Hari’ in a mood full of ras – so She is ‘Hara’.”

hasphutam rayati preetibharena haricheshtitam,

gayatiti mata dheererhara rasa-vichakshanaih.8.

“She glorifies Sri Hari’s activities openly with love, so the wise connoisseurs of ras call Her ‘Hara’.”

Srila Raghunath das  Goswami’s relish of the Mahamantra

Srila Raghunath das Goswami has revealed a supremely enjoyable meaning of the Mahamantra and Srila Shibananda Sen’s son Sri Chaitanya das has traslated it in the form of a poem in simple Bengali. Since Srila Das Goswami is in Manjari-bhava, Swamini has revealed to him Her Own  rendering of  the  Mahamantra !!!  We  present  the English  translation  here.  Srimati Radharani is saying –

O Hare          – You reveal Your bewitching form and steal my eyes and heart with Your sweetness, O Krishna – You are the abode of joy and You are most attractive, I can see none but You.

O Hare      – You shatter my self-control, fear of the elders and family-honor, O Krishna – You drag me with the notes of Your flute and make me forget my body and everything related to it.

O Krishna – You shock me by tugging at my bodice and pulling me close,

O   Krishna     –   You   touch    my   breasts    under    so   many    pretexts   and   are   always restless because of Your anurag for me.

O Hare – You steal me and take me to the flower-grove where You beg to make love to You,

O Hare  – then the very next moment You steal my secret clothes  and express Your deepest longing.

O Hare  – You take pleasure in first stealing my clothes and then stealing (breaking) all the barriers in my heart,

O Ram – You look so pleasurable, and moreover You express so much vaidagdhi and ultimately You always fulfill Your desire.

O Hare – No one is more eager or expert then You in stealing the hairline on my midriff, and You also steal all my aversion to love-making,

O Ram – after this You reveal so many arts of love-making and make me float in rasa.

O Ram – Your pleasure-sports are most delightful and I lose myself in Your joy,

O Ram  – Whenever I think of You making love to me, Your handsome ras-form reveals in my mind’s eye.

O Hare  – There is no limit to Your stealing!! How You steal my very consciousness and make me forget everything!

O Hare – You steal my bosom like a lion and I have none but You. You are my soul and I do not know anyone else other than You. In Your viraha even one moment appears like hundreds of kalpas. And You, on the other hand, go far from me like one so unfeeling – tell me what do I do?

O Nava-Ghana-Shyam- You are a repository of pure rasa, my heart bleeds without You – how do I stay alive?

– Poet Chaitanya das says – “Do not worry the one who has so much anuraga will surely get Her Beloved very soon.” – (Padakalpataru)

(Sri Srimat Ananta das Babaji “The topmost achievable goal – Nama tattva”)