Kali Santarana Upanishad

• Topic: Harē Rāma Mahā-Mantra
• Interlocutors: Narada and Brahmā/Hiraṇyagarbha (teacher)
• Setting: End of Dvāpara age; Beginning of Kali Yuga.

Note: Some scholars believe this episode happened after Sage Narada received a curse from Daksha to "keep wandering and never stay at one place."

Transcending Kali

• Simply uttering the name of Narayana, the primordial divine being, removes the influence of Kali Yuga.
• It is the direct means to transcend saṃsāra; the hidden essence of all scriptures.

Which Name of Narayana?

• The mantra composed of sixteen divine names:

  Hare Rāma Hare Rāma
  Rāma Rāma Hare Hare |
  Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa
  Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare ||

• These sixteen names correspond to the removal of the sixteen layers of impurity covering the individual soul.

• When these coverings dissolve, the inner divine reality shines forth like the sun appearing after clouds disperse.

• No Vedic method is superior to this for transcendence.

Procedure?

• There is no rule or ritual for chanting this mantra. It may be recited regardless of one’s physical or mental state.
• The only requirement is repeated chanting.

Spiritual Benefits?

• Sa-lokatā — dwelling in the divine realm of devotion.
• Samīpatā — feeling of nearness to the divine.
• Sa-rūpatā — mindset of likeness to the divine.
• Sāyujyatā — inner union with the divine.

Long-Term Effect

• Gradually, this chant dissolves the effects of one’s past karmic actions.
• Over time, it leads one along the Path of Devotion (bhakti) toward liberation from Samsara, the cycle of existence.