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{{Short description|Sanskrit text}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox Upanishad
| caption =
| Devanagari = कलिसन्तरण
| meaning = To overcome the effects of [[Kali Yuga]]
| composition_date =
| Veda = [[Krishna Yajurveda]]{{Sfn|Deussen|Bedekar|Palsule|1997|pp=556–57}}
| verses = 2
| philosophy = [[Vaishnava]]<ref name= Aiyar/>
|image=}}
The '''''Kali-Santarana Upanishad''''' ({{langx|sa|कलिसन्तरणोपनिषद्}}; {{IAST3|Kali-Santaraṇa Upaniṣad}}), also called {{IAST|Kalisantaraṇopaniṣad}}, is a [[Sanskrit]] text. It is a minor [[Upanishad|late Upanishad]] of [[Hinduism]].

The [[Vaishnava Upanishads|Vaishnava Upanishad]] was likely composed in 16th century CE. According to [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism|Gaudiya Vaishnava]] tradition, this text's central mantra, known as the [[Hare Krishna (mantra)|Hare Krishna, or ''Mahā'' ("Great"), Mantra]], was given in the 16th century to [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu]] at his initiation in Gaya (though the Sanskrit mantra is absent from his biographies).{{Sfn|Bryant|2013|pp=42-43}}

This mantra, presented in two lines, contains the words [[Hari|Hare]], [[Rama]], and [[Krishna]]. The word ''Hare'', meaning "O Harā" (the feminine counterpart to [[Vishnu]], sometimes known as ''Hara''), is repeated eight times, while the other two names are Hindu gods and are each repeated four times (or two forms of Vishnu, who is then invoked eight times as well). The text asserts that the audible chanting of this mantra is a means to wash away all the tribulations of the current era ([[Kali Yuga]]).

==Nomenclature==
'''<nowiki/>'Kali-Santarana Upanishad'''' means to 'approach or set about crossing over quarrel, discord, and strife':

* '''<nowiki/>'Kali'''' (Sanskrit कलि) means 'quarrel', 'contention', 'discord' or 'strife'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://spokensanskrit.org/index.php?tran_input=kali&direct=se&script=hk&link=yes&mode=3|title=Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit|website=spokensanskrit.org|access-date=2019-11-14}}</ref>
** [[Kali Yuga]] is the least-[[Dharma|dharmic]] (e.g. least moral or religious) of the four cyclical [[yuga]]s (ages or epochs) in [[Hindu cosmology]].<ref>[http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?tinput=kali&direction=SE&link=yes&choice=yes kali] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306164335/http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?tinput=kali&direction=SE&link=yes&choice=yes |date=2016-03-06 }}, Sanskrit English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany (2011)</ref>
* '''<nowiki/>'Santarana'''' (Sanskrit सन्तरण) means "conveying over or across".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://spokensanskrit.org/index.php?mode=3&script=hk&tran_input=Santarana&direct=se&anz=100|title=Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit|website=spokensanskrit.org|access-date=2019-11-14}}</ref>
* '''<nowiki/>'[[Upanishads|Upanishad]]'''' (Sanskrit उपनिषद्) means 'approach' or 'set about'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://spokensanskrit.org/index.php?mode=3&script=hk&tran_input=upanishad&direct=se&anz=100|title=Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit|website=spokensanskrit.org|access-date=2019-11-14}}</ref>

==History==

The text is one of the [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnava]] Upanishads,{{Sfn|Nair|2008|p=580}} completed before about 1500 CE,{{Sfn|Bryant|2013|p=42}} and includes two verses called the ''Maha-mantra''.<ref name= Aiyar/> The modern era ''Kali-Santarana Upanishad'' is the earliest known Hindu text where this widely known mantra appears.{{Sfn|Bryant|2013|p=42}} It was popularized by one of the [[Bhakti movement]] leaders [[Caitanya Mahaprabhu|Chaitanya Mahaprabhu]] in the 16th century.<ref>Alanna Kaivalya (2014), Sacred Sound: Discovering the Myth and Meaning of Mantra and Kirtan, New World, {{ISBN|978-1608682430}}, pages 153-154</ref> The Maha-mantra enunciated in this Upanishad is world-famous through the Hare Krishna ([[ISKCON]]) movement.{{Sfn|Bryant|2013|pp=42, 35–45 with notes}}

In Vaishnava etymology the word ''Hare'' refers to ''Hara'' (literally, captivating, carrying away), personifying goddess [[Radha]] who is the [[Shakti]] of [[Krishna]] ("nada shakti") or and remembers her as the one who stole the mind of Krishna. The word ''Hare'', or Radha, is repeated eight times in the Kali-Santaraṇa mantra and is a reminder of her love for the divine Krishna.{{Sfn|Bryant|2013|p=42}} Popular in [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism]] denomination of Hinduism, its devotees assert that the effect of reciting this mantra in Kali-Santaraṇa text is to imbue the pleasure principle emanating from the very innermost part of one's being, feel transcendental ecstasy and revive deep consciousness, remembering the love of God, and to getting rid of the harmful influence of the [[Kali Yuga]].{{Sfn|Bryant|2013|pp=35–36, 42}} The Gaudiya Vaishnava have traditionally asserted that this mantra should be recited audibly because the sound liberates the reciter and the listener.{{Sfn|Bryant|2013|pp=42-43}}

In the [[anthology]] of 108 Upanishads of the [[Muktika]] canon, narrated by [[Rama]] to [[Hanuman]], the ''Kali-Santarana Upanishad'' is listed at number 103.The Upanishad is not in the anthology of 52 popular Upanishads in north India by Colebrooke, nor is it found in the ''Bibliotheca Indica'' anthology of popular Upanishads in south India by Narayana.{{Sfn|Deussen|Bedekar|Palsule|1997|pp=561–564}}

==Contents==
{{Vaishnavism}}
At the end of the [[Dvapara Yuga]] (the third out of four [[yugas]] or epochs or eras, or ages, described in the scriptures of Hinduism), sage [[Narada]] approached [[Brahma]] and requested him to enlighten him on the path he should follow to alleviate the detrimental effects of the [[Kali Yuga]]. Brahma said that by way of taking the name of the supreme deity [[Narayana]], all the tribulations of Kali yuga will be washed away. These sixteen names to be chanted are as:<ref name= Aiyar>{{Cite web|last=Aiyar|first=K. Narayanasvami|url=http://www.celextel.org/upanishads/krishna_yajur_veda/kalisantarana.html|title=Kali Santarana Upanishad|access-date=1 January 2016|publisher=Vedanta Spiritual Library|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923224412/http://www.celextel.org/upanishads/krishna_yajur_veda/kalisantarana.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Poemquote|Hare Rama Hare Rama , Rama Rama Hare Hare<br />Hare Krishna Hare Krishna , Krishna Krishna Hare Hare}}

When [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu]] promulgated the Mahamantra, it was rendered with Krishna's name's first.{{Sfn|Prabhupada|Prabhupada|p=358}}

{{quote|<poem>

''Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa''
''Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare''
''Hare Rāma Hare Rāma''
''Rāma Rāma Hare Hare''</poem>}}

Pronunciation of mantra in IPA ([[Sanskrit]]):
{{quote|<poem>
''ɦɐreː kr̩ʂɳɐ ɦɐreː kr̩ʂɳɐ ''
''kr̩ʂŋɐ kr̩ʂŋɐ ɦɐreː''
''ɦɐreː raːmɐ ɦɐreː raːmɐ''
''raːmɐ raːmɐ ɦɐreː''</poem>}}

Chanting of the sixteen words mantra is asserted by the text to be constantly done by sage Narada, who with his musical instrument [[tanpura]] has been doing it for ages. Apart from this Upanishad, chanting of this mantra has also been prescribed in [[Puranas]] such as the [[Brahmananda Purana]], the [[Agni Purana]], and so forth.{{Sfn|Prabhupada|Prabhupada|p=358}}

The Upanishad also states that in the Kali Yuga, Narada was the creator or Kali-Karaka of all conflicts or undesirable acts. However, Narada who is the arbitrator of the laws of [[karma]] (all deeds) himself approaches Brahma seeking redress to all the ills of this epoch. It is also stated in the Upanishad that Narada roamed around the world holding a lute in his hand to adjust the laws of harmony as a result of a curse by [[Daksha]]. The sixteen mantras that Narada was advised to recite by Brahma relate to [[jiva]] the immortal soul which has sixteen [[Kāla (time)|kalas]].<ref name= Aiyar/>

There are no rules and regulations to chant this maha-mantra ('great mantra'). It should be chanted always irrespective of whether one is in a pure or impure condition.<ref>[http://www.srimatham.com/uploads/5/5/4/9/5549439/kali-santarana-upanisad.pdf Kalisantarana Upanishad] Sanskrit text, Sanskrit Documents Archive</ref>

==Influence==
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| width1 = 240
| width2 = 240
| footer = Devotees singing the Hare-Krishna Maha-mantra, in 19th-century Bengal (top) and modern era Russia.
| image1 = Chaitanya sankirtan.jpg
| image2 = Russian Hare Krishna devotees on Harinam.jpg
}}
The text has been influential on the [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism]] tradition, that grew in [[Gauḍa (region)|Gauda]] region of India in and near modern [[West Bengal]], after it became the seat of [[Muslim]] power and Krishna devotees were forced into the service of Muslim officials.{{Sfn|Bryant|2007|pp=410, 433}}

From 16th-century onwards, in Gaudiya Vaishnavism, great importance has been given to public, vocal audible chanting or singing of the maha-mantra with the divine names of Hindu gods Krishna, Rama and goddess Radha (Hare).{{Sfn|Bryant|2013|pp=42, 35–45 with notes}} However, some other groups hold the view that chanting should be done silently or muttered in low-volume and would be equally effective. It was the view of Chaitanya and his disciples that chanting the name God's name (s) loudly would be most effective to obtain salvation and such a practice results in purifying the heart of both reciter and the listener, results in receiving the "love of God". This at least is the interpretation given in [[Rupa Goswami]]'s ''Prathama Chaitanyaashtaka'' which states that Chaitanya himself had chanted this maha-mantra in a loud voice. For the Gaudiya Vaishnavas including [[ISKCON]], the [[Hare Krishna (mantra)|Hare Krishna]] maha-mantra also represents "transcendental sound" as the nature of the mantra is overwhelmingly qualified by Krishna and hence reciting it in "silence or in low volume" may not give the same effective feeling.{{Sfn|Bryant|2013|p=43}}

The 16th-century text ''Harinamarthah-ratna-dipika'' by [[Raghunatha dasa Goswami]], gives the meaning of the maha-mantra where it is said that whenever Radha remembered Krishna and felt like being with him she chanted the maha-mantra; this made her feel closer to Krishna at the utterance of each syllable of the mantra.{{Sfn|Bryant|2007|p=572}}

The Maha-mantra of the Upanishad is part of the Gaudiya tradition legends, and the chant that was used to deconvert Muslims and initiate them to Vaishnavism in Bengal.<ref>Rebecca Jane Manring (2005), ''Reconstructing Tradition: Advaita Ācārya and Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism'', Columbia University Press, {{ISBN|978-0231129541}}, pages 168–175</ref>

===Chaitanya Mahaprabhu===
{{main|Chaitanya Mahaprabhu}}
In the biographies of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a [[Bhakti movement]] saint poet, the mantra he received when he was given [[diksha]] or initiation in [[Gaya, India|Gaya]] was the maha-mantra of the ''Kali-Santarana Upanishad''. In Gaudiya tradition, he is credited to have propagated it to the world along with Krishna [[bhakti]].{{Sfn|Bryant|2013|p=42}}

Kali-Santaraṇa Upanishad is particularly revered by [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism|Gaudiya Vaishnavas]], as the [[Hare Krishna (mantra)|Hare Krishna]]<ref>[http://nitaaiveda.com/SG_Translated_and_Main_Scriptures/Maha_Mantra_Yoga/Ch_1_Shruti_and_Smriti_Scriptures_about_the_Hare_Krishna_Maha_Mantra/Shrutis_-_Vedas,_Upanishads_and_Vedanta/Kali_Santarana_Upanishad.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531061600/http://nitaaiveda.com/SG_Translated_and_Main_Scriptures/Maha_Mantra_Yoga/Ch_1_Shruti_and_Smriti_Scriptures_about_the_Hare_Krishna_Maha_Mantra/Shrutis_-_Vedas,_Upanishads_and_Vedanta/Kali_Santarana_Upanishad.htm|date=2016-05-31}} sa hovaca hiranyagarbah
hare krishna hare krishna, krishna krishna hare hare. hare rama hare rama, rama rama hare hare; iti shodashakam namnam, kali-kalmasha-nashanam; natah parataropayah, sarva-vedeshu drishyate.</ref> The eight 'hare' syllables of the maha-mantra reach out to Radha that represents her eight facets of love for Krishna.{{Sfn|Bryant|2013|p=42}}

===Temples===
The three unique words in the maha-mantra found in ''Kali-Santarana Upanishad'' represent the three deities, and paintings of their love filled legends, found in Gaudiya Vaishnavism temples.{{Sfn|Bryant|2007|pp=142–144}}

===Namadwaar===
“Nama Dwaar” is an initiative undertaken by the devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Nama Bhiksha Kendra, with the blessings of Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji, aimed at propagation of Nama Sankirtan of the Maha Mantra as the universal means of bringing about peace, prosperity and the feeling of universal brotherhood and providing material and spiritual upliftment to humanity at large.<ref>[https://namadwaar.org/ Namadwaar]</ref>

==In popular culture==
The "Hare Krishna" mantra received the attention of [[George Harrison]] and [[John Lennon]] of the Beatles,<ref name=charlesbrooks83/> and Harrison produced a 1969 recording of the mantra by devotees from the London [[Radha Krishna Temple]].<ref>Peter Lavezzoli (2006), ''The Dawn of Indian Music in the West'', Continuum, {{ISBN|0-8264-2819-3}}, page 195</ref> Titled "[[Hare Krishna Mantra (song)|Hare Krishna Mantra]]", the song reached the top twenty on the UK music charts, and was also successful in [[West Germany]] and [[Czechoslovakia]].<ref name=charlesbrooks83/><ref name=Clarke308>Peter Clarke (2005), Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements, Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0415267076}}, page 308 Quote: "There they captured the imagination of The Beatles, particularly George Harrison who helped them produce a chart topping record of the Hare Krishna mantra (1969) and ...".</ref> The mantra of the Upanishad thus helped bring Bhaktivedanta and ISKCON ideas into the West.<ref name=charlesbrooks83>Charles Brooks (1989), ''The Hare Krishnas in India'', Princeton University Press, {{ISBN|978-8120809390}}, pages 83–85</ref> [[Kenneth Womack]] states that "Hare Krishna Mantra" became "a surprise number 12 hit" in Britain.<ref>Kenneth Womack (2009), The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles, Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0521869652}}, page 149</ref>

==See also==
*[[Atmabodha Upanishad]]
*[[Devi Upanishad]]
*[[Maha Upanishad]]
*[[Nirvana Upanishad]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book|last= Bryant |first=Edwin Francis |title=Krishna: A Sourcebook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0z02cZe8PU8C|year= 2007|publisher=Oxford University Press, Incorporated|isbn=978-0-19-803400-1}}
*{{cite book|last=Bryant|first=Edwin Francis, Maria Ekstrand|title=The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mBMxPdgrBhoC|year = 2013|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-50843-8}}
*{{cite book|last1= Deussen |first1=Paul |last2= Bedekar|first2=V.M. |last3= Palsule |first3=G.B. |title=Sixty Upanishads of the Veda|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XYepeIGUY0gC&pg=PA645|year=1997|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-1467-7}}
*{{cite book|last= Nair |first=Shantha N. |title=Echoes of Ancient Indian Wisdom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OzFvE0IR7rkC&pg=PT387|year=2008|publisher=Pustak Mahal|isbn=978-81-223-1020-7}}
*{{cite book|last1= Prabhupada |first1=A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami |last2= Prabhupada |first2=Disciples of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami |title=Veda: Secrets from the East|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vvRhBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT368|publisher=The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust|isbn=978-91-7149-542-6}}

==Further reading==
* [http://freesound.upf.edu/people/Jagadamba/sounds/257044/ A sound recording of the Maha-mantra in Kali Santarana Upanishad], Universitat Pompeu Fabra, (Barcelona, Spain), 18 seconds
* [http://www.celextel.org/upanishads/krishna_yajur_veda/kalisantarana.html, Translated by K. Narayanasvami Aiyar]{{Dead link|date=March 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160531061600/http://nitaaiveda.com/SG_Translated_and_Main_Scriptures/Maha_Mantra_Yoga/Ch_1_Shruti_and_Smriti_Scriptures_about_the_Hare_Krishna_Maha_Mantra/Shrutis_-_Vedas,_Upanishads_and_Vedanta/Kali_Santarana_Upanishad.htm Kali Santarana Upanishad,Translation and commentary by Swami Gaurangapada]
* [http://sanskritdocuments.org/telugu/BRH/kalisantarana.BRH Kalisantaranaopanishad, Telugu Rendition]
* [http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_upanishhat/kalisantarana_upan.pdf Kalisantaranaopanishad, Sanskrit Rendition]

{{Mukhya Upanishads}}
{{Hindudharma}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kali-Santarana Upanisad}}
[[Category:Upanishads]]
[[Category:Vaishnava texts]]

Kali-Saṇṭāraṇa Upaniṣad - Revision history

imported>InternetArchiveBot: Rescuing 1 sources and tagging 1 as dead.) #IABot (v2.0.9.5