Hare Krishna

When I think of these two words together, I think of what most Americans think of. Crazy people on the corner in New York City chanting and waving their arms.


But are they crazy? And what does it all mean? I don't really know any Hare Krishnas personally. Is that even what they call themselves?


I got onto this topic because one of my yoga teachers recommended a song for yoga called Baba Hanuman by Krishna Das. The only way that you could get that song was by buying the album. The song is amazing and so I bought the album, hook, line and sinker.


The song that comes after that is Kainchi Hare Krishna, and I also became obsessed with this song. It's such a happy song and I kept feeling like I had heard it before on Eat, Pray, Love. But I looked up the soundtrack and it's not on there. Regardless, I started to wonder what it was that they were talking about! So, I googled it. "Hare", Wikipedia says, can be interpreted to mean "the energy of God while Krishna and Rama refer to God himself."


I think it is interesting that there are different names for God. They have different gods, yes, but at times they almost seem interchangeable. I did a little more digging and found that this is due to the Hindu belief of incarnations. Depending on your sect, there is a different god who is the Supreme Being. Vishnu seems to be the most widely known as the Supreme Being but Shiva and Shakti are also known as this in their own sects of the Hindu religion. These Supreme Beings come down to earth to help us as different identities. Krishna and Rama are god but we know them while they are here on earth as Krishna and Rama until they reveal to us their true identity.


To me, is seems like it all goes back to the belief that God is everywhere, in everything, and everyone. Which isn't such a bad belief. If God is in your enemy, then you can't really be enemies...can you? If God is that rude person in the car beside you, then it's not so easy to think they are an ass and YOU would NEVER act that way. Life is hard enough as it is without having people to hate and revenge to enact.


There are few people that I truly dislike, and really, only two come to mind. I'm trying to let it go and think instead, what are they here to teach me and others? It might not be easy but if I can let that part of me that is hateful go, maybe others can too and maybe the world would be a better place. What do you say we try?