This I believe VIOLETTE ELLIOTT

In the middle of May on a warm and sunny Sunday, a boy discovered how beautiful three words can be. Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. See that boy was me, a 14-year-old middle schooler who has recently discovered the ways of Hinduism. The mantra you heard before was the Maha-mantra that is chanted to enhance consciousness to the greatest degree possible. I believe that something as simple as singing the Maha-mantra with people can not only bring you closer to full happiness but also closer to god.

Something that happens in Hindu temples on occasion is an event called kirtan where people come and get together and sing the Maha-mantra for hours. I got to participate in Sunday kirtan that lasted for 5 hours. That was only the second time going to the temple, but it felt like I had lived there my whole life. People that I knew for a couple mere hours felt like family that I have bonded with the whole time we have been family, so what felt like forever. It is so astounding that such a simple thing as repeatedly singing a mantra can bring a temple of people together. By the end of kirtan, every feeling I had about it was positive, it was one of the most uplifting experiences of my life. I have never experienced anything as powerfully soul touching than when I went to kirtan. That temple gives me non-disposable karma and also gives me prasiddham so what I give back is my heart and soul through my voice. 

When you sing the Maha-mantra you are participating in Bhakti yoga, which is the fastest way to Krsna Loca. Once you have started to do Bhakti yoga and you get into the swing if you start to sing the Maha-mantra in your head when you do everything making everything you do uplifting. I use to hate doing the dishes and then I started to do Bhakti yoga with everything I no longer hated doing the dishes. Something as simple as repeating a mantra made something I hated doing into praise. 

As I said earlier, I wasn’t Hindu not very long ago. My mom taught me the ways of Hinduism. My mom taught me everything I know about everything Hindu. The Friday before Mother’s day she said that for her mothers day present she wanted to take me to kirtan, she said that it would be fun. My mom has been a Hindu for a couple years now and I could never have imagined how right she was. I am a phone addict and when I went to kirtan after a couple minutes I didn’t even think of my phone and continued to not think about it until I was home at about 10:30 pm. Kirtan made me forget about the thing that takes up the majority of my time. 

I believe that singing the Maha-mantra can make you happier and closer to god. I have learned this from my time at kirtan, my time doing Bhakti yoga and from my mom. This belief, if followed, could help change the world and show people that love is the way to go in life.