Gopesh
“The Hare Krishna Maha-mantra: Our Ultimate Benefactor” (Back to Godhead, Vol. 53, No. 2)
Satyaraja Das: “‘Hare’ can refer to both Hari, or Krishna, the Supreme Lord, and Radha, known as Mother Hara. When perceived in the latter sense, common in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, it is an address to God’s energy, specifically His spiritual pleasure potency (hladini-shakti), who is also known as His female manifestation: Radhika. The word hari also means “thief.” In relation to Radha and Krishna, it refers to Their stealing of each other’s hearts, and the hearts of all living beings.”
[Note: The quoted selections below are from Jiva Goswami’s Maha-mantrartha Dipika]
“‘Krishna steals everyone’s mind. Yet, due to Sri Radha’s expert nature, She steals even His. She is thus known as Hara.’”
“‘He inexorably attracts Sri Radha with the sweet sound of His flute music. For this reason the enchanting Lord is known as Krishna.’”
“‘With a fully loving heart, Sri Radha sometimes quietly sings the glories of Hari, and sometimes She sings them aloud. Those who are expert in the secrets of divine sentiments call Her Hara.’ By such divine repetition, i.e., japa and kirtana, Sri Radha sets an example of how to steal Krishna’s heart.”
“‘Radha, who is most merciful, obliterates the miseries of Her devotees, affording them daily happiness. Therefore She is known as Hara.’ Radhika steals away the miseries of the devotees.”
“‘When the son of Nanda (Krishna) returned to Vraja, He thereby took away all the suffering of all the devotees who live there. By exhibiting such compassion, He stole the heart of Sri Radha. Thus He is known as Hari.’ In this last word of the maha-mantra, then, Sri Jiva sees Krishna rather than Radha, for He steals Her heart with His all-encompassing love. In other words, most commentators think that the “Hare” at the end of the mantra is yet another reference to Radha, but no, Jiva indicates that it is instead a veiled reference to Krishna.”
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