that in this present age of Kali (quarrel and disturbance), when mental distraction is high and almost no one is serious about spiritual perfection, chanting alone is the most effective means of God realization. Following the  sankirtana  process chalked out by Lord Caitanya, the Hare Krsna movement of today takes parties of from five to thirty devotees, men wearing saffron robes and women wearing colorful saris. And they celebrate the holy name with dancing and melodious chanting.
The  sankirtana  singing is accompanied with  mrdanga  drum and pairs of  kartals  (hand cymbals). The devotees experience that this joyous singing of the names of God produces immediate feelings of ecstasy coming from the spiritual stratum. The effect is a clearing away of the dirt from the mind engrossed in the gloom of material existence. Under the instruction of the spiritual master, they gladly spread this chanting, and in reciprocation Sri Krsna allows all to taste the nectar for which everyone is always anxious. Because the Personality of Godhead is absolute, His name is nondifferent from Himself. Therefore the Supreme Person, Krsna, the reservoir of pleasure, dances on the tongue of the chanter of His name; to chant and hear fixes the mind, in meditation, in direct contact with God. The mantra is not to be mistaken for an ordinary song or anything tinged with the mundane; it is a pure transcendental sound vibration of the absolute and has been upheld as such since time immemorial by the great sages and Vedic scriptures. Lord Caitanya prays to the Supreme: “My dear Lord, You are so kind that You have invested all potency in Your holy name.” This absolute presence of God in His name holds true not only for the members of the  sankirtana  party, but for any living entity who hears the chanting; anyone will benefit if he simply likes the sound of the chanting, or if he appreciates the presence of the  sankirtana  party in any way. That is the mercy of the Absolute. The holy name is compared to a fire; whether one is scientifically conversant with all the properties of fire or knows nothing about it, if one puts his hand in fire he will be burnt. Sincere chanting and hearing of the  mahamantra  will cleanse the mind and elevate one and all to the natural original position of spirit soul. Therefore there is no hesitancy on the devotees’ part in going to the largest and most public gatherings of people and broadcasting, wherever possible, the sound of the transcendental names: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Chanting takes place regularly in the main streets of cities like New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Berkeley, Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington B.C., Honolulu, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, etc., with new ISKCON centers being regularly established. The expansion of Krsna consciousness is realization of the