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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 8, Ch. 5]
instructing Mahārāja Parīkṣit, stressed this chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mantra .
kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet
“My dear King, although Kali-yuga is full of faults, there is still one good quality about this age. It is that simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mahā-mantra , one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.” ( Bhāg.  12.3.51) Those who have accepted the task of spreading the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mahā-mantra  in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness should take this opportunity to deliver people very easily from the clutches of material existence. Our duty, therefore, is to follow the instructions of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and preach the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world very sincerely. This is the best welfare activity for the peace and prosperity of human society.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s movement consists of spreading  kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana .  Paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam : “All glories to the Śrī Kṛṣṇa  saṅkīrtana !” Why is it so glorious? This has also been explained by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.  Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam : by the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mahā-mantra , one’s heart is cleansed. The whole difficulty is that in this age of Kali there is no  sattva-guṇa  and no clearance of the heart, and therefore people are making the mistake of identifying with their bodies. Even the big philosophers and scientists with whom we deal are practically all under the impression that they are their bodies. The other day we were discussing a prominent philosopher, Thomas Huxley, who was proud of being an Englishman. This means that he was in the bodily conception of life. Everywhere we find this same misunderstanding. As soon as one is in the bodily conception of life, one is nothing but an animal like a cat or a dog ( sa eva go-kharaḥ ). Thus the most dangerous of the dirty things within our hearts is this misidentification of the body as the self. Under the influence of this misunderstanding, one thinks, “I am this body. I am an Englishman. I am an Indian. I am an American. I am Hindu. I am Muslim.” This misconception is the strongest impediment, and it must be removed. That is the instruction of  Bhagavad-gītā  and of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Indeed,  Bhagavad-gītā  begins with this instruction: