In the Vaishnava tradition of what most of us know today as the religion of Hinduism, it is said that the only thing that a person needs to do in order to break the cycle of rebirth and to therefore attain what some would call salvation, is to recite (chant) the "Great Mantra", which is known as the "Maha Mantra".

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It is said that by reciting this Mantra all of one's "sins" are forgiven and that over time constant reciting (chanting) of this Mantra will draw us closer to "God".

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The Mantra is as follows:

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Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna

Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama

Hare Hare

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Krishna, or any of His avatars are the supreme God, with a capital G.

All other gods (the main ones that are mentioned in the Veda), ie: Shiva, Brama, Durga etc are demigods (gods with a small g) and are themselves devotees of Krishna. Therefore as Lord Chaitanya states any devotees of the Lord (God with a capital G) should be honoured respectfully as they are worshippers of God with a capital G.

These demigods are authorised representatives of Lord Krishna. Psalm 82 of the Holy Bible states (in certain correctly translated Bible versions) that God sits in the counsel of the gods.

Apart from being Krishna’s authorised representatives, the demigods are great devotees of the Lord. So one should respect them and never offend them. Yet the devotees of Lord Krishna know that the respect offered the demigods is due to their connection to Him. Devotees of Krishna do not see the demigods as independently worshipable.

The above may seem like a minefield of information, and indeed it is, so we encourage you to do your own further research on this subject. It is indeed, in our opinion well worth the time and effort! - Happy studying!!

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Hare Krishna ........