Hare Krishna radio: Krishna mantras live, free, 24 hours
Krishna mantras and the Hare Krishna maha mantra, live on Mahakatha Radio: free, no ads. About 28 Krishna recordings play alongside other mantras.
Mahakatha Radio is a free, 24-hour mantra radio station, and about 28 of its recordings are Krishna mantras, including the Hare Krishna maha mantra, Govinda Damodara and Madhurashtakam. They play live, with no ads and no sign-up, mixed with Shiva, Devi, Ganesha, Om and other mantras. Listen live
A Krishna station, honestly described
If you searched for Hare Krishna radio or Radio Krishna, here is what to expect. Mahakatha Radio is not a Krishna-only station and is not run by ISKCON or any temple. It is one mantra station drawing on about 310 recordings, and Krishna is one of its larger parts, after Shiva and the Om chants.
ISKCON temples and Hare Krishna centres run their own kirtan radio streams, with live kirtans, lectures and classes in that tradition. If you want an all-day Hare Krishna kirtan, one of those will serve you better, and we are glad they exist.
What Mahakatha Radio offers instead is calm, steady chanting with Krishna woven through the day: you may hear the maha mantra, then a Shiva stotram, then the Krishna Gayatri. Everyone listening hears the same moment, like any radio, and you cannot pick a track.
Which Krishna recordings play
The 28 Krishna recordings in rotation include:
- The maha mantra and kirtans: Hare Krishna Hare Rama, Govinda Damodara Bhajan, Nandagopal Nanda Mukunda Kirtan, Radhe Radhe Govinda Kirtan and Laddoo Gopal Bhajan
- Hymns and ashtakams: Madhurashtakam, Krishna Ashtakam, Balamukundashtakam and Sri Krishna Sharana Ashtakam
- Names of Krishna: the 108 Names of Shri Krishna, the 24 Names of Krishna and the 3 Powerful Names of Krishna Chant
- Short mantras for japa: the Krishna Gayatri, the Krishna Beeja Mantra, Krishna Sharanam Mamah and the Krishnaya Vasudevaya Mantra
- From the Bhagavad Gita: Yadaa Yadaa Hi Dharmasya and the Bhagavad Gita Meditation Mantra
- Gentle chants such as Muralidhara's Divine Flute Bhajan and the Radha Krishna Mantra
Each one has its own page with full lyrics and meaning on Mahakatha, our sister site.
The Hare Krishna maha mantra
Hare Krishna Hare Rama
हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे। हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे॥ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare
"Let me immerse myself in the joy that is Krishna, and the joy that is Rama." Traditionally chanted for spiritual joy and devotion. Listen on Mahakatha.
The maha mantra, or "great mantra", has sixteen names and thirty-two syllables, built from just three words:
- Hare is a call to the divine. In the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition it is understood as calling on Hara, Krishna's own divine energy, often identified with Radha.
- Krishna means "the dark one", and is lovingly explained as "the all-attractive one".
- Rama means "the one who gives joy".
The mantra appears in the Kali-Santarana Upanishad, where it is praised as the chant for our age, there with the Rama half first. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spread it through Bengal and Odisha in the sixteenth century, singing it in the streets, and in the twentieth century A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who founded ISKCON, carried it around the world. It is chanted two ways: softly on a japa mala, often in rounds of 108, and sung together in kirtan.
More Krishna mantras you may hear
Govinda Damodara
गोविन्द दामोदर माधवेति हरी गोविन्द दामोदर माधवेति Govinda Damodara Madhaveti, Hari Govinda Damodara Madhaveti
"O divine cowherd, O one whose belly was bound with a rope, O one as sweet as honey." Three loving names of the child Krishna, sung as a bhajan. Traditionally chanted for warmth, love and innocence. Listen on Mahakatha.
Krishna Sharanam Mamah
ॐ श्री कृष्ण शरणम् मम: Om Shri Krishna Sharanam Mamah
"I take refuge in Lord Krishna." A short mantra of surrender, easy to keep on the lips through the day. Traditionally chanted for overcoming weakness and finding one's way. Listen on Mahakatha.
Nandagopal Nanda Mukunda Kirtan
नन्द गोपाल नन्द गोपाल नन्द मुकुन्द श्याम गोपाल राधा माधव राधे गोपाल नन्द गोपाल नन्द गोपाल Nanda Gopal Nanda Gopal, Nanda Mukunda Shyama Gopal, Radha Madhava Radhey Gopal, Nanda Gopal Nanda Gopal
"O dear son of Nanda, O dark-skinned cowherd who sets us free, O love and joy of Radha." A simple call-and-response kirtan. Traditionally chanted for joy and kindness. Listen on Mahakatha.
Krishna Gayatri Mantra
ॐ देवकी नन्दनाय विद्महे वसुदेवाय धीमहि तन्नो कृष्ण प्रचोदयात् Om Devaki Nandanaya Vidmahe, Vasudevaya Dhimahi, Tanno Krishna Prachodayat
"O son of Devaki, O son of Vasudeva, I meditate on you: Krishna, light up my mind." Traditionally chanted for renewal and joy. Listen on Mahakatha.
How to listen and chant along
- Keep it on softly during morning puja, while cooking, or while you work. Krishna mantras will come and go through the day.
- When the maha mantra plays, chant with it. Sing aloud as in kirtan, or whisper it on a mala, one bead for each full mantra. A round is 108 beads; see how to use a japa mala.
- When other mantras play, you can keep repeating "Hare Krishna" softly in the mind, or simply listen.
For Krishna's birthday, see the Janmashtami mantras guide, with a simple midnight puja. In 2027, Janmashtami falls on Wednesday 25 August. Dates are for New Delhi; tithi timings shift slightly by city.
Prayer Requests at 7 am and 7 pm
Every day at 7:00 am and 7:00 pm India time, the station reads listeners' prayers aloud, each followed by a mantra chosen for that person. You can offer a prayer for someone you love from ₹251 or $7, or add one to the prayer wall for free.
Questions people ask
Is there a Hare Krishna radio station online?
Yes, several. ISKCON temples and Hare Krishna centres run their own kirtan streams. Mahakatha Radio is different: a free, 24-hour mantra station where the Hare Krishna maha mantra and about 27 other Krishna recordings play alongside mantras for other deities.
Is Mahakatha Radio an ISKCON station?
No. It is run by Mahakatha and is not connected to ISKCON or any temple. It plays the maha mantra with respect for the tradition that carried it around the world.
Does Mahakatha Radio play only Krishna mantras?
No. Krishna is one of its larger parts, with about 28 recordings, but the station also plays Shiva, Devi, Ganesha, Om, Rama and many other mantras. You cannot choose which one plays.
What is the meaning of the Hare Krishna maha mantra?
It is a call to the divine through three names: Hare, Krishna and Rama. Mahakatha translates it as "Let me immerse myself in the joy that is Krishna, and the joy that is Rama."
How many times should I chant Hare Krishna?
Many devotees chant it on a 108-bead mala, and a common daily practice in the ISKCON tradition is sixteen rounds. If you are starting out, one round a day, or simply chanting along when it plays, is a good beginning.
Is this Krishna radio free to listen to?
Mahakatha Radio is free, with no ads, no subscription and no app to install. It plays in any browser on your phone or computer.