Does the Hare in the maha-mantra refer to Hari or to Radharani?

Does the mantra Hare Krishna or Hare Ram does the Hare in the Mahamantra refer to Lord Hari or to Radha Rani? Answer, it can refer to both. If we look at the mantra Ram Krishna Hare that is chanted by the Varkaris in Maharashtra there they are referring to, although the seeds are the same Ram Krishna and Hare or Hara, there they are clearly referring to Lord Hari which is the reference to Lord Vishnu in one of his names. Now within the Vedic tradition quite often when the Hare Krishna Mahamantra is chanted it is chanted with the meaning that Hare refers to Hari.

From the etymological point of view both are correct. So if this full mantra is considered to be a reference to this one Supreme Lord then Hare is just a changed form of Hari. So Bhaktisiddhanta Sri Thakur wrote a series of letters Prabhupada's letters are available in the Veda base.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sri Thakur's letters are available in a compilation called Prabhupade Padyavali. For the disciples of Bhaktisiddhanta Sri Thakur he was known as Prabhupada. So in Prabhupade Padyavali, volume 1, page 57 Bhaktisiddhanta Sri Thakur was asked this question and he clarifies that what is being referred to depends on the mood in which one is chanting.

So if the name Hare, if the names Hare Ram are chanted in a mood of reverential service to the Lord, then the word Ram refers to Dashrath Nandan Ram because he is the Lord who is normally served in the Aishwarya Bhav. On the other hand if the names Hare Ram are chanted in an intimate mood, then where intimate mood means not that one presumes intimacy but one desires intimacy, that one desires to have an intimate relationship with the Lord as the ultimate goal of life. One has understood that as the Sadhya.

Then at that time one is referring in Ram to Gopiraman or Adhikaraman Ram. So word Ram basically means Ramate Ramayate Itiram. One who delights and one who gives delight.

Ramate and Ramayate. That person is called as Ram. So this can refer to both Lord Ramachandra or it can refer to Lord Krishna because he gives delight to the Gopis and he gives delight to everyone.

So specifically there is a direct connection in terms of name to Gopikaraman Gopiraman or Adhikaraman those names are there for Krishna. So when this name is chanted in the mood of intimate service and worship, then the Hara becomes a vocative and it becomes the Hare. Hare basically becomes a vocative and it refers to Hara that is Srimati Radharani.

So Hara becomes Hare in the vocative form and then the Hare Krishna Hare Rama is referring to not just a single divine being but to the divine couple. So if somebody is chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra with the mood that they are referring to Hare also as Hari we don't have to consider that to be wrong. We have to understand that the mood is different and because the names of the Supreme Lord are being chanted that is completely bona fide and that is purifying and that is liberating.

At the same time because we are connected with the Gaudiya Vishnu tradition and by the grace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu we have been told about the worship of Radha Krishna in the conjugal mood. So we would like to focus on that. That's why when we chant the mantra we focus on it as Hare Krishna referring to Radharani and Krishna and Hare Ram also referring to Radharani and Krishna with Ram being Radhikarman Ram.

So the meanings can be both depending on the mood and we shouldn't impose our mood on others but at the same time we should cherish the mood that we have got from our Sampradaya.