The Hare Krishna mantra is composed of Sanskrit names in the

singular vocative case: Hare, Krishna, and Rama (in Anglicized

spelling). It is a poetic stanza in anuṣṭubh meter (A quatrain of four lines
(pāda) of eight syllables with certain syllable lengths for some of the
syllables).

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa

Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma
Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Sanskrit is a polysemic language and as such, this mantra has multiple
interpretations all of which may be considered as correct. "Hare" can be
interpreted as either the vocative form of Hari, another name
of Vishnu meaning "he who removes illusion". Another interpretation is as
the vocative of Harā,[5] a name of Rādhā,[6] Krishna's eternal consort or
His energy (Krishna's Shakti). According to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada, Harā refers to "the energy/shakti of Supreme Personality of
Godhead" while Krishna and Rama refer to Supreme Godhead Himself, meaning
"He who is All-Attractive" and "He who is the Source of All Pleasure".[7][8] In
the hymn Vishnu Sahasranama spoken by Bhishma in praise of Krishna after
the Kurukshetra War, Krishna is also called Rama.[9]
It is sometimes believed that "Rama" in "Hare Rama" means "Radharamana" or the
beloved of Radha (another name for Kṛṣṇa). The more common interpretation is
that Rāma refers to Rama of the Ramayana, an earlier avatar of Krishna.
"Rama can also be a shortened form of Balarama, Krishna's first
expansion."[10] The mantra is repeated, either sung out loud (bhajan),
congregationally (kirtan) or to oneself aloud or mentally (japa). A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami describes the process of chanting the Maha Mantra as
follows:
Krishna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind;
this consciousness is the original energy of the living entity.
When we hear the transcendental vibration, this consciousness is
revived ...[]... This chanting of 'Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare
Hare' is directly enacted from the spiritual platform, and thus
this sound vibration surpasses all lower strata of consciousness
– namely sensual, mental, and intellectual ...[]... As such
anyone can take part in the chanting without any previous
qualification.[11]

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The mantra is first attested in the Kali-Saṇṭāraṇa Upaniṣad (Kali
Santarana Upanishads), a Vaishnava Upanishad associated with the Krishna
Yajurveda. In this Upanishad, Narada is instructed by Brahma (in the
translation of K. N. Aiyar):
Hearken to that which all Shrutis (the Vedas) keep secret and
hidden, through which one may cross the Saṃsāra (mundane
existence) of Kali. He shakes off (the evil effects of) Kali
through the mere uttering of the name of Lord Narayana, who is
the primeval Purusha.
Narada asks to be told this name of Narayana, and Brahma replies:
Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna,
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare; These sixteen names are destructive
of the evil effects of Kali. [12] No better means than this
is to be seen in all the Vedas.
The mantra was popularized by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu roughly around 1500 C.E.
when he began his mission to spread this mantra publicly to "every town and
village" in the world, travelling throughout India, and especially within the
areas of Bengal and Odisha.[13] Some versions of the Kali Santarana
Upanishad give the mantra with Hare Rama preceding Hare Krishna(as quoted
above), and others with Hare Krishna preceding Hare Rama, as in Navadvipa
version of the manuscript. The latter format is by far the more common within
the Vaishnava traditions.[14] It is a common belief that the mantra is equally
potent when spoken in either order.[15]
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a devotee of Krishna in disciplic
succession, on the order of his guru, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, brought
the teachings of Sri Chaitanya from Bharat (India) and single-handedly took
the responsibility of spreading them around the Western world. Beginning in
New York City 1965, he encircled the globe fourteen times in the final eleven
years of his life, thus making 'Hare Krishna' a well-known phrase in many parts
of the world.[16]