The mantra is simple enough: hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare. The disciples in muted saffron urge you to repeat this mantra 108 every day. 100 crore times collectively if you are serious about world peace.

The idea is this: When thousands of people come together to focus on something, their collective energy will send out powerful positive vibrations that will impact the world. According to the ancient vedas, all cosmic time is divided into yugas or ages, with different and specific processes prescribed to achieve the supreme liberation (which is the ultimate goal of human life) in each yuga.

So in satyuga, dhyana yoga (meditation) was the prescribed sacrifice, while in tetrayuga, yagna (fire sacrifice) was the mode advised. In dwaparayuga, which was when Krishna appeared on earth, the process of liberation took the form of archana-vidhi or deity worship.

They say we are now in kaliyuga and that this era began nearly 5000 years ago. It is an age of turbulence and mistrust. Vedic literature prescribes chanting of the holy name of Krishna to restore sanity to the world. The shata koti nama japa yagna (the sacrifice of chanting the holy name 100 crore times) for world peace and harmony started on January 1, 2000 and is expected to conclude sometime in April or May.

While the whole world ushered in the new year to the sound of firecrackers, at ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) the Julian Calendar Year 2000 started with the chanting of the name of Lord Krishna. Nothing unusual, except that this time it is with a very specific purpose: to collectively chant the holy name one hundred crore (one billion) times, in order to restore peace and sanity to the world in these turbulent times.

Devotees queued up in large numbers inside the open gate that lead up to the main prayer hall. Spread over 7 acres on the Hare Krishna Hill at Rajajinagar, this branch of ISKCON is aesthetically laid out to soothe ruftfled city nerves. Just walking up the step fills one with a sense of peace (even if you're the sort who's undecided about your religious inclinations). Could be sound vibrations from the non-stop echoing of the mantra.