Sacred music
Kirtan: devotional call-and-response chanting of the names of Krishna.
What is kirtan?Hare Krishna!
Our story
Rooted in bhakti, at home in Syracuse.
Mantra Central is a Krishna-conscious community in Syracuse, New York. We come together for sacred music, spiritual learning, shared food, and service, in a devotional tradition with deep roots in India.
Who we are
A place to encounter bhakti
Mantra Central is a Syracuse community where people can encounter bhakti, the path of loving devotion to Krishna, through sacred sound, spiritual learning, shared food, and service.
You might come for the music, with a question, or for the meal and the company. Whatever brings you, you are welcome to explore at your own pace, whether the tradition is new to you or you have practiced it for years.
At the center of it all is Krishna. The chanting, the study, the cooking, and the care for guests are all offered to Him.
Community life
What we do together
Each gathering has its own format, described on its own page. Taken together, community life brings in some or all of the following.
Spiritual learning
Conversations and study drawing on the Bhagavad-gita and the wider bhakti tradition.
Wisdom for everyday lifeShared food
Prasadam: food offered to Krishna and then shared, as devotion and hospitality.
About prasadamService
Seva: practical service, such as cooking or welcoming guests, offered as devotion.
What is seva?
Spiritual roots
Part of a living tradition
Mantra Central’s own story is local. The tradition it belongs to is far older and reaches around the world.
The wider tradition
Gaudiya Vaishnavism
A tradition of devotion
A tradition of bhakti centered on Krishna, associated with Bengal, in eastern India.
1486–1534
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
He taught and spread the congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. The tradition reveres him as Krishna appearing as His own devotee.
1966
ISKCON
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, founded in New York by Srila Prabhupada, carried this chanting and teaching around the world.
Here in Syracuse
Mantra Central
A local Krishna-conscious community in that tradition, with its own story and its own people.
The dates above belong to the worldwide tradition, not to Mantra Central’s own history.
Founder-Acharya of ISKCON
Srila Prabhupada
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Srila Prabhupada brought the chanting of Hare Krishna and the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita from India to the West. He is the Founder-Acharya, the founding spiritual teacher, of ISKCON, and Mantra Central is a local community in the tradition he shared.
His life in brief
- 1896
- Born in Calcutta, India.
- 1922
- Met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who asked him to share Krishna consciousness in English.
- 1965
- At the age of 69, traveled to New York on a cargo ship.
- 1966
- Founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in New York.
- Books
- Translated and wrote commentaries on the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
- 1977
- Passed away in Vrindavan, India.
The people
Who will welcome you
Mantra Central is looked after by members of its own community. When you visit, let whoever greets you know it is your first time, and they can help you find your way.
Ask a question before you comeCome and meet us
The best way to know a community is to spend a little time with it. Read what to expect on a first visit, choose a gathering, or ask us a question before you come.