Verse 1
द्वापरान्ते नारदो ब्रह्माणं जगाम कथं भगवन् गां पर्यटन्कलिं संतरेयमिति। स होवाच ब्रह्मा साधु पृष्टोऽस्मि सर्वश्रुतिरहस्यं गोप्यं तच्छृणु येन कलिसंसारं तरिष्यसि। भगवत आदिपुरुषस्य नारायणस्य नामोच्चारणमात्रेण निर्धूतकलिर्भवति ।।
dvāparānte nārado brahmāṇaṃ jagāma kathaṃ bhagavan gāṃ paryaṭankaliṃ saṃtareyamiti। sa hovāca brahmā sādhu pṛṣṭo'smi sarvaśrutirahasyaṃ gopyaṃ tacchṛṇu yena kalisaṃsāraṃ tariṣyasi। bhagavata ādipuruṣasya nārāyaṇasya nāmoccāraṇamātreṇa nirdhūtakalirbhavati ।।
At the end of Dvapara Yuga, Nārada went to Brahmā, asking, "O Lord, how may I, wandering over the earth, overcome the Kali [Yuga]?" Brahmā said to him, "You have asked well. Listen to that secret, which is the mystery of all the Śrutis (Vedas) and is to be kept hidden, by which you will cross over the worldly existence of Kali. Merely by the utterance of the name of the Divine Primeval Being Nārāyaṇa, one becomes cleansed of Kali's influence."
Verse 2
नारदः पुनः पप्रच्छ तन्नाम किमिति । स होवाच हिरण्यगर्भः। हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे। हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे। इति षोडशकं नाम्नां कलिकल्मषनाशनम्। नातः परतरोपायः सर्ववेदेषु दृश्यते । इति षोडशकलावृतस्य जीवस्यावरणविनाशनम् । ततः प्रकाशते परं ब्रह्म मेघापाये रविरश्मिमण्डलीवेति ।।
nāradaḥ punaḥ papraccha tannāma kimiti । sa hovāca hiraṇyagarbhaḥ। hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare। hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare। iti ṣoḍaśakaṃ nāmnāṃ kalikalmaṣanāśanam। nātaḥ parataropāyaḥ sarvavedeṣu dṛśyate । iti ṣoḍaśakalāvṛtasya jīvasyāvaraṇavināśanam । tataḥ prakāśate paraṃ brahma meghāpāye raviraśmimaṇḍalīveti ।।
Nārada again asked, "What is that name?" Hiraṇyagarbha replied: "Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare." Thus, this sixteen-named (mantra) destroys the evils of Kali. No greater means than this is seen in all the Vedas. This (mantra) destroys the covering of the Jīva (individual soul), which is enveloped by the sixteen kalās (parts/phases). Then shines the Supreme Brahman, just as a cluster of sunbeams shines upon the dispersal of clouds.
Verse 3
पुनर्नारदः पप्रच्छ भगवन्कोऽस्य विधिरिति । तं होवाच नास्य विधिरिति । सर्वदा। शुचिरशुचिर्वा पठन्ब्राह्मण: सलोकतां समीपतां सरूपतां सायुज्यतामेति । यदास्य षोडशीकस्य सार्धत्रिकोटीर्जपति तदा ब्रह्महत्यां तरति। तरति वीरहत्याम्। स्वर्णस्तेयात्पूतो भवति । पितृदेवमनुष्याणामपकारात्पूतो भवति । सर्वधर्मपरित्यागपापात्सद्यः शुचितामाप्नुयात् सद्यो| मुच्यते सद्यो मुच्यत इत्युपनिषत् ।।
punarnāradaḥ papraccha bhagavanko'sya vidhiriti । taṃ hovāca nāsya vidhiriti । sarvadā। śuciraśucirvā paṭhanbrāhmaṇa: salokatāṃ samīpatāṃ sarūpatāṃ sāyujyatāmeti । yadāsya ṣoḍaśīkasya sārdhatrikoṭīrjapati tadā brahmahatyāṃ tarati। tarati vīrahatyām। svarṇasteyātpūto bhavati । pitṛdevamanuṣyāṇāmapakārātpūto bhavati । sarvadharmaparityāgapāpātsadyaḥ śucitāmāpnuyāt sadyo| mucyate sadyo mucyata ityupaniṣat ।।
Again Narada asked, "Lord, what is the prescribed method for this?" He (the Lord) told him, "There is no (specific) method for this. Always, whether pure or impure, a Brahmana who recites (this mantra) attains dwelling in the same world (as the deity), proximity (to the deity), similarity of form (to the deity), and union (with the deity). When one recites this sixteen-lettered (mantra) three and a half crores (35 million) of times, then one overcomes the sin of Brahman-slaughter. One overcomes the sin of hero-slaughter. One becomes purified from the theft of gold. One becomes purified from offenses against ancestors, gods, and humans. From the sin of abandoning all duties, one immediately attains purity, is immediately liberated, is immediately liberated—thus (declares) the Upanishad.