A brahmacari, a man who dedicates his whole life to a study of the Veda, burns the dupa, filling the room with the sweet scent of the incense. As he continues the rite by strewing flowers on the altar of the gods Krishna and Balaram, another brachmacari right behind him, chants the mantra, repeatedly saying the sacred words Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna.

That is a part of manggala ratri, one of the seven rites performed by devotees at an ashram i