Articles about the Krishna Culture and Tradition

“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 27 Apart from kīrtana, devotees may sing bhajanas, or songs of devotion to the Lord, as Śrīla Prabhupāda did and encouraged. As Śrīla Prabhupāda said on a morning walk, “What is sung by mahājana—Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura—that can be sung.”1 Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote: Songs composed by the ācāryas are not ordinary songs. When chanted by pure Vaiṣṇavas who follow the rules and regulations of Vaiṣṇava character, they are actually effective in awakening the Kṛṣṇa consciousness dormant in every living entity.2 The … [Read more...] about Bhajanas may be chanted

“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 26 In a letter to Mukunda Dāsa (later Mukunda Goswāmī), June 6, 1967, Śrīla Prabhupāda appreciated a recording by his early disciples in San Francisco of Śrī rāma jaya rāma jaya jaya rāma and other kīrtanas (and a song by Hayagrīva Dāsa about “Nārada Muni, eternal spaceman”). And again in San Francisco, at the end of a lecture on September 10, 1968 (the Sunday before Rāma-vijayotsava), Śrīla Prabhupāda had his devotees chant in kīrtana Śrī rāma jaya rāma jaya jaya rāma. Yet as mentioned earlier, Hayagrīva writes that on … [Read more...] about On the margin – Rāma mantras

“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 25 From Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta we understand that during the Rathayātrā festival Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wandered from one kīrtana group to another, chanting “Jaya Jagannātha!”1 and all the other devotees were chanting “Jaya Jagannātha!” as well.2 Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta says that at the San Francisco Rathayātrā Śrīla Prabhupāda told devotees to switch the chanting from Hare Kṛṣṇa to Jaya Jagannātha.3 On November 17, 1975, on a walk on Juhu Beach, Lokanāth Swami asked Śrīla Prabhupāda about the chanting of “Jaya Jagannātha!” … [Read more...] about Jaya Jagannātha!

“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 24 Śrīla Prabhupāda told us we should chant the full Pañca-tattva mantra—śrī kṛṣṇa caitanya prabhu nityānanda śri advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. To this he gave emphasis again and again. Nonetheless. . . Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura (in 1885) wrote of the day when devotees from abroad would join with the Bengali devotees and chant “Jaya Śacīnandana.” When Śrīla Prabhupāda visited the ISKCON temple in Baltimore, where the main Deities were Gaura-Nitāi, Śrīla Prabhupāda said: So this benediction is offered … [Read more...] about Jaya Śacīnandana, Nitāi Gaurāṅga, and Prabhu Nityānanda

“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 23 From the earliest days of ISKCON, Śrīla Prabhupāda chanted: govinda jaya jaya, gopāla jaya jayarādhā-ramaṇa hari, govinda jaya jaya In San Francisco in 1967, Śrīla Prabhupāda taught Mukunda Mahārāja this chant.1 Sometimes Śrīla Prabhupāda would lead chanting of “Govinda jaya jaya” after giving class or would have the devotees chant it.2 In 1968 Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote to one new devotee: Please go on chanting “Govinda Jaya Jaya, Govinda [sic] Jaya Jaya, Radha Ramana Hari, Govinda Jaya Jaya”, along with “Har­e … [Read more...] about Govinda Jaya Jaya

“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 22 Looking into some specifics, seemingly not so important, here leads us to important instructions from Śrīla Prabhupāda about broader principles. Let’s see how the journey unfolds. The chanting of “Nitāi Gaura Hari bol” is common in Gauḍīya kīrtana. But Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to keep our focus on the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Śrutakīrti Prabhu writes: March 18, 1973, ISKCON Māyāpur Candrodaya Mandir During ISKCON's first international festival in Māyāpur, many devotees demonstrated how they had become influenced by … [Read more...] about Hari bol, Hari bol / Gaura Nityānanda bol