“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 4
There are standards
It’s our premise here that Śrīla Prabhupāda did give us standards to follow in kīrtana. It’s not that we have to do everything precisely as in the 1960’s and 70’s. But it’s not that “anything goes.”
There are standards, there are instructions, and we should know them.
Here’s a quotation from one of my favorite kīrtana leaders, Kripamoya Dāsa from the United Kingdom:
This generation has to be very careful because whatever we set down as a standard is being copied at the moment and we’ll see the repercussions of that in three, six, ten years time. And after we’re all gone, that will be the style in ISKCON.
One thing that constantly surprises me is that Prabhupāda did manage, over those twelve years that he was with us, to keep kīrtana pretty much the same. I never heard Prabhupāda do even “Nitai-Gaura Haribol.”
It’s very important to get it right now. Because although we might not think that we are sufficient parts of the paramparā, whatever we do now is multiplied by the next generation, which will be then multiplied by the generation after that.
So: purity in consciousness, purity in philosophy, theology—but also purity in musical expression, choice of instruments. Purity—and faithfulness to what Prabhupāda has given us is equally important because that will go on for generations and if we make a mistake now it will be difficult to correct. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Purity of consciousness
Kripamoya Prabhu speaks of “purity of consciousness.” In Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how a devotee in pure consciousness chants Lord Kṛṣṇa’s holy names:
A bona fide spiritual master chants the holy names Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, and the transcendental sound vibration enters the ear of the disciple, and if the disciple follows in the footsteps of his spiritual master and chants the holy name with equal respect, this chanting constitutes worship of the transcendental name. When the transcendental name is worshiped by the devotee, the name Himself spreads His glories within the heart of a devotee. When a devotee is perfectly qualified in chanting the transcendental vibration of the holy name, he is quite fit to become a spiritual master and to deliver all the people of the world.1
Our process works by purity, by paramparā.
A classic guide to writing says, “Writing improves in direct ratio to the number of things we can keep out of it that shouldn’t be there.”2 One might say the same thing about kīrtana. After all, what is purity? It’s having nothing there that shouldn’t be there. Water is pure when there’s nothing in it but water, gold when nothing in it but gold. Similarly, kīrtana is pure when there’s nothing extra in it—no tricks, no gimmicks, no inventions or concoctions, nothing picked up from the street, no displays of false ego, only the pure holy name of the Lord, as received through the line of pure devotees.
It’s the holy name that makes kīrtana relishable. That’s where the potency is. That’s where the enlightenment is, and the ecstasy. That’s where everything is. It all comes from the holy name. And if we can just leave other things aside, serve the holy name purely, and let the holy name manifest his magnanimity and attractiveness, the kīrtana movement will spread all over the world.
This is an installment of a draft for an upcoming book.
I especially welcome comments—suggestions, criticisms, questions, whatever.
Among other things: If you were personally present with Srila Prabhupada and received or heard instructions from him about kirtana, or were present at an instructive incident, I’m all ears.
I’m also particularly interested in hearing from “second generation” devotees (or third generation)—those born into the Hare Krishna movement or who joined after Srila Prabhupada’s departure. Again, I’m all ears.
Especially welcome: Thoughts or evidence that runs contrary to what’s in the draft or that adds a different perspective or nuance.
The draft has not yet been reviewed for spelling, italics, diacritic marks, and so on. I’ll handle that later. The same goes for formatting—headlines, subheads, and the like. For now, what matters is the content.
You can reach me by the contact form on this site. Or if you have my contact details, feel free to call me, message me, or send me an email.
Thank you very much. And happy chanting!
Notes
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