Jayadvaita Swami

"Śrīla Prabhupāda's Kīrtana Standards," installment 5   Guidelines from His Holiness Bhakti Chāru Swami In a course on Vaiṣṇava Etiquette, Bhakti Chāru Swami has given the following guidelines.((Vaiṣṇava Etiquette, chapter 15, "Kīrtana Etiquette." https://www.vaishnavaetiquette.com/kirtana-etiquette/)) Here and there in this book I will discuss most of these points, with references from Śrīla Prabhupāda, but I want to include them now all together. 1. Kīrtana means glorification of Śrī Hari by means of singing. (When only one devotee sings, it is … [Read more...] about Kīrtana sadācara (the etiquette of kīrtana)

"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 … [Read more...] about Kirtana standards and purity of consciousness

"Srila Prabhupada's Kirtana Standards," installment 3: Introduction (part 2--concluded) My use of evidence What right do I have to claim “These are the standards”? In titling this book Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards, I might seem cheeky, presumptuous. Who am I to claim to set forth Śrīla Prabhupāda’s standards? Good question. What I have tried to do here is convey instructions received from Śrīla Prabhupāda himself. These generally take two forms. First we have direct statements set down by Śrīla Prabhupāda in his books or letters or preserved through recordings of his … [Read more...] about Kīrtana: Sorting through the evidence

"Srila Prabhupada's Kirtana Standards," installment 2: Introduction (part 1) Background When I first came to ISKCON, in 1968, kīrtana was simple. We chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa in easy-to-follow tunes with karatālas and mṛdaṅgas, with the emphasis on hearing and chanting the holy name. Over time, devotees became more expert in playing the instruments. But we basically followed the simple pattern of kīrtana we had learned from Śrīla Prabhupāda. Kīrtana now has become quite different—and not always better. Innovations have appeared. Some trends and fashions have turned into norms. And over … [Read more...] about Kirtana standards: Lost over time?