“Srila Prabhupada’s Kirtana Standards” (Draft Preface)

Installment 1: Preface

etan nirvidyamānānām
icchatām akuto-bhayam
yogināṁ nṛpa nirṇītaṁ
harer nāmānukīrtanam

“O King, constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord after the ways of the great authorities is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all, including those who are free from all material desires, those who are desirous of all material enjoyment, and also those who are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental knowledge.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.11)

This is a book about anukīrtanam—chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa by following “the ways of great authorities,” and specifically by following His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, the great authority who introduced the chanting of Kṛṣṇa’s holy name throughout the world. We may be full of material desires, free from material desires, or self-satisfied in spiritual realization. But surely by following the way shown by Śrīla Prabhupāda in chanting of Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, we can attain all success.

The rules and the essence

As you will find throughout this book, Śrīla Prabhupāda set standards for us to follow in chanting the holy name of the Lord. Lord Caitanya had taught, smarane na kālaḥ, which Śrīla Prabhupāda translates by saying “there are no hard-and-fast rules” for chanting Kṛṣṇa’s holy name. Then how could Śrīla Prabhupāda have given standards—that is, rules?

Explaining Lord Caitanya’s verse, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī says:

khāite śuite yathā tathā nāma laya
kāla-deśa-niyama nāhi, sarva siddhi haya

“Regardless of time or place, one who chants the holy name, even while eating or sleeping, attains all perfection.” (Caitanya-caritāmta, Antya 20.18) For traditional Vedic sacrifices one must pay precise attention to the details of time and place. If the details are even slightly off, the whole sacrifice may be spoiled. But for the saṅkīrtana-yajña, the chanting of Kṛṣṇa’s holy names, rules for time and place don’t matter.

Yet there are ways to chant and ways not to chant, and Śrīla Prabhupāda taught us accordingly.

Because Śrīla Prabhupāda did give us standards and because those standards matter, this book, of necessity, is full of do’s and don’ts. And yet there was more to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings about kīrtana than a mere list of rules. He taught us to chant with feeling—with devotion and love. He taught us to chant with humility. He taught us to chant with life, with enthusiasm. He taught us to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and be happy—and to spread this way of happiness to others. Following these teachings is also part of anukīrtanam, chanting by following.

So we don’t want to live only by rules and miss the essence. Śrīla Prabhupāda taught us that there is no difference between Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Kṛṣṇa’s holy name (abhinnatvān nāma nāminoḥ).¹ This is not something one realizes merely by following rules. One needs to enter deeply into the service of the holy name.²

One gets a taste for the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa by contact with pure devotees who already have such a taste. When Śrīla Prabhupāda came from Vrindaban to New York City with a pair of karatālas and began chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, his chanting spread its influence, and now devotees chant Hare Kṛṣṇa all over the world, and they too inspire others. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam.

The rules and individuality

Śrīla Prabhupāda taught and inspired in various ways. Sometimes he was soft, at other times stern. Sometimes he would accept and encourage whatever way devotees chose to chant, and sometimes when something about the way we chanted veered “off” he would bring even a roaring kīrtana to a dead stop and correct us.

We might usefully compare Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings about kīrtana to his teachings about Deity worship. In Deity worship, too, he taught us to serve with devotion, with love, with enthusiasm, with inspiration. And yet he taught us to strictly follow the regulative principles and not concoct or invent.³ Both are needed—the devotion and the regulative standards. So too in kīrtana.

Cooking for Kṛṣṇa comes to mind as another example. What Śrīla Prabhupāda most commended were the traditional items, cooked with devotion and expertise.

Whether in Deity worship or in cooking or in kīrtana, by serving with devotion within the regulative standards one can perfectly express one’s individuality. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s favorite kīrtana leaders—Vishnujana Swami, Baradraj, Hamsaduta, Yamuna, Madhudvisa, and others—all chanted the same Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, yet each in their own way.

Can you do that? For sure.

Taking teachings to heart

I hope that readers of this book will give pleasure to Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa’s devotees, and find pleasure themselves and attract others, through anukīrtanam. We might also hope that the leaders of ISKCON temples and congregational groups will take care to teach Śrīla Prabhupāda’s standards for kīrtana to new devotees (and devotees not so new), especially in flagship temples like those in Vrindaban and Mayapur. And yet we don’t want to smother kīrtana with rules until there’s no life left. The example of pure and enlivened kīrtana leaders who know Śrīla Prabhupāda’s standards and take pleasure in following them will help us most.

Śrīla Prabhupāda had hardly more than ten years in which to teach us to “get it right.” He served as the ācārya—the teacher and exemplar. And the founder-ācārya, the one to establish what should be what. For this he sometimes gave differing instructions to various devotees at different times and places. Yet for the most part his instructions were steady and consistent. He said the same things again and again.

We may notice, however, that Śrīla Prabhupāda seemed more liberal about the standards for kīrtanas held in public than for kīrtanas performed in temples. He allowed adjustments “according to the time and circumstances.”⁴ Though “time and circumstances” was not a ticket for “anything goes,” he did give more latitude. Devotees can study Śrīla Prabhupāda’s differing instructions about this and carefully consider how to apply them.

I might wish for this book to capture all of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s moods and nuances. Or convey in fullness the subtlety and depth of his personal dealings. Or hurl you into his personal presence to be melted by his affection or withered by his reprimands. It can’t do that. But it goes as far as I can bring it. And it depends on you—with the help of those you trust to guide your spiritual life—to hear about and care about Śrīla Prabhupāda’s guidance and instructions, grasp their essence, and take his teachings to heart, for your own benefit and for the sake of others, now and in generations to come.

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!