Proper Kértana

According to the vani of

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda,
his disciples,
and previous äcäryas

Author: Rasänanda däsa Brahmacäré

 Proper Kértana
Saìkértana means proper, complete, perfect kirtana

His Divine Grace

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda

oà ajïäna-timirändhasya/ jïänäïjana-çaläkayä
cakñur unmélitaà yena /tasmai çré-gurave namaù
 Contents
Preface
Introduction
1. There is proper kértan and improper kértan…
Proper kértan is not of this material world
2. The kértans of the acarya and anyone who emulates
him are proper kirtans
3. Prabhupäda wanted his followers to perform kirtan
the way he did
4. “No hard and fast rules for chanting” misunderstood
5. The kirtans of actually advanced devotees should not
be imitated
6. “Traditional Bengali kértan”
7. Entertainment-style kértans are only limitedly useful
8. Kali-yuga is worshipable because perfection is
achievable simply by performing proper Saìkértan
9. Proper, effective kértan, has objective, scientifically
appreciable characteristics
10. Unless there is proper hearing and chanting the
whole process of Krishna consciousness will fail
11. Establishing or reestablishing, proper kirtana.
Appendices

Quotations from the books, letters, lectures and conversation

transcripts of His Divine Grace A.
Prabhupäda and others are from "The
consisting of the InfoBase entitled
Bhaktivedanta Archives.
All rights reserved.
C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase®"
"2003.1" created by the
 Preface
The Sanskrit word kértan means musical glorification of the
Supreme Being by a group. It derives from the root word
kérti, meaning glorious, reputed, famous… or meritorious.
Sanskrit, the script, or the language, is devanagari… of, or
pertaining to, the devas, the demigods… residents of higher
realms. In other words, kértan is not simply a particular
form or style of music of this world, such as jazz, rock, folk,
classical, baroque, hiphop, etcetera… which are all more or
less mundane. As such it cannot be learned simply on the
basis of an individual’s or a group’s musical talents or
aptitudes. It can only be mastered after hearing from a
devotee of the Lord qualified not by musical abilities alone
but by his being free of material desires… including not
only desires for satisfaction of the gross senses but desires
for profit, adoration and merit. (see Srimad Bhagavatam
2.2.12, purport).
We, the author, joined the Krishna consciousness
movement after an intuitive leap in perception that took
place upon seeing and hearing a small group of ISKCON
devotees, disciples and followers of A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada, sitting and chanting on the campus of
McGill University in Montreal. Visiting the temple and
hearing Prabhupada’s kirtans and bhajans playing from
“The Happening” record album and a tape recorder there,
appreciating that what I had heard on the campus was an
accurate replica of the kirtans chanted by the movement’s
founder himself, it was clear that its purpose was to spread
that chanting… philosophy, regulations, dress and so on
being for later consideration. This understanding was, and
essentially remains, the anchor that has kept us, the author,
in the Krishna consciousness movement now, to the time of
this writing, for fifty-five years.
The motto of the Krishna Consciousness movement once
enunciated by its founder, Srila Prabhupada reads
“Preaching is the essence; books are the basis, utility the
principle, purity the force”. Unfortunately the force that
impelled the germination and rapid growth of the
movement in those beginning days has diminished. A fellow
disciple of Srila Prabhupada recently was quoted, on social
media: “The spiritual magic of Srila Prabhupada’s kirtans
was amazing. He would play kartals, sing seriously and
melodiously, accompanied by mrdanga and more kartals,
with devotees singing… back and forth. His style was
nectar, and his early followers loved sitting and dancing in
these kirtans for an hour or more. He taught the “swami
step” (…) always emphasizing the Hare Krishna mantra.
His kirtans were simple, sweet and satisfying to the heart.
But since his departure, kirtans moved farther and farther
away from his standard. It is now hard to find kirtans like
Srila Prabhupada did them. All kinds of innovations,
changes, additions, speculations, and artistic license have
deviated kértans far away from those of 1966 to 1977.”
As second generation members largely replaced older ones
in the Movement, kértans lost the essential potency to
induce transcendental happiness in the hearts of hearers.
Where so-called sankértan continues to be performed in
public places, we see members of the public just walk by,
looking at the ground, the performances no longer having
the potency to attract them spiritually. Unfortunately,
instead of inquiring and taking the opinions of early and
pioneering members of the Movement, temple managers
and kirtan leaders today misguidedly attempt to
compensate for the loss by introducing more and more
invented arrangements in efforts to make the performances
“attractive”: gesturing, dancing in contrived ways –
sometimes having fancily dressed young women in front –
unauthorized instruments (accordions, violins,
synthesizers, Djembis, other kinds of drums), etcetera.
The maha mantra is not one of the ritualistic mantras
prescribed in the Vedas... to be chanted in strict conformity
to the rules of pronunciation, metre and so on. This does
not mean however that the chanting of hare Krishna… can
be in any way, as is widely fancied at present. No. As Proper
Kirtan will make clear, the the injunction is to “chant in the
manner of the predesessor acarya”, as Prabhupada put it
and as is indicated in several places in this small book.
Temple authorities and organizers of congregational kértan
groups must implement and enforce strict policing of the
tunes and style of the chanting going on under their watch.
Prescribing which instruments may be used in kértans is not
enough.
That the Maha mantra is not one of the regular Vedic
mantras does not mean that it’s chanting does not have to
follow some rules. (There was a prolonged drought is the
state of Andhra Pradesh in the early nineties and the
authorities of the Tirupati Tirumala Venkatesh temple were
doing a Varuni yajna to mitigate the distress but the
adjudicator of the performance stopped it because he found
that the mantras were not beng pronounced properly.)
Currently, all over India, the water table is diminishing
because of increased use and insufficient rainfall. In
Telangana (formerly the western part of Andhra) however,
as reported in the local media, in the past ten years the
water table has increased by fifty six percent… For the past
eleven years we, the author and a group of local devotees,
has been conducting rathayatra in northern Hyderabad, the
kirtans being only in tunes given by Prabhupada. During
several of these rathayatras, the weather changed
dramatically… either sunshine after days of cloud, or rain
after long periods of no rain even in the June-July monsoon
season. The devotees and pious people present needed no
prompting to accept that these occurrences were not chance
but the transcendental response to the proper performance
of the yuga dharma.

dante nidhäya tåëakam padayor nipatya

Rasänanda das Brahmacäré
Kesava dasami, Gaurabdha 537 (December 22, 2023),
Hyderabad, India,

Introduction
In India shortly after Prabhupada’s departure, our – the
author’s – modicum of design and building skills that had
been engaged on our first joining the movement were
“rediscovered” by one of the ISKCON India managers and
we were immediately commissioned to build a ratha –
festival chariot – in Madras (now Chennai). That completed
and appreciated by the local leaders, requests from other
temple and ISKCON regional leaders to build rathas in their
respective cities or zones started to come in. Not that we
were so satisfied with all aspects of the Society’s functioning
at the time – significantly including the quality of the
kirtans being performed in public and in the temples – but
considering rathayatra festivals to be perhaps the best
platform for spreading Krishna consciousness, and
designing and building rathas being something I (“we”)
could pursue with minimal anxiety, any reservations about
other issues took a secondary position in our mind.
After completing two or three more rathas and realizing
that the work of preparing the required construction
drawings afresh for each one was unnecessarily great, the
idea of producing a manual for building rathas of various
sizes and styles came to mind. Such a handbook would
necessarily include not only some material on the history
and architecture of rathas but also on the conduct of
rathayatra… including, significantly, the proper
performance of kirtan. We eventually succeeded at the task
of producing such a manual, with the “Notes on the
Conduct of Rathayatra” section including a few words on
the subject of kértan… Years later, we expanded upon these
words in the form of the article “Kértana: are there rules?”
that appeared (in 2016) on several Krishna consciousness
websites. This book, “Proper Kértan” represents the still
further expansion on the subject.
Our plans to research and write about proper kértan (as
opposed new forms, which might be called “pop kértans” –
received encouragement from a few contemporary
godbrothers with whom we were in contact: Sriman
Naranarayan, Sriman Bharadraj, Sriman Janaladha, Sriman
Bhakta das and others… all sharing the unhappiness over
the prevailing deviations from the potent, simple style and
tunes of kértan that Srila Prabhupada performed and
taught… and which were intended by him to remain the
standard for all time to come.
Over fifty years ago, in 1971, we were asked by the ISKCON
Africa GBC to go to the Nairobi to look after the temple’s
maintenance. After a year of two there, we came to India,
where we have been to present. In those days, before the
internet, it was not possible for most of the Society’s
members to keep up with developments in a timely way, so
it was only slowly that we came to understand that the
changes, almost all being deviations from the way kirtans
were performed by Prabhupada, had started early, and that
even some of the sannyasis and senior most members were
involved. It was also before affordable portable tape
recorders and audio cassettes players – what to speak of
digital audio devices – and it seemed to us even in at that
time that many, if not most, of the Society’s younger
members, appeared unaware of the tunes and style of kértan
performed by Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and
meant by him to be practiced by all his followers for all time
to come.
From a philosophical point of view this situation should in
hindsight not be considered surprising in view of the fact
that the world is – in this Kali Age – predominantly
governed by the tamas and rajas, the ignorance and passion
modes of Krishna’s external, material energy. Among the
duties of this personified external energy of the Lord,
Mayadevi, is the presentation of hindrances in the path of
those showing inclination to accept the supremacy of Lord
Krishna and of service to Him as the supreme occupation.
In any case, deviations from the standards of kértan as
personally taught by Srila Prabhupada started as far back as
the early seventies. At present they remain widely in place
throughout the Movement’s various branches. Proper kirtan
continues to be performed in isolated places here and there,
in groups led by early disciples of Srila Prabhupada, but
judging by what we see and hear in our own area, via the
internet, and by what others report after visiting various
centers, at the time of this writing, proper kértan is rarely to
be seen and heard.
It is hoped that Proper kértan, citing Srila Prabhupada’s
teachings and çästras, will help present and future members
understand first of all the distinguishing features of proper
kirtana and the great necessity for it, and that proper kirtan
will before long, again resound everywhere.
For the sake of persons new to the chanting of the Hare
Krishna Maha Mantra, who perhaps heard it only very
briefly through the electronic media or by personally being
present where some kirtan was going on, it should be
mentioned that they can easily access and listen to some of
the kirtans preformed by the Founder-Acarya of the Hare
Krishna movement himself by typing the words
“Prabhupada” and “kirtan” into the search window of their
internet search engine on their computer, smart phone or
other device and listen to and download the transcendental
sound.1 The “Happening Album” was a long-playing record
album, later on an MP3 CD and later still online – of the
chanting as performed by Prabhupada and a few of his
earliest followers in the first public kirtan to be performed
in the west, personally led by Srila Prabhupada in
Thompson Square Park in New York City in 1966.

“No hard and fast rules for chanting”

Repeatedly hearing and reciting Lord Caitanya’s Siksastaka
in the absence of further reading on the subject has
unfortunately resulted in the widespread notion in the
Krishna Consciousness Movement that there are no rules
for the performance of kértan. This idea is however a
complete misconception, based on a failure to recognize
that the word ‘chanting’ can, and does, refer – besides to
kértan – to an individual’s personal call to the Lord in
helplessness… besides to the regulative practice of japa….
The description “No hard and fast rules for chanting” refers
– as will be elaborated upon further on in the book – to a
personal call to the Lord, or to japa… but not, as will be
proven, to kértan.
Çästras enjoin that in Kali-Yuga, saìkértan is the prescribed
dharma: kali-käle näma-rüpe kåñëa-avatära / näma haite
haya sarva-jagat-nistära… “In this Age of Kali, the holy
name of the Lord, the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra, is the
incarnation of Lord Kåñëa”. Chanting of the Lord’s Holy
Names is the best means for self realization and it is the
duty of the mahätmäs to chant the Hare Kåñëa mantra and

1
A few links are listed at the end of the book
try to spread it all over the world to the best of their ability
(SB 10.3.22, purport). By chanting the Name, one associates
directly with the Lord, and is certainly delivered, but just as
an artist depicting the form of the Lord must learn details of
His features from authorized scriptures and His
representatives in disciplic succession, a kértan singer must
first hear the form of His name from authority… from the
äcarya.
The subject of rules for kértan is dealt with further on in
this book, but in general, understanding the defining
characteristics – the laksana – of proper kirtan, is of highest
importance… because, as will be explained, the power to
enact spiritual transformation in the hearts of hearers is
present only in proper kértan.
Though there are good numbers of articles on the subject of
kértan on the internet, in the present author’s opinion, none
of them deal sufficiently with the topic of what constitutes
proper kértan. Those who lack the time or other facilities to
do their own research will therefore benefit by carefully
considering the contents of this book. Also, the phrase
“proper kirtan” is not to be thought of as one invented by
the author to advance some personal thesis of his. It is used
by Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself: “saìkértana-ärambhe
ämära avatära || karäimu sarva-deçe kértana pracära”: “I
have incarnated to inaugurate the saìkértana movement,
and I will preach this process of chanting throughout the
world. Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura says in his
Sri Caitanya Bhagavata Gaudiya Bhasya commentary on this
verse: “Gaurasundara said, “When many persons gather
together and properly chant the names of Kåñëa, I will
certainly appear there. I will preach throughout the world
the glories of chanting the holy names through the process
of kértana.”” (CB Adi, 5.151).
The word “proper” in reference to kértan is also used by
Çréla Sarasvaté Öhäkur in his commentary on Bhaktivinode
Thakur’s Sanmodan Bhasya commentary on Sri
Siksastakam, first verse.
“Proper kértan” aims in part to present authoritative
evidence that there are in fact rules… standards… for
kértan, and to impress on readers that understanding them
is of utmost importance in the matter of spreading Caitanya
Mahaprabhu’s Saìkértan Movement and thereby .
Though we received praise for the perceived thoroughness
of the research that underlay the the present book’s
forerunner (the article entitled “Kirtan: Are there rules?”),
we were not aware of the article “Hari Näma Eva Kevalam –
A Manual for Performing Public Harinäma-saìkértana”, by
Indradumnya Swami and Sri Prahlada das. In that article,
the authors say, (weakly in our opinion): “Despite the
importance of harinäma-saìkértana, since Çréla
Prabhupäda’s physical departure from this world the
quantity and quality of harinäma-saìkértana has greatly
decreased, as observed in an article by GBC Minister for
Communications Mukunda Goswami”. To quote the latter:
“Çréla Prabhupäda gave great emphasis to distributing three
features of Kåñëa’s mercy: his books, the holy name through
harinäma-saìkértana, and prasädam. ISKCON has excelled
admirably throughout the world in book distribution, with
the printing and distribution of millions of books in dozens
of languages. Prasädam distribution has been a pervasive,
ever-increasing phenomenon at Sunday feasts, festivals,
Hare Kåñëa Food for Life programs, restaurants, cooking
classes, congregational and FOLK programs, conferences
and seminars, and in dozens of other preaching arenas.
ISKCON’s daily or weekly harinäma-saìkértana in many
parts of the world, however, has not seemed to keep pace
with our generally constant expansions of book and
prasädam distribution. The number of devotees who
participate in harinäma, and the quality of most of the
parties, need addressing.”2 Similarly, Jayadvaita Swami, in
his 2005 seminar on kirtan standards, does not go far
enough to emphasize that Prabhupada wanted – for all time
– that kirtans be in the tunes and styles in which he
performed them.
“Proper Kértana” addresses the presently prevailing
deficiencies in kértan by unambiguously presenting kértana
standards that have apparently evaded recognition – or been
forgotten – by members of the Movement. (It does not deal
with which songs and prayers are to be sung at the different
äratis throughout the day. That subject is dealt with in an
article “Kirtan Rules” by Harikesa Swami and those wishing
to peruse its contents can find a video by that name on the
internet.) As it relates somewhat to the purposes of this
book however, here are a few words on the subject: All
kértans should begin with the chanting, three times, of the
Guru Pranam mantra (nama oà viñëu-pädäya kåñëa-
preñöhäya bhü-tale çrémate bhaktivedänta-svämin iti nämine
…) followed by the Pancatattva Mahamantra (çré-kåñëa-
caitanya prabhu-nityänanda çré-advaita gadädhara çréväsädi-
gaura-bhakta-vånda, also three times), followed by the
mahämantra. Mangala ärati kirtan consists of these three,
preceded by Sri Guruvastakam. Sandhyä-ärati consists of
the same three preceded by the Gaura aroti song. Gurupuja,
when it was instituted in 1973, consisted of the three
mantras preceded by Çréla Narottama däsa Öhäkura’s Çré-
guru-vandanä: “çré-guru-carana-padma… ”, Chanting of
“jaya gurudev”, “jaya Prahbhupada”, “jaya Nrsimhadeva”,
“jaya Prahlada Maharaj”, “jaya Jagannatha… jaya
Baladeva… jaya Subadra… or “hari bol, hari bol” to
conclude any ärati is a concoction. These are not in fact

2
since the 1970s, book distribution has also diminished
greatly
mantras at all as they are not found as such in çästras. Nor
are they approved by äcärya… and they don’t appear in the
ISKCON song book, published with Srila Prabhupada’s
forward. (Prabhupada once scornfully, mockingly, asked in
connection with one of these unauthorized additions “Who
is this “gurudev”?”) No devotee, no conditional devotee,
can invent a mantra.
The book’s conclusions – supporting by çästras and relevant
statements by äcäryas – previously presented by the author
in various forums have so far been well received by good
numbers of devotee practitioners of bhakti-yoga. When
research uncovered multiple aspects, or instances, of a
point, the author has in some cases presented two, three or
more of them, resulting of course in an increase in the size
of the work… but it was felt that the comparative lack of
discussion in the worldwide community of devotees of the
very important topic of kértan necessitated more than a brief
presentation. As Srila Prabhupada says in Bhagavad Gita As
It Is (2.25, purport), “Repetition of something is necessary
in order that we understand the matter thoroughly, without
error”. We therefore don’t feel that some repetition of a
point or two that readers of the book may detect requires
any apology.
There are different levels of çästra for different levels of
people – the Upanisads for example are meant for the
scholarly and philosophical set of followers of the Vedic
system; the Itihasas (histories such as the Mahabharata and
the Ramayana), and the Puranas, are, on the other hand,
more for the people in general, and all these scriptures
contain various kinds of statements about chanting the holy
names of the Lord. It is hoped that Proper Kértana, in
addition to establishing its main thesis, will also resolve
some uncertainties and reconcile some apparent
contradictions between statements from different sources.
Some may see the book as critical of reputed performers of
kértan in ISKCON, other organizations, or independents.
Certain forms of kirtan and their performers are indeed
rejected, not with intent to dishonor but to bring some of
the truths about proper kirtan to light for the benefit of the
greater assembly of devotees, potential devotees and
perhaps some scholars who read the book. Evidence is
presented and facts about proper as opposed to deviant
kirtans are simply brought to light.
“Proper kirtana” can be seen as an elaboration or
enlargement of an article by the present author: “Kirtana:
Are there rules?” that appeared on issuu.com,
dandavats.com (which later twice republished it on their
own) and other websites in 2016 and was subsequently
picked-up by several other sites popular among devotees.

“Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu belongs to the spiritual

world and His methods for propagating the saìkértana
movement are also imported from the spiritual world.
Çréla Narottama däsa Öhäkura has sung: golokera
prema-dhana, hari-näma-saìkértana, ratig na janmila
kene täya. This states that the saìkértana movement
has nothing to do with this material world. It is
imported from the spiritual world, Goloka Våndävana.
Narottama däsa Öhäkura laments that mundane
people do not take this saìkértana movement
seriously. Considering the position of devotional
service and the saìkértana movement, Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu deemed the system of varëäçrama-
dharma to be material, although it aims at elevation to
the spiritual platform. However, the saìkértana
movement can raise one immediately to the spiritual
platform. (Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya Lélä 8.60)
 “How any spiritual activity should be done is
understood from three sources: saintly persons,
standard scriptures and the spiritual master”.
(Srimad Bhagavatam, 3.28.4, purport)

The absolute necessity of saìkértan

The purpose of human life is self-realization – beginning
with acceptance of the fact that there exists an aspect of
reality – in fact a greater aspect than the material aspect of
which we are more or less conscious – of which we for the
most part are at present unaware. Everyone is born and may
pass their whole life without either theoretical or
experienced knowledge of what lies beyond the human
frame’s limited sensory experience. The first step in
progressing from that position may be the negative
realization… that this world is not our proper home… that
our present material existence is not our constitutional
state. We cannot control our destiny simply by desiring a
better material situation. If we could, we would not have
any fear or apprehension about disease, old age and death
but the fact is that most people fear these things. The great
majority of people in to-day’s world don’t genuinely believe
in the existence of the Supreme Controller, the Spiritual
Realm, the soul, and so on, or if they claim such belief, they
are ignorant of how to get out of their present position and
transfer to the spiritual realm. Since schools, colleges,
universities, publishing houses and broadcast media are
mostly agnostic or opposed to the idea of God, it is only a
firmly faithful devotee of the Lord who can awaken them
from their sleep of ignorance… by chanting, by speaking or
by publishing. Çréla Bhaktivinode Thakur in his treatise
“Teachings of the Golden Avatar” writes: “Lord Caitanya
teaches us in the first place that the rational attributes of
men are not capable of approaching the divine sphere of
spirit. “Jukti”, as He styles reason, is quite incompetent in
such a matter while “ruchi”, as He styles the religious
sentiment in man, even in very small quantity, has the
power to comprehend it. It is inspiration which can alone
give light to spiritual matters. Inspirations coming down
from heaven through purified blessed souls have exhibited
themselves in the form of the Vedas. The Vedas, together
with their explanatory notes, the Puranas, are therefore the
only evidence in matters of spirit, and are eternal in
nature.”
In the present age of quarrel and deceit, simply by hearing
or reading about the powers and qualities of chanting, the
Holy Name Himself manifests His glories in the heart of the
sincere seeker of the Supreme Truth. (See Teaching of Lord
Caitanya, Ch. 18). Those with suitable intelligence can
understand by hearing or by reading the Vedic scriptures as
presented by the bonafide äcaryas. The Names, when
chanted by persons who possess firm faith in the Lord, His
energies His devotees, His abode, and so on, are so powerful
that, what to speak of atheistic or simple but ignorant
persons, even birds, animals and plants can begin the
process of awakening of their original, spiritual
consciousness, simply by hearing the Great Mantra hare
kåñëa hare kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa hare hare hare räma hare räma
räma räma hare hare being chanted. As “Proper Kértana”
explains, even the chanting of the mantra by less qualified
devotees, madhyam adhikaris or even kanista, materialistic
devotees – if they seriously endeavour to chant in the
manner of the äcärya – will have the same power to
transform the hearts of even hardened materialists, faithless,
atheist unbelievers and other kinds of päñaëòés as chanting
by great pure devotees, mahatmas has, thereby opening for
both chanters and hearers the gates to liberation from this
world of suffering.
As the present Age of Kali advances, people become more
and more apathetic, restless, quarrelsome, confused,
unhappy and violent. Physical stature, wealth, strength,
knowledge and spiritual understanding also decrease.
We are not these bodies or minds but eternal spirit souls,
parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord. Though we have
forgotten our eternal Father, the material world and the
bodies we inhabit are His gifts, being instruments which
can be used to get out of ignorance, indifference, or envy of
Him. He is the supreme creator, proprietor, and rightful
enjoyer, yet bewildered by the trigunas, the modes of
material Nature, the living beings in the material world
misuse their minute independence in a vain struggle to
enjoy independently of Him. By His causeless mercy, the
process for reconnecting with Him is very simple. As the
Srimad Bhagavatam states: Kértanäd eva kåñëasya mukta-
saìgaù paraà vrajet (SB 12.3.51)… simply chanting His
names opens the gate to freedom from the bondage of the
illusion that “I am this body, I am the enjoyer”.
The process by which release from illusion can begin is
hearing and then chanting the Lord’s Names… and the
movement He Himself inaugurated for doing so is the
Sankértana Movement. By the grace and efforts of His
Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, in
recent decades, by the performance of saìkértana and by the
distribution of his books, the Movement has spread all over
the world and real knowledge has freed many souls from
their false conceptions of life. The hope of every sincere
adherent to the process is that the movement will establish
itself as a universal one wherein chanting the Names of the
Lord will be heard in every town and village – as desired by
the Lord. The transcendental Names of Lord Hari, Kåñëa,
are to be chanted and there is no other alternative for
transcendental realisation in this Kali age. The processes
recommended for the three eras preceding the present Age
of Kali are not possible to be practiced at present due to the
fact that the four principle vices that characterise mankind
– illicit association with woman and unrestricted sexuality;
unrestricted slaughter of cows and other animals; drinking
of liquor and other forms of intoxication, gambling, idle,
competitive, and violent sports and speculative adventures
in all spheres including the political, the social, economic
and religious – are rampant.

Of all services, the highest is sankértana

Though in the sequence of the nine ways of devotional
service sravanam-hearing is first, kértanam, glorifiying, is
affirmed by the Lord as the most important: bhajanera
madhye çreñöha nava-vidhä bhakti, ’kåñëa-prema’, ‘kåñëa’
dite dhare mahä-çakti – “Among the ways of executing
devotional service, the nine prescribed methods are the
best, for these processes have great potency to deliver Kåñëa
and ecstatic love for Him. tära madhye sarva-çreñöha näma-
saìkértana, niraparädhe näma laile päya prema-dhana: Of
the nine processes of devotional service, the most important
is to always chant the holy name of the Lord. If one does so,
avoiding the ten kinds of offenses, one very easily obtains
the most valuable love of Godhead.” (Caitanya-caritämåta
Antya, 4.70-71) As referenced later on in this introduction
to “Proper Kirtan”, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur
has said that if one performs proper sankértana, it is
unnecessary to perform any other devotional activities. But
sankértana, including speaking, chanting, writing, or book
distribution… whichever form one is engaged in
performing, must be performed properly and purely,
without any motive on the part of the perfomer, in the form
of seeking personal gain or sense satisfaction. “If one does
chants purely, avoiding the ten kinds of offenses, one very
easily obtains the most valuable love of Godhead.” (ibid)
Only less intelligent persons think chanting and dancing is
for less intelligent people. kåñëa-varëaà tviñäkåñëaà
säìgopäìgästra-pärñadam, yajïaiù saìkértana-präyair
yajanti hi su-medhasaù “In the age of Kali, intelligent
persons perform congregational chanting to worship the
incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of
Kåñëa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is
Kåñëa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates,
servants, weapons and confidential companions.” (Srimand
Bhagavatam 11.5.32) God Himself in His incarnation as the
golden form of Caitanya Mahaprabhu principally chanted
and danced.
When chanting and dancing are performed with intense
desire to please the Lord and His uttama-adhikari -
confidential devotee, the spiriual master, it is the highest
sacrifice, the highest activity, practiced by the best spiritual
practitioners. When someone, in any order of life
(bramachari, grihasta, vanaprasta or sanyasi) or in any
social division (bramana, ksatyia, vaisya sudra) or even
from outside the Vedic system (mlecca, yavana, etc.),
understands after hearing from authority “this activity is my
real obligation”, he comes to be accepted as a member of
the highest order of human life and becomes eligible for
liberation from the cyle of birth and death. The Nectar of
Devotion says: “A person conversant in different
departments of knowledge is called educated, and because
he acts on moral principles, he is called morally stout.
Together, these two factors constitute learning.” (NOD 11)
Thus persons who perform the saìkértan yagna with
understanding are in the category of “most learned”.
Five thousand years of the Age of Kali have passed after the
battle of Kurukshetra and the disappearance of Lord
Krishna from this world, the major part, 427,000 years of
the Age yet to come. The progress of the influence of the
Age cannot be checked… the laws of Nature cannot be
changed by any mortal. The degradation of the regulative
principles of behaviour has spread, at present covering
almost the whole world. Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada has said that we may try our best by all our
resources and inventive powers to check the forces of the
Age by actions such as non-violence or any of the myriad of
man-made “-isms” as the human brain can conceive “but
we are completely helpless in checking the onrush spread of
the cult of the Age of Kali by any conceivable method
except by the (…) congregational chanting of the Name of
Hari.” (Back to Godhead, Vol. 1, Parts 1–4, 1944) The
chanting of the Mahamantra is the great instrument for
deliverance from the mental plane created by our minds.

Sankértana is the most auspicious activity

in the entire universe
Chanting the Holy Name is recommended by all scriptures
and spiritual authorities of the world to free – or to begin to
free – the souls of the world from the darkness and illusion
of material existence. In the Bible the Holy Name is referred
to as “a strong fortress” to which the wise go for shelter.
The Vedic literatures declare that the pure name of Visnu,
Kåñëa is fully spiritual. The Agni Purana says that “there is
no knowledge as great as the Name, no practice of austerity
or meditation as great as chanting the Name, no result of
spiritual activity, no form of renunciation, no act of sense
control, no pious act and no objective that equals the Holy
name. It is liberation, the supreme destination, the supreme
peace, the lord of the soul, the most worshipful object and
the topmost guru”.
Pure chanting is simple, completely transcendental and
does not depend on any learning or other pre-qualification.
It is so easy that even a child can do it and at the same time
it confers inestimably great spiritual benefit to both chanter
and hearer. One should not think that he can understand
transcendental service of the Lord simply by reading. “…
anena yogena yathopadeçam”. The instructions received
from the spiritual master must be followed immediately.
One should not deviate from or surpass the instructions of
the spiritual master. One should not be simply intent on
consulting books but should simultaneously execute the
spiritual master's order (yathopadeçam).” (SB 5.5.14,
purport) One also does have to be concerned about
acquiring mystic powers since the chanting of the
sankértana movement is the most auspicious activity in the
entire universe: “The chanting of the holy name of the Lord
is able to uproot even the reactions of the greatest sins.
Therefore the chanting of the sankértana movement is the
most auspicious activity in the entire universe.” (Srimad-
Bhagavatam 6.3.31)
Sankértana in busy streets and well-visited parks is a
devotee’s “life and soul”, his “first business”. Srila
Prabhupada wrote to one of the ISKCON Press devotees: “I
have received a similar letter from Brahmananda also that
you are finding some difficulty in keeping pace regularly
with the routine work. My advice to you under the
circumstances is that at least for one hour you must all go
to have Sankértana outside on the streets or in the park.
That is your life and soul, first business. The next business
is completing the chanting of 16 rounds every day. The next
business is your editing, and if you find extra time, then
you can attend the temple ceremonies. Otherwise you can
stop these activities, but outdoor kértana, your editing work
and chanting of 16 rounds must be done. Outdoor kértana
must be done, even at the cost of suspending all editorial
work. That is your first and foremost business. Temple
worship is not so important. If need be, the whole temple
can be locked, but the outdoor kértana cannot be stopped.
(Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Rayarama, May 17, 1969)
Devotees of the Krishna Consciousness movement have at
different times and in various places been noticed by the
public for their chanting of the mahamantra. In the
beginning of the movement, the daily public chanting along
with distribution of Back to Godhead magazine and
whichever books of Çréla Prabhupada’s were at the time in
print, were recognized by the members and even by some of
the public, as the Society’s main activity. Over the years
however especially after Çréla Prabhupäda’s passing from
our external vision, for whatever reason both book
distribution and public chanting decreased, in some cases
drastically. It is hoped that Proper Kértana will help remind
some members and followers of the movement of a few vital
truths regarding the glories of the proper performance of
kértan… which seem to have evaded them or that they have
forgotten.
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu spoke philosophy only in the
company of a few close associates... In public He simply
chanted and danced and the supremacy of this method has
never been denied or diminished by any of the äcäryas of
the disciplic succession that has carried His mission down
to the present. In summary, anyone who considers himself a
follower in Mahaprabhu’s line must do saìkértana…
otherwise he is not genuine.
Spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout the world is Śrī
Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission and is more important than
travelling to or staying at holy places for one's own personal
satisfaction. One who is a faithful servant of Śrī Caitanya
Mahāprabhu must execute His order even if he has to
sacrifice going to holy places like Vrindaban or Jagannātha
Purī. Spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness is Śrī Caitanya
Mahāprabhu's mission and His sincere devotees therefore
strive to fulfill His desire. pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi
grāmag, sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma. Devotees must
perform saìkértan and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness in every
part of the world. That will satisfy the Him. “It is the duty
of every disciple to carry out the order of the bona fide
spiritual master and spread Lord Caitanya's message all over
the world.” (CC Madhya, 16.64)
For those who consider themselves core members of the
mission for spreading Kåñëa consciousness, reading the
books is to be in conjunction with engagement in practical
devotional service beginning with chanting. Public chanting
of the mahamantra is the yuga dharma, the spiritualization
process for the present age of quarrel and hypocrisy. “Kali-
käle näma-rüpe kåñëa-avatära… In this Age of Kali, the holy
name of the Lord, the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra, is the
incarnation of Lord Kåñëa.” (CC Adi, 17.22) The Kali-
Santarana Upanishad of the Kåñëa Yajur Veda says: hare
kåñëa hare kåñëa / kåñëa kåñëa hare hare / hare rama hare
rama / rama rama hare hare / iti sodasaka namnam / kali-
kalmasa-nasanam / nata-parataropaya / sarva-vedesu
drisyate: “The sixteen names of the Hare Kåñëa maha-
mantra – 'Hare Kåñëa Hare Kåñëa Kåñëa Kåñëa Hare Hare,
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare' – destroy all
the inauspiciousness of the age of Kali. This is the
conclusion of all the Vedas."
Because Kåñëa consciousness gives people the opportunity
to get out of material existence by the simple process of
chanting the Hare Kåñëa mantra, it is the greatest
benediction for human society. We bathe to keep externally
clean, and for internal cleanliness, we must cleanse our
consciousness by chanting the Hare Kåñëa mantra. Çréla
Prabhupäda says “… in this age, especially in Kali-yuga, one
who does not join in the kértana, he's not a devotee at all.
He's outside, bahir aìga, bahir-artha-mäninaù. This çravaëa
kértana is the first business of devotee. Çravaëaà kértanaà
viñëoù (SB 7.5.23). “Caitanya Mahäprabhu always engaged
in kértana. He advised kértanéyaù sadä hariù [Cc. Ädi
17.31]. It is not that one who is advanced, he hasn't, hasn't
got to take part in kértana. That is nonsense. Sadä. Sadä
means always, whether you are advanced or not advanced.
Kértanéyaù sadä hariù. Çravaëaà, çravaëaà kértanam .
Kértana, as, unless one hears, how he can... Kértana also...
Speaking (is) also kértana. But unless one is hearing, how he
can speak?” (Lecture on The Nectar of Devotion, Calcutta,
January 28, 1973)

There are rules for performing sankértan…

If there were none, why did Lord Caitanya
establish a school to teach it?
In the short work “Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu: His Life and
Precepts” first published by Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura in
1896 and later included as the prologue to The Teachings of
Lord Caitanya by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada, it is described that by the age of eleven, Lord
Caitanya was already a passable scholar in grammar,
rhetoric, småti and nyäya (logic) and that by the age of
fourteen or fifteen, He was considered one of the best
scholars of Nadia. By defeating Keçava Miçra of Kashmir,
“the Great Digvijayé”, He became the most important
paëòita of the time. In Gaya, at age sixteen or seventeen, He
took initiation from Éçvara Puré and on His return to Nadia
along with His followers, He began His preaching by, in
Bhaktivinode Thakur’s words, opening a “nocturnal school
of kértana” in the compound of Çréväsa Paëòita. Paëòit
preachers of Vaiñëavism from different parts of Bengal came
and joined Mahaprabhu. Nadia became the seat of many
Vaiñëava äcäryas whose mission it was to spiritualize
mankind with the influence of the Vaiñëava doctrine.
Because of the antipathy of the ordinary residents of
Navadvip, the Lord’s instruction and demonstration of
kirtan were done at night. The Lord was the pandita–
teacher and the other participants were His students… It
was, as Bhaktivinode Thakur indicates, a school of kirtan.
If some task or activity requires no training then it can be
legitimately said that there are no rules governing it, but if
an aspiring performer has to take training before he can
claim to be a practitioner of that activity – in the case of
kirtan, if a performer has to first undergo some training
before he legitimately can call himself a kirtan leader –
then it must be understood that it is governed by some
rules… some laksana-characteristics exist that distinguish it
from all other activities. If the performance of kértan under
Lord Caitanya’s personal direction took place in a “school
of kértana” then it is to be understood that the performance
of kértan is governed by rules… otherwise how is it that a
school was needed to teach and practice it? And if training
was required for the followers of Lord Caitanya then,
should one not accept that training is required today… or
should we think we are more qualified than the direct
associates of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and require no training?
The fact that the Lord Himself established a school of kértan
signifies that properly performed saìkértan has to be
established, maintained, and propagated by the leaders of
the Sankirtan Movement actively teaching and seeing that
those rules – the standards set by the äcärya and described
in the authorized sastras, and this book – are followed.
Otherwise, though the books of Srila Prabhupäda may
continue to be distributed and read, the danger that the
movement will suffer the fate of many religious movements
in history, namely, coming to be thought of by the public,
by scholars of religion, and others, as a cult, or an “obscure
sect of Eastern religion in which some old books are
revered”… a movement that students and scholars will
ponder over but not be able to comprehend… or one that
will come to be seen as a “sect of Hinduism”… with the
characteristic image of an indefinable, ritualistic, theological
and eschatological doctrine that moniker carries.
Widespread and regular performance of proper kértana is
needed to spare it from that fate. Even if many people do
not take it up, if performed by just a few devotees having no
other motive but its propagation, the performance of proper
kértana will result in the atheists and impersonalists, out of
fear of the all-powerful Holy Name, just sulking… silently
resenting the movement and its members, but not attacking
it.
Saìkértana means pure, proper, complete kértana.
Practically the Kåñëa Consciousness movement is based on
music and dancing… not just any music or any dancing and
not even just any chanting and dancing in which the word
Kṛṣṇa appears – but the music and dancing taught by the
äcärya. The Sanskrit prefix san-, or sam-, preceding the root
kértana indicates complete, proper, or perfect. The phrase
proper saìkértan, used by Lord Caitanya and by Çréla
Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura in his commentary on
the first sloka of Sri Siksastaka, indicates that saìkértana
involves, nay, necessitates, certain tunes, certain musical
styles, certain instruments and certain styles of dress and
ways of dancing… and that the members of a saìkértan
party must follow all of these in order for them to
legitimately claim to be a member of the Movement.
As for the consequences of neglecting the instructions of
the ācāryas and the sāstras regarding the performance of
kīrtana, anyone legitimately claiming to be a qualified
kīrtan leader must be readily able to distinguish kīrtan
acceptable as proper glorification of Lord Kṛṣṇa from kīrtan
that is not. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura plainly
says in his Sanmodhana Bhasysa commentary on Sri that
kirtan that is not proper, is not kirtan. In his Gauḍīya–
bhāṣya commentary on Verse 2.10.200–201 of Sri
Chaitanya Bhāgavata he quotes the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa
regarding the consequences of not following this principle:
“yo vyakti nyāya rahitam anyāyena śṛṇoti yaḥ tāv ubhau
narakaṁ ghoraṁ vrajataḥ kālam akṣayam… “One who
assumes the dress and position of an ācārya, who speaks
against the conclusions of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and other
scriptures or performs kīrtana opposed to the proper
glorification of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, certainly goes to hell for countless
lifetimes along with his disciples and whoever else hears
such non-devotional talks and kīrtanas.” So one must learn
to distinguish kértans acceptable as proper glorification of
the Lord from kértana that is not... or run the risk described
in this statement of the sastras.
One last introductory consideration: In India, millions of
people still follow the Vedic system of ritualistic
performances… at least some of its aspects. The çräddha
ceremony, offering oblations to ancestors, and the
performance of fire sacrifices to propitiate various
demigods, being examples. In spite of Bhagavad-gétä’s
condemnation of such worship, people are also accustomed
to worship different demigods, the Gita describing the
intelligence of such worshippers as having been lost due to
material desires (BG 7.20). These lower modes of worship
are widely and deeply ingrained, but they can be reduced or
eliminated by proper saìkértan being regularly and widely
performed.
Proper chanting does not fall in the category of Vedic
ceremonies, demigod worship and other such religious
practices and to consider it to be so is offensive.3 Rather
than abandoning chanting altogether though, the
misunderstandings should be removed by hearing proper
chanting and talks about proper chanting by qualified
practitioners and thereby coming to the right
understanding.
As Proper Kértana will likely also come into the hands of
other than members of the saìkértan movement, and as
presentations on unfamiliar topics to non-committed
audiences require some “definitions of terms”, we define
kirtana as “praise, or glorification of God by chanting or
singing His names”. Chanting names of celebrities,
scientists, political figures, sports heroes and even of Vedic
demigods is not kértan. Nothing other than chanting the
names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is kértan.
There are innumerable names of God, either names of
incarnations or names according to His activities or

3
The ten offenses to the holy Name are: 1) To blaspheme the devotees
who have dedicated their lives for propagating the holy name of the Lord;
2) To consider the names of demigods like Lord Shiva or Lord Brahma to
be equal to or independent of the name of the Lord, Vishnu; 3) To
disobey the orders of the spiritual master; 4) To blaspheme the Vedic
scriptures or scriptures in pursuance to the Vedic version;. 5) To consider
the glories of chanting Hare Krishna to be imaginary; 6) To give some
interpretations to the holy name of the Lord; 7) To commit sinful
activities on the strength of the Holy Name; 8) To consider the chanting
of Hare Krishna to be one of the auspicious ritualistic activities offered in
the Vedas’ Karma kanda as activities for obtaining personal pleasure; 9)
To instruct a faithless person about the glories of the holy name; and 10)
To not have complete faith in the chanting of the holy name and maintain
material attachments, even after understanding so many instructions on
this matter. It is also an offense to be inattentive while chanting.
qualities… Brajendanandana for example refers to His being
the son of the king of Vrindaban; Trivikram refers to His
covering the universe in three paces; Gopala refers to His
tending cows in the forests of Vrindaban. …There are
practically unlimited numbers of such names. Vedic
literatures such as Srimad Bhagavatam, the other sattvic
Puranas, the Brahma Samhita and other agama sastras, the
Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and others, indicate certain
names – Rama, Govinda, Murari, Hari, Mukunda, Madhava
as Primary Names, any of which can be chanted as kirtan.
But Kåñëa is the origin of them all and scriptures such as
the Kalisantaran Upanisad, recommend chanting of the
Hare Krishna mahamantra, Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa
Kåñëa, Hare Hare / Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma,
Hare Hare. Chanting names of devatas, demigods, such as
Lord Siva, Ganesh, Hanuman, Kali and others is
recommended in certain rajasic and tamasic scriptures but
kértana properly means singing the primary names of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Chanting of names of
devatas is not accepted as kirtana by the sattvic sastras.
Constant chanting and singing of the names of the Lord
Hari, Kåñëa is recommended: “kértanad sadha hari”.
Lastly, the question of how a person busy with family,
work, friends and relatives and so on can “always chant” as
the çästras enjoin. The äcäryas acknowledge that these are
difficulties but advise that chanting is to go on
simultaneously with other activities… that by practice, the
chanting – the superior energy – will prevail. Çréla
Prabhupäda says that “As māyā is forcing you to drag you
from this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you also force māyā by
chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, if you do not stop, if you chant
loudly... This is tug of war. … don't be afraid of māyā. …
Nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati (Srimad
Bhagavatam 6.17.28). With practice, chanting becomes part
of breathing, the mahamantra vibrating at least in the throat
with every breath, incoming and outgoing. Lord Kṛṣṇa says,
kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati: "My devotee
will never be vanquished by māyā." (Bhagavad Gita 9.31).
One simply has to become strong by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa
Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare loudly.” It is the process
recommended in all the Vedic literatures for clearing the
consciousness of the contaminations of material existence
accumulated since time immemorial. It is the prime
benediction for the present age… It is much more than a
means to get temporary relief from various kinds of material
distress.

In Kali Yuga, in order to assure that the

performance of any of the other nine types
of devotional service is effective, that service
must be performed in conjunction with
kértana
Lord Caitanya inaugurated the saìkértan movement to
distribute to everyone the benediction offered by His own
process for spiritual emancipation. Understanding this,
organizers of saìkértan parties or of Krishna conscious
festivals such as rathayatra, Janmastami, Gaur Purnima and
so on will see to it that kértana is proper. Srila Jiva Goswami
says in his Sat Sandharbha that in Kali Yuga any of the nine
types of devotional service can be executed but to be
effective, they must be done in conjunction with kirtana:
yad anyäpi bhaktiù kalau kartavyä, tadä tat saàyogenaiva.
Kértana is the best and only means of success in Kali Yuga.
(Bhakti-sandarbha 173) Çréla Prabhupäda says “Out of the
nine processes of devotional service, kértana is very
important. Srila Jiva Gosvami therefore instructs that the
other processes, such as arcana, vandana, dasya and sakhya,
should be executed, but they must be preceded and
followed by kértana, the chanting of the holy name. We
have therefore introduced this system in all of our centers.
Arcana, ärati, bhoga offering, Deity dressing and decoration
are all preceded and followed by the chanting of the holy
name of the Lord – Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa,
Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
(Caitanya-caritämåta, Madhya-lélä 15.108, purport)
Sankértana is so potent that what to speak of people, even
animals and birds that hear it immediately become eligible
for liberation. Maybe only some impersonalists and
hardened atheists who happen to be present where proper
kértan is going on may fail to receive that benediction.

The power to transform the hearts of hearers

is exclusive to proper kértan following the
great devotees
In the Srimad Bhagatam (2.1.12) we “etan
read
nirvidyamänänäm | icchatäm akuto-bhayam || yoginäà nåpa
nirëétaà | harer nämänukértanam… 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.” Note “after the ways of the great authorities”.
Kértana done according to imperfect, mundane reasoning
that “we should perform it to satisfy the senses of the
onlookers” may definitely be entertaining, but because it is
not according to the way of the äcäryas and experienced
devotees, the higher result – transformation of the hearts of
the hearers – will not be obtained. An analogy of this
principle is the fact that a toy pistol may deter some, or
even the majority of, attackers, but it will not work to deter
a deranged and violent assailant. So-called kirtans –
entertaining and attractive in terms of their musical
qualities as they often are however, lack the required
potency to enact that spiritual transformation. Çréla
Bhaktisiddhänta Saraswati Thakur therefore says in his
commentary on Çré Çikñäñöakam, that if it is not proper
kértana, is not actual sankértana. Actual kértana, san-kértana,
means chanting the Lord’s Names for His pleasure. As Srila
Prabhupada explains, pouring water on the roots of a tree
simultaneously satisfies all the leaves, twigs and branches,
while endeavoring to separately satisfy any of these by
pouring water on them will fail. Kértans that lack the power
to transform the hearts of hearers, to offer them the
opportunity to experience even a spark of transcendence,
kértans that lack the power to give hearers even a little relief
from the fire of material existence, are not real kértans.
Anyone who considers himself a devotee must understand
this essential principle and perform kértan accordingly.
Arotis, pleasing to the ear musically, and other ceremonial
performances may be experienced as nice, but an actual
member of the wholly transcendental sankértana movement
understands and applies the principle that distinguishes real
kértan from shadow kértan. There are standards for what is
to be sung and how to sing, standards for what instruments
are to be used, standards for how the participants should be
dressed, how they should move and for how they should
dance. Failure to accept and implement those standards
makes kértana less spiritually potent or even reduces it to
the level of ordinary entertainment, practically devoid of
spiritual usefulness.
The Krishna Consciousness movement is simply for doing
kértana. Travelling shows, “yoga camps” and other such
things are not wanted. Kértans with entertainment styles
and tunes may be effective in attracting numbers of people
but as Srila Prabhupada explains, such people are attracted
by the “show” and not by the Holy Name as it is.
Entertainment style kértans consist of only reflections of the
Name and if only such kértans are performed, the end result
will be that people will lose faith in the Name. When the
public is exposed only to entertainment style kértan, the
eventual result will be that, besides book distribution (if
going on), the movement will gradually decline to
uselessness. Çréla Prabhupäda wrote regarding road shows,
yoga camps and the like: “… these things should be
stopped. Simply perform our kértana. If we divert our
attention in this way, the whole thing will gradually
deteriorate. (…) All these things are nonsense inventions.
Such inventing spirit will ruin our this movement. People
may come to see, some will become devotees, but such
devotees will not stay because they are attracted by some
show and not by the real thing or spiritual life according to
the standard of Lord Caitanya. Our standard is to have
kértana, start temples. (…) Gradually the Kåñëa
Consciousness idea will evaporate: another change, another
change, every day another change. Stop all this. Simply have
kértana, nothing else. Don't manufacture ideas.” (Çréla
Prabhupäda letter to Sudama, November 5, 1972)

“No hard and fast rules for chanting”…

some further considerations
Caitanya Mahäprabhu says in His eight verses of
instructions, Çré Çikñäñöakam, “nämnäm akäri bahudhä nija-
sarva-çaktis taträrpitä niyamitaù smaraëe na kälaù… In
Kali-yuga, the Lord has kindly invested all of His potencies
in His holy name and there are no hard-and-fast rules for
chanting them”. How is it then that these books as well as
other previously published devotional writings speak of
rules and standards for kirtana? It appears to be a
contradiction. Otherwise, how is it to be reconciled? The
solution to the apparent conundrum requires an
understanding of the grammar of the statement and of the
social, religious and political situation that existed in Bengal
at the time of the Lord’s advent and during His activities.
Firstly, the grammar: Çré Çikñäñöakam’s “no hard and fast
rules” refers to the individual jiva’s appeal in helplessness to
the Lord for His protection. The prayer is that of an
individual. Grammatically, it is in the first person singular
tense. The verse reads: nämnäm akäri bahudhä nija-sarva-
çaktis / taträrpitä niyamitaù smaraëe na kälaù // etädåçé tava
kåpä bhagavan mamäpi / durdaivam édåçam ihäjani
nänurägaù… "O my Lord! Your holy name alone can
render all benediction upon the living beings, and therefore
You have hundreds and millions of names, like Kåñëa and
Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested
all Your transcendental energies, and there is no hard and
fast rule for chanting these holy names. O my Lord! You
have so kindly made approach to You easy by Your holy
names, but unfortunate as I am, I have no attraction for
them." (Çikñäñöaka, Verse 2) Note that is “My Lord”, not
“our Lord”; “I am so unfortunate”, not “we are so
unfortunate”, “I commit offenses”, not “we commit”, “I do
not achieve attachment”, not “we do not achieve…” (“My
Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, in Your holy
name there is all good fortune for the living entity, and
therefore You have many names, such as “Kåñëa” and
“Govinda,” by which You expand Yourself. You have
invested all Your potencies in those names, and there are no
hard and fast rules for remembering them. My dear Lord,
although You bestow such mercy upon the fallen,
conditioned souls by liberally teaching Your holy names, I
am so unfortunate that I commit offenses while chanting
the holy name, and therefore I do not achieve attachment
for chanting.”) The prayer is not the utterance of a group or
collective. The phrase “no hard and fast rules” has to be
understood with this fact in mind. The individual members
of a kértana party cannot for example separately…
individually… respond to the leader’s recitation in tunes or
pitches or styles of their personal choice… That would
make their “kértan” a cacophony… a disturbing
combination of sounds… as opposed to the spiritually
transforming transcendental vibration that it is when
properly performed according to common-sense rules.
The word ‘rules’ can pertain to rules of speech such as
grammar and syntax, rules relating to the performing arts,
rules governing chemical or other technical processes, rules
for social conduct and, with reference to religious activities,
ecclesiastical rules. From the historical context of Lord
Caitanya’s propagation of the Holy Names in the form of
the maha-mantra and the fact that they are contained in a
personal prayer rather than in reference to an activity
performed by a group, the rules indirectly referred to in Çré
Çikñäñöakam are the Vedic rules relating to the time, the
place, the performers and the mantras prescribed for Vedic
rituals. To make clear that chanting of the names of the
Lord was not a ritual, or a commodity – as the caste
brahmins of Nabadwip at the time practically maintained –
the Çikñäñöakam verse emphatically states that there are no
restrictions in terms of caste or gender in chanting the
Name… The Lord wants everyone – members of all castes
as well as outcastes, mlecchas and yavanas, in every part of
the world – to chant. This is the meaning of His instruction
that there are no hard-and-fast rules for chanting. As for the
standards according to which saìkértana is to be performed,
this topic will be dealt with later in this book ‘Proper
Kértana’.
With regard to political and cultural considerations at the
time of Lord Caitanya’s advent: The caste brahmins of
Nabadwipa and the rest of Bengal practically had monopoly
control over the social and religious lives of the people.
These brahmins-in-name-only claimed to be the sole
arbiters of all social and religious activities... Vedic
regulations limit the chanting and hearing of mantras to
those who have undergone the prescribed rites but Caitanya
Mahaprabhu destroyed the brahmins’ false position by
publicly chanting hare kåñëa hare kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa hare
hare hare räma hare räma räma räma hare hare for all –
including atheists, mayavadis, outcastes, grossly sinful
people, besides women and low caste persons – to hear.
Performing their ostensibly Vedic rituals and ceremonies,
the caste brahmins of Nabadvip were opposed to any other
practices – including the Lord’s saìkértana – entering their
“field of operations” and influencing their audience. Among
their arguments was that saìkértan as the Lord was
performing it was not an authentic Vedic activity… that it
was not according to the ‘Vedic rules’. That of course was,
and remains to the present, baseless, as the Upanisads, the
commentaries on the four Vedas, unambiguously prescribe
kértan, the Kali-santaran Upanisad for instance declaring
that the sixteen words of the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra
vanquish all the evil effects of Kali Yuga.
“No hard and fast rules” should also not be misconstrued as
a license to perform kértan in neglect of other teachings of
guru, vaisnavas and sastras. As Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada says: “There are offenses to be
considered while chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. (…)
simply by chanting Hare Krishna one does not become
ecstatic.” (CC Adi 8.24, purport) The Lord is for example
not very pleased to hear His name being uttered in an
angry, envious, or spiteful way. It is true that He is so kind
as to tolerate offenses of many sorts, but conditional
devotees should not mistakenly consider His tolerance as an
excuse for slackness in following the process of bhakti
yoga… which includes plenty of rules. Kértans performed
by someone while thinking of money and the satisfaction of
their bellies, genitals and so on, are offensive kirtans
offering no benefits to the performer and at best can bring
only slight benefit to their audiences.
Just as the universe is ordered, with its creation,
maintenance and annihilation all taking place in a orderly
and systematic fashion under the Lord’s superintendence,
similarly, yajïa, or dharma, is governed by order and
regulation. Simply one has to learn how to harmonize (in
the broad sense… not musical harmonization which, as
indicated further on in this book, is not wanted) with the
Lord’s will as expressed via the disciplic succession of
äcäryas and great pure devotees. This is the rule that anyone
seeking spiritual emancipation has to understand and strive
to follow. It can be enunciated: “Always think how to please
the Lord by pleasing His representative, the acarya.” This is
the constant thought of a genuine disciple, or candidate for
spiritual emancipation. As far as rules for kértan, the idea is,
as elaborated upon in this book Proper Kirtan, to chant in a
manner pleasing to the acärya.
Çréla Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda says that the mahä-
mantra is a “spiritual call on the Lord and His energy, Harä,
to give us protection” and that the chanting is “exactly like
the genuine cry of a child for its mother”. In both these
situations: calling for protection and a child’s the call for its
mother, no rules or regulations apply. When calling for
help in a situation such as fire or accident there are no rules
on how to call – a victim’s call might even be in a language
unknown to the people of the place – but the purpose of the
call will be served. In disease, a patient’s groanings may be
incoherent but the doctor remains undisturbed by his
distress or the distress of attending relatives and is thus able
to maintain the required clarity of mind necessary for him
to treat the sufferer.
If participants in kértan – both leaders and followers –
understand the essential nature of congregational chanting
– that it is a demonstration to those who happen to be
hearing it of the Lord’s chosen way of calling to Him for His
protection – and if they chant in the way taught by the
acarya, then kértans will be effective. The kértans led by
kértana leaders who understand this simple principle will
have the power to spiritually engage and purify their
audiences. Otherwise, kértans led by unqualified leaders
contaminated by materialistic thoughts and desires, any
purifying benefit to onlookers that kirtan might otherwise
have will be almost nil.4

5. Entertainment-style kértans can offer only

limited spiritual benefit… Unless there is
proper hearing and chanting the whole
process of Krishna consciousness will fail
To attract the public with musical artistry may have
utilitarian value but at least some of the leaders of the
Krishna Consciousness movement must understand and
practice the true purpose of chanting the Lord’s names. As

4
Some say that the Sri Siksastakam verse’s “no hard and fast rules” refers
to the situation at the time of Lord Caitanya’s advent in relation to the
influence of the caste Brahmins - who claimed exclusive authority in all
religious matters - including how mantras are to be chanted. This view
however neglects the evidence presented elsewhere in Proper Kirtan that
their efforts to dominate society were not basically spiritual but
motivated by their desire to dominate others for their personal material
benefit.
already mentioned and as explained further on in this book,
“Proper Kértana”, entertainment style kértanas have their
place: they may attract more of the public... but if saìkértan
parties, festivals and rathayatras include only such kértans,
and such kértanas are also all that is found in the
Movement’s temples and ashrams, then the benefit to the
people attracted by them will be only the little bit of relief
from anxiety that a common man’s listening to a few
minutes of pleasurable music might bring. Such chanting
cannot yield spiritual liberation – permanent relief from the
pangs of material existence. For spiritual emancipation to
be a dependable outcome, proper chanting – chanting in the
prescribed manner by devotees free from material desires –
is required… such chanting at least replicates the mood and
style of the äcärya’s kértans.
It can be mentioned here that as far as spreading Krishna
consciousness to the public is concerned, children’s’
chanting, because of their high pitched voices, even if in
proper tune, falls in the category of entertainment. Children
are natural objects of pleasure for audiences of adults and
therefore an adult audience’s perception of them as being
children rather than the spiritually advanced souls that
some of them may in fact be acts as an impediment to their
chanting having greater potency. For this reason, though
amongst themselves, in the gurukulas and other situations,
children should be encouraged to chant, at temple
programs for the public and at rathayatras and other public
festivals, giving them the microphone to lead kirtan is not
the best policy.
Prabhupada says: “Unless there is life of çravaëaà
kértanam, these big, big building, temples, will become
burden. So if we are... if we want to create burden for
future, then we may give up this hearing and chanting and
sleep very nicely. It will be burden. Galagraha. Not çré-
vigraha, but galagraha. Galagraha. Çré-vigraha means
worshipable Deity. So if we give up this çravaëaà kértanaà
viñëoù [SB 7.5.23], then it will be thought that "Our Guru
Mahäräja has given a burden in the neck, galagraha." This is
the danger. So we must be very much alert in çravaëaà
kértanam. Otherwise, all this labor will be futile. This
building will be only the nest, nest for the doves and the
pigeons. That is the danger. That is being done. Nobody is
interested... who can understand Kåñëa? There are so many
impediments. One side, there is curtain of mäyä; another
side, everyone is a rascal and fool; and another side, Kåñëa
is beyond your sense perception. This is the position. How
much one must be alert. Then one can understand. … who
can understand Kåñëa? There are so many impediments.
One side, there is curtain of mäyä; another side, everyone is
a rascal and fool; and another side, Kåñëa is beyond your
sense perception. This is the position. How much one must
be alert. Then one can understand. Just like the Gosvämés.
Is Kåñëa is so easy thing to be understood? But there is
process. So if we do not adopt the process, then how we can
understand Kåñëa? These are the so many difficult things.
One side, one thing is the mäyä is checking. Mäyä is trying
to put stumbling block for your advancement of spiritual
life. Mäyä-javanikäcchannam. And the other side, we are all
fools and rascals. And the, again, Kåñëa is adhokñaja,
beyond the range of sense perception. This is the position.
So unless we become very serious to understand Kåñëa, it is
very, very difficult to understand Kåñëa. Mäyä-
javanikäcchannam. … mäyä-javanikäcchannam … “Being
beyond the range of limited sense perception, You are the
eternally irreproachable factor covered by the curtain of
deluding energy. You are invisible to the foolish observer,
exactly as an actor dressed as a player is not recognized.”
(SB 1.8.19)
Devotee means one who performs saìkértan
as a matter of duty
One may argue: “people who want can listen to Çréla
Prabhupäda’s bhajans and kértanas on any sound device”.
But how are they supposed to know these kértanas even
exist unless they have experienced them in the streets,
parks, temples and ashrams? And is Lord Caitanya’s
mission only for those in the position of being able –
economically or otherwise – to possess and use the internet
or modern digital audio devices? A life of poverty or
itinerancy does not preclude spirituality and devotion… in
fact spiritually advanced souls in many traditions have been
poor and itinerant… the Six Goswamis of Vrindaban were
mendicants owning no more that their kaupinas and a
water vessel. … It is Kali-yuga and people are restless, lazy
and always disturbed. They don’t know that the purpose of
human life is self realization. The Lord wants the living
entities to satisfy His senses and Lord Caitanya’s saìkértan
movement means that those who have received His mercy
in the form of the pure Holy Name have to go out to spread
it to others, as much as possible in the same form in which
they had encountered it. Bhärata-bhümite haila manuñya-
janma yära janma särthaka kari' kara para-upakära (Cc. Ädi
9.41) … especially those born in India are meant to first
perfect themselves by hearing and chanting and then go and
spread the fortune of Kåñëa consciousness to others... not
that ‘devotee’ means stay in your circle, in your temple,
perform some rituals and be comfortable. Having even a
little genuine faith, hearing from pure devotees and thereby
increasing that faith, one must perform saìkértan as a
matter of duty… for the continuation of one’s own
purification, for the benefit of others and for the satisfaction
of the Lord.
Devotee means “always hearing
transcendental sound”. The processes
(çravaëa) hearing and kértana (explaining, or
reiterating), are of primary importance for
progressive spiritual life to flourish
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda
says: “The äcärya or the gosvämé must be well acquainted
with all these (the revealed scriptures, or Vedas, including
the Puräëas, Itihasa, and so on). To hear and explain them
is more important than reading them. One can assimilate
the knowledge of the revealed scriptures only by hearing
and explaining. Hearing is called çravaëa, and explaining is
called kértana. The two processes of çravaëa and kértana are
of primary importance to progressive spiritual life. Only one
who has properly grasped the transcendental knowledge
from the right source by submissive hearing can properly
explain the subject.” (Srimad Bhagavatam, 1.1.6, purport)
Hearing is most important and Çréla Prabhupäda said that
there should be always be transcendental sound vibrating in
all temples. At home, even if one does not have a circle of
like-minded devotees to do kértana with, one can play Çréla
Prabhupäda’s bhajans and kértanas or proper kértanas by
devotees on any of the now easily and inexpensively
available sound systems. Everyone can hear – even while in
public, while walking or travelling in a vehicle. Devotee
means one who always is hearing and remembering the
transcendental vibrations and thinking of how to give them
to others.
Proper chanting must be learned from pure
devotees
Chanting must be heard and the ways of proper chanting
learned from pure devotees in disciplic succession. The
Padma Purana says “sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te
nisphala matah”… “If your mantra does not come through
the disciplic succession, it will not be effective.” Çréla
Jagadänanda Paëòita, a close and confidential associate of
Lord Caitanya from His childhood, also says in his Prema
Vivarta: “One cannot chant the holy name of Lord Kåñëa
purely in the company of nondevotees. The sound and
syllables of the name may be uttered, but that is not real
chanting. Chanting of this nature is at best the clearing
stage or nämäbhäsa. … If you want to chant Lord Kåñëa's
holy name purely, then earnestly seek the company of pure
devotees of the Supreme Lord, Çré Kåñëa. Reject all the
unwanted desires for sense enjoyment, liberation, mystic
powers, and other material desires.” (Prema Vivarta,
Chapter 7)
Intelligent persons understand things by hearing or reading,
but even an illiterate person or one who doesn’t understand
the language in which the transcendental message is being
spoken or sung, can be greatly purified simply by
receptively hearing. Formerly in South India and still to
some extent at old temples and on the occasion of various
rites in their communities, people qualified by the
traditional training chant Vedic mantras or other mantras
and stotras, such as the Alvars’ Divya Prabhandams, and
because by their training, their chanting is with the proper
pronunciation, rhythm and intonation, it has a purifying
effect on the chanters and the hearers… even if the latter
are outsiders. At the present moment, in this age of Kali, it
is not possible to widely chant the Vedic mantras. The
çästras ordain rather the yuga dharma, namely, harer nama
saìkértan, the congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna
maha mantra: “dhyäyan kåte yajan yajïais tretäyäà dväpare
'rcayan yad äpnoti tad äpnoti kalau saìkértya keçavam” …
“Whatever is achieved by meditation in Satya-yuga, by the
performance of sacrifice in Tretä-yuga, and by the worship
of Lord Kåñëa's lotus feet in Dväpara-yuga is obtained in the
age of Kali simply by glorifying the name of Lord Keçava."
(This verse is found in the Viñëu Puräëa, the Padma Puräëa
(Uttara-khaëòa), the Båhan-näradéya Puräëa and is quoted
by Çréla Prabhupäda in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam
12.3.52.)
Kértana means the maha-mantra
Besides introductory chanting of the pancatattva maha
mantra three times, only the mahamantra, in tunes sung by
Çréla Prabhupäda, or other simple tunes that can easily be
followed and responded to by the people, should be
chanted in public. And generally, in street saìkértans,
public programs and rathayatras, no other mantras but the
Maha Mantra need to be chanted. Even the Narasimha
mantra is not for public kértana. Devotees who say they are
chanting for protection can chant
kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa he
kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa he
kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa rakña mäm
kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa pähi mäm
räma räghava räma räghava räma räghava rakña mäm
kåñëa keçava kåñëa keçava kåñëa keçava pähi mäm
As for “Jai Jagannath, Jai Baladev, Jai Subhadra”, It is
nowhere to found in çästras or the writings of äcäryas and
so can not be accepted as a bonafide mantra and therefore
has no place in kértana. As already indicated, the çästras, Çri
Padma Purana in particular, is emphatic in its statement
that if some combination of syllables or words has not been
received in disciplic succession from an authoritative source
then it has no power to liberate the hearer and is therefore
cannot be accepted as mantra. Mantra means ‘capable of:
man–mind; tra–release As far as which mantras are
acceptable for chanting in kértana, in the section to follow,
they are enumerated. Anyone not familiar with Çréla
Prabhupäda’s kértanas can find them on the internet.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s order is to chant

purely
Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s desire, His order, or His prediction,
is that the Holy Names are to be heard in every town and
village of the world. It is the duty of everyone who claims to
His follower in disciplic succession to come to the level of
chanting purely. How is that going to happen if prevailing
kértanas are of entertainment style? Çréla Prabhupäda says,
echoing Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté, that “If one chants
the holy name of the Lord just to make a show, not
knowing the secret of success, he may increase his bile
secretion, but he will never attain perfection in chanting the
holy name.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lélä, 7.95–96,
purport) He says in this connection: “You should be very
much careful whether you are delivering Kåñëa in the right
way.” (Lecture on Bhagavad-gétä 7.1, Dec. 2, 1968)
As indicated later in this book (“San Francisco wild
kértanas”), even if the chanters are not properly trained, if
they are persons who have simply caught the idea that the
Names are transcendental and if while chanting they
constantly retain this idea in their minds, then their
chanting will be spiritually efficacious. The more their
sincerity, knowledge and experience, the more the spiritual
power of their chanting, but even in the very beginning,
their kértana will be potent and they will make rapid
spiritual progress. Training in kértana simply consists of
learning which types of tunes are to be sung, which musical
style is best to support the chanting, how loud the
accompanying karatäls and mådaìga should be in
comparison to the chanting… the rhythmicity of the chant.
On the basis of hearing such proper kirtan, new people will
spontaneously accept other aspects of sadhana bhakti such
as dress, tonsure, gestures, way of walking, talking dancing,
offering respects, etcetera... all their actions of body, mind
and speech.
When saìkértan is properly performed, the Lord is pleased
with those chanting for their vibrating His names, and their
efforts to remind the ignorant members of the public of His
identity and His glories. He is the best friend of all souls.
Matter, due to its temporary nature is not - in reality - true
while the spiritual realm is true.
Proper kértana is His invitation to the conditioned souls to
recognize Him, to turn to Him, to give up their impossible
struggle for happiness through matter and surrender to
Him.
As far as musical ornamentation, as mentioned, it is
acceptable for attracting the people’s attention but those
who perform saìkértan should not be attached to it.
Chanting in front of audiences made up of people who are
already followers should be exclusively in the old and
authentic tunes.

Kértana is not an ordinary song and dance

performance that requires choreography or
practice sessions
Kértana – singing the Holy name of the Lord – is such a
simple process but that does not mean that the devotee
should not make endeavour to understand - to “catch up”
as Srila Prabhupada would say - the idea that it is not
something ordinary. Mundane music has to be practiced
and often requires practiced vocal or instrumental
accompaniment and often, choreographed dancing and
visual imagery – “sets” - to accompany it. But kirtana does
not require nor is it dependent on the presence of any of
these things. People should not misunderstand a kértana
party to be a band of musical artists. Çréla Prabhupäda
writes: “I am pleased to note that there is interest in having
our Sankirtana Party perform in various public
engagements. … So if you can also do this, it is nice. But do
not change our principles. Practicing is already done by
kértana. It is not required for us to become artists. Our main
point is service to Kåñëa, not to please an audience. We
shall not divert our attention too much to adjustment of
musical sounds. People should not misunderstand that we
are a band of musical artists. They must know that we are
devotees of Kåñëa. Our devotional practice and purity shall
be so strong that wherever we chant there will be
immediately an impression in the audience for devotion to
Kåñëa.” (Prabhupada letter to Tamal Krishna, London
[Tittenhurst], 30 October, 1969) In the same vein he writes:
"My opinion is that it is not necessary for us to utilize these
different musical talents for spreading Krishna
consciousness. I would rather see people follow strictly the
path of Lord Chaitanya and His Sankértana devotees. We are
using mådanga, kartals; that is enough. We are not
musicians. We are Krishna bhaktas. Therefore we do not
stress so much importance on these different musical
talents. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is God Himself. Had He
thought it would have been better to spread Krishna
consciousness by another way He would have done so. But
no, simply with Mådanga and kartals, traveling and
chanting Hare Krishna, asking everyone to chant Hare
Krishna, preaching simply Srimad-Bhagavatam philosophy,
this is the process. There is no need for us to try and add
anything to this simple method. It will only be a
distraction.” (Srila Prabhupada letter to Jagadisa Pandita,
Bombay, 28 December, 1974)
In the Caitanyta Bhagavat we read how, when Caitanya
Mahaprabhu inaugurated His sankértan movement of public
chanting, all the pious people of Navadwipa immediately
joined in, though they had no previous experience of
performing saìkértan in this way. The Lord’s initial
performance of kirtan was instructional, in the house of
Srinivas, in the night, with all the doors and windows
closed. When he finally led the devotees in chanting in
public, it was without any instruction by Him as to how to
walk - whether to walk in single file or some other
formation, how to dance, how to chant…. Of course in
these modern times, in the so-called developed world,
streets are laid out with first consideration being given to
vehicular traffic, pedestrians being confined to the side-
walks, so consideration has to be given to this fact and
when the sidewalks are also crowded, chanters have to use
discretion. In Mahaprabhu’s time the kirtan party simply
‘wandered’, as his biographers put it, through the streets.

Kali-yuga is worshipable because perfection

is achievable simply by performing Saìkértan
Those who are actually advanced in knowledge are able to
appreciate the essential value of this age of Kali. Such
enlightened persons worship Kali-yuga because in this
fallen age all perfection of life can easily be achieved by the
performance of Saìkértana. (Çrémad-Bhägavatam 11.5.36)
1 Quality of chanting
Chanting is of different qualities, and it depends on the
quality of the feeling of the chanter: “… materially puffed
up persons are incapable of uttering the holy name of the
Lord by addressing Him feelingly, "O Govinda, O Kåñëa." It
is said in the çästras that by once uttering the holy name of
the Lord, the sinner gets rid of a quantity of sins that he is
unable to commit. Such is the power of uttering the holy
name of the Lord. There is not the least exaggeration in this
statement. Actually, the Lord's holy name has such
powerful potency. But there is a quality to such utterances
also. It depends on the quality of feeling. A helpless man
can feelingly utter the holy name of the Lord, whereas a
man who utters the same holy name in great material
satisfaction cannot be so sincere. A materially puffed up
person may utter the holy name of the Lord occasionally,
but he is incapable of uttering the name in quality.
Therefore, the four principles of material advancement,
namely (1) high parentage, (2) good wealth, (3) high
education and (4) attractive beauty, are, so to speak,
disqualifications for progress on the path of spiritual
advancement.” (SB 1.8.26, purport) The mind of one born
with these principals dictates to that person "Yes, chant as
you are inclined to chant. It will advance your prestige”. But
such person’s chanting will not be from the heart and will
therefore not have much positive effect.

Proper chanting
When kirtan is proper, the Lord is personally manifest at
that place: “Gaurasundara said, "When many persons
gather together and properly chant the names of Kåñëa, I
will certainly appear there."” (Caitanya Bhagavat, Adi
Kanda 5.151, Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura’s
Gaudiya Bashya purport)
Imperfect kértana is unable to bring about
optimum spiritual change in living entities
and will lead them to doubt the potency of
kértana
Saìkértana means 'complete kértana’. Partial or imperfect
kértana is not real saìkértan. The word saìkértan means
saivatobhavena-kértana… complete kértana or kértana that is
performed with knowledge of sambandha-jnana5 and free
from anarthas and aparadhas. The performance of
saìkértana is independent of, or requires no assistance from,
any other forms of devotional service. Partial or imperfect
kértana of Lord Kåñëa's holy name is not called saìkértana.
Partial or imperfect chanting of the holy name of Sri Kåñëa,
is unable to cause the optimum spiritual change in the
living entities. This will lead many people to doubt the
potency of kértana.” (Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté's
commentary on Bhaktivinoda Thakur's Çré Çikñäñöakam
Sanmodana Bhäñyaà commentary, sloka 1) Therefore, let
there be all victory for the perfect and complete chanting of
the holy name of Sri Kåñëa.

If chant is done in the proper way, the

äcäryas will be satisfied
Çréla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda said: “So this is
very nice process. And even others do not take it very
seriously or they do not come to our philosophy, if you try
for it, that is your business. Kåñëa will be satisfied. Our
äcäryas will be satisfied, Guru Mahäräja will be satisfied.
And yasya prasädäd bhagavat... if they are satisfied, then
your business is finished. You see? Not that others is

5
The knowledge, at least theoretical, that “I am part-and-
parcel and eternal servant of the Lord”
satisfied or not. By your chanting some public is satisfied –
no, we are not concerned with that. He may be satisfied or
not satisfied. But if I chant in the proper way, then my
predecessors, the äcäryas, will be satisfied. That is my
business, finished, if I don’t invent in my own way.”
(Lecture on Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Prabhupäda’s
Appearance Day, Los Angeles, Feb. 7, 1969)

Kértana means it is to be meditative… not

something done with mind elsewhere… and
is to be done “in such a way that you never
get tired, so that the kértana should be able
to go on endlessly”
Kértana means glorification. Whoever leads kértana properly
must actually think “I am doing this as I have heard the
acärya do it and it is for the Lord’s satisfaction”. All of
Prabhupada’s kértanas are deeply meditative. Brahmananda
prabhu recalls the first kértanas in Tompkins Square Park:
“Prabhupada introduced this style of kértana, which is very
meditative. When Prabhupada sang in the park, that first
time I danced and Achyutananda got up and we danced. As
I was dancing, I felt I should dance with the kértana and I
should dance as long as Prabhupada has the kértana, not
that I should stop dancing and sit down – that would
somehow be disrespectful to the Swamiji. So I danced for as
long as Prabhupada had the kértana, and Prabhupada had
the kértana for three hours, nonstop, he was singing. That’s
the way Prabhupada had it, very long kértanas and very
meditative. I once asked Srila Prabhupada, ‘What is the best
way to sing kértana?’ He replied that ‘You sing in such a way
that you never get tired, so that the kértana should be able
to go on endlessly.’ The New York Times, they came to that
kértana and they took a photograph of Achyutananda and
myself and Prabhupada sitting there. (…) Prabhupada said
the Times of New York was the most important newspaper
in the world. ‘This article,’ he said, ‘marked the beginning of
my movement.’ (Srila Prabhupada Remembrances
[Siddhanta das, ITV])

Authorized songs, tunes and style of

kirtana… Unauthorized songs or statements
should never be heard... Other tunes and
even other songs are alright provided that
the singers and the composers are qualified
While Çréla Prabhupäda on a few occasions did say that
other tunes and musical styles could be used, looking into
the matter more deeply, seeing how many times he asked or
emphatically instructed that the simple tunes he used be
chanted, it is immediately apparent that he wanted those
simple tunes used. As far as the occasional permissions he
gave for other tunes and musical style, there were always
stipulations.
First we will present the evidence that the old, simple tunes
accompanied by only karatäls and mådaìga played in
simple rhythms should be used. The term “authorized
songs” means the songs which were sung or composed by
self-realized Acaryas. It is only the maha mantra that is to
be sung in saìkértan. A small few other mantras can be
chanted for a small part of the duration of a kirtana. In a
long letter dated 25 February, 1970 addressed to his
disciple Syamasundara das in London, Çréla Prabhupäda
writes:
“Regarding authorized songs, you may inform
George that authorized songs means the songs which
were sung or composed by self-realized Acaryas. It is
an injunction in the Vaisnava regulations that
unauthorized songs or statements should never be
heard. The comparison is given that milk, although
very nutritious food, if it is touched by the tongue of
a serpent, it acts like poison. So I am giving herewith
a few lines of authorized songs which you may
deliver to George. They are as follows:
1. hare kåñëa hare kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
2. hari haraye namah kåñëa yadavaya namah
yadavaya madhavaya kesavaya namah
3. kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa hay
kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa hay
kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa raksa mam
kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa pahi mam
kåñëa kesava kåñëa kesava kåñëa kesava raksa mam
rama raghava rama raghava rama raghava pahi mam
So these songs were sung by Lord Caitanya Himself,
therefore they are the most authorized songs.
I am very glad to learn that he has given up
composing nonsense songs, it is a great advancement
of his spiritual life. But as he has got the aptitude for
writing songs, I shall be very glad to give him many
such themes of songs on which he can write in his
own language and expression. I am giving below one
theme:
My Dear Lord, I have simply wasted my privileges of
human form of life. This life was meant for
understanding Kåñëa Consciousness and the
pastimes of Lord Kåñëa with Radharani, but I did not
take care of this important business of life. Therefore
I have not only wasted my valuable time, but also I
have willingly drunk poison for committing suicide.
My heart is always in blazing fire because of my
association with material sense enjoyment, and I did
not fix up my mind in the Kåñëa Consciousness
movement which is imported directly from the
Kingdom of God. This Kåñëa Consciousness
movement is inaugurated by Lord Caitanya and Lord
Nityananda Who are Kåñëa and Balarama
respectively. They have descended very kindly to
reclaim all fallen souls of this age of whom the
typical examples are the two brothers Jagai and
Madhai. Now, forgetting all mistakes that I have
committed in my past life, I humbly surrender unto
You, my Lord Kåñëa the Son of Nanda Maharaja, and
also to Srimati Radharani the daughter of King
Vrsabhanu. So both of You are present together, and
I fully surrender unto You. Please do not reject me as
I have no other shelter except Yourselves.''
Perhaps you have heard, and George has also heard,
my song on this theme, "Hari Hari bifale janama
gonainu . . .'' So if George can compose a nice song
in his own words, and sings, I am sure it will be an
epoch making incident. There are many hundreds of
thousands of such themes, and if he wants to
introduce such songs propitious for pushing Kåñëa
Consciousness movement, that will be very nice.
 The transcendental vibration OM is also authorized,
but is specifically sung by the impersonalists.
Although there is no incongruity, still because we are
preaching the personal feature of God, we shall not
chant Hari Om. … …this specific sound of Kértana as
I sing is also another introduction of art that can be
intermingled with Western art, and such
combination will certainly be appreciated. But so far
I know that the Kértana tune is a specific
representation of Gaudiya Vaisnavas and this tune is
appreciated all over India as unique. They say that
the Kértana tune is the specific gift of Bengal, and
that is a fact. So why not utilize this tune in the
Western countries under the able guidance of such
expert musician as George?” (Çréla Prabhupäda
letter to Syamasundara, 25 February, 1970)
Sriman Tejiyas das, Theodore Jaffe, writes (FaceBook,
August 20, 2023) of his direct experience with Srila
Prabhupada on the subject of other tunes in which
Prabhupada instilled in him his special judgment of what
kirtan should be and what it should not be. Prabhupada was
leading a kirtan with the only others present being himself,
Tejyas, and Bhadaraj prabhu. Bhadaraj was playing
harmonium and himself kartals. Tejyas writes: “Prabhupada
gave a nod and Bhadaraj started to play. Srila Prabhupada
responded "Oh! New tune, very nice"… He was not
"stereotyped" about things, holding oversimplified
standardized images or ideas. He said "Krishna
consciousness is all around, not stereotyped". He took
pains, sometimes in public, sometimes privately in the
presence of just a few disciples to painstakingly explain the
basis for his points and "rules". Ultimately he wanted his
disciples to come to a point where they embraced,
internalized and expressed everything while keeping
underthe guidance of himself and his teachings.” (Baradraj,
before joining Prabhupada’s flegeling movement, was a
musician.)
In continuation of this vein, Sriman Aniruddha says:
“Vishnujana Swami was a wonderful devotee who sang
beautifully. Prabhupada said, "By his singing alone, he can
go back to the spiritual world." And Vishnujana Swami was
expert in playing the tambora, the mridanga, the
harmonium, and in making up his own melodies. He was a
little embarrassed to play his own melodies for Prabhupada,
but he wanted to be recognized. Once, in the La Cienega
temple, where Prabhupada had a small private room
adjoining the main temple room, Vishnujana was
elaborately playing his melodies on the harmonium in the
temple room when Prabhupada came out of his room and
said, "What is wrong with the melodies I have given you?"
Today the movement has grown and we have many
different melodies, but I'm fond of Prabhupada's original
ones.”
Regarding other mantras that can be sung in kirtan, the
author of the present book Proper kirtan, upon joining the
movement, was, among other services, assigned to look
after the temple’s fledgling library, consisting of the small
few books of Çréla Prabhupäda that had at the time been
printed: the blue-covered Collier abridged Bhagavad Gita,
the Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Sri Isopanisad, the three
Indian printed volumes of Srimad Bhagavatam, First Canto,
a box of reel-to-reel tapes of Çréla Prabhupäda’s bhajans and
kértanas, the ‘Happening’ album, one or two 45 RPM
records (of I think “Govindam”) and maybe one or two
other books. There was also a file of photocopies of some of
Çréla Prabhupäda’s letters to disciples that were at the time,
on his instruction, circulated to all the then extant temples,
four or five in number. Among these letters was one in
which Çréla Prabhupäda says about authorized chants that
they include: govinda jaya jaya gopala jaya jaya, radha
ramana hari govinda jaya jaya and… gopala, gopala,
yasodanandana gopala. This letter was apparently later lost
as it does not appear in the Bhaktivedanta Archives’
VedaBase but this part of its content is quite clear in the
author’s memory.

Çréla Prabhupäda’s kértans are special

Satsvarüpa Swami writes: (Prabhupäda Meditations,
Volume III):
“Religious teachers may talk about God or meditation, but
Prabhupäda chants, he actually sings – a guru who sings
the Lord’s holy names. Within the first moments of my
meeting him, I saw and heard him chant. He walked into
the storefront where we were waiting, sat down on the
same level as us, and spoke a few words. He handed out
the karatäls and told us the rhythm, “One, two, three; one,
two, three.” Then he began to sing, “Hare Kåñëa, Hare
Kåñëa …
“So, as soon as you came into his presence, you were
hearing a singing Swami. Of course, Çréla Prabhupäda also
talked of Kåñëa, but he gave equal attention to singing the
Lord’s holy names. It is not that he was mainly a
philosopher who sang on a rare occasion. He was a
minstrel on behalf of Kåñëa, always singing Hare Kåñëa,
Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare … You would ask
him, “Swamijé, is there some system of meditation you
teach?” He would reply, “Chanting. We chant the holy
names.”
“But aside from the chanting?”
“Just the chanting,” he said, “that’s all. You cannot do any
other meditation. You are not capable of yoga or anything
like Vedänta. Just chant.”
“He even said that studying philosophy was not necessary.
One could make full advancement in love of God simply by
chanting the transcendental vibration.
“Prabhupäda said that our kértanas with him were special,
even in comparison to others’ kértanas. One time he invited
us to accompany him to a yogé’s äçrama in upstate New
York. He told us that they also chanted Hare Kåñëa
sometimes, “But ours is heart and soul.”
“Prabhupäda gave his disciples credit for chanting kértanas
with heart and soul as he did. One evening we had a small,
informal kértana in Prabhupäda’s hotel room in Hawaii.
Since there was no official program at the temple,
Prabhupäda was spending a quiet evening working, and his
servants were also busy with their tasks. However,
Prabhupäda called us together and asked us to chant. I
came from my editorial desk, Pradyumna came from his
Sanskrit work, and Bali Mardana and Sudämä also came.
Prabhupäda asked Sudämä to lead the singing. As Sudämä
began to sing a particular tune, he became self-conscious
and stopped. He said, “That’s not the right tune.” He meant
that it was not the tune that Prabhupäda usually sang.
Prabhupäda encouraged him, “That is all right. That is
your ecstasy.” It enlivened us to think that Prabhupäda
said we had ecstasy within us, and that even a neophyte
devotee’s choosing of a particular tune could be called “his
ecstasy.”
“Prabhupäda’s followers always liked to perform kértana,
especially in his presence. Prabhupäda was in weak health
when he met with guests during his visit to Håñékeça in
1977. He spoke for almost an hour and then said, “So now
we can have kértana”. There were a few Indian men present
and they began to discuss Prabhupäda’s invitation to hold
kértana.
“One of the men said, “Prabhupäda, tomorrow if you will
be willing to come just a hundred feet away from here,
there is big hall nearby that can hold many more people
who want to hear you.”
“Yes,” Prabhupäda said. “I can do that tomorrow night.
And now we can have kértana. If you like, you can go to
that hall and do kértana.”
“Two of the Indian men began speaking to each other
about Prabhupäda’s proposal. One said, “Prabhupäda is
saying that tomorrow night we can have kértana in the
hall.”
“The other man said, “No, right now we should have it.”
“Tamal Krishna Mahäräja began to laugh at this
conversation, because the men were like little children
trying to work up their courage to go on harinäma. One of
them wanted to put off the kértana until tomorrow night,
but the other was trying to be brave and convince his
friend that “Prabhupäda says we should do it right now.”
“The talk went on about whether to do kértana or not.
Suddenly, Trivikräma Swami began clapping his hands in a
loud rhythm and singing, “nama oà viñëu-padäya … “
Trivikräma Swami’s voice cut through the speculation and
he seemed to say, “I may not be the world’s best singer, but
here goes, right now.”
“One time, during the annual Gaura-Purëimä festival in
Mäyäpura, Prabhupäda called his GBC men to his room to
tell them that he was hearing and take pleasure in the
kértana. With his leaders gathered before him in the room,
Prabhupäda stated that all the devotees in the world should
come to Mäyäpura and constantly have kértana. He was
very blissful as he told them of Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura’s
statement that he had searched the fourteen worlds but
found nothing of value except the chanting of the holy
names. Prabhupäda said that this was Mäyäpura’s purpose,
to come and chant. We may have problems in different
parts of the world, but they will go away if we simply come
together and chant. Lord Caitanya always chanted and we
could do it also. We now had a big building in Mäyäpura,
so everyone could come and live there and simply chant.
“On one level, we all enjoyed this blissful talk by
Prabhupäda, but since the GBC men had so much
managerial responsibility, they were also bewildered as to
how this could be carried out. Finally Rämeçvara spoke,
“Prabhupäda, if we were actually to do what you said, it
 would very much reduce the … I mean, how could the
programs go on in the different temples around the
world?”
“Oh yes,” Prabhupäda agreed. Then the talk became
managerial. Suggestions were made how we could increase
the practice of kértana in the various ISKCON temples.
Prabhupäda agreed that some temples were too small to
hold constant kértana, but a few of the bigger temples
could attempt to hold twenty-four-hour kértana, as long as
it was not done to the detriment of other work.
Prabhupäda (he) didn’t mean it literally, he said. All the
devotees could not come and live always in Mäyäpura. So it
became a relative discussion about the possibilities of
increasing the chanting, although Prabhupäda had
originally called us together to share his own bliss and to
ask that we should all stay in Mäyäpura to chant.”

2 Kértanas should be in the tunes Çréla

Prabhupäda used. Other tunes are good as
long as they can easily be followed and are
being chanted with great sincerity
Srila Prabhupada instructed the London bound devotees to
“keep it simple so everyone could join”6, as opposed to the
"performance" kirtans where the leader sings in difficult or
impossible ranges – a phenominon that later became
prevalent almost everywhere.
Satsvarupa Swami writes in Prabhupäda-lélä, 7.4, A Summer
in Montreal, 1968:
He wanted the devotees to learn how to do kértana
properly. “Prabhupäda wanted to teach his London-bound

6
Shyamasundar prabhu, personal communication
 disciples to sing and play instruments in a specific way.
Someone should learn to play the harmonium properly
following the melody, not simply pumping it, as the
devotees had been doing for years. And the Sanskrit
mantras and bhajanas should be pronounced properly and
the melodies sung correctly. Some melodies were to be
sung in the morning, others in the evening. Each word was
to be pronounced correctly and with the right intonation.
“Prabhupäda liked Yamunä's singing, and Mukunda was an
expert musician for organizing the party. The spacious
Montreal temple was a suitable place for them to practice.
Ideally, Prabhupäda said, the party should have two
mridanga players, one harmonium player, one tamboura
player, and at least six karatäla players. He talked about
sending the group not only to London but to the European
continent and then to Asia also. So he wanted them to
become expert at kértana.”

Çréla Prabhupäda wanted kértana leaders to

chant in the way that he – the äcärya –
chanted
The members of sankértana parties should all be devotees
having no desire other than the satisfaction of Krishna.
They should dress and dance properly. Çréla Prabhupäda
wrote regarding the World Sankértana Party he envisaged:
“Regarding Kirtana Party: My idea is that at least one dozen
persons should form a Kirtana Party. Two persons play
mrdangas, eight persons play karatalas, one person playing
tamboura, and one person playing melodious harmonium.
The person who will play on tamboura will be leader singer.
You have just calculated what I want, when you suggest
that the leader should sing as I do, and the others will
respond. That will be very nice. But all the members of the
party will be pure devotees. None of them should be
outsiders. We do not want any outsiders as far as possible.
Mrdanga playing as you are doing at present will make you
more and more expert as you go on playing. Here also I see
Gaurasundara simply by playing is improving. If all the
members keep their faith in Kåñëa and tries to please Him,
certainly everyone will be pleased by hearing our Kirtana. It
is sure and certain. When such Kirtana will be
demonstrated, only the harmonium player may sit, and all
the others may stand up and join the Kirtana and dancing
properly dressed.” (Çréla Prabhupäda letter to Hansadutta,
February 4, 1968, italic emphasis added) In 1969, Sriman
Baradraj personally told me, the author: “Prabhupada said
‘Chant in the manner of the predessessor acarya’”,
Prabhupada himself being that äcärya. We have already
quoted the Srimad Bhagavatam verse (2.1.12) “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.”
Prabhupada started the Movement in the west by attracting
a few receptive young people in lower Manhattan, New
York, by his kindness and munificence, inviting them to his
simple accommodation, chanting, and teaching them to
chant in a small few simple tunes. He did not demand of
them musical expertise, choreographed dancing or any
particular style of dress but by the power alone of his pure
devotion to the Lord, within a few months or even weeks,
some of these young people developed the faith and
conviction to go and start temples in other parts of the
country on their own, adopting the simple diet, dress and
routine of the of bhakti yoga as practiced in India since time
immemorial. As Prabhupada himself declared, “the magic in
the kértan”, and anyone who learns to perform kértan as
these young people had learned, quickly becomes purified
and empowered to spread Krishna consciousness anywhere
and everywhere. Those who accept this principle can
quickly ascend to the highest platform of consciousness,
even being relieved of the necessity of executing the multi-
limbed sädhana that Vedic sastras describe, that were
practiced in previous eras. In conformity with vaisnava
tradition, he gradually introduced various rules and
regualations, but the magic was, and remains, the kirtans he
sang and taught.
Çréla Prabhupäda’s vision manifested for all to see and
experience when he led his disciples in chanting in the
streets of Surat in 1970. Sriman Riddha däsa, in his
important biographical work “Mission in Service of His
Divine Grace”, writes: “While on the World Sankértana
Party in India during December 1970, Bhaktivedanta Swami
and his American and European disciples had caused a
sensation in the Indian State of Gujarat.” A major local
newspaper, the Gujarat Samachar, published an article on
the arrival of Çréla Prabhupäda and his devotees, reporting
how these western devotees were dancing in procession in
the street while the local people profusely offered them
garlands and showered flower petals on them from their
doorways and balconies. When the people of Surat learnt
that westerners were taking up the vaiñëava way of life and
giving up those things that were so much a part of western
life – illicit sex, meat eating, gambling and intoxication – it
caused such a stir that the news spread throughout Gujarat.
Some openly declared, “These foreigners are going to teach
us our very own religion.”
The Necessity of Kértan chanters
dressing like Vaiñëavas
Regarding the importance of the dress and appearance of the
chanters, Srila Prabhupada said in a Srimad-Bhagavatam
class: “Prekñanéya (...) The Vaiñëavas, with tilaka, with
kanöé, with chanting beads, as soon as you see... And
practically, you know, as soon as they see these Hare Kåñëa
movement people, they also chant "Hare Kåñëa," giving a
chance to the others. The dress is also required. You should
be always equipped with tilaka, kanöé, and çikhä, sütra7.
Then, as soon as a common man sees, "Oh, here is a Hare
Kåñëa man." "Hare Kåñëa," he'll chant. Automatically you
give a chance to chant Hare Kåñëa. So this is required. The
foolish rascals, they say that "What is the necessity of this,
that?" No. This is necessity. You must always remain
dressed like a Vaiñëava. That is necessity. (…) The chanting
of Hare Kåñëa is not so easy. So many people come here,
but when there is chanting they do not chant, because it is
not easy. Yaj-jihvägre näma tubhyam. In the çästra it is said,
aho bata çva-pacato 'pi garéyän yaj-jihvägre näma tubhyam.

7
tilaka, neck beads, çikhä and brahmin thread
Anyone who is chanting Hare Kåñëa, jihvägre, with the
tongue, even if he is born in a family of dog-eaters he is
glorious. That is... He is glorious. Yaj-jihvägre näma
tubhyam. So we give this chance. As soon as he chants Hare
Kåñëa, immediately he becomes glorious. Immediately
become glorious. Aho bata çva-pacato 'pi garéyän yaj-
jihvägre nä..., tepus tapas te”. (SB 3.28.19, Nairobi, Oct. 29,
1975)

Chanting Çréla Prabhupäda's original melodies

pleases him very much
Sriman Gurudas das writes: “Everyone was excited:
Prabhupada was about to arrive in Delhi. Many devotees
awaited his arrival, including many ISKCON leaders, so
rather than bicker over what aspect of the arrival I would
help with, I let the others bargain. “I want to give a
garland,” said one person. “You get his luggage,” said
another. “I want to wash his feet,” someone else informed
us. Eventually, all the devotional duties were assigned, until
only I was left. “No one had volunteered to lead kértana,” I
thought to myself.”
“Prabhupada’s arrival was very formal on this occasion, and
he hardly looked at anyone as he walked into the airport
waiting lounge. He offered pranams, but kept a stern look.
While he passed through the devotees, I began to bellow
out the Hare Krishna mantra to the old, traditional tune we
used to sing in New York and San Francisco. Prabhupada,
still aloof, heard the chanting and saw me with the kartalas.
Then his reticence became a bright, wide-open smile, and
he gave me a big wave. As he got in the car, he invited me
to join him. “I like that tune very much,” he said, smiling
contentedly. (By His Example, Sriman Gurudas das)
An experiment in chanting the way it was in
Prabhupäda’s presence brings wonderful
results… a great secret about the essence of
Kåñëa consciousness
Satsvarüpa dasa Goswami writes: “At Gitä-nägari we held
an old time kértana. First we listened to a 1966 kértana led
by Prabhupäda. I pointed out that Prabhupäda sang only
one tune and kept a steady beat for half an hour. Then we
tried it. It produced a wonderful feeling and so we repeated
it again the next night. Here are some of the letters I
received from devotees who were in those kértanas:
Muktavandya: “I feel like we discovered a great secret about
the essence of Kåñëa consciousness tonight. I suggest you
do this wherever you go because it will remind and
enlighten everyone about what it was like with Prabhupäda.
The chanting tonight was very, very nice. Very powerful
medicine. Not at all mechanical.”
Caitanya-rüpa däsi: “The kértana last night was wonderful!
… I hope we’re going to have this type of kértana again.”
“Our experiment took place in front of Prabhupäda mürti in
the Gitä-nägari temple room. The Deity doors were open
and Rädhä-Dämodara gave us Their darsana. We began
sitting and we were careful not to speed up. After fifteen
minutes one or two devotees stood up to dance. Soon
everyone was up. The dancing was that style which some
persons have called “The Swami Step.” The nice thing about
it was that the dancing energy was not concentrated in one
place. There were no superstar dancers. The women were
also dancing, as the kértana energy spread democratically
throughout the room.”
“I thought I would become bored, and I braced myself for
that, but it did not occur. The only reason I looked at the
clock was to make sure we did not go too long. Something
nice was happening for everyone. It was a combination of
the timeless potency of harinäma, and the special effect of
chanting the way we used to when Prabhupäda was
present.” (Prabhupäda Meditations, Satsvarüpa dasa
Goswami, Vol. 3, Ch. 3: Old Time Kértanas)
.....
Sriman Naranarayan das writes: “In late 1973 I went to
Ahmedabad where a very large pandal program was
arranged. Srila Prabhupada and all the devotees stayed at a
very large house named "Kurukshetra Dham". The pandal
was very big, with many in the audience. After Srila
Prabhupada finished his lecture, I found myself holding a
mridanga and began a kértana in Srila Prabhupada's basic
melody and the audience loved it and joined in. After the
Kértana was over when Srila Prabhupada was coming down
from the vyasasana, a brahmachari exclaimed to him in an
astonished voice: "Oh Srila Prabhupada, that was a great
kértana”. Srila Prabhupada turned to us and said, in a very
strong voice, "YES".”
(Sriman Naranarayan das, personal communication)
Sriman Éçäna dasa recalls: “… in Sridham Mayapur,
somewhere between 1973-75, the main building was not yet
completed at that time. Srila Prabhupada was on the second
floor in his then temporary quarters. Bhavananda's room
was down the porch on the same floor. And all of the
kirtans that could be heard from the large kirtan room on
the open main floor could be heard by Srila Prabhupada.
And every time someone would begin singing or leading
kirtan, Srila Prabhupada would leave his room and barge in
on Bhavananda Maharaj. He was very upset by the way that
kirtan was being led. Then one evening, I led kirtan for the
äratik ceremony. I have always gravitated to Srila
Prabhupada's chanting, taking that as my connection with
His Divine Grace – to feel his vibrational mood according to
my ability and to endeavor to reproduce this same sound
vibration as my personal cultivation of Krishna
Consciousness. Once again Srila Prabhupada left his room
and went into Bhavananda Maharaja’s room. He demanded
to know who was leading the chanting. Bhavananda said
"That is Ishan, Srila Prabhupada. He always tries to chant
as you do." Srila Prabhupada replied to Bhavananda, "He is
intelligent. From now on only he is to lead the kirtans."
(From a 2019 FaceBook post)

"If you chant like this the whole world will

become Krishna conscious!"
Sriman Naranarayan das writes: “In 1969, Vishnujan and I
were both lead Sankértana leaders in Los Angeles, and we
were thinking that Sankértana could use some new "catchy"
melodies. In that vein, we both wrote up a group of
melodies that we thought would work very well chanting in
the streets.
“We asked Srila Prabhupada if we could sing them to him,
and he graciously told us "yes". So we did. He was smiling
and looking on with approval as we chanted our new
melodies, and we both felt quite gratified that he seemed to
be giving his approval.
“When we finished, we asked Him if he liked them, and He
said "yes". Then we asked Him if we could or should use
them on sankértana in Hollywood and other street corner
locations. He said "It is better not to use new melodies, but
use the ones that I have taught you for sankértana". We
were taken aback.... It was early in the movement. No one
would even think of disobeying or ignoring his clear
directive.
“Even before then, Vishnujan wanted to cut a record with
his own melody chanting the Hare Krishna Mantra, and he
brought it before Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada had a
number of discussions with Vishnujan, until Vishnujan
directly asked Him what melody he would approve and
prefer. Srila Prabhupada told him to use the morning
melody to chant Hare Krishna, and that is how Vishnujan
recorded it... very nicely, I might add.
“When Srila Prabhupada heard that recording of the
morning melody for the Hare Krishna Mantra, He
exclaimed, "If you chant like this the whole world will
become Krishna conscious!"” (Sriman Naranarayan das,
personal communication, [emphasis his]) . . . . .
“In 1973, a group of devotees were gathered at the Santa
Cruz airport near Juhu. Srila Prabhupada was leaving on a
flight so the devotees seeing him off were chanting sadly.
They were all tightly crowded around him and none of
them noticed that Mrs. Nair had been squeezed to the back
of the crowd of chanting devotees instead of being in a
place of honor next to Prabhupada as she deserved. Guru
Kripa was leading and was beautifully chanting Srila
Prabhupada’s original melody. It was a wonderful, moving
kértana, and Mrs. Nair, at the back of the crowd of devotees,
was weeping with the sound. When the kértana was over,
Srila Prabhupada declared..."If you chant like this, then
Krishna Consciousness will spread all over the World!".
Shortly afterward Mrs. Nair deeded the land to Srila
Prabhupada and it has always seemed obvious to me that
her experiencing that kértana could well have been the
turning point that led to our being given the land.”
(Sriman Naranarayan das, personal communication)
Up to his last days, Çréla Prabhupäda
encouraged, and was pleased by, chanting in
a simple, meditative way, as he had always
chanted
Sriman Laksmi Nrsimhadev das says: “I was sitting in the
corner, Srila Prabhupada was lying on his bed and
Bhavananda was doing various things. Since it was
midnight it was very, very quiet. There was hardly any light
at all and I could barely see Srila Prabhupada because I was
in the back doorway. Bhavananda gave me small kartals and
he said, “Play very, very softly because Prabhupada should
get his rest.” I thought that Srila Prabhupada was asleep
because he was lying very still and Bhavananda was
tiptoeing around. I figured, “Okay, let me chant something
very simple.” So I started chanting the standard melody
“Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare.”
(sings softly) I was chanting that for a while and I don’t
know what possessed me to change that tune but at this
particular time someone had introduced “brahma bole
chaturmukhe, krishna krishna hare hare.” As soon as I got
through the first line “krishna krishna, hare hare”,
Prabhupada’s hand went up like a traffic cop. I thought
Prabhupada was asleep. But his hand just came from the
side of the bed and went up… I immediately went right
back to the standard melody… Prabhupada encouraged us
to chant the Panchatattva mantra and of course obeisances
to guru, and to chant Hare Krishna in a simple, meditative
way just like he did. He didn’t use very many melodies and
every time you listen to Prabhupada chant, it was a total
meditation. That’s what he wanted to hear and that’s what I
got from that experience; just keep it simple.” (Çréla
Prabhupäda Remembrances, [Siddhänta däsa, ITV] Ch. 51)
Sriman Rupa-Vilasa das writes: “During Prabhupada’s last
days, 24-hour kértana was going on in his room and
devotees would chant for him in shifts. I went with a group
of gurukula students. Prabhupada couldn’t take too much
sound so we used tiny kartals and made as little noise as
possible. Tamal Krishna Maharaj asked me to lead the
chanting and I thought, “I’d really like to please Prabhupada
with this chanting.” I tried to remember every tune that
Prabhupada had chanted the Hare Krishna mantra to and I
chanted those. I really concentrated, then our shift ended
and we left. The next day when we went to chant, Tamal
Krishna Maharaj grabbed me by the arm and said, “You
have to chant for Prabhupada.” I said, “Sure, but why?” He
said, “The other day after you left Prabhupada called me
over and said, ‘Who was that chanting?’” Tamal, always the
guardian, said, “Was there anything wrong, Prabhupada?”
Prabhupada said, “No. It was very nice.”” (Çréla Prabhupäda
Remembrances, [Siddhänta däsa, ITV], Chapter 43)

Musicians groove on the old tunes

Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s persona servant Svarüpa Dämodara
was as expert a musician as the Gandharvas. Caitanya
Caritamrita (Madhya Lélä 10.116) relates that Caitanya
Mahäprabhu called him Dämodara, Krishna’s name, because
of his expert singing and musical skills and that he wrote a
book of music named Saìgéta–dämodara.
A good number of Çréla Prabhupäda’s earliest disciples were
musicians: Baradraj, Candanacarya, Jaya Nimäi Nitai,
Mukunda, Raktak, Visnujana… and George Harrison (who
Prabhupada once called “my best non-initiated disciple”).
George said, during a 1980 interview, that singing the maha
mantra over and over in Çréla Prabhupäda’s tune brought
ecstasy to him and John Lennon: "I had bought the album
Prabhupada did in New York, and John and I listened to it.
I remember we sang it for days, John and I, with ukulele
banjos, sailing through the Greek islands... like six hours
we sang because we couldn't stop once we got going. As
soon as we stopped it was like the lights went out. It went
to a point where our jaws were aching, singing the mantra
over and over... We felt exalted; it was a very happy time for
us". (http://krishna.org/george-harrison-john-lennon-and-
yoko-ono-from-the-beatles-talk-with-srila-prabhupada-
mp3-audio/ [The album referred to is the “Happening”
album.])
Once, in Boston in 1969 or ’70, at the Beacon Street temple,
we, (the author) heard kirtan going on in the next room.
Though Prabhupada was at the time in San Francisco,
momentarily we thought he was there, the kirtan was so
very much “his”. It was actually Baradraj and Candanacarya
chanting in Çréla Prabhupäda’s tune.

Kértana in Çréla Prabhupäda’s simple tunes

with accompaniment by karatäls and
mådaìga has maximally potent effect
Here are two further instances from the author’s personal
experience:
One: In Montreal in 1970, the temple president, Jayapataka
das, asked me if I would accompany Raktak das and one
bhaktin to Toronto to open a center there. I agreed. Within
a few weeks of our arrival and finding a place,
Raktak arranged a kértana programme at the University of
Toronto. The bhaktin had gone to see her parents so it was
just the two of us. The venue was a lecture hall that
resembled a Roman amphitheatre… with white marble
pillars surrounding the platform in the middle. Raktak was
formerly a musician and was a good singer and excellent on
the mådaìga. He and Baradraj (and others like
Chandanacarya) had mastered exactly Prabhupäda's style of
chanting and playing. I had a good voice, could follow a
tune and could play the karatäls in the right way so we
made very good music in spite of its being only the two of
us. To avoid being distracted by the young audience with
their ‘hip’ dress and paraphernalia, hairdos and movements,
I focused my visual and mental attention by looking down
at the karatäls in my hands and listening to Raktak’s singing
of the Maha Mantra. My focusing like that for maybe fifteen
minutes from the start of the kértana didn’t interfere with
my awareness that the audience’s response was
progressively increasing. It became so loud and full of self-
evidently spiritual energy that I could no longer restrain
myself from looking up. When I did, I saw the whole full-
house audience of maybe three hundred, on their feet, arms
raised, loudly and clearly chanting the maha mantra
following our lead, the hall fully charged with spiritual
energy.
Two: Again, in Toronto, after moving from our first
location on Beverly Street to the bigger and better house on
Gerrard Street and being joined by a few devotees from
Buffalo and other temples in the US and Canada, we started
going on saìkértan every day. One day, the nearby Yonge
Street was closed to traffic in connection with some
municipal holiday. On a vacant lot a stage had been set up
and a rock band was blaring away as we approached…
moving down the other side the street. I was leading that
day and in the spirit of saìkértan being the Lord’s army, like
a platoon commander going into battle with his men, I
girded up and pressed on in spite of the auditory assault
from the band. As per my understanding and realization, I
was leading in the only two or three tunes I considered
proper, the simple tunes Çréla Prabhupäda chanted. (At the
time, such potent kértana was still fairly widely to be heard
in the movement.) When we were about a hundred feet
from the bandstand, I noticed that their “sound” had
stopped… they were re-tuning their instrument to our
kértan! The next thing we knew, they joined us... at least
with their instrumentals… the band leader gesturing to our
party “cool”. The whole area on that maybe most important
street in the city, resounded with the Holy Name loudly
being chanted in pure tune by our combined group,
complete with all the ‘heavy’ instrumental accompaniment
that a rock band has to offer.

Prabhupäda kept to one or two tunes

throughout the kértanas he led
Satsvarüpa Goswami writes regarding the first kértanas in
Tompkins Square Park: “Several people gathered around us
as we chanted. Then Çréla Prabhupäda arrived with a few
devotees. He walked the blocks from the temple to the park,
which was about a ten-minute walk. Then he sat down and
joined us. He played drum himself, and he chanted Hare
Kåñëa for at least an hour. The rhythms would rise and fall
like the waves in the ocean, and we would rise and fall with
them. He would lead, we would respond, and then he
would lead again. Sometimes I would look up to him,
sometimes at the crowd, which grew to many people, and
the chanting never stopped. Çréla Prabhupäda’s voice was
strong. He kept the same tune, and we kept chanting as if
we would never stop: Hare Kåñëa Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa
Hare Hare/ Hare Räma Hare Räma, Räma Räma Hare Hare.”
(Prabhupäda Lélä, Ch.1: Meeting Çréla Prabhupäda)
Sriman Gaura Gopäla das says about Prabhupäda’s kértana
at rathayatra in Melbourne: “I was right next to Prabhupäda
through the whole ceremony, playing the drum. He
particularly liked to sing one tune through the whole time.
He put his hands up in the air. He was dancing.” (Çréla
Prabhupäda Lilamrita, Vol. 5, 44. Let There be a Temple) In
all his recorded kértanas as available on CDs, from websites
such as krishna.com and as MP3 files at
www.prabhupädavani.org, www.causelessmercy.com and
others, in the great majority of cases Çréla Prabhupäda sings
in the same one tune, with variations in tempo and
inflection in different iteration of the mantra being for the
most part slight. (These recordings include CD02 track 3
[the “Happening album”]; CD04 track 3 [4:48 to end],
CD12 track 1 [9:44 to end], CD15 [“Bombay Kértanas”],
tracks 1 and 5; CDV02 track 3, CDV03 track 1 [5:55 to
end]; CDV06 track 1; CDV11, tracks 2, 5, 6 and 8 [after
16:40]; CDV18 track 2, CDV19 track 2; CDV20, tracks 3, 4
[3:35 to end] and track 5; CDV21 [at the end of the ärati
prayer], CDV24 track 1, is a famous, triumphant, ‘other’
tune that sometimes culminates kértanas in the de facto
standard kértana tune; track 3, track 4, track 5, [10:36 to
end] and track 6 [with Visnujana Swami]; CDV25 track 1,
track 2, track 4 [led by a disciple] and track 5 [2:51 to end];
and CDV26 track 2. {On this CD [CVD26, track 4, 7:17 to
end] and on CDV22 track 1, Prabhupäda leads in tunes
different from his favourite although these tunes are not so
different.} In Track 2 of the same CDV22, he sings the
morning tune. On CDV08 Track 1 [15:19 to end],
Prabhupäda also leads the morning tune; on CD12 tracks 2
and 3, CDV04, CDV05 track 1 [after 19:28], CDV 08, track
2 [the morning tune], CDV13 track 1, and CD_03 track 3,
Prabhupäda, sings the maha mantra himself with no
responding audience, very melodiously, in unique tunes.
These are bhajans: one devotee singing. Prabhupäda’s
otherwise private, personal ecstasies are observeable in his
bhajans. These are not kértana, that is, chanting with
responsive audience participation. On CDV11, after
privately singing Gurvastakam and the maha matra in the
one tune, he later invites the previously silent devotee
audience: “Chant”. In a kirtan after a lecture at a school in
Montreal –
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1RgFonp15CxD0CiV_1C
nDrod-rVnajFIT - and in a kirtan before his lecture at the
same event –
https://vanisource.org/wiki/680824_-_Lecture_BG_04.01_–
_Montreal, Prabhupada chants his simple, classic tune.)

Prabhupada appreciates kértans being chanted

in his pure melodies
Sriman Naranarayan das writes: “At the first Mayapur
Festival in 1972 there were some horrible kértanas on the
stage. One of them, held during the days of Srila
Prabhupada’s conversations with Bob Cohen that resulted
in the book Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers, was a
horrible, raucous, pseudo-Bengali kértana performed by a
group of European devotees. Srila Prabhupada took as
much as he was willing to do, and asked for them to be
stopped.
“Because of that incident, I went, during His morning walk,
with my wife Dinadayadri, I playing mridanga and she
playing kartals, just the two of us, and chanted a pure Srila
Prabhupada melody that could be heard everywhere on the
big speakers. Later that day Srila Prabhupada’s secretary
came up to us and said that Srila Prabhupada had asked
“who is chanting like that?” He told him, "Naranarayan and
his wife”. Srila Prabhupada said. “Oh, they are chanting
very nicely!"” (Sriman Naranarayan das, personal
communication)
The essence is not ornamentation but
ecstasy, awakened by sravanam kértanam.
Emphasis on style will simply lead to
imitation
“ …with our kértana we are only using drums and karatalas,
but people come to the point of ecstasy. It is not the
ornamentation, it is the ecstasy. This ecstasy is awakened by
sravanam kértanam by devotees. I hope this makes
everything clear.” (Çréla Prabhupäda letter to Dr. Wolf, Jan.
29, 1976)
“With regard to your question about Bengali style kértana
and mrdanga playing, one or two styles is best. To
introduce more styles is not good. It will become an
encumbrance. If we introduce so much emphasis on style of
kértana, then simply imitation will go on. Devotional
emotion is the main thing. If we give stress to instrument
and style then attention will be diverted to the style. That
will be spiritual loss.” (Çréla Prabhupäda letter to
Satsvarupa, 30 June, 1976)

The tunes sung by Çréla Prabhupäda are

Vaikuntha melodies
Sriman Naranarayan das, purvasrama a music degree
holder, who along with Visnujan Swami were at one time
the lead saìkértana leaders in Los Angeles says: “Srila
Prabhupada, who is a paramahamsa, who descended from
the spiritual sky, who brought his melodies… he said these
are Vaikuntha melodies. If we want to know how do they
chant in Krishna Loka, it’s not a Marathi melody, it’s not a
Gujärati melody, it’s not a Punjabi melody or a Bengali
melody or a South Indian melody or a Tamil melody. These
are Vaikuntha melodies. So if you want to know what it is
like in Krishna Loka, listen to Prabhupada chanting because
that’s where he’s situated, he’s situated in Krishna Loka.”
(Sriman Naranarayan das, ISKCON Mumbai 25th
Anniversary at Chowpatty Temple)

Srila Prabhupada's presence is invoked by

performing kirtan with his method, melodies
and mood
Srimati Dinadayadri writes: "Our energies should be used
exclusively for reviving and preserving this sublime aural
gift of Srila Prabhupada (…) the greatest gift of all – the
open path back to Godhead via the pure chanting of Lord
Krishna's Holy Names. Not that we can claim to be chanting
purely, but I find that when absorbed in Srila Prabhupada's
method and melodies and mood of chanting (the three
"M's), something very special happens. It really does feel
the same as it was when Srila Prabhupada was personally
present and leading kirtan, I have experienced this. It’s as if
the ceiling disappears, the heavens open up, and the
demigods shower flowers in their joy at witnessing Lord
Chaitanya's great Senapati bhakta leading his yavana-born
disciples back to their eternal homes in the spiritual sky.
Anyone who doesn't have a heart of stone will perceive it.
I've been in kirtans where Western and Indian people are
leading that are very transcendental and it's obvious they
know very well how to worship the Holy Names (instead of
themselves) while leading kirtan, but when Srila
Prabhupada's presence is invoked in this way, the
experience defies adequate description. I've been trying to
describe this to people for decades without much success.
So it's finally time to just do it."
(Quoted on the FaceBook page of Mithuna Twins
Astrological Services, Jan. 11. 2020)

Çréla Prabhupäda stops or condemns

improper kértans
“It is sometimes challenged whether the dichotomy “proper
kirtan / improper kirtan” even exists, or whether it is
justified, the arguments offered variously including “I don’t
think Prabhupada ever stopped kirtan because of the tune
or something”… “do you know of any time that
Prabhupada stopped a kértana? I don’t think he ever did”,
besides others. These challenges are however without valid
bases. Prabhupada’s senses were as refined as his
consciousness. He was amazingly aware of his disciples’
efforts in respect to their services with numerous incidences
being recorded or reported by disciples, of his expressing
favour as well as disfavor with some of their words and
deeds, including in regard to kirtan.
We have already presented accounts of a few instances
wherein he stopped kértanas. But aside from stopping bad
kirtans or encouraging good ones, he regularly expressed
his pleasure or displeasure with them by gesture. Here are a
few more accounts of instances wherein Prabhupada
stopping improper kértanas:
“At one of the festivals in Vrndävana, Prabhupäda rejected
the singing of one of his disciples. The devotee had
previously been a singer in a band and his kértanas were
much appreciated by some devotees, especially those from
his home temple. But when, with showy professionalism, he
began leading the guru-püjä in Prabhupäda’s presence
making the tune sound like a rock’n’roll ballad, Prabhupäda
didn’t like it. He shook his head and indicated that someone
else lead.” (Çréla Prabhupäda Nectar, Satsvarüpa dasa
Goswami, Ch. 1, Little Drops of Nectar)
“In 1974 one famous sannyasi’s group, in the name of
temple kértana, was running back and forth, dancing in
circles and shouting the mahamantra loudly unlike the way
devotees had up to then been taught how to chant in front
of the deities. Srila Prabhupada called the sannyasi over and
asked him to stop the kértana. The sannyasi obliged, but it
soon started up again. Prabhupada stopped it again but
again they started. After the third time Prabhupada told the
sannyasi that it was offensive and that no one should chant
and dance like that in front of the deities. The sannyasi
argued with Srila Prabhupada that "it makes them blissful”
and starting up the offending kértana for the fourth time.
This time Srila Prabhupada did not stop it. He had clearly
and authoritatively given his instruction and the sannyasis
openly disobeyed and refused instruction. Prabhupada was
very, very unhappy. Shortly later that sannyasi was ‘exiled’
to a very inhospitable preaching field.” (Sriman
Naranarayan das, personal communication)
In the article “Kértana Rules” by Hansadutta Swami (easily
found on the internet), an instance is related wherein Çréla
Prabhupäda gives instruction to his secretary to go to the
temple room and stop one of his (Prabhupada’s)
godbrother’s leading kértana. In that instance the
godbrother was adding the word “bhaja” before each
singing of the maha mantra.
In another instance in Vrindaban, Prabhupada in his room
in the guest house, hearing a particularly bad kértana in the
temple room, asked “Who is leading that räkñasa kértana?”
(Sriman Anandamaya das [France], personal
communication)
“Prabhupäda was present during a kértana performed by his
disciples in the Brooklyn temple. … The mådaìga player
Dhéra Kåñëa had learned complicated beats and was
demonstrating his abilities in the kértana, but Prabhupäda
stopped the music and said that he should follow the leader.
The kértana started up again, but it happened again and
Prabhupäda again stopped it and told Dhéra Kåñëa to follow
the leader. On another occasion, in Calcutta, Prabhupäda
said “The drum should not be louder than the voice.”
(Recollections of Viñëugadä däsa, Abhiräma däsa; adapted
from Çréla Prabhupäda Nectar, Satsvarüpa däsa Goswämé,
Ch 22 – “On Kértana and Music”)
Srimati Yamuna Devi writes: “I recall an Albert Road
kértana, in the autumn of 1972 in Calcutta where the
devotee who was leading placed too much focus on their
harmonium playing. Srila Prabhupada stopped the kértana
entirely and said, “Too much harmonium”, and indicated
that devotee should lead kértana. He said, “No harmonium,”
and the kértanar resumed.”
(https://wavesofdevotion.com/2012/01/04/srimati-yamuna-
devi-on-kértana/)
Srimati Yamuna Devi explains that Srila Prabhupada's
earliest kértanas in San Francisco in 1967 and 1968 were
classic, non-responsive: “In the temple, his congregation of
chanters played instruments softly, while Srila Prabhupada
generally played his kartals and chanted alone. When the
rhythm was established, he chanted through an entire
prayer — most commonly the mangalacarana or
guruvastakam prayers — and after finishing, chanted Hare
Krishna and then the congregation chanted along with him.
Nothing quite matches up to the power, purity or potency
of those kértanas, where often the entire congregation was
tearfully appreciative. During this period, he introduced
responsive kértanas.”
(https://wavesofdevotion.com/2012/01/04/srimati-yamuna-
devi-on-kértana/)
Scientific points about kirtan: Melodic
instruments divert attention from the
mantra; rhythm instruments encourage one
to dance; dancing unlocks devotion;
melodies are to be filled with the mantra;
extended notes, harmonization, forbidden …
Sriman Revatinandana recalls points about kértana never
previously heard, spoken by Srila Prabhupada during a
Sunday feast lecture,: “He remarked that melodic
instruments, including the harmonium, are not meant for
kértana, and he explained why. He said that the ear will
automatically follow musical strains, and then our attention
will be diverted from the mantra. He said that rhythm
instruments are good for kértana because they make one
more inclined to dance, and dancing, in turn, unlocks
devotion. He liked graceful dancing. He used to mention
that Jayatirtha was a graceful dancer. He said, "See how he
dances. This is very good. This will help one feel more
devotion." Another time he told Vishnujana that he did not
like melodies that had long, extended notes in them. He
liked the melody to be filled with the mantra.
“During the lecture he gave that day he also said, "Don't
harmonize during the response." The leader may sing little
variations, but the group should sing a steady response.
One person shouldn't be singing one melody and another
doing another melody during the response. "These things,"
he said, "will help one pay more attention to the mantra as
one is chanting and dancing. That way one will get the
maximum benefit, and the kértana will also become more
ecstatic." He also said that the dancing should be graceful
and gentlemanly. Then, during the second kértana, he got
off the vyasasana and danced in the middle of the kértana
party. He danced back and forth very gracefully in what we
called the "swami step." After a while he put his hands up
and started leaping up in the air straight up and down. He
wasn't shaking his body around. His hands were up, and he
was leaping in the air. He kept leaping and leaping and
leaping for a long time, and we were doing it with him. I got
tired. I stopped and started to dance back and forth at one
point. I was twenty-two years old at the time, and he was
over seventy. Yet Prabhupada went right on leaping. He
seemed to have no physical exhaustion at all. I was
impressed because I thought, "I play basketball and here
this guy can jump more than I can." I shouldn't say "guy,"
but those are the kind of thoughts that were going through
my mind. It was the first time I had ever seen him dance,
and I was amazed.” (Çréla Prabhupäda Remembrances,
[Siddhänta däsa, ITV], Chapter 8, Revatinandana)

Melody should not take precedence over the Name

Sriman Bhavananda recounts: “During the festival the
devotees were having a kértana in the temple in Mayapur.
They sang a tune that lent itself to saying Ga'dadhar (accent
on first syllable). But it was one of those newer melodies.
Prabhupada called me in and said, "They are singing
Ga'dadhar but it is Gada'dhar (accent on the second
syllable)." I told everyone, but no one listened to me. They
all continued to chant Ga'dadhar because it was more
syncopated for the melody. The melody shouldn't take
precedence over the name.” (Çréla Prabhupäda
Remembrances, [Siddhänta däsa, ITV], Chapter 18)
Besides tune and styles of chanting, there is
a process for performing saìkértana … One
should not manufacture different types of
chanting
A 1970 letter from Srila Prabhupada to Tamal Krishna
makes it very clear that there is a process for the
performance of saìkértan and that it should be strictly
followed: “We can go anywhere to perform Samkirtan, but
the process in which we execute the performances should
be strictly followed; namely first of all we chant and dance,
then we deliver a short lecture on our philosophy, try to
advertise our books and magazines and sell them, then at
last we again chant and dance and conclude the meeting by
distributing Prasadam. Generally we must have at least one
hour time if not more for functioning this program.
“So far we are concerned, every one of us must chant the
beads according to the vow and follow the regulative
principles in all departments of our activities, and this will
give us spiritual strength to convince the audience about
our aims and object. Some one of us in each and every
center must be well versed in the Shastras so that he can
meet scholars and philosophers, and if need be convince
them about our movement and philosophy with great
strength.” (Letter to Tamal Kåñëa, Los Angeles, February
20, 1970) Though in this letter Prabhupada does not spell
out details regarding tune, style of singing, instrumentation
and so on, that there is a process for presenting saìkértana
renders the proposition that style and tune of chanting and
dancing are of no significance indefensible.
That there exists the necessity of there being devotees well
versed in the sastras may not be widely acknowledged, but
facts regarding the relative importance of saìkértan, public
chanting, and propagating the philosophy by pravacana and
by distribution of the äcäryas books should be borne in
mind. Lord’s Caitanya’s mission consisted and continues to
consist of chanting for the benefit of all human beings... and
even all living beings. Very few people are capable as far as
understanding and expounding the philosophy. The Lord
spoke philosophy only with a small few close associates. As
Prabhupada’s description of the process of presenting
Krishna consciousness publically indicates, the philosophy
is to be presented bracketed by kirtan. As we have
previously noted, Srila Jiva Goswami says that in Kali Yuga
any of the nine types of devotional service can be executed
but to be effective they must be preceded and followed by
kértan and this is how Prabhupada personally demonstrated
that programmes be conducted. A programme at a school
in Montreal in 1968 for example
(https://prabhupadavani.org/transcriptions/lecture-
school/?fbclid=IwAR3yeMZsCMRjRoH0EdTy_tKspPNvKbT
_CXtlYXVcqv8bLjWNCs5cBi8IDYQ), begins with a kirtan
by the devotees personally trained in kirtan by Prabhupada,
followed by a short talk by him, followed by another kirtan
lead by Srila Prabhupada. When we (the author), were in
Montreal in 1969 and 1970, we practiced this process of
saìkértan. We are not aware of Prabhupada ever instructing
us to discontinue practicing it.
At that time, 1968, when the devotees all chanted very
much in the way that Prabhupada himself did and spoke the
basic philosophy also as he did, Srila Prabhupada said in a
letter: “I am very much pleased to hear of your good success
in the park on Sunday. This is very much encouraging to
me, to hear so many people are hearing the chanting and
philosophy and also taking nice prasada as well. Yes, it is
very good, and you please continue with this sort of
program! This system should be followed and you will be
successful.” Prabhupada is very explicit: “One should not
manufacture different types of chanting. One should adhere
seriously to the chanting of the holy name as recommended
in the scriptures…” (SB 7.5.23-24 purport) One should
remember that the acarya is the person Bhagavatam. What
he says is truly Bhagavata sastra.

Devotees are meant to try to improve their

chanting of kirtan for the pleasure of
Krishna
In a 1968 letter to one of the six devotees who went from
Montreal to start the preaching in London, Srila
Prabhupada, says: “… your description of progress in
kirtana performance with Gurudasa playing sitar and
Mukunda playing khole is encouraging. Practically we see
that as we sincerely try to improve our chanting for the
pleasure of Krishna, Krishna reciprocates and we feel our
greatest pleasure which is devotional service to the Lord.”
(Letter to Syamasundara, November 24, 1968, Los Angeles)

The qualifications of a kirtan chanter…

Kértana that merely resembles harinama,
performed by persons not anxious for their
own well-being, is of no benefit
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said: “A chanter of the
kirtana of Hari is necessarily the uncompromising enemy of
worldliness and hypocrisy. As a chanter of the kirtana of
Hari, it is his constant function to dispel all misconceptions
by the preaching of the truth in a most unambiguous form,
without any influence of person, place or time. That form
has to be adopted which is least likely to be misunderstood.
It is his bounden duty to oppose any person who tries to
deceive and harm himself or other people by
misrepresenting the truth either due to malice or genuine
misunderstanding. This will be possible if the chanter of
kirtana is always prepared to submit to be trodden on by
thoughtless people if any discomfort to himself will enable
him to do good to his persecutors by chanting the truth in
the most unambiguous manner. If he is unwilling to chant
the kirtana under all circumstances due to consideration of
self-respect or personal discomfort, then he is unfit to be a
preacher of the absolute truth. Humility implies perfect
submission to the truth and no sympathy for untruth. A
person who entertains any partiality for untruth is unfit to
chant the kirtana of Hari. Any clinging to untruth is
opposed to the principle of humility born of absolute
submission to the truth." (Article in the Harmonist,
https://bvmlu.org/SBSST/tcotkolh.html)
"As long as we remain aloof from Krishna-kértana that is
conducted by pure devotees, maya will delude us in various
ways. We will derive no benefit by joining the kértana of
persons who are not anxious for their own wellbeing and
hoodwink themself. There will be no saìkértan if we follow
such people who, without receiving instructions from true
Vaishnavas, imitatively decorate their body with beads and
tilaka and screech out some names that merely resemble
harinama."
(Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura, Sri Caitanya's
Teachings, p. 122)

Ornamental music may attract people but

devotees should not become attached to it…
The melodies given by Prabhupada are
sufficient
Sriman Aniruddha das says: “Prabhupada knew that we
were attracting all varieties of people and he was broad-
minded. When Vishnujana Maharaj started the road shows
using guitars and a lot of music, Prabhupada said, "This is
very good to attract people, but the devotees shouldn't get
attached to it." Today, however, in many places it is
common for devotees to play all these songs. Whatever
brings a person to Krishna consciousness is all right –
Prabhupada taught us to be broad-minded – but we have to
be careful not to compromise.” (Çréla Prabhupäda
Remembrances, [Siddhänta däsa, ITV], Chapter 32)

Those with genuine devotion like to hear

Kértana in the old tunes with mådanga and
karatäls in a pure Vaiñëavas way following in
the footsteps of the Mahäjanas
Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura desired that kértana be
performed with mådanga and karatäla to the old tunes in a
pure Vaiñëava way following the footsteps of the
Mahäjanas. He writes that devotees who possess love and
devotion in their hearts take pleasure in hearing Kértana
performed in that way… and he condemned the kértanas
performed by sahajiyas who put on the appearance of being
devotees but who within themselves harbour all kinds of
desires for gross sense enjoyement no matter how sinful
they may in fact be.
In his Sajjana Toñaëé he writes about Sankértana being first
preached in Calcutta (now Kolkata): “Once upon a time the
leaders of Çré Gauränga Samäja decided to perform
Sankértana. Being induced by such thought and with the
help of the citizens of Calcutta they performed the first
Näma Sankértana on the appearance day of Çré Mahäprabhu
at Bidon Street, Calcutta. According to the opinion of many
elderly persons, such a Sankértana festival never took place
in Calcutta before. Everyone including the atheists and the
devotees joined in this congregational chanting of the
Lord’s holy names. Such a tumultuous Sankértana should be
performed in all countries on the appearance day of Çré
Mahäprabhu. Due to this Sankértana festival the citizens
became attached to Kértana. What to speak of this, people
gave up all other engagements and formed kértana groups in
every village, and spent lavishly for this purpose. It was very
pleasing that the citizens of Calcutta who hailed from
different states of India joined in the Näma Kértana.
Particularly people from the Western part of India who
have never heard Mahäprabhu’s name also became
intoxicated by chanting the names of Nityänanda-Gauränga
in the course of their participation in Harinäma Kértana.
Many shopkeepers and commission agents of Bada Bazär
who belong to the Western part of India participated in the
Nagara Kértana by spending huge amounts of money and
labor. The residents of each village of Calcutta performed
kértana in their respective villages with pomp.
“On the appearance day of Çré Mahäprabhu we were
engaged in holding a grand festival at Çré Navadvépa
Mayäpura, which is the birth place of Mahäprabhu and
Harinäma. After a few days we came to Calcutta and
perfomed this Harinäma Sankértana. It appeared that the
religious principles which were extinct in Calcutta are now,
by the mercy of Mahäprabhu becoming prominent. This is
because Hari Kértana which is the essence of all religion is
being performed here. But in spite of these encouraging
activities, Mahäprabhu has not distributed love of God,
which is the most confidential mystery, in this metropolitan
city. In order to reveal Himself the Lord has given sufficient
encouragement to all kinds of people. Even He gave them
the strength to give up material happiness. Still He has not
opened the door of pure love and devotion. He has induced
people to chant the holy names but He has not given them
the propensity to follow in the footsteps of the Mahäjanas
even today.
“We saw many people performing Kértana with Mådanga
and Karatäla giving up their leather shoes, yet we did not
find any Tulasé beads on their neck. If even some people do
have Tulasé beads they are new ones. This creates some
doubts. Many people have not decorated their bodies with
twelve marks of tilaka. In order to hear kértana in the
Mahäjana’s way, we went to Neemtala Ghat one day, Jodä
Sanko another day, and Jhämä Pukura on yet another day,
but we could not find any such things. We were extremely
pained to hear kértana performed by Nyädäs, Bähuls and
other unauthorized people in the tune of cinema songs. But
our pain was somewhat diminished by hearing the eternal
names of Hari, Kåñëa and Räma uttered by them in the
course of their singing. Those who possess love and
devotion in their hearts love to hear Kértana in the old and
ancient tunes. They do not like to hear or sing useless
topics. They sing and hear the pure holy names of Hari in
the old tune. Due to lack of good association, the residents
of this metropolitan city do not easily realize the
characteristics of pure devotional service. Therefore they
follow their own concocted process. Anyhow our Çré
Gauränga is most merciful. Since He has mercifully allowed
the residents of Calcutta to perform Kértana, we hope that
gradually He will reveal pure devotional service in their
hearts.
“Some people say that the residents of Calcutta have started
this process of kértana in order to avoid the dreaded
diseases like plague. There is no doubt that those who are
against this kértana are certainly enemies of the country. We
have a proposal for them. They can perform Sankértana but
they must do so on occasions. It is better that they perform
Hari Kértana on occasions such as Purnima, Ekädasé, Gaura
Purnimä, Janmästami, Month of Kärttika, Month of Baisaka,
the days when the Lord is taken out on a procession, and on
days when the sun enters particular zodiac signs. May the
residents of Calcutta increase our happiness by performing
kértana with Mådanga and Karatäla in a pure Vaiñëavas way
following the footsteps of the Mahäjanas. Çré Gauränga is
Jagatguru. Therefore He will certainly award them their
desired result.” (Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Sajjana Toñaëé 11/3,
quoted in Bhaktivinoda Väné Vaibhäva 55: “Chanting the
Holy Names of the Lord”
In his song song Suddha bhakata, Bhaktivinode Thakur also
says that the kind of kértan ordained by Lord Caitanya
makes him ecstatic: “Mådaìga-vädya, çunite mana, abasara
sadä yäce, gaura-vihita, kértana çuni’, änande hådoya näce.
My mind ever longs for the opportunity to hear the music
of the mådaìga. Upon hearing the kind of kértan ordained
by Lord Gaura-candra, my heart dances in ecstasy.”
(Bhativinode Thakur, song Suddha bhakata, Text 4)

“What can I do? If you invent your own

way...” – Srila Prabhupada
In the following except from a conversation with disciples,
Srila Prabhupada comments about invented styles of
dancing in ärati. His comments can be equally applied to
the singing of kirtan:
Rüpänuga: … a question, Çréla Prabhupäda, on dancing in
the temple room during ärati, especially maìgala-ärati. Is it
not that the devotees should not turn their back while
dancing to the Deity?
Prabhupäda: No, no.
Rüpänuga: And that they should not bump each other or
dance with each other personally, distracting the attention
from the Deity? Shouldn't all the dancing be focused toward
the Deity?
Prabhupäda: Sometimes dancing is done here in peculiar
method. [laughs] [laughter] That is not desirable. The
dancing, Caitanya Mahäprabhu is showing.
Rüpänuga: You have shown us the feet, changing of the feet
with arms upraised, not with the back to the Deity.
Prabhupäda: They do it out of sentiment, but that is not
very good.
Rüpänuga: Also there's something. They bump one another
with the drum or with each other's bodies. They dance and
they bump like this. That is not bona fide, is it? It is very
popular in our movement now.
Prabhupäda: They are inventing. What can I do? If you
invent your own way...
(Room Conversation, July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.)

Sriman Revatinanadana writes: "One time an Indian woman

called Mataji who had some followers in Los Angeles came
to visit the temple. Prabhupada let her stay at the temple.
When he came back, she was gone. We had kirtan one
night, and this Mataji had taught the ladies how to dance a
circle dance where they went around in a circle and jumped
in together toward the center and then came out again. So
they turned in and turned out, and the ladies liked to do it
and they were doing it when Prabhupada came back and we
were having kirtan. Then afterwards he called in Tamal
Krishna and said, 'Tell them to stop dancing like that. I did
not teach them to do it that way. I don't want them dancing
with each other, I want them dancing before the Deity.’"
(Revatinanadana das, Aug. 28, 1995)
As we write this book Proper Kértan, we see that some
ladies and some men too, sometimes are seen to do this
“circle dance” and to dance with each other in this way. …
Some new bhaktas also are seen to be “dancing” in pairs,
locking arms and twirling around and around... and no one
stops them. Similarly, unauthorized styles and tunes of
kértan have infiltrated and little is being done to stop them.

Hearing Srila Prabhupada’s vani is a must

Aside from descriptions in biographies of the Lord such as
Caitanya Caritamrita, Caitanya Bhagavat, Caitanya Mangal
and others by His contemporary or almost contemporary
devotees, we can see old paintings of His dancing in kirtan
and we can thereby gain some knowledge of the way to
dance properly in kirtan. But we don’t have recordings of
the Lord’s chanting to hear. For the first time in history, we
now do have recordings of the äcärya’s singing kirtan and
bhajan. The Lord Himself says “äcäryaà mäà vijänéyän” …
“Know the äcärya to be My very self” (Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.17.27), by the axiomatic principle that things equal to a
particular thing are equal to each other, listening to the
recordings of Srila Prabhupada singing kirtan is the same as
listening directly to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s singing.
Is it simply a coincidence that digital audio technology
became widely and readily available just a few years after
Prabhupäda’s departure? Srila Bhaktisiddhänta Saraswati
Öhäkur, following the principle of yukta vairagya used the
then new shorthand notation technology to record all of his
lectures and classes. Our Srila Prabhupada, following that
principle, travelled by airplane when necessary, wore
modern watches, used the latest ball-point pens, accepted
and used the latest furnishings supplied by his faithful
followers and most importantly for followers and for the
whole world, recorded his bhajans, kirtans, conversations
and book dictations using the latest electronic devices.
Whoever claims to be a member of the International Society
for Krishna Consciousness or a follower of Srila Prabhupäda
must listen to his vani, his sound vibrations, freely and
easily available from numerous sources... otherwise, claims
by such persons to being devotees are questionable, or false.
Lord Krishna says “tat çåëu” – “understand, or hear, from
Me”, and as just explained, hearing from the äcäryas is the
same. One must learn proper kirtan either from Prabhupada
through the available recording media, or through the
disciples and followers of him who know how to faithfully
replicate these kirtans.

Prabhupäda’s kértan tunes are a specific

representation of Gaudiya Vaisnavism
appreciated all over India as unique… a
“specific gift”
Çréla Prabhupäda writes: “Regarding the presentation of
"Govindam'' as well as other mantras, the vibration is
always pure. I will give the theme and if the sound is
Westernized that does not matter. But another point is that
this specific sound of Kértana as I sing is also another
introduction of art that can be intermingled with Western
art, and such combination will certainly be appreciated. But
so far I know that the Kértana tune is a specific
representation of Gaudiya Vaisnavas and this tune is
appreciated all over India as unique. They say that the
Kértana tune is the specific gift of Bengal, and that is a fact.
So why not utilize this tune in the Western countries under
the able guidance of such expert musician as George?”
(Letter to Shyamsundar, Feb. 25, 1970)
True kértana is that of genuine devotees who serve Krishna
according to the principles enjoined in çästras. Çréla
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur asks: "Can kértana really
be considered genuine if some worthless people with no
ardor for Hari-seva come together and howl? True Hari-
Saìkértana is that of genuine devotees, who serve Hari
according to the principles enjoined in the Vedas and allied
çästras. Kértana is not Hari-Saìkértana if conducted for the
prevention of cholera or pox epidemics, for prosperity in
trade, or for labha-puja-pratishtha. Such kértana is maya-
kértana." (Sri Caitanya's Teachings, p. 122) He adds:
"Making a pretense of harinama, people are waltzing their
way to hell.” (Çréla Prabhupadera Goloka-vani, Vol. 1, p
286)

Kértana is not for pleasing the crowd but to

deliver Kåñëa in the right way
Çréla Prabhupäda made this point repeatedly. Here are a few
instances:
"In my opinion a single sincere soul can maintain a center.
(...) I was maintaining the establishment simply depending
on Krishna and then Krishna sent me everything; men and
money. Similarly, if a sincere soul goes out and opens a
center in any part of the world, Krishna will help him in all
respects. Without being empowered by Krishna nobody can
preach Krishna Consciousness. It is not academic
qualification or financial strength which helps in the matter,
but it is sincerity of purpose which helps us always. (...)
follow my example as I did in the beginning at 26 2nd Ave.
That is preaching, cooking, writing, talking, chanting,
everything one man's show. I never thought about the
audience. I was prepared to chant even if there were no men
present to hear me. The principle of chanting is to glorify
the Lord and not to attract a crowd. If Krishna hears nicely
then he will ask some sincere devotee to gather in such
place. (...) thousands of centers may be started if we find
out a sincere soul for each & every center.'' (Çréla
Prabhupäda letter to Subala, Calcutta, 12 November, 1967)
“Your business is not to, I mean to say, satisfy the crowd.
Your business is satisfy Krishna, and then crowd will be
automatically satisfied. We are not going to please the
crowd. We are going to give them something, Krishna. So
you should be very much careful whether you are delivering
Krishna in the right way. Then they’ll be satisfied. Your
only business should be to satisfy Krishna.” (Bhagavad-gétä
7.1, Los Angeles, December 2, 1968)
“So this process of chanting Hare Krishna, if we do it very
nicely... Nicely does not mean that we have to become a
very nice musician or very artistic singer. No. Very nicely
means sincerely and with great attention. The process is the
highest yoga system. This transcendental vibration, if you
simply concentrate your mind on the vibration "Hare
Krishna..."” (Çréla Prabhupäda, lecture on Srimad
Bhagavatam 7.9.12, August 19, 1968)

Kértana for pleasing the senses with melody,

beat and musical tempo is not real kértana
Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura Prabhupäda writes:
"Kértana that is bawled with the intention of pleasing the
senses through melody, beat, and tempo is not kértana;
actually it is not kértana for Krishna. Krishna-Saìkértana
means vocalizing the aprakrita (transcendental) names of
aprakrita Krishna and chanting about the aprakrita8 form of
Krishna, the aprakrita qualities of Krishna, the aprakrita
associates of Krishna, and the aprakrita pastimes of Krishna.
Still, it is not that melody, beat, and tempo are to be
rejected in Krishna-kértana; all of them must be present.

8
transcendental
The six ragas and thirty-six raginis are servants of Krishna-
kértana."
(Çréla Prabhupadera Goloka-vani, Vol 1, p 1.300-304)

So called ‘rasa kértana’

Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté writes about a phenomenon
that was rife in the Bengal of his time: “Professional singers
of rasa kértana are called rasika in the namesake only; In
fact they are devoid of any knowledge regarding rasa and
are averse to Vaisnava conclusions. Their songs are full of
different musical modes and tunes, but their kértana is not
fit to be heard by the Vaisnavas. They add so much to the
original mahäjana songs in order to please the assembled
women and foolish people. Such people are full of pride
because they get money and praise from foolish audience.”
(Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura Prabhupäda,
Sajjana Tosani 6/2)
These words of acarya should serve as a warning to anyone
influenced by the mistaken idea of using kértana as a means
to attract money and women. From almost the very
beginning of the movement started by Srila A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in the west, his disciples
and followers heard that when a new and sincere person
comes, hears kirtan and some truths regarding Krishna, His
devotees, His service and so on, and himself begins to
render sincere service with an attitude of humility, then
Radharani calls Krishna’s attention to that soul. That is rasa
and devotees humbly performing kirtan and rendering
other services after even just a little of such hearing are the
real performers of rasa kértan.
Conditioned souls will be attracted by the
Holy Name sincerely chanted by pure
devotees … there is absolutely no need of
anything more. To compose new songs, one
has to be on the liberated platform. If
unauthorized innovations are introduced,
unwanted, mediocre people will be attracted
In the early seventies Çréla Prabhupäda’s instructed his
secretaries Karandhar dasa and Shyamasundar dasa to write
a letter to all GBC Members and temple presidents. Read
and approved by him before being circulated, it stated as
follows: “Srila Prabhupada has instructed that we issue a
letter of direction to you all regarding the business of
travelling road shows, electronic music, and drama
presentation. His Divine Grace has instructed that these
things should stop. Our process is kértana, philosophy and
prasadam, and nothing more. We do not need to glamorize
or spectacularize beyond these simple methods at the risk of
deviating from the Disciplic Line of presentation and
diminishing the gravity of our message. All the new
additions, i.e. electronic musical instrumentation, so-called
dramas and plays, songs written by devotees (Çréla
Prabhupäda said that it is prohibited for a Vaisnava to write
songs unless he is on the liberated platform in which case
they are as good as the Vedas), and public relations-
promotion departments are unnecessary and artificial.
Granted, people may be entertained by the incorporation of
such things, but they will not take us seriously nor
understand the actual import of Krishna Consciousness.
The conditioned souls will be attracted by the Holy Name
sincerely chanted by pure devotees and the perfect
knowledge of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam as
rendered by the Acaryas. There is absolutely no need of
anything more. Our presentation should not become a
cheap flim flamery to attract mediocre and mundane
mentalities." (Memo to all GBC Members and Temple
Presidents, 22 June 1972)

“Our process is to show Krishna

Consciousness as it is, not as others want to
see it”
The world at present is preoccupied with technology yet at
the same time we hear it referred to as a “global village”. In
this connection those who consider themselves members of
Lord Caitanya’s saìkértana movement would do well to
remember that it was started by the two Lords, Caitanya
Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu together with a small
few of the Lord’s intimate associates who He had trained in
the performance of saìkértana by Their simply walking
through the streets of Nadia, chanting, dancing and playing
mrdanga and karatals.
A year before the above letter to the GBC was circulated,
Srila Prabhupada had written to a disciple: “I don't think
there is need to divert your attention by producing
advertising. I have seen your advertisements as shown to
me by Syamasundara, and I think you have made the thing
less important. This kind of ad is not good, it is not grave.
Our process is to show Krishna Consciousness as it is, not
as others want to see it. By showing KC in this way, you are
making the thing less important. It is not that we should
change to accommodate the public, but that we should
change the public to accommodate us. Better you devote
your full time to one thing only, not many things. That way
your enthusiasm and talents will have big effect by being
concentrated. Therefore, kindly concentrate for producing
books and magazines in European languages, as many as
possible, and make this your life work. These books are the
best advertising, they are better than advertising. If we
simply present Krishna Consciousness in a serious and
attractive way, without need to resort to fashionable slogans
or tricks, that is sufficient. Our unique asset is our purity.
No one anywhere can match it. That will be noticed
eventually and appreciated, as long as we do not diminish
or neglect the highest standard of purity in performing our
routine work. Not that we require to display or announce
ourselves in very clever ways to get attention. No, our pure
standard is enough. Let us stand on that basis. (Letter to
Yogesvara, Bombay, 28 December, 1971)
Flim flamery means deception… deceptive nonsense… like
the man outside a fast-food restaurant dressed as a circus
clown dancing about and waving to passers-by to attract
customers. Everything Krishna Conscious is to be presented
in a serious and attractive way without gimmicks, slogans
or tricks. The members of a saìkértana party are to dress in
standard vaisnava dress with telok, kunti mala and simple
footwear, to sing the maha-mantra in the simple tunes and
to dance in the simple ways taught by Srila Prabhupada, the
acarya. Without following the acarya, Krishna
consciousness cannot be awakened or sustained. San-
kirtanam means pure, proper kirtan. To adopt novelties,
gimmicks or stratagems having no intrinsic value to attract
attention or increase appeal, are not part of the process of
saìkértana – which is the process of developing and
spreading Krishna consciousness when properly performed.

Other tunes, and entertainment style of

music, are sometimes acceptable as kértana
provided that the participants in such
kértanas are chanting sincerely
It has already been explained that Sri Siksastaka’s statement
about there being “no hard and fast rules for chanting”
refers to the individual soul’s call on the Lord… that
organized chanting does have to be according to certain
rules and regulations. But what of the occasional statements
by Çréla Prabhupäda allowing or encouraging chanting in
various other tunes and styles?
There is no denying that kirtan performed with
entertainment style tunes may be attractive. If kértana in
such tunes and styles intelligently include some kértana in
the old, proper style, then people thereby have the
opportunity to contact the Lord in His nama-rupa. Çréla
Prabhupäda’s reaction to an album in modern tunes once
promoted by Sriman Rameswar was: “If there is no mistake
in the set up of the wording, the change of musical tune,
that is not harmful." (Room Conversation, November 25,
1976, Våndävana)
This principle is relevant as demonstrated also by Srila
Prabhupada’s reaction upon hearing a recording of some of
the unruly early-days’ kértanas in San Francisco. Srimati
Govinda dasi recalls: “One day while living with Srila
Prabhupada at the New Jersey seashore, a tape arrived from
the San Francisco temple; some devotees from New York
brought it and Srila Prabhupada sat listening to the taped
'San Francisco kértana'. Now, a bit of background:
Gaurasundara and I had met Srila Prabhupada in San
Francisco when he first arrived and had been initiated at the
San Francisco temple, the Haight Ashbury Frederick Street
storefront, and then had followed him to New York when
he returned in March of 1967. The San Francisco Haight
Ashbury district was quite wild, there was a hippie
environment; Gaurasundara and I were students just prior
to meeting Srila Prabhupada, were both in our senior year
in the University of Texas; we found the more studious and
sedate New York temple more to our liking. In New York,
devotees were reading Srila Prabhupada's books, chanting
regularly, and following pretty strictly. In San Francisco,
things were generally wilder, with lots of flamboyant
kértanas and hardly anyone reading or following strictly.
Because of this vast difference between New York mood and
San Francisco mood, the natural tendency was for the New
York devotees to look down upon the San Francisco temple,
and to criticize and roll their eyes when talking about the
San Francisco devotees. Yes, the politics had already begun.
New York temple really did not take the San Francisco
devotees seriously, and San Francisco did indeed have a
mood of its own. Knowing all this, I was eager to see Srila
Prabhupada's reaction to the San Francisco kértana tape. As
the old reel-to-reel tape player began blaring the new Hare
Kåñëa chant, Srila Prabhupada began to wag his head in
time to the music: Hare Kåñëa Hare Kåñëa Kåñëa Kåñëa Hare
Hare. It was a new singsong chant, nothing at all like the
morning and evening ragas that Srila Prabhupada had
introduced. This was an American version for sure: horns
blared, drums boomed, and cymbals clanged; it was a
festive party sound. Some of the New York devotees were
aghast; after hearing the tape through, Srila Prabhupada
smiled broadly and expressed his appreciation: "Oh, they
have done nicely. Very nice. They are chanting so
enthusiastically". One of the tape bearers protested the
modern unauthentic sound. Srila Prabhupada drowned him
out. It was, in his opinion, wonderful. He sent a message to
San Francisco to let them know he loved their kértana tape
and to go on chanting. Srila Prabhupada then said: "They
are chanting Hare Kåñëa, that is the main thing. It may be
this tune or that tune, doesn't matter – this way or that, but
they are sincerely chanting. That is what Kåñëa wants"”.
(Çréla Prabhupäda Stories, Govinda dasi, #6 – Wild kértans)
Although unruly, the fledgling San Francisco devotees were
chanting without any material motive and Srila Prabhupada
was pleased in the same way that a father is pleased by his
small child’s attempts to satisfy him in some way.

Kértana is an offering to be done with heart

and soul and it will succeed for that reason
but at the same time the leaders of chanting
parties should follow Prabhupada’s way of
chanting
As is the case for all services rendered to Him, kértana is not
possible to be offered directly but has to be offered through
the disciplic succession beginning with the acarya-spiritual
master. Such service has to be offered with sincerity:
“Everything should be offered to the spiritual master as a
matter of duty, but the offering should be made to the
spiritual master with heart and soul, not artificially to gain
material prestige. This offering is called arpaëa.” (SB 7.7.32,
purport) Neither should an offering be made for any other
material purpose. Performing kértana as a source of income
to maintain family or some lifestyle, for prestige, or to
appease nature for getting rain and so on is offensive.
From the time of Lord Caitanya, the maha mantra has been
known fairly widely in India, not only in Bengal and the
western states, but in South India too. Prabhupada’s first
return to India accompanied by some of his young western
disciples resulted in a great rise in the popularity of
chanting. To this day one can hear loudspeakers at
marriages and other events loudly playing “Hare Krishna”,
(although unfortunately mostly in Bollywood cinema tune).
Cinema songs, even “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna” are not as
good as the sincere efforts at kértana by even the kind of
new devotees Govinda dasi writes about (as quoted above)
because those new devotees are devotees, though very new.
Krishna especially notes with favour service performed by
new devotees... imperfect as they and their service may be.
(That does not mean of course that wild kértanas such as
those San Francisco devotees were doing are acceptable
always and everywhere. “For everything there is a season”.
Such kértanas are not suitable for all times and all places.
On the other hand, the manner, tunes and style of the
kértans lead by Çréla Prabhupäda are good for all times and
all places.) Çréla Prabhupäda says “We chant Hare Kåñëa. So
we are not training our students any way about musical
science… that "We have to chant in this way or that way,
we have to dance in this way or that way." Without any
musical knowledge, without any poetic understanding, even
a child can take part in it, and he becomes immediately
absorbed in ecstasy. Why? Because we are chanting the
glories of the Lord. It does not require any artificial musical
knowledge or dancing knowledge. Out of your own ecstasy,
you will dance, you'll chant. You don't require to study. Just
like our playing of mådaìga. Nobody has gone to an expert
mådaìga player to learn it. Whatever I play, I sing, I never
studied under some expert teacher. But by practice,
chanting, it may be melodious, it may be very nice or not.
That doesn't matter. We are not concerned about that,
whether it is appealing to the people or not. It will appeal;
there is no doubt about it. But we don't require to divert our
attention on these things. Simply because there is
glorification of the Lord, it will be palatable. … “Kåñëa is
not within the material qualities of goodness, passion, or
ignorance. All His qualities are transcendental, nondifferent
from Him. Therefore His glorification of the transcendental
qualities can be chanted who are already in the
transcendental platform. Others cannot. Therefore Parékñit
Mahäräja says, nivåtta-tarñaiù. Nivåtta means already
finished, completely finished. What is that finished? Tåñëa.
Tåñëa means hankering. One who has finished his material
hankering, they can chant this transcendental glorification
of the Lord. Others cannot. Just like in our saìkértana
movement, you are taking so much ecstasy, pleasure. So
others will say, "What these people are doing? Crazy fellow,
they're trancing, dancing and beating some drum." They'll
feel like that because their hankering for material
enjoyment is not finished. Therefore nivåtta.
“Actually, this transcendental name of Kåñëa, or God, can
be chanted in liberated stage. Therefore we prescribe, while
chanting, there are three stages. The offensive stage,
liberated stage, and actually on the platform of love of
Godhead stage. That is the perfectional stage by chanting.
In the beginning we chant in offensive stage – the ten kinds
of offenses. But that does not mean that we shall not chant.
Even there are offenses, we shall go on chanting. That
chanting will help me to get out of all offenses.
“Of course, we must take care that we may not commit
offenses. Therefore this list of ten kinds of offenses are
given. We should try to avoid. And as soon as it is
offenseless chanting, then it is liberated stage. That is
liberated stage. And after liberated stage, the chanting will
be so pleasing because that is on the transcendental
platform that actual love of Kåñëa and God will be relished.
“So, but the same thing... The chanting... In the offensive
stage, the chanting, and the liberated stage is chanting. But
in the mature stage... Just like Rüpa Gosvämé, he used to
say that "What shall I chant with one tongue and what shall
I hear with two ears? If millions of ears I had, if millions of
tongues I had, then I could chant and hear." Because they
are in liberated stage.
“But we should not be dejected for that purpose. We should
continue with perseverance. Utsähäd dhairyät. Utsähät
means with enthusiasm, and dhairyät, dhairyät means
perseverance, patience. Utsähät. Niçcayät. Niçcayät means
with firm determination: "Yes, I have begun chanting.
Maybe there are offenses, but if I continue, Kåñëa will be
pleased to place me on the transcendental platform when I
shall relish what is this chanting Hare Kåñëa."
“Just like Viçvanätha Cakravarté has given that the mango in
the ripe stage and unripe stage. Unripe stage, it is bitter, but
the same mango, when it is fully ripe, it is sweet, the
sweetness. We shall have to wait for this stage, and we shall
have to be careful that we may not commit offenses. Then
we, surely, we shall come. Just like a diseased patient, if he
follows the regulations given by the physician and takes the
medicine, then surely he'll be cured.
“Therefore Parékñit Mahäräja said that the chanting is for
the persons who are liberated. Nivåtta-tarñair upagéyamänät.
Actually, chanting can be perfectly done by persons who are
already liberated. But those who are not liberated? Then he
says, bhavauñadhi. But it is the medicine of this material
entanglement for becoming liberated. That is also, it is also
medicine. When we are liberated, we'll chant and relish
what is actually love of God. That is liberated. But even if
we are not liberated, this will act as medicine to become
liberated.
“So any stage, nivåtta-tarñair upagéyamänäd bhavauñadhäc
[SB 10.1.4]. Those who are chanting, they'll be liberated.
And another thing is: for the common men who are not
serious, çrotra-mano-'bhirämät. They will hear and they will
enjoy: "Oh, it is very nice." Just like Jagäi-Mädhäi. Jagäi-
Mädhäi, they were rogues. Rogues. And Nityänanda Mahä...
Nityänanda Prabhu delivered them. But when they were
rogues... The Vaiñëavas were chanting Hare Kåñëa, and
these two brothers, one of them were appreciating, "Oh,
these rascals chant very nicely." (chuckles) They were
copying, these rascals, but appreciating.
“So we get some appreciation from the common man. They
also give some contribution and they call us, they invite us.
Because there is appreciation also. The three stages.
Actually, chanting is possible in the liberated stage. But
even if we are not liberated stage, it will act as medicine to
bring us to the liberated platform. Nivåtta-tarñair
upagéyamänäd bhavauñadhäc chrotra-mano-'bhirämät (SB
10.1.4).
“And for the common man it is very pleasant, pleasing also.
"Oh, Hare Kåñëa." They also sometimes imitate, sometimes
join because it is nice also. Just like sometimes on the
street, some boys greet us, "Hare Kåñëa." They have no
interest, but still, they are taking interest. It is so nice. You
see? So three stages, liberated stages, and offensive stages,
and beginning stages.
“So Parékñit Mahäräja said there are three stages.
Bhavauñadhäc chrotra-mano... In three ways it is so nice,
palatable. So why one should be aloof from this chanting?
Ka uttama-çloka-guëänu... Who can be aloof from this
chanting or hearing about the activities, pastimes of the
uttama-çloka, Supreme Personality of Godhead? Vinä
paçughnät (SB 10.1.4).
“The only person: who is paçughnät. Paçughnät means
animal-killer. A person who is animal-killer, he'll not be
interested.
“The animal-killer, you can, I mean to say, analyze the
meaning in two ways. Animal killer means not exactly those
who are butchers, or ordinary man who kills animal and
eat. But even a person who does not take care of his self-
realization, he is also animal-killer. He is killing himself. He
is also animal-killer.” (SB 1.5.11–12, June 10, 1969, New
Vrindavan)
The conclusion regarding chanting by one on the liberated
platform and one who is not pure, and impure chanting – is
that if the heart is not right, its feelings will also not be
right. Whoever therefore who, though only theoretically,
understands the saìkértana mission of chanting, will
understand that it is better to chant in a tune and style as
the acarya has chanted. A child may be chanting without
any impure thoughts but some onlookers may think “these
people are exploitatively using children to win followers to
their cult”. Similarly, any new person, experiencing the
transcendental nature of chanting may lead chanting in his
own tune and style… and some hearers will be definitely be
moved by his expression... but as far as his performances
having the power to cause a great number of people to
chant, it will not happen. Prabhupada by heartfully
chanting, chanting continuously in his simple tunes, led
tens of thousands of young people to follow, some
becoming his dedicated disciples. This is the practical result
of following a mahäjana. Others may be able to ignite some
response here and there, but the mahäjana can lead many
people, the whole world in fact, onto the true path of
religion. One should not let his ego’s thinking “I am a very
good singer” drive him to take the position of saìkértana
leader. If one is truly interested in his own purification and
the purification of the people in general, he will not allow
such thoughts to dominate his thinking. Thinking more
carefully he will accept that he is not on the transcendental
platform. “Let me do whatever will bring the best result to
the greatest number of people. Let me chant as “Swamiji”
(Prabhupada, the acarya) chants.” Let me not mistakenly
think “I am very educated, very talented musically. I can do
just as well as hi. I will also attract so many followers and
become famous as he was.” No. During a morning walk
conversation on the beach in Melbourne, Australia
Prabhupada responded to a disciple who began to ask a
question with “Srila Prabhupada, as transcendental…” with:
“Who said transcendental? You think you are on the
transcendental platform… or you are trying to come to the
transcendental…"
It is a fact that people should be encouraged to chant in
whatever way they are inclined, but those who lead
saìkértana parties in the worldwide Society should not
think themselves more qualified than they in fact are but
rather should simply follow the äcärya’s instruction to
“chant as I chant”.

Srila Prabhupada's voice the dominant

kértana instrument that “opened sound
windows to the spiritual world”
Srimati Yamuna lists the following Srila Prabhupada kértana
instructions:
“Learn to listen” 1970 Mumbai: “One morning soon after
arriving at Kailash Seksaria's home, Srila Prabhupada called
on a male devotee to lead kértana. After two lines of
guruvastaka he asked him to stop and asked another
devotee to continue. The same thing happened, and he
asked another devotee to lead, and another. Then he asked
me to lead and did not stop me. When I asked him later
about why he did that, he said: “Learn to listen. You cannot
follow nicely unless you hear nicely and you cannot lead
nicely unless you have learned to follow nicely.””
“Listen, then repeat”. August 1968, Montreal: “Some
mornings Srila Prabhupada had our London group meet
with him in the temple room after the morning program
and breakfast. On one occasion when he requested me to
lead the mangalacarana prayers, he also interrupted my
singing to correct my pronunciation as I chanted, he said:
“Learn how to pronounce Sanskrit or Bengali words to the
best of your ability. Listen, then repeat.””

“Play instruments “softly”, quietly, if the kértana

leader is doing so”
November 1969 London: “We had some problems with
volume levels. This was evident especially in store front
temples where our neighbour store front occupants
complained of excessive “noise”. Right from the vyasasana
Srila Prabhupada would quietly instruct: “Learn how to play
instruments “softly”, quietly, if the kértana leader is doing
so.” This proved to be difficult for the mostly passionate
20–something devotees at that time, most of whom
generally felt “the louder the better”.”

“How many devotees, old or new, can follow a

kértana leader, what to speak of following Srila
Prabhupada's kértanas and bhajans?”
“It was obvious that his senses and mind were fully focused
on transcendental sound. He often closed his eyes at the
beginning of prayer or kértana. Later, when the beat
increased or after some time, he would often open his eyes
to observe his surroundings or the assembled chanters. This
is especially true during long kértanas.
“In temple kértanas, he favored playing kartals or a gong.
When alone, or with one or two others, when chanting
Narottama dasa Thakura's or Bhaktivinoda Thakura's
prayers, he enjoyed playing mridanga or harmonium. Srila
Prabhupada played instruments with expertise, and in a
very individual distinct way, whether it was kartals, gong,
bongo drum, mridanga, or harmonium. His harmonium was
like no one else's I have ever heard. No matter what he
played, instruments were there to support kértana; they
always took second place to the role of his voice. In other
words, his voice was the main dominant kértana instrument.
“Srila Prabhupada's kértana had no tinge of being a
performance. It was purely for the pleasure of Krishna. It
allowed the chanters’ access to the fact that the Lord's holy
name and the Lord are non-different. He said that the key to
anartha-free kértana was hearing and studying our
literature, and gradually it would rise to the platform of
pure devotional service. Srila Prabhupada's kértanas and
prayers were fully ego free and extremely potent.”
From an interview with Yamuna devi at:
https://wavesofdevotion.com/2012/01/04/srimati-yamuna-
devi-on-kértana/

Other instruments
Srimati Pälikä dasi recalls that Prabhupäda did not like
harmoniums played during the kértana. His comment was
that it would “drag” the kértana. Prabhupäda used to say
that his Guru Mahäräja, Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura,
banged the karatälas together and would only have
karatälas and mådaìga played for kértana. The point is that
artistic musicianship can sometimes be distracting from
chanting the holy name. (Adapted from: Srila Prabhupada
Nectar 22, “Prabhupäda Said: On Kértana and Music”)
“The harmonium may be played during bhajana if there is
someone who can play melodiously. But it is not for kértana
and ärati.” (Prabhupäda letter to Bahudak, Bombay, 11
January, 1976)
“Electric guitar, if it is, they chant Hare Kåñëa only, nothing
else, then it is all right. But as far as possible, simply
mrdanga and kartal. But if GBC thinks that it attracts more
people so they give donations, that is a different thing.
Otherwise there is no need.” (Room Conversation, London,
August 15, 1971)
If someone has well developed musical abilities, in whatever
genre or tradition, he can use those abilities in devotional
service. At the same time it should be understood that
certain types of music, jazz, or “heavy metal” for example,
are tamasic by their nature and cannot be offered, just as
meat or liquor cannot to be offered to the Lord.

Without personally accepting the training given

under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master,
it is impossible to even begin to understand Kåñëa
Even if one performs kirtan or any other devotional service
but does so independently, not accepting the instructions of
the spritiual master-acarya in disciplic succession from the
Lord, those persons will not achieve anything worthwhile.
On the other hand, even if chanters are impure in
knowledge, motive, and conduct, if their chanting is in the
style and tune of the acarya and thereby pleasing to him,
then their chanting will have potency and they can make
rapid advancement on the spiritual path. Emulation is not
the same as imitation or invention. This is our (the
author’s) personal experience, having early on heard and
learned how to perform kirtan from individuals who did not
necessarily exihibit many of the standard vaisnava qualities
but who, according to sastric principles (some of which are
breifly presented in this book), will obtain very good
destinations.
Yasya deve parä bhaktir yathä deve tathä gurau tasyaite
kathitä hy arthäù prakäçante mahätmanaù (Çvetäçvatara
Upaniñad 6.23) “Only unto those great souls who have
implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are
all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.”
Faith in the spiritual master means following his
instructuions and example. If he says “don’t invent things”
– such as new tunes, new ways of dressing, new ways of
dancing, if one has actual faith in him he will endeavour to
comply and please the spiritual master by that compliance.
Prabhupada says in this connection: “For one who does not
take personal training under the guidance of a bona fide
spiritual master, it is impossible to even begin to
understand Kåñëa. The word tu is specifically used here to
indicate that, no other process can be used, can be
recommended, or can be successful in understanding Kåñëa.
(BG 11.54 P, emphasis added)

The question of offensive chanting: Performing

saìkértan for material purposes is offensive and not
recommended
Chanting is good, but with whom and to what end is is
being done should be carefully considered. It is an offense
to chant for any purpose other than the glorification and
satisfaction of the Lord.
Prabhupada describes an instance from his own experience:
“I have heard in 1900... 1898 – I was born in 1896 – so I
have heard, I have seen also, I remember, in Calcutta there
was a very virulent type of plague epidemic in 1900... 1898.
So Calcutta became devastated. All people practically left
Calcutta. Daily hundreds and hundreds of people were
dying. I was one year old or one and a half year old. I have
seen what was happening. But there was plague epidemic.
That I did not know. I, later on, I heard from my parents.
"So one bäbäjé, he organized saìkértana, Hare Kåñëa
saìkértana. When there was no other way, so he organized
saìkértana all over Calcutta. And the, in saìkértana, all
people, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Parsi, everyone joined.
And they were coming, they were going road to road, street
to street, entering in every house. So that Mahatma Gandhi
Road, 151, you have seen. The saìkértana party we, we
received very nicely. There was light, and I was very small, I
was also dancing, I can remember. Just like our small
children sometimes dances. I remember. I could see only up
to the knees of the persons who were joined. So the plague
subsided. This is a fact. Everyone who knows history of
Calcutta, the plague was subsided by saìkértana movement.
“Of course, we do not recommend that saìkértana should
be used for some material purpose. That is näma-aparädha,
näma-aparädha. Syama [indistinct] mati pramäëa.
Saìkértana, you can utilize saìkértana for some material
purpose, but that is not allowed. That is näma-aparädha,
because näma, the holy name of Kåñëa, and Kåñëa, they are
identical. You cannot utilize Kåñëa for your personal,
material benefit. That is aparädha. Kåñëa is the Lord. You
cannot engage the Lord for your service. Similarly, you
cannot utilize the holy name of the Lord for some material
purpose. That is not allowed. So anyway, because ye yathä
mäà prapadyante [BG 4.11], (All of them – as they
surrender unto Me – I reward accordingly. Everyone
follows My path in all respects, O son of Påthä.) If you
wanted some material benefit by chanting Hare Kåñëa
mantra, you'll get it. But that is näma-aparädha. You won't
get the ecstasy of loving God. That is the aim of chanting
Hare Kåñëa mantra: how you shall elevate yourself to the
platform of loving God. That is required. Sa vai puàsäà
paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokñaje. (SB 1.2.6). Not for
utilizing the holy name for some material purpose. But this
happened; we have got experience. I have heard, I have
seen." (SB 1.10.5, Mayapur, Jun 20, 1973)
Chanting with offenses will not produce the
desired result very soon
“If one uses the vibration of the holy name for the benefit of
the material body, for material wealth and followers, or
under the influence of greed or atheism – in other words, if
one utters the holy name with offenses – such chanting will
not produce the desired result very soon. Therefore one
should diligently avoid offenses in chanting the holy name
of the Lord.” Purport: “The holy name has so much
spiritual potency that it can deliver one from all sinful
reactions and material entanglements, but utterance of the
holy name will not be very soon fruitful if done to facilitate
sinning. … The holy name is so powerful that it must act,
but when one utters the holy name with offenses, its action
will be delayed, not immediate, although in favorable
circumstances the holy names of the Lord act very quickly.”
– CC Antya, 3.60 and purport
Chanting the holy names of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda
with even slight faith very quickly frees one from the
reactions to past offenses. In the Caitanya Caritamrita we
find: “If one only chants, with some slight faith, the holy
names of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda, then very quickly
he is cleansed of all offences. Thus as soon as he chants the
Hare Krishna maha-mantra, he feels the ecstasy of love for
God. In his purport to this verse Çréla Prabhupäda says:
“Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura remarks in this
connection that if one takes shelter of Lord Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu and Nityänanda, follows Their instructions to
become more tolerant than the tree and humbler than the
grass, and in this way chants the holy name of the Lord,
very soon he achieves the platform of transcendental loving
service to the Lord, and tears appear in his eyes. There are
offenses to be considered in chanting the Hare Kåñëa mahä-
mantra, but there are no such considerations in chanting
the names of Gaura-Nityänanda. Therefore, if one chants
the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra but his life is still full of sinful
activities, it will be very difficult for him to achieve the
platform of loving service to the Lord. But if in spite of
being an offender one chants the holy names of Gaura-
Nityänanda, he is very quickly freed from the reactions to
his offenses. Therefore, one should first approach Lord
Caitanya and Nityänanda. (CC Adi 8.31, verse and purport)
It is therefore enjoined that before chanting the maha
mantra, the Païca-tattva mahä-mantra – çré-kåñëa-caitanya
prabhu nityänanda çré-advaita gadädhara çréväsädi-gaura-
bhakta-vånda is to be chanted three times.
A single utterance of the holy name brings liberation but
only if not blocked by offences. This is established in the
following statement in Srila Jiva Goswami’s Sat Sandharbas:
“O brahmana, when, pronounced properly or not, it
appears on the voice, walks on the path of the memory, or
enters the ears, if it is not stopped by offenses a single
utterance of the holy name of the Lord carries one beyond
the world of birth and death. However, if the chanter
commits offenses, or if he chants to attain wealth, followers,
or the happiness of this material body, he will be thrown
into the world of birth and death, and his chanting will not
quickly bring the desired result.” (Bhakti Sandarbha,
Anucceda 202.16)
Chanting by impersonalists, mayavadis, is offensive and only
a perverted reflection of chanting: “Holy names uttered by
the Mayavadis are not holy names but simply a perverted
reflection of the holy names. Therefore in spite of chanting
such names, the Mayavadis are affected by the faults of
namaparadha.” (Bhaktivinode Thakur, Sajjana Toshani,
5.12)
The kirtans of actually advanced devotees
should not be imitated
We have seen instances where typical sadhaka bhaktis from
uncultured backgrounds somehow became convinced that
they were on the platform of spontaneous devotional
service and began to act, sing, speak as if that were the case.
His Divine grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada says regarding this situation:
“Persons desiring to follow in the footsteps of such eternal
devotees of the Lord as the Våñëis and Våndävana denizens
are called rägänugä devotees, which means that they are
trying to attain to the perfection of those devotees. These
rägänugä devotees do not follow the regulative principles of
devotional service very strictly, but by spontaneous nature
they become attracted to some of the eternal devotees such
as Nanda or Yaçodä, and they try to follow in their footsteps
spontaneously. There is a gradual development of the
ambition to become like a particular devotee, and this
activity is called rägänugä.
“We must always remember, however, that such eagerness
to follow in the footsteps of the denizens of Vraja
(Våndävana) is not possible unless one is freed from
material contamination. In following the regulative
principles of devotional service, there is a stage called
anartha-nivåtti, which means the disappearance of all
material contamination. Sometimes someone is found
imitating such devotional love, but factually he is not freed
from anarthas, or unwanted habits. It has been seen that a
so-called devotee proclaims himself a follower of Nanda,
Yaçodä or the gopés, while at the same time his abominable
attraction for mundane sex life is visible. Such a
manifestation of divine love is mere imitation and has no
value. When one is actually spontaneously attracted to the
loving principles of the gopés, there will be found no trace
of any mundane contamination in his character.
“Therefore, in the beginning, everyone should strictly
follow the regulative principles of devotional service,
according to the injunctions of the scriptures and the
spiritual master. Only after the stage of liberation from
material contamination can one actually aspire to follow in
the footsteps of the devotees in Våndävana.”
Srila Prabhupada also says about the necessity in the
preliminary stages of bhakti practice: “First of all become
experienced in spiritual life; then try to understand gopis'
lila.” (Morning Walk, Nov. 11, 1975, Bombay), and “We
should also desire intensely to see and be with Krishna, but
first thing is to become purified through devotional service.
It is not possible otherwise. So, keep on helping me to
spread this Krishna Consciousness movement, following
the rules and regulations very carefully, and your life will be
perfected and you will see Krishna. (Letter to: Lalita Priya,
Perth, Australia, 7 May, 1975)

“Traditional Bengali kértan”

It is widely thought that the style of Bengali kirtan singing
as sometimes performed at some temples, programs and
festivals is legitimate and somehow represents a
continuation of a form of kirtan that existed at least since
Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s manifest presence. This idea is
supported by some scholars of Indian music who consider
that Hindustani classical music in some way gave rise to, or
influenced, Padavali (devotional) kirtan. (See for example9.)
This claim may at least to some extent be true, but
following is evidence, first of all in the form of Srila
9
https://www.sangeetgalaxy.co.in/admin/manufiles/13259439083.Padav
alikirtanofbengal(Final).pdf)
Prabhupada’s position regarding “Bengali traditional kirtan”
that indicate otherwise. Also, the history of the Sankirtan
movement clarifies that proper kirtan has always been a rare
and precious entity. The evidence presented regarding these
topics increases the volume of this book but it is necessary
to dispel the notion that some legitimate styles of kirtan
other than what is given by the äcärya, Srila Prabhupada,
exist.
Prabhupada’s disciple Srimati Dinadayadri recalls: “At the
first Mayapur festival in 1972, when the cornerstone was
laid, devotees were learning so-called Bengali-style
chanting, which was quite different from the chanting Srila
Prabhupada had taught us. The Bengali melodies, rather
than being completely transcendental, were a form of
traditional folk entertainment. When, instead of simply
absorbing Srila Prabhupada's example and trying to emulate
that, the devotees imbibed these Indian styles, techniques
and drumbeats, Prabhupada expressed some displeasure,
especially in the beginning when they weren't good at it.
“Achyutananda Maharaj had been in India for some time,
learned these styles from some of Prabhupada's godbrothers
in the Gaudiya Math and had started teaching others.
Maharaj was a bit arrogant about it, "You don't know how
to chant. I'll teach you how you should be chanting. In
India you have to do it this way." Some devotees fell for it
because the drumbeats and tunes were catchy. But the
devotees weren't good at it, so the result was a cacophony of
unpleasant sounds – a mess – rather than the beautiful,
angelic chanting that we did under Prabhupada's tutelage.
When Prabhupada heard those kértans from his thatched
hut he'd make a face and say, "It is a pinching sound", and
he would close his windows to reduce the volume. When
the kértana ended he'd say, "Thank goodness it's over."”
(Çréla Prabhupäda Remembrances, [Siddhänta däsa, ITV],
Chapter 37)
Sriman Padmagarba writes: "I recall one Gaura Purnima
festival in New Dvarka that fell on a Sunday. On that day
perhaps more than fifteen hundred devotees and guests
came to the program, with many of them not even fitting
into the temple room. The kirtan was led by Agnideva.
Within less than ten minutes of chanting the Hare Krsna
Mantra he went through five different and very complicated
Bengali tunes… with over ninety percent of the guests and
devotees unable to follow. Most of the guests just stood
there motionless. Finally Agni chose one of the standard
Prabhupada melodies. The result: Instantly ninety percent
plus of the arms of all attendees flew up into the air, and the
instantaneous responsive chanting [as well as dancing] of
the crowd was deafening. Unfortunately, in spite of this
wonderful reaction to Agni singing this original tune, he
only did so for three mantras, then going back to those
Bengali melodies, constantly changing them every few
minutes. As soon as he stopped singing that standard
Prabhupada melody, one hundred percent of the arms came
down, and within the next ten minutes perhaps eighty or
ninety percent of the people walked out of the kirtan in
total frustration, including me! Agnideva continued with
kirtan [for his personal sense gratification] for another 45
minutes or so with only a couple dozen participants… and
that of course resulted in the delay of the feast being served
in the temple room for about an hour."
Evidence from other sources regarding the mundane nature
of the music of Bengal and adjacent parts of Eastern India at
around the time of Lord Caitanya’s advent also yields a far
from transcendental picture of the setting in which the
supposed traditional style of kirtan arose. Srila Prabhupada
says in the introduction to the first Vaisnava Songbook, “I
am greatly pleased to see this collection of songs composed
by Öhakur Bhaktivinoda, Narottama Das, and other great
äcäryas of the Gauòiya Vaishnava community. Songs
composed by the äcäryas are not ordinary songs. When
chanted by pure Vaishnavas who follow the rules and
regulations of Vaishnava character, they are actually
effective in awakening the Krishna consciousness dormant
in every living entity. I have advised Sriman Acyutananda
Swami to sing more songs of the Vaishnava padavali10 and
record them in books so that my disciples and others in the
Western countries may take advantage of this chanting and
thus advance in Krishna consciousness more and more.”
The same considerations apply to the proper chanting of the
maha-mantra in the Movement – in a sense even more
important than the songs, as the mantra can be quickly
learned by even illiterate persons while the songs, while
they are capable of awaken the bhava, the deepest spiritual
feelings, require to be heard repeatedly before they can be
emulated.
Many of the direct associates of Lord Caitanya such as
Svarupa Damodara, Sanjaya, Mukunda, Vasudeva Ghosa,
Paramananda Kértanaiya, and others, were very expert
singers and musicians. Beginning with the Gita Govindam
by Srila Jayadev Goswami, thousands of songs glorifying the
name, fame, form, qualities, pastimes and associates of Lord
Kåñëa and Lord Caitanya were composed by devotee-
acaryas in the Gaudiya Sampradaya. Of these kavis,
Narottama Dasa Thakura, Chandidas and Vidaypati were
the most prominent. They collectively developed the art
and science of kértana to perfectly express rasa,
transcendental mellows, making it possible for hearers
untrained in the doctrines or practices of Vaisnavism to
come to the highest platform of bhava – spiritual
understanding and feeling – simply by hearing the songs.
Unfortunately the musical kértana traditions that existed in
Bengal and adjacent parts of East India before the advent of

10
devotional poetry
Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates and which
Narottama das Thakur and the others great devotee poets
and singers taught, were lost. What at present passes for
traditional kértana in Bengal, Orissa, Assam and Manipur,
includes elements from apa-sampradayas opposed to the
teachings of the äcärya, and even elements taken from
commercial music. What at present is considered to be
traditional Bengali kértana is therefore in fact not so.
Mundane scholars and historians of music, while talking
about the musical embellishments used by modern singers,
use phrases that may impress: “the latent beauty of” or “the
hidden meanings of” a song, but Srila Prabhupada points
out that because of the subject matter, the songs of the
vaisnanva acharyas are as good as Vedic mantras – not
understood by mundane scholars. Srila Viçvanätha
Cakravarté Öhäkura for example said of the songs of Srila
Narottama däsa Öhäkura that they are fully approved as
completely corresponding with Vedic instruction. So-called
embellishments added by contemporary professional
singers reflect their lack of knowledge of the actual
tradition and meaning. They simply inject their own “ragas”
and “talas” into the old Padavali kértana songs in an effort
to make them more complex and attractive. In fact though,
by doing so they are only polluting and diminishing the
purificatory potency of these compositions. Their
embellishments are not authorized by äcäryas and can only
succeed in deepening the passion and ignorance of singers
and hearers alike. Knowledgeable devotees do want the
kértans that they themselves perform to be attractive but
they understand that attracting masses of mediocre people
by elaborate music is not the purpose of songs in praise of
the Lord. Rather, by understanding that kértana is for the
pleasure of Krishna and by practice of the art of kértana
according to the example and instructions of the äcäryas,
the Lord Himself reveals to sincere singers how their kértans
can be simultaneously attractive to the people in general
and pleasurable to Himself. This requires on the part of
kirtana singers, sincerity, renunciation, and thoughtful
consideration of the precepts and the examples set by the
äcäryas. It cannot be achieved on the basis of one’s birth in
a certain geographical area or by musical skills learned from
ordinary teachers lacking adhikara, spiritual qualifications.
In his purport to Caitanya Caritamrita, Adi Lila, 13.42, Srila
Prabhupada relates that the Lord “used to read the books of
Vidyäpati, Jayadeva and Caëòédäsa, relishing their songs
with His confidential associates like Çré Rämänanda Räya
and Svarüpa Dämodara Gosvämé.” Srila Prabhupada
explains that Vidyäpati, a famous composer of songs about
the pastimes of Rädhä-Kåñëa, hailed from a brähmaëa
family in the province of Mithilä and that he composed his
songs during the reign of King Çivasiàha and Queen
Lachimädevé in the beginning of the fourteenth century of
the Çaka Era (almost one hundred years before the
appearance of Mahäprabhu)… that his songs about the
pastimes of Lord Kåñëa express intense feelings of
separation from Kåñëa, and that Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu
“relished all those songs in His ecstasy of separation from
Kåñëa”. Jayadeva Goswami was born during the reign of
Mahäräja Lakñmaëa Sena of Bengal in the eleventh or
twelfth century of the Çaka Era. His father was Bhojadeva,
his mother was Vämädevé and he lived for many years in
Navadvépa. His birthplace was the village of Kendubilva in
Birbhum district.11 He passed the last days of his life in
Jagannätha Puré. One of his famous books is Géta-govinda,
full of transcendental mellow feelings of separation from
Kåñëa. As mentioned in Çrémad-Bhägavatam, the gopés felt
separation from Kåñëa before the räsa dance and the Géta-

11
In the opinion of some authorities he was born in Orissa.
Still others say that he was born in South India.
govinda expresses such feelings. … Caëòédäsa was born in
Nännura village also in Birbhum district, in a brähmaëa
family, also in the beginning of the fourteenth century of
the Çakä Era. The writings of both Jayadeva and Caëòédäsa
profusely express the gopis’ transcendental feelings of
separation from Kåñëa and Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté
Öhäkura comments that the feelings of separation that Lord
Caitanya Mahäprabhu enjoyed by hearing the books of
Vidyäpati, Caëòédäsa and Jayadeva are reserved for intimate
associates of the Lord like Çré Rämänanda Räya and Svarüpa
Dämodara because of their advanced spiritual
consciousness and are not subject matter to be discussed by
ordinary persons imitating the activities of Caitanya
Mahäprabhu.
Referring to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Goswami’s words, our
Srila Prabhupada says in the same above-quoted Caitanya
Caritamrita purport (Adi Lila, 13.42), that “For critical
students of mundane poetry and literary men without God
consciousness who are after bodily sense gratification, there
is no need to read such a high standard of transcendental
literature. Persons who are after sense gratification should
not try to imitate rägänuga devotional service. The songs of
Caëòédäsa, Vidyäpati and Jayadeva describe the
transcendental activities of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. Mundane reviewers of these songs simply help
people in general become debauchees, and this leads only to
social scandals and atheism in the world. One should not
misunderstand the pastimes of Rädhä and Kåñëa to be the
activities of a mundane young boy and girl. The mundane
sexual activities of young boys and girls are most
abominable. Therefore, those who are in bodily
consciousness and who desire sense gratification are
forbidden to indulge in discussions of the transcendental
pastimes of Çré Rädhä and Kåñëa.”
One should understand that Vaishnavism in Bengal as a
movement started only in the eleventh and twelfth centuries
CE (while in South India, Srivaisnavism existed practically
from the beginning of Kali Yuga, Nammalwar taking birth
just after its start). One may also remember that Lord
Buddha appeared and had great influence throughout India
about 2,900 years ago at a time when superficially, people
were performing Vedic sacrifices. Their so-called sacrifices
of course were actually a kind of cheating, the actual
purpose of their being performed being that these
brahmans-in-name-only satisfied their taste for the meat of
the animals being so-called sacrificed. Lord Buddha
appeared in Gaya, in Bihar, directly adjacent to Bengal, and
in the absence of any geographical barriers between the two
provinces, it can be safely considered that his influence was
also strongly felt in Bengal. After the advent and spread of
Buddhism, Candragupta Mauriya’s empire had its influence
around 300 BCE followed by the foreign occupations first of
the Muslims and then of the British. Earlier invaders of
India included the Persians (circa 600 BCE) and the Greeks
under Alexander (300 BCE).12 Candragupta Maurya’s
empire expanded under Açoka who initially encouraged the
spread of Buddhism throughout the whole of the Indian
subcontinent. After him, assorted northern tribes invaded
India until the ascendancy of another Gupta dynasty that
for several centuries united a section of the country. In the
seventh century, Arab Muslims began conquering India and
various Muslim leaders developed empires that continued
up to the establishment of the Mogul Empire, the chief ruler

12
A famous pillar erected by the Greek ambassador to the Sunga
kingdom next to a Vishnu temple in the village of Vidisa, Madhya
Pradesh in the late 3rd century BCE - the Besnagar pillar - testifies to
the influence of vaisnavism in North India at the time. The ambassador,
Haileo Darris, erected this pillar as the Garuda Stambha of the temple
declaring himself, in the inscriptions on it, to be a devotee of Krishna.
of which was Akbar, and during the reign of whose son
Jahangir (1605–1627), the British established their first
trading station in India. The Portuguese had been the first
Europeans to arrive, and they competed with the French
and British for commercial control of port cities. Through
treaties with local rulers, the trading companies became
more powerful than Akbar’s Empire, the companies
receiving official monopolies from their governments and
held huge armies of mercenaries. By defeating an Indian
army at the Battle of Plassey, in 1757, the British East India
Company finally gained supremacy. Throughout the
eighteenth century, the Company made treaties or annexed
areas by military campaigns and when finally in full control
of India, ceded the country to the British government.
The essential point to be understood from these historical
events is that there was no externally appreciable Gaudiya
vaisnava movement until the advent of Srila Jayadeva
Goswami and that it started by his influence in Orissa
several hundred years before its beginnings in Bengal.
Vrindavana das Thakura, writes in Sri Caitanya Bhagavat
(Adi, Ch. 2), that Ananta, Siva, Brahma, and the great sages
took birth in the form of great devotees to serve as the
Lord's personal associates. Some took their birth in
Navadvipa, some in Catigram, some in Radhadesa, some in
Orissa, some in Srihatta, and some in Western India, later
assembling in Navadvipa. Srivasa Pandita, Sri Rama Pandita,
and Sri Candrasekharadeva, Pundarika Vidyanidhi,
Caitanya Vallabha, and Vasudeva Datta appeared in
Catigrama, Haridasa in Budhana, Lord Nityananda in
Radha-desa in the village of Ekacakra and Paramananda
Puri appeared in Trihut.
Srila Vrindaban das asks rhetorically “The banks of the
Ganges are most sanctified. Why then would a Vaiñëava
take birth at an impious place? The Lord appeared on the
bank of the Ganges, so why did His associates appear in
distant places?” (äpane hailä avatérëa gaìgä–tére, saìgera
pärñade kene janmayena düre?) Aside from places on the
banks of the Ganges, all other places were “düre: distant,
impious or lamentable places”. Verses 46 and 47 of Sri
Caitanya Bhagavat, Adi-lila, Ch. 2, state that Kåñëa sent the
Pandavas and other great devotees to take birth where
where the Ganga did not flow and where chanting of the
holy names of Lord Hari were absent. In the preceding verse
Vrindaban das asks: “Why then did the Lord’s personal
associates take birth in “other, distant” places? He answers
the question himself: “Because He loves all living entities as
a father loves his children, the Supreme Lord ordered these
great devotees to take birth in these different places. To
deliver the residents of the material world, Lord Caitanya
descended to the world of matter. Thinking them equal to
holy places, these great Vaisnavas took birth in lamentable,
impious countries and lamentable impious families. In this
way they delivered everyone. In whatever country and
whatever family they have descended to this world, with
their great power these Vaisnavas delivered everyone in an
area of eight-hundred thousand miles. Any place where the
Vaisnavas manifest their glories becomes very pure and
sacred, a place of pilgrimage.” (CB, Adi 2.47–51)
Vrindavana das Thakura, the Vedavyasa of the Lord’s
incarnation as Lord Caitanya, appeared in the twenty first
year of Mahaprabhu’s presence and was sixteen years of age
when He disappeared. Being the great vaisnava that he was,
he was very well aware of the conditions, social, political,
cultural and religious, of society at the time. His Sri
Caitanya Bhagavat biography of Mahaprabhu contains
copious statements regarding these conditions, so
statements of his to the effect that places in all parts of the
then Bengal other than those on the banks of the Ganges
were “impious and lamentable”, and assertions that there
were numerous non-devotee karmis, yogis, jïänés,
sannyäsés and tapasvés in Navadvépa at the time should
establish in the understanding of readers that Bengal –
except for those parts located directly on the banks of the
Ganges – was an uncultured, undesirable place. He quotes
the few devotee residents of Navadwipa that participated in
the Lord’s nocturnal kirtans in the house of Srinivasa
Acarya: “May those fallen persons who ridicule the
performance of kértana drown in the transcendental
mellows of Kåñëa consciousness.” (CB, Madhya 2.62) He
continues: “In this Navadvépa (…) the teachers all act dumb
when there is opportunity to glorify the devotional service
of Kåñëa. All the great sannyäsés, ascetics, and learned
scholars that reside in Navadvépa never explain that the
purport of the scriptures is to glorify Kåñëa, rather they
constantly engage in blasphemy. All the sinful listeners are
captivated by their words, and therefore they consider us no
better than straw.” (CB, Madhya 2.66–69) Çréla
Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté comments: “When the desireless
devotees heard the most heart-rending envious statements
of persons opposed to the chanting of Kåñëa’s names and
excessively afflicted by both the famine of kåñëa-kértana and
the formidable threefold miseries, they passed their time in
constant mental distress.” (Commentary on CB, Madhya
2.70)
Srila Vrindaban Dasa Thakur continues: “By the merciful
glance of Sarasvaté, the goddess of learning, hundreds of
thousands of children, youths, and old people were expert
in the scriptures.” Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati
comments: “The words trividha-vayase indicate children,
youths, and old people. By the mercy of Sarasvaté, they were
all expert in the scriptures.” (CB, Ädi-khaëòa 2.59) “They
were all proud of being great scholars. Even a young boy
would challenge his teacher.” “The cultivation of
knowledge was so mature that people all considered
themselves matchless scholars. By the power of their
learning, even young students who were still studying
competed with elder mature teachers with hopes of
winning.” “By the merciful glance of Ramä, the goddess of
fortune, everyone lived happily there, but they wasted their
time in mundane activities.” Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta
Sarasvaté’s commentary: “Although by the mercy of
Lakñmédevé, Navadvépa was full of opulences and the abode
of happiness, people who were maddened by material
happiness were simply interested to increase their material
knowledge in order to gratify their senses. Thus they
uselessly spent their time in ordinary worldly dealings.”
(CB, Ädi 2.62) “Favoured by Goddess Laksmi's glance,
everyone was happy. Still, interested only in the taste of
material things, they wasted their lives. No one was
interested in devotional service to Lord Krishna and Lord
Rama. From the beginning of Kali-yuga, this disinterest had
grown more and more. The only religion the people knew
was keeping an all-night vigil and singing songs to Goddess
Mangala-Candi (Durga). Some proudly worshipped the
snake-goddess Manasa. Others offered great wealth to the
deities of demigods and demigoddesses. Spending for the
weddings of their sons and daughters, they lost great
wealth. In this way they wasted their time in this world.
Even the Bhattacaryas, Cakravatis and Misras13 did not
know the true meaning of the scriptures. Although they
taught the scriptures, they were materialistic. Yama's noose
already rested around the necks of both them and their
students. No one would discuss Krishna-kértana, which is
the true yuga-dharma. If they could not mock the faults of
others, no one was interested to speak. No one wanted to
praise others. The holy names of Lord Hari could not be
found in the mouths of persons proud to be renounced and
austere. The most deeply pious persons would perhaps say
the name “Govinda” or “Pundarikaksa” as they bathed.
13
Brahmin families
Descriptions of devotional service did not appear on
tongues explaining Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.”
(CB [Krishna Library Edn.] Adi 2.62–72)
Vrindaban das Thakur continues: “Everyone was mad after
the taste of material happiness. No one was eager to
worship and serve Lord Krishna. Some worshipped Goddess
Vasuli (Durga) with many offerings. Others worshipped the
yaksas with offerings of flesh and wine. Again and again
they danced, sang, and played musical instruments, making
a great noise. Still, they would not hear the supremely
auspicious name of Lord Krishna. (CB, Madhya 2.86–88)
“The entire world was devoid of spiritual practice, for
everyone was attached to insignificant sense gratification.”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur commentary:
“During the time of Gaurasundara, the living entities of this
material world were extremely maddened by the
insignificant taste of sense objects. Instead of realizing that
the only purpose of life was to make spiritual advancement,
people were eager for their own sense enjoyment and averse
to the service of Kåñëa. In fact, the community of sense
enjoyers, who glorify religiosity, economic development,
and sense gratification, and the community of renunciates,
who aspire for liberation from material existence, became
completely devoid of devotional service to Kåñëa. Not even
the slightest propensity for serving Kåñëa could be found in
their hearts at any time. Even those who recited or heard
Bhagavad-gétä or Çrémad Bhägavatam never engaged in
saìkértana.” … “Even if some persons exhibited an attempt
to teach Bhagavad-gétä or Çrémad Bhägavatam, in spite of
studying these devotional scriptures, they never engaged in
congregational chanting of the holy names, nor did they
realize that such chanting was the only purport of the
devotional scriptures, nor did they induce others to engage
in congregational chanting.” (CB, Ädi 16.8–9)
Further on in Caitanya Bhagavat we find the following
words spoken by the vaisnava devotees of Navadvip to Lord
Caitanya while He played the role of scholar: “In Navadvipa
there are many big, big sannyasis, tapasvis, and jnanis. But,
O my son, they will not talk about Lord Kåñëa. They will
not glorify Lord Kåñëa. Instead, at every moment they insult
Lord Kåñëa. The sinners hear their words and accept them.
In that way the people do not think us as good as blades of
straw. O my son, for this reason our bodies burn with pain:
We do not anywhere hear the chanting of Lord Kåñëa's
names.” (CB [Krishna Library edition] Madhya 2.67–70)
In his purport to the song Çré Kåñëa Caitanya Prabhu by
Srila Narottama däsa Öhäkura, Srila Prabhupada says (Los
Angeles, January 11, 1969): “Advaita Prabhu saw the fallen
souls, they are all engaged simply in sense gratificatory
processes without understanding Kåñëa consciousness, He
felt very much compassionate upon the fallen souls, and He
felt Himself as incapable of claiming all these fallen souls.
He therefore prayed to Lord Kåñëa that "You come Yourself.
Without Your personal presence, it is not possible to deliver
these fallen souls." So by His invitation Lord Caitanya
appeared. In this song and others composed by Narottama
däsa Öhäkura, we don’t find any praise or glorification of
the culture of Bengal at the time. On the contrary, as did
Vrindaban das Öhäkura, he points out the materialistic and
envious nature of the people there at the time.
Need any more be said about whatever kértana “tradition”
some seem to think once existed? Whatever utterances of
the Lord’s names that took place were not at all devotional
or authorized by acaryas and çästras. Srila Vrindaban das,
speaking about the situation of the few vaisnavas of the
time, says: “Devotees felt endless suffering, performed their
devotional duties, worshipped Lord Krishna, bathed in the
Ganga, and discussed topics of Lord Krishna and prayed for
the Lord to give His mercy to everyone. Advaita Acarya was
the glorious leader of the Navadvipa Vaisnavas, the best
teacher of jnana, bhakti and vairagya–renunciation who,
thinking in this way, with great determination served Lord
Krishna's feet and caused Him to descend.” (CB [Krishna
Library edition])
Vrindaban das Thakur writes: “Srivasa Pandita, at whose
home Lord Caitanya enjoyed many pastimes, resided in
Navadvipa. The four brothers (Srivasa, Srirama, Sripati and
Srinidhi) always chanted Lord Krishna's holy names. Three
times daily they bathed in the Ganga and worshipped Lord
Krishna. By the Supreme Lord's order, many liberated souls
took birth in this world and, their true identities concealed,
resided in the district of Nadiya. These devotees were Sri
Candrasekhara, Jagadisa, Gopinatha, Sriman, Murari, Sri
Garuda, and Gangadasa. I have mentioned the names only
of some of the great souls I personally knew. If I described
all of the Lord's associates, this book would become very
large.” (CB, 2.96–100) “All these great souls were noble and
generous. They were attentive to their proper duties. They
did not know anything but devotional service to Lord
Krishna. They thought of each other as friends. They did
not know that they were liberated souls who had descended
from the spiritual world. When they saw that there was no
devotion to Lord Visnu in the entire world, their hearts
burned with grief. They did not hear anyone discuss topics
of Lord Krishna. Therefore amongst themselves they
glorified Lord Krishna. They would meet in Advaita's home
and talk about Krishna for an hour or two. In this way all
their sufferings would go away. Seeing everyone burning in
the flames of materialism, the devotees could not speak.
They could only weep. Meeting with Advaita, the devotees
tried to make the people understand all this, but the people
could not understand. Filled with grief, Advaita began to
fast. The Vaisnavas breathed with long and heavy sighs.
“Why dance for Krishna? Why chant His names? What is
this 'saìkértana' the Vaisnavas talk about?” Speaking these
words, the people in general could not understand
anything. They desired only money and children. Gathering
together, they would mock the Vaisnavas. At night the four
brothers (Srivasa, Srirama, Sripati and Srinidhi) would meet
in Srivasa's house and loudly sing Lord Hari's holy names.
Hearing this, the impious neighbours would declare, “That
mad brahmana will ruin our village.” “When he hears this
chanting, the ferocious Muslim king will become wildly
angry at the people of Nadiya.” Someone said: “This
brahmana should be driven out of our village. We should
tear his house into pieces and send the pieces floating down
the river. “If this brahmana is chased away, then our village
will be peaceful and prosperous. If he is not chased away,
Muslim soldiers will occupy our village.” (CB [Krishna
Library edition] 2.96–115)
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur in his Caitanya
Bhagavat Gaudiya Bhasya commentary states that literature
such as Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam “is always
discussed among liberated swan-like Vaisnavas. But at that
time, those who studied pure devotional literatures like
Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam never explained that
worshiping the Supreme Lord is the only duty of the living
entities. Their recitation and teaching of Bhagavad-gita and
Srimad Bhagavatam was meant for achieving immediate
sense gratification, and they thus twisted the meanings of
these two books to make them appear like the ordinary
book Saptaśati-Caṇḍī (also known as the Śrī Devī
Mahatmyam), which is meant for satisfying one's senses.
And the nondevotee communities presently recite Gita and
Bhagavata in this way. Such recitation of Gita and Bhagavata
by conditioned souls who are simply interested in sensual
happiness is an obstacle for one's advancement and simply
leads one to hell, because that is never recitation of Gita and
Bhagavata. Rather, such recitation is a collection of ordinary
mundane words for gratifying the senses.” (CB, Adi 2.72,
commentary)
In conclusion regarding the topic of supposed “traditional
Bengali kirtan”, all the above statements from Lord
Caitanya’s principal biographer should establish in the
minds of readers of this dissertation on the subject of
proper kértana that any traditions relating to kértana or any
other aspect of life prevalent among the people of Bengal
around the time that Lord Caitanya advented Himself were
not at all pure vaisnava traditions. Although these words
may disturb the minds of neophyte devotees harbouring
popular notions on the subject, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakur says about those who are actually
devotees: "A chanter of Hari-kértana is necessarily the
uncompromising enemy of worldliness and hypocrisy. It is
his constant function to dispel all misconceptions by
preaching the truth in its most unambiguous form, without
any consideration of person, place, or time. The form to be
adopted is that which is least likely to be misunderstood. It
is his bounden duty to clearly and frankly oppose any
person who tries to deceive and harm himself and others by
misrepresenting the truth, whether due to malice or
genuine misunderstanding. This will be possible if the
chanter of kértana is always prepared to submit to being
trodden upon by thoughtless people, if such discomfort will
enable him to benefit his persecutors by chanting of the
truth in the most unambiguous manner. If he is unwilling
or afraid out of considerations of self-respect or personal
discomfort to chant kértana under all circumstances, he is
unfit to be a preacher of the absolute truth. Humility
implies perfect submission to the truth and no sympathy for
untruth. Those who entertain any partiality for untruth are
unfit to chant Hari-kértana. Any clinging to untruth is
opposed to the principle of humility born of absolute
submission to the truth." (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakur, The Harmonist, 26.249–50, April 1929)
Having read and understood all the above, some readers
may wonder how the Lord’s Saìkértana movement in
Nabadvipa became so influential that, in such a short time
as in fact was the case, He could muster a civil disobedience
demonstration involving a hundred thousand participants
challenging the Muslim ruler’s edict banning Sankirtan?
The following few paragraphs offer the explanation and
further establish that the Hari Nama Sankirtan movement
inaugurated by the Lord was entirely unique and was not
the result of some sort of evolution from any previously
existing musical practices.
After Mahaprabhu married and began to preach the
congregational chanting of the holy Names of the Lord,
some of the brähmaëas of Navadvépa manifested envy of
His popularity and put hindrances in His path, finally
taking their complaint to the Muslim magistrate who
warned the followers of Nimäi Paëòita as the Lord was then
known, not to chant loudly. Lord Caitanya asked His
followers to disobey the orders of the Kazi, and they
continued with their saìkértana. The magistrate sent
constables who interrupted a saìkértana procession and
broke many mådaìgas. When Mahaprabhu heard about
this, He organized a party of one hundred thousand men
with thousands of mådaìgas and karatälas which proceeded
through the streets of Navadvépa in defiance of the Kazi.
Lord Caitanya subsequently met the Kazi in his palace and
had some discussion with him. The Kazi within himself
harboured some favourable feelings toward Mahaprabhu’s
uncle whom he also referred to as “uncle” and the Lord
finally convinced him about the legitimacy and purity of
His Saìkértana movement, the Kazi becoming one His
followers.
Another factor in the Lord’s Saìkértana coming to be so
suddenly accepted by the residents of Nabadvipa was His
defeat and subsequent deliverance of one Digvijayé Paëòita:
When the Lord, Nimäi Paëòita, was residing in Navadvépa
as the topmost of all the teachers, a great Digvijayé Paëòita
who had received a benediction from Sarasvaté arrived
there. The Digvijayé had already defeated in argument the
learned scholars of all provinces and after hearing that the
scholars of Navadvépa were famous throughout India for
their learning, he proudly arrived in the city in order to
defeat them. Hearing about his arrival, the entire scholarly
community of Navadvépa became restless and worried.
When the students of Nimäi Paëòita gave Him the news, He
told them, “The Supreme Lord and destroyer of everyone’s
pride always destroys the pride of arrogant persons. Trees
with fruits and persons with good qualities are always
humble. Because great Digvijayé kings like Haihaya,
Nahuña, Vena, Bäëa, Naraka, and Rävaëa were excessively
intoxicated with pride, the Lord ultimately destroyed their
pride. Therefore the Lord will soon destroy the pride of this
Digvijayé who has come to Navadvépa.” After speaking in
this way, that evening the Lord sat on the bank of the
Ganges and began to contemplate how to conquer this
Digvijayé. At that time, as the full moon shone in the sky,
the Digvijayé arrived before the Lord and was informed by
the students about the identity of the wonderfully effulgent
Nimäi Paëòita. The Lord first exchanged a few words with
the Digvijayé and then respectfully and tactfully requested
him to describe the glories of the Ganges. Thereupon the
Digvijayé began to quickly and incessantly compose and
recite verses in glorification of Gaìgädevé like the rumbling
of hundreds of clouds. Everyone there was struck with
wonder on seeing the amazing poetic ability of the great
Digvijayé. When the Digvijayé stopped after incessantly
reciting verses for three hours, the Lord requested him to
explain the verses. As soon as Digvijayé began to explain,
the Lord pointed out innumerable faults in alaìkära and
other literary rules in the beginning, middle, and end of his
description. The Digvijayé could not reply to any of the
Lord’s challenges; all his ingenuity became overshadowed.
When on seeing this, the Lord’s students were about to
laugh, the Lord checked them and solaced the Digvijayé in
various ways. He told him to go home, take rest, and, after
studying further, return the next day. Being extremely
embarrassed and saddened within, the Digvijayé began to
think, “I have defeated even the extraordinary scholars of
the six branches of philosophy, but due to providence I
have finally been defeated by a young ordinary grammar
teacher! How is it possible? It must be that I have
committed some offense at the feet of Sarasvaté-devé.”
Thinking in this way, he began to chant the Sarasvaté
mantra and soon fell asleep.
That very night, Sarasvaté appeared before Digvijayé Paëòita
and disclosed to him the real identity of Nimäi Paëòita. She
said, “Nimäi Paëòita is not an ordinary worldly scholar. He
is the omnipotent and original Supreme Personality of
Godhead. Sarasvaté-devé is only a shadow of His internal
potency. This Sarasvaté, who is the shadow of the internal
potency of the Lord, is ashamed to stand before Näräyaëa,
therefore she remains in the background.” Devé further told
the Digvijayé Paëòita that he had now actually achieved the
fruit of his worship, because he had the good fortune of
seeing the Lord of innumerable universes. Then, after
instructing the Digvijayé to quickly go to the Lord and
surrender at His lotus feet, she disappeared.
When the Digvijayé awoke from his sleep, he immediately
went to the Lord and informed Him in faltering words of
the details of his dream and the instructions of Sarasvaté-
devé. The Lord, who is the master of Sarasvaté, also
instructed Digvijayé about the superiority of spiritual
knowledge, which is favorable for worshiping the Supreme
Lord, and the abomination of material knowledge, which is
the source of false pride and domination. The Lord said,
“The fruit of cultivating knowledge is to fix the mind at the
lotus feet of Kåñëa, and devotion to Viñëu, or spiritual
knowledge, is the only truth and desirable object.” After
speaking these words of instruction, the Lord particularly
forbade Digvijayé from revealing to anyone the truths that
he had heard from Sarasvaté, which are confidential to even
the Vedas.
By the mercy of the Lord, devotion, detachment, and
spiritual knowledge simultaneously manifest in the body of
Digvijayé Paëòita and, being fully satisfied by achieving
pure devotional service, he became tåëäd api sunéca –
“more humble than a straw in the street”.
While describing the nature of Gaura’s mercy, Vrindaban
das Thakur has written, “Even a most proud person
becomes extremely humble by the mercy of Gaura. Even
persons who are intoxicated with pride due to material
wealth give up royal happiness to live in the forest and
worship Hari. If the most alluring objects desired by
materialistic persons are abundantly available to persons
who have received the mercy of the Lord, they can easily
abandon them. What to speak of royal happiness, the
devotees of Kåñëa consider even the happiness of liberation
as insignificant.” When the scholars of Navadvépa saw the
wonderful prowess of Nimäi Paëòita and His victory over
the Digvijayé in this way, they desired to confer on Him the
title of Bädisiàha, and thus His matchless glories were
declared. (CB, Ädi-khaëòa 13.1)
After these incidents Lord Caitanya began to more
vigorously preach and propagate His bhägavata-dharma, the
saìkértana movement, and whoever stood against this
propagation of the yuga-dharma was chastised in various
ways. The Lord daily sent His followers, including Çréla
Nityänanda Prabhu and Öhäkura Haridäsa from door to
door to preach the Çrémad-Bhägavatam. Navadvépa became
surcharged with His saìkértana movement with the Lord’s
headquarters being the houses of Çréväsa Öhäkura and Çré
Advaita Prabhu, two of His chief householder disciples.
They were learned heads of the brähmaëa community and
the most ardent supporters of Lord Caitanya's movement,
Çré Advaita Prabhu being the chief cause of the Lord’s
advent. When Advaita Prabhu saw that the people were
materialistic and devoid of devotional service – which alone
can save mankind from the threefold miseries of material
existence – He, out of compassion, prayed fervently for the
incarnation of the Lord and continually worshiped Him. As
far as preaching work in the saìkértana movement everyone
was expected to do his daily share according to the order of
the Lord.
Nityänanda Prabhu and Çréla Haridäsa Öhäkura, walking on
a main road one day, saw a noisy crowd. Two brothers,
Jagäi and Mädhäi, born in a respectable brähmaëa family,
were drunk and were creating a public disturbance. They
were not only drunkards but also meat-eaters, woman-
hunters, dacoits and sinful in many other ways.
Çréla Nityänanda Prabhu heard some accounts of them and
decided that they should be the first to be delivered, the
good name of Lord Caitanya thereby sure to become still
more glorified. Nityänanda Prabhu and Haridäsa asked the
brothers to chant the holy name of Lord Hari but they
became enraged and attacked Nityänanda Prabhu with foul
words. The next day Nityänanda Prabhu went to see the
brothers but they immediately struck them with a piece of
earthen pot. In spite of this attack, Nityänanda Prabhu
requested them to chant the holy name of Krishna.
Mahäprabhu hastened to the spot, invoking his Sudarshan
weapon to kill Jagai and Madai but Nityananda Prabhu
asked Him to spare them. The Lord agreed to his request on
the condition that the brothers completely give up their
sinful ways. They agreed and promised to do as He
instructed and the Lord accepted them and did not again
refer to their past misdeeds. Subsequently, one of the
bothers dutifully accepted the duty of serving the
brahmanas that daily came to a particular bathing ghat. The
news of the brothers’ reformation was one of the influences
that induced the residents of Navadvip to become
favourable to the Lord and His Saìkértana movement,
enabling the Lord to muster such a large number of
protesters as He did when the Kazi banned their public
performance of saìkértan.
During His householder life, the Lord did not display many
of the miracles which are generally expected from such
personalities but He did once perform a miracle in the
house of Çréniväsa Öhäkura while saìkértana was going on,
asking the devotees what they wanted to eat. When they
informed Him that they wanted mangoes, He sowed a
mango seed in the yard and within no time a full-grown tree
heavy with ripe mangos appeared. The tree remained in
Çréniväsa's yard, and the devotees subsequently would take
as many mangoes from the tree as they wanted.
Caitanya Mahäprabhu once was chanting the names of the
gopés instead of the names of the Lord. Some of His
students advised Him to chant the name of Kåñëa instead.
The Lord, being thus disturbed by the foolish students,
chastised them and chased them away. The students
thought of the Lord as one of their peers, held a meeting
and resolved that they would attack the Lord if He dared to
punish them again in such a manner. This incident
provoked some malicious talk about the Lord on the part of
the general public and when the Lord became aware of this,
thinking of the various types of men found in society, noted
that especially the students, professors, fruitive workers,
yogés, nondevotees, and different types of atheists were all
opposed to devotional service of the Lord. "My mission is to
deliver all the fallen souls of this age," He thought, "but if
they commit offenses against Me, thinking Me to be an
ordinary man, they will not benefit. If they are to begin
their life of spiritual realization, they must some way or
another offer obeisances to Me." The Lord thus decided to
accept sannyäsa, as people in general were inclined to offer
respects to a sannyäsé. Five hundred years ago society was
degraded but not as much as it is today. People would show
respect to sannyäsés – who in those days were still strict in
following the rules and regulations of that order. Very few
sannyäsés in this age of Kali are able to observe the
regulations of sannyäsa life but Caitanya Mahäprabhu
decided to accept the order and become an ideal sannyäsé so
that the general populace would show Him respect. A
sannyäsé is considered to be the master of all varëas and
äçramas. He soon asked Keçava Bhäraté to award Him
sannyäsa although Keçava Bhäraté was not in the Vaiñëava-
sampradäya. The Lord then left Navadvépa for Katwa to
formally accept sannyäsa, accompanied by Çréla Nityänanda
Prabhu, Candraçekhara Äcärya, and Mukunda Datta who
assisted in the details of the ceremony.
Mahaprabhu was at this time twenty-four years of age.
During His householder life His chief assistants were Çréla
Advaita Prabhu and Çréla Çréväsa Öhäkura, but after
accepting sannyäsa, His chief assistants were Çréla
Nityänanda Prabhu, who He deputed to preach specifically
in Bengal, and the Six Gosvämés (Rüpa Gosvämé, Sanätana
Gosvämé, Jéva Gosvämé, Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé,
Raghunätha däsa Gosvämé and Raghunätha Bhaööa
Gosvämé), headed by Çréla Rüpa and Sanätana, who He
deputed to go to Våndävana to excavate places of
pilgrimage. The Lord then started for Puré, leaving all the
residents of Navadvépa in lamentation over His separation.
Do all the members of a saìkértana party
have to be formally initiated devotees?
Prabhupada’s statement previously quoted (in the sub-
section “Proper chanting must be learned from pure
devotees”), that “… all the members of the party will be
pure devotees. None of them should be outsiders” may give
rise in the mind of readers to the question of whether or not
the members of a saìkértan party all have to be formally
initiated. The answer is to found many places in the
teaching of Srila Prabhupada and of the Goswamis.
Prabhupada says: “First of all you have to decide whether
you will abide by the rules and regulations and become
Kåñëa conscious. That is your consideration. You have to
decide for yourself whether you are going to take this Kåñëa
consciousness seriously. That is your decision. Initiation is
a formality. If you are serious, that is real initiation. If you
have understood this Kåñëa philosophy and if you have
decided that you will take Kåñëa consciousness seriously
and preach the philosophy to others, that is your initiation.
My touch is simply a formality. It is your determination."
(Conversation with Paul Valliere, July 5, 1972, New York,
BTG #49–1972)
Pure devotee means having no material desires. Material
desire means ultimately sex desire. One who by his dress,
tonsure and behaviour is seen to be interested in attraction
the opposite sex is not a pure devotee and should not be
part of a saìkértan party… at least he should not be the
leader. Material desire also means any desire other than that
of pleasing the Lord, so if devotees are interested in dancing
for their own pleasure – dancing in a circle, or in pairs,
whirling around with their backs to the Deity half the time,
are not pure devotees and should not be part of a kirtan
party… at least they should restricted.
Is the devotional mood being lost? Deviation from
pure Kåñëa kirtan is noticed even by non–Gaudiyas
Even non-Gaudiya vaisnavas notice when the devotional
mood fully manifest in the kirtans and bhajans performed
by Srila Prabhupada is not present… They notice when
there is a departure from his pure Kåñëa kirtan. An article
about Sikh kirtan explains that the Adi Guru Granth – the
principal sacred book of the Sikhs – is written to the ragas
of the Sama Veda and that their kirtans, consisting of
singing of the shabds, or hymns of the Sama Veda,
constitute the core of the Sikhs’ worship. (The chapters of
the Adi Granth are named according to the ragas and are
sung to a specific tala, or numerical notation of rhythm.)
The author of the article laments that the traditional ragas
are disappearing in the gurudwaras (the Sikh temples),
being replaced with non-musical chanting or readings: “The
traditional Nama Shabd sung by Sikh musicians in Raga
style are now sadly being replaced with contrived tunes –
some even set to Bollywood music. This is evidence of the
same sort of deterioration of pure Kåñëa kirtan we find in
the modern so-called “kirtaniya” movement of the bhakti
yoga community.” Elaborating on the “new” Sikh kirtans,
the author of the article says: “Vociferous beating on tablas
and wailing on harmoniums has replaced the refined,
skilled, Vedic musical offering of traditional ragas and so
the devotional mood is being lost.” Replacing “tablas” with
“mrdangas”, the same observation can increasingly often be
made about the situation in the present Krishna
consciousness movement.14
Prabhupada and the earlier Gaudiya äcäryas didn’t teach the
Vedic system of music and chanting for the reason that
perfect saìkértan does not depend on Vedic formulations

14
(https://sanatansikhi.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2012-
04-13T03:26:00-07:00&max-results=7&reverse-paginate=true)
but on surrender and tivrena… concentrated following of
their instructions. Prabhupada said “chant as I chant”, and
if that instruction is followed, perfection of kirtan chanting
can be easily attained.
Considering all the above preceding points and arguments
regarding kirtans in tunes, style and instrumental
accompaniment other than as precisely indicated by the
acarya, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the question
arises regarding whether or not kirtans performed by
neophytes, having experience only of the dim reflection of
the Holy Names (namabhasa), should be joined by aspiring
devotees. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur in his book Jaiva
Dharma (in the 24th chapter) answers the question
“mayavadhi-impersonalists, karmis-fruitive workers, jnanis,
and yogis are all offenders to the holy name. When many of
them gather together and chant, or if the lead singer is a
nama-aparadhi, is it right for a devotee who is not
contaminated by these non-devotional afflictions to join
them?” as follows: “If namaparadhis-offenders to the holy
name are prominent among the chanters, it is not right for a
genuine devotee to join them in chanting, but if the chanters
are mostly devotees free of these contaminations, or devotees
whose chanting is on the level of namabhasa – the reflection
of the holy name – then there is no harm in their taking part.
In fact it is good. That chanting brings them spiritual
happiness.” (Jaiva Dharma, Ch. 24, paraphrase)

Conclusion: Kértana is to satisfy Krishna’s senses,

not our senses… What is to be done in the face of
improper kirtan?
Kértans in entertainment style, with vociferous shouting and
drumming, use of unauthorized instruments (besides
karatälas and mådanga), hirsute “kirtaniyas” in non-
tradition dress, young women in front dancing to rehearsed,
choreographed scripts, and so on, are not wanted. These
kinds of kértana are not, as we have supported with
statements by acaryas, not kirtans but shows – sometimes
replete with a roster of stars.
Where it has been compromised, proper kirtan can still be
re-established. Just as Srila Prabhupada single-handedly
restarted Lord Caitanya’s saìkértan movement with help
from a handful of young people whom he attracted by
chanting in the park in New York, anyone who knows and
practices proper kirtan can restart it where he lives. It takes
just one sincere soul to start and run a center that may
consist simply of his home, from which Krishna
consciousness can radiate, simply by training in the basic
philosophy and the performance of kirtan.
At one time in the author’s experience, the devotees serving
at or visiting the Krishna Balaram temple in Vrindaban on
the anniversary of Prabhupada’s tirubhava utsava, would
proceed with kirtan – in his tunes and style – through the
streets of the town, reenacting his final visit to the
Goswami’s temples. In the book Prabhupada at Radha-
Damodar by Mahanidhi Swami, Sriman Ksirodakasayi is
quoted regarding the fact that before the Raman Reti land
was acquired and the temple built, the residents of
Vrindavan were not very favorable to the devotees… But
after seeing their determination in performing Harinama
saìkértana every day even in the North Indian summer heat,
they became very impressed that the devotees were serious.
A personal experience of the author’s reinforces the
principle exemplified by the above-described account …
that proper kirtan – kirtan in the style and tunes
demonstrated by Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada –
is all that is required to cause the spiritual reawakening of
the people: Some time in the early eighties, during the our
(the author’s) visit to Vrindaban – perhaps it was during
Kartik month and the annual festival – a funeral procession
was proceeding from the Krishna Balaram temple gate to
the cremation grounds, the deceased devotee unknown to
the author who understood only that the departed devotee
was from Italy. The kirtan in Prabhupada’s melodies being
heard by the author for the first time in many years was so
satisfying that he followed the procession not only from the
Krishna Balaram temple to the town, but beyond, to the
funeral ghat. As the procession passed through the streets of
Vrindaban, local residents came out of their houses
displaying the same gestures of devotion as described above
before the Krishna Balaram temple was built. Such kirtans,
having the power to evoke even Brajbasis’ favourable
reception, should be reestablished.
It may be that temple inmates, congregational members,
guests and even some institution leaders simply have never
heard Prabhupada’s kirtans and bhajans to a significant, or
sufficient, extent. His instruction early in the movement’s
history was that there should always be transcendental
sound vibrating in the temples and it can be seen as
Providence or as a great synchronicity, that sound
reproduction technology developed just parallel to the
growth of the Movement. Devices such as MP3 players,
Bluetooth speakers,15 cell-phones and so on are now readily
available at affordable prices, along with – from devotee or
official ISKCON sources on the internet – collections of
Srila Prabhupada’s, kirtans, bhajans and talks… free of cost.
Indigent devotees can surely find some more affluent
devotees to help them purchase a digital music player. In
any case, anyone who considers himself to be a devotee
advantage can and should be taken of the availability of
these devices. Failure to use some gift for serving
15
Some MP3 players have displays that show the details of a selected
track. Bluetooth speakers don’t have such display. Cell phones have
directories of the audio files they contain allowing a chosen track to be
selected and played.
Mahaprabhu’s mission constitutes in fact a disqualification
on the part of anyone claiming to be a devotee.
Also, temple authorities should see to it that sound systems
are installed and used in the temples under their
administration and to assign someone to the service of
having only pure kirtans and bhajans playing as
conscientiously as they assign the duties of pujaris, cooks,
book distributors, managers and so on. These authorities
must take seriously the matter of policing the quality of
sound in their temples. Prajalpa has to be checked and
kirtan leaders both for street saìkértan and temple kirtans
and arotis deputed according to their proven acceptance of
the principle that chanting is to be in proper tunes and
styles and not according to the singer’s popularity, charisma
or reputation as “expert musician”. Devotees or aspiring
devotees, whether temple inmates or living independently,
should hear the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra chanted by pure
devotees beginning with the topmost uttama adhikari,
antaranga bhakta His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada. (In regard to music playing devices,
when questioned about their practice in regard to hearing
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s vani, some
congregational members in India reply: “Oh, yes. We have a
“box””... meaning, a small audio device that plays a “loop”
of a single recitation of his chanting the maha mantra…
These “boxes” however are not in the author’s experience
either technically satisfactory – producing sound of very
low quality – or spiritually, the idea seeming to be, as in the
case of the impersonalists, who play “om namo sivaya”
[usually with the first syllable drawn out for several
seconds] in a continuous loop. A proper device for playing
all of, or a selection of, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada’s kirtans and bhajans may cost more than these
“box” devices, but they should be bought and used. A
sadhana bhakti should always hear transcendental sound…
or he will listen to the ramblings of his impure mind.)
......
The success of a candidate for spiritual progress depends on
the degree to which he satisfies the bona-fide spiritual
master. One initiated by understanding the fundamental
tenets of the science of Krishna consciousness accepts the
vani, the sound vibration of the Äcärya as it has emanated
from his lotus lips and makes it the basis of his life. Such
candidates for liberation follow the instructions of the
äcärya in all regards and with full conviction, to the best of
their ability without adding or subtracting anything. In
relation to kértana this means that the candidate accepts and
follows the Spiritual Master’s words relating to kértana and
how it is to be performed… with no speculated or
scripturally unsupported additions or subtractions.
Congregational chanting in musically entertaining styles
certainly attracts the public, but if a substantial proportion
of a kértana performances are not in the pure way as
performed and taught by the acarya, the progress of the
Saìkértan Movement will be slow, and with the advance of
kali yuga, as material forces gain momentum, the expansion
of the movement will stop or become significantly less
compared to its pace in the early years of its existence,
when His Divine Grace, Srila Prabhupada first brought it to
the West.
While avoiding the ten offenses in chanting the
mahamantra is enjoined, chanting while still in the
offensive stage should not be scorned… and it is not
rejected – although it should be understood that people
attracted to impure chanting will not be the best. Those
who are advanced by dint of devotional service performed
in present life or previous births, can intuitively distinguish
between pure chanting and impure chanting and will most
likely not care to associate with chanters of the impure
kind. Moreover, if the members of kértan parties pay more
attention to being fashionably dressed with all accessories
rather than to the quality of their kirtan performances, then
some among the onlookers will surely think: “These people
have lots of money. Let me join them and take advantage of
whatever trick they know that is behind their success”.
In the same vein, if big temples are built and maintained
with much opulence but the kirtans being done in them are
not proper, though many people may visit and be impressed
by the opulence, and good numbers of educated young
people may join, the net effect will not be a favourable one.
Without purity in the kirtan and presentation of the
philosophy, in spite of many people joining, the movement
will become diluted and lose its potency. Such ‘success’ is
only apparent. Real success is measured by the degree to
which one satisfies the self-realized spiritual master by
following his instructions and doing as he has done.
Çréla Prabhupäda instructed his senior leaders, managers
and preachers to “boil the milk”: “I want that we shall
concentrate on making our devotees Krishna conscious and
ourselves becoming Krishna conscious, and not be so much
concerned with expanding ourselves widely but without
any spiritual content. Just like boiling the milk, it becomes
thicker and sweeter.” (Çréla Prabhupäda letter to Rupanuga,
Honolulu, 9 May, 1972) Similarly he wrote: “We have got
so many students and so many temples but I am fearful that
if we expand too much in this way that we shall become
weakened and gradually the whole thing will become lost.”
(Letter to Hansaduta, Los Angeles, 22 June, 1972)
Those who are already connected to the movement should
always be encouraged with proper instruction given by their
seniors. Though numbers of programs to increase the size
and number of existing projects exist, if proper efforts to
assure that members are being trained to understand the
philosophy are not in place… if the members are not
reading or hearing chanting properly and if mechanisms to
assure that the preachings and chanting are proper, the
whole effort will fail. Establishing and maintaining temples
and ashrams with the idea of collecting donations and
adherents while spiritual standards of educating the existing
members and the public alike are neglected, is condemned
by the acaryas as cheating. Adding new members by
offering various “perks” or salaries is ‘thinning the milk’.
When water is added to milk, after a point, it becomes
something other than milk: yogurt or cheese can’t be made
from it and drinking it doesn’t give nourishment but rather,
can lead to dysentery. Outside observers might continue to
think such an institution spiritual, but it cannot be actually
spiritual… it cannot do any good for the world. Loss of the
power of an ostensibly Krishna conscious person or
organization to raise the consciousness of those who come
in contact with it indicates that it is diseased.
The consciousness must be that kirtan or whatever is being
done must be for Krishna’s satisfaction and not for
gratification of the one’s personal senses and mind. Howard
Wheeler, later Sriman Hayagriva das, was a college English
professor when he met Srila Prabhupada in New York in
1966. Noticing that Prabhupada had a small record player
that someone had given him, but no records, he brought a
record of sitar ragas performed by Ravi Shankar and played
one side for him. Prabhupada smiled a little but said
nothing. When it was over Hayagriva asked “How did you
like the music, Swamiji?” “That is sense gratification music”
Prabhupada answered. Prabhupada then explained patiently
that “If you are a musician, you can play your music for
Krishna. That’s all right. Arjuna was a warrior, and he
fought for Krishna, and that was his perfection. If you are a
writer, you can write for Krishna; or a painter, you can
paint for Krishna. Whatever you want, you can do. But
don’t do it for your own sense gratification. Do it for
Krishna. Not the work, but the consciousness must be
changed.” (Hayagriva das, The Hare Krishna Explosion, 3)
Sense gratification destroys self realization just as fire
destroys wood. One who considers himself a devotee must
analyze his thinking and actions and carefully guard against
sense gratification. While chanting Hare Krishna or
performing any activity with the idea that it is devotional
service, the candidate must examine his thinking and his
activity to see whether it actually is fulfilling the criteria by
which it can be accepted as devotional service or it is being
done under the dictations of one’s mind and senses for their
pleasure. “The difficulty” Prabhupada says, “is sometimes
things are interpreted in a manner dovetailing one’s own
sense gratification.” (Letter to Tamala Krishna, Oct 18,
1969)
Kértan is at the heart of the Krishna consciousness
movement and it is to be performed, as other services,
according to standards taught by the acarya… not that one
does something and claims – without substantiating his
claim by reference to the instructions of guru, sadhu or
çästras – that “it is nice”, or “it is very effective”. Effective in
increasing the number of members without consideration of
their quality is contrary to the ächäryas’ desire and is to be
avoided. Some may scoff “fanaticism” and argue that: “Çréla
Prabhupäda didn’t instruct anyone to follow so many rules”.
But those who argue like that are actually on the mental
plane… having maybe a little theoretical understanding.
Without deliberating on the statements of guru, sadhu and
sastra, any idea one may have is to be taken as just
speculation. Superficially someone, or a group, may appear
to be following the process, but without properly
understanding the teachings, without – in the context of the
present discussion – knowing the characteristics of proper
kirtan, such persons cannot in fact chant or preach
effectively… they may be called “devotee” and there may be
great numbers of them, but they should be recognized for
what they are: conditional devotees. Children’s’ actions and
the truly devotional activities of intelligent candidates for
liberation through surrender and service are not the same.
One is bhakti abasa – simply the appearance of devotional
service while the other is the real thing. Apparent devotion
never lasts very long. The process is to follow the äcärya.
Äcäryavän puruño veda (Chändogya Upaniñad): One who
follows the disciplic succession of the äcäryas knows things
as they are. Others cannot.
In his introduction to the Bhagavad Gita, Srila Prabhupada
writes: ekaà çästraà devaké-putra-gétam, eko devo devaké-
putra eva eko mantras tasya nämäni yäni, karmäpy ekaà
tasya devasya sevä (Gétä-mähätmya 7) “… let there be one
scripture only, one common scripture for the whole world –
Bhagavad-gétä. Let there be one God for the whole world –
Çré Kåñëa… and one hymn, one mantra, one prayer—the
chanting of His name: Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa
Kåñëa, Hare Hare / Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma,
Hare Hare… and karmäpy ekaà tasya devasya sevä: let
there be one work only the service of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. One book, one mantra”. That one
book is Bhagavad Gita As it is and the one mantra is the
maha mantra… both as brought by the acarya.
Some, in India, may claim that “Krishna is our God… We
know Krishna and we have many names and ways of
chanting that we have been practicing since ancient days.”
But modernized Indians have factually lost faith in Krishna,
are not conversant with the sastras, aspire for wealth,
pleasure and position and cannot therefore be taken very
seriously. The Kåñëa Consciousness movement on the other
hand offers the process for acquiring actual spiritual
realization to anyone from any part of the world by the
process of following the parampara. Only when the
philosophy and the practices are accepted according to the
way chalked out by the acarya, spiritualization of mind,
body and consciousness can actually take place.
Until one is free from anarthas – material contaminations of
mind, action and heart – one must chant and perform one’s
other services strictly as the acarya has shown. Any person
from any background, from any part of the world, of any
persuasion, can now hear the recorded vani of the äcarya,
the mahabhagavata, paramahamsa bhakta in the person of
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
and by following his methods, by emulating his chanting,
can please Krishna and go back to home, back to Godhead
in this lifetime.
Appendices
Kevala ananda kandha
Locana däsa Öhäkura sings: paramag koruëa, pahü dui jana,
nitäi gauracandra. “Lord Caitanya and Nityananda are the
essence of all incarnation and Their preaching process is
very pleasing: chant Hare Kåñëa, dance and eat Kåñëa
prasädam." Prabhupada continues: “So, simply
transcendentally pleasing, this movement. Kevala änanda-
kanda.” The chanting performed by the Lords was so
transcendentally pure that nothing else was required to
bring the highest spiritual pleasure to hearers. This
phenomenon continues to the present day for those who by
fortune – or somehow – hear the chanting from the lips of
the antaranga bhakta, the pure devotee acarya, and repeat it
without any changes. An actual devotee is able to
distinguish between transcendental singing of the Lord’s
names – actual kértana – and singing, albeit apparently of
the same words or Names for the singer’s own musical
pleasure or the pleasure of an audience. According to Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, the latter is not kértana.
As stated in Srimad Bhägavatam (2.3.10): “akämaù sarva-
kämo vä, mokña-käma udära-dhéù, tévreëa bhakti-yogena,
yajeta puruñaà param”: An intelligence person, whether
materially desirous or free of material desires, must, tévreëa,
intensely, worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead
according to the example and precepts of the acarya.
Although possessing super-excellent musical abilities, Srila
Prabhupada never, by displaying them, chanted simply to
attract large numbers of people. Rather, he used his vocal
and instrumental abilities only to complement the intrinsic
purity and excellence of the maha mantra… which he
chanted in a few, simple, melodic tunes. As explained
elsewhere in this book, specific exhibitions of musical talent
may have their use, but being a devotee means that one
must first understand the process and practice the chanting
of the Lord’s names as the acarya chanted them and as he
wanted his followers and disciples to chant them.
Otherwise, chanting, even though with much
professionalism, will attract only mediocre people… a result
that Prabhupada and the previous äcäryas specifically
indicated as unwanted.
The Lord likes to hear His Names being uttered by the jivas
– whether conditioned and in the material realm or
liberated and with Him in His transcendental abode.
Chanting His names in pleasing tone is the highest
meditation and the best form of praise (man-manä bhava
mad-bhakto mad-yäjé mäà namaskuru… BG 18.65) and
one who understands this possesses the highest knowledge
and understands the purpose and conclusion of all of the
Vedic literatures.
According to Çréla Çrédhara Swami, this blissful process of
chanting the holy names of the Lord without any material
conception is called sugamaà märgam, a very enjoyable
path. Similarly, Lord Kåñëa has described the process of
bhakti-yoga as susukhaà kartum, very joyfully performed.
Çréla Locana däsa Öhäkura has sung – saba avatära sära
çiromaëi kevala änanda-käëòa… Caitanya Mahäprabhu's
process for worshiping Kåñëa is kevala änanda-käëòa,
simply joyful.
In this connection Çréla Prabhupäda states that people in
any part of the world can assemble, chant the Hare Kåñëa
mantra, read from authorized books such as Bhagavad-gétä
As It Is, and accept kåñëa-prasädam. This was the
programme followed by Caitanya Mahäprabhu and His
followers during both His Navadvépa and His Jagannath
Puri sojourns and also the programme that persons today
who desire spiritual emancipation should follow.
To be successful in this programme however Locana däsa
Öhäkura warned, viñaya chäòiyä: One must give up material
sense gratification. If one indulges in material sense
gratification, surely he will be in the bodily concept of life.
And one who is in the bodily concept of life will
undoubtedly have a materialistic understanding of the
pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To
considering the Lord's pastimes as mundane is Mäyäväd…
impersonalism: considering the transcendental body of the
Lord to be a creation of material nature. Therefore the word
asaìgaù in this verse is very significant. One must chant the
holy name of the Lord without mental speculation. One
must accept Lord Kåñëa as He presents Himself in
Bhagavad-gétä wherein He states that He alone is
Puruñottama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that
His transcendental form is eternal (ajo 'pi sann avyayätmä).

One must adopt the process as it comes down in

paramparä
“Çréla Jéva Gosvämé has emphasized, yäni çästra-dvärä sat-
paramparä-dvärä ca loke gétäni janmäni karmäëi ca, täni
çåëvan gäyaàç ca: If one wants to be successful in chanting
and hearing the holy name of the Lord, one must adopt the
process as it is coming down in the sat-paramparä, the
transcendental disciplic succession. The sat-paramparä can
be identified by reference to bona fide Vedic scriptures.
Contrary to the opinion of uninformed critics, a true
follower of Kåñëa consciousness is not a mindless or
fanatical individual. He intelligently follows the system of
checks and balances called guru, sädhu and çästra. He
accepts a bona fide spiritual master who must in turn be
confirmed to be such by the opinion of great saintly persons
and the revealed scriptures. If one accepts a bona fide
spiritual master, follows the example of great saintly
persons and becomes conversant with authorized literature
such as Bhagavad-gétä As It Is and Çrémad-Bhägavatam,
one's program of chanting the holy names of the Lord and
hearing about the Lord's pastimes will be completely
successful:
“Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura has stated that
throughout the world the Supreme Lord is known by many
names, some of them expressed in vernacular language, but
any name used to indicate the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, who is one without a second and beyond the
influence of material nature, can be accepted as a holy name
of God, according to Çréla Jéva Gosvämé’s verse, as indicated
by the word loke.
“One should not misinterpret the word vicaret, ("one
should wander") in Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2.3916 to mean
that while chanting the holy names of Kåñëa one may go
anywhere or engage in any activity without discrimination.
Therefore it is stated, vicared asaìgaù: one may wander
freely, but at the same time one must strictly avoid the
association of those who are not interested in Kåñëa
consciousness or who are engaged in sinful life. Çré
Caitanya Mahäprabhu has stated, asat-saìga-tyäga-ei
vaiñëava äcära (Cc. Madhya 22.87): A Vaiñëava is known by
his complete avoidance of all mundane association. If in the
course of traveling and chanting the glories of the Lord a

16
çåëvan su-bhadräëi rathäìga-päëer, janmäni karmäëi ca yäni loke ||
gétäni nämäni tad-arthakäni, gäyan vilajjo vicared asaìgaù : An
intelligent person who has controlled his mind and conquered fear
should give up all attachment to material objects such as wife, family
and nation and should wander freely without embarrassment, hearing
and chanting the holy names of the Lord, the bearer of the chariot
wheel. The holy names of Kåñëa are all-auspicious because they
describe His transcendental birth and activities, which He performs
within this world for the salvation of the conditioned souls. Thus the
holy names of the Lord are sung throughout the world.
Vaiñëava preacher finds a submissive nondevotee who is
willing to hear about Kåñëa, the preacher will always give
his merciful association to such a person. But a Vaiñëava
should strictly avoid those who are not interested in hearing
about Kåñëa.” (SB 11.2.39 P)

Abbreviations of titles of scriptural texts

referenced in Proper Kértan
BG – Bhagavad Gita As It Is
SB – Srimad Bhagavatam
CC – Caitanya Caritamrita

Links to websites where Prabhupada kirtans

can be listened to and downloaded
https://www.causelessmercy.com
https://prabhupadavani.org/audio/srila-prabhupadas-
bhajans-kirtans/
https://youtu.be/r9Sgugz17D0?si=TCMFatXOKOwLIO_9

Comments, reviews17
“Thank you for these helpful quotes. I will start sending
them out on my daily posting of Srila Prabhupada quotes. I
have forwarded your mail and the book to the Kértana
Standards Committee. … …basically I support your thesis.”
– His Holiness Bhakti Vikas Swami

“Thank you for your booklet which I have gone thru and
the many pertinent and important points which you make.
– His Holiness Janananda Goswami,
Convener, ISKCON GBC Kértan Standards Committee

17
Some in relation to an early version of the present work
 “The issue of kirtana is more vital than any issue facing our
movement today. … I had a very unique insider view of the
matters concerning kértana and I began my relationship
with Srila Prabhupada in full awareness of the need for
authenticity and purity in the matter of chanting. This is a
descending process and nothing on earth can improve upon
it. If it were possible to improve on the means by which the
Äcärya presented the descent of the Holy Name, he would
have mentioned it. A non-initiated person can, and will,
chant any melody he damn well pleases… and there is no
offense in that… but an initiated devotee must understand
that his relationship with the Acharya is absolute and for
that reason there is no wiggle room to either add or subtract
from the initiation vow to neither add nor subtract but to
accept the sound vibration of the äcärya as it is.”
– Sriman Naranarayan das

“The subject matter upon which you elaborate is vital.”

– Sriman Janahlada das

The author (continued from back cover)

While researching the topic of kértan for the “Notes on the
Conduct of Rathayatra” section of the book, he collected
some references regarding kértan – its desirable and
undesirable characteristics – that confirmed his early
training and experience. In spite of now advanced age,
along with his continuing involvement with rathas and
rathayatra, he performs kértan and speaks about it and
Krishna consciousness generally. Questions and comments
can be addressed to him at rasanandadas@gmail.com,
h.zuckerman@gmail.com or ib.institue.33@gmail.com. He
is also on Facebook: Hyman Zuckerman (Rasananda das)
and WhatsApp: +90-9391068361.
 The author Rasananda das
Brahmachari, purvasram Hyman
Zuckerman, was born and educated (B.Sc.
Honours Physiology [1964], MD CM
[Medicine] [1968], McGill University), in
Montreal, Canada and was an Alpha
Omega Alpha Honor Research Society first-prize winner in
that period. He joined ISKCON in 1969, accepting formal
initiation from Çréla Prabhupäda the following year. In 1981
he became involved with the design and construction of
rathas, eventually designing and building almost all of the
Society’s large rathas in India and adjacent countries. In
1994 he published The Rath Construction Book based on
which several more rathas were build in various parts of the
world. (continued on last page)

Comments, reviews
“Brilliant. Excellent quotations from scripture and the
acharyas. … very well researched. … a wonderful book and
I'm relishing every page.” – Sriman Vidura das
(former General Manager, Gita Nagari press)
“I do appreciate what he’s done … painstakingly combining
so many different references…”
– Sriman Riddha das
“Thank you for doing this most valuable service”
– Sriman Padmagarbha das
“A very valuable reference ... the headings and the content
are very enlightening… Highly recommended…”
– Sriman Ajamila das
“… impressive and certainly beautiful that the proper
heritage of kirtan is being taken care of.”
– Adam Dolhaniuk, Nama Hatta, Katowice, Poland
(continued from second to last page)