What we chant in ISKCON’s daily program (continued) “Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 29 In 1976 Śrutadeva Dāsa, when Temple President in London, wrote to Śrīla Prabhupāda asking if it was acceptable to chant in kīrtana “Jaya Rādhā London-īśvara. . . Prabhupādera prāṇa-dhana he” (adapted from the song Rādhā Kṛṣṇa Gīti).1 Śrīla Prabhupāda replied, “Yes you have my permission to sing as you have requested.”2 New Vrindaban, I’ve somewhere heard, received similar approval. But what Śrīla Prabhupāda permitted has now become de rigueur. You’ve got to do it, or … [Read more...] about The “Deity mantras”
What we chant in ISKCON’s daily program
“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 28 Here let’s look at some specific features of what we chant every day. (We’ll have more in coming installments.) More about the morning tune As mentioned before, there is a particular tune Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted us to chant for the maṅgala-ārātrika. One can hear Śrīla Prabhupāda sing this tune on the recording here, where he says, “This is the morning tune.” The tune appears in Western musical notation in The Hare Krishna Music Book by Joan Wilder, published by the BBT, and in Bhakti Gauravani Goswami’s Sacred Song … [Read more...] about What we chant in ISKCON’s daily program
Bhajanas may be chanted
“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 27 Apart from kīrtana, devotees may sing bhajanas, or songs of devotion to the Lord, as Śrīla Prabhupāda did and encouraged. As Śrīla Prabhupāda said on a morning walk, “What is sung by mahājana—Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura—that can be sung.”1 Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote: Songs composed by the ācāryas are not ordinary songs. When chanted by pure Vaiṣṇavas who follow the rules and regulations of Vaiṣṇava character, they are actually effective in awakening the Kṛṣṇa consciousness dormant in every living entity.2 The … [Read more...] about Bhajanas may be chanted
On the margin – Rāma mantras
“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 26 In a letter to Mukunda Dāsa (later Mukunda Goswāmī), June 6, 1967, Śrīla Prabhupāda appreciated a recording by his early disciples in San Francisco of Śrī rāma jaya rāma jaya jaya rāma and other kīrtanas (and a song by Hayagrīva Dāsa about “Nārada Muni, eternal spaceman”). And again in San Francisco, at the end of a lecture on September 10, 1968 (the Sunday before Rāma-vijayotsava), Śrīla Prabhupāda had his devotees chant in kīrtana Śrī rāma jaya rāma jaya jaya rāma. Yet as mentioned earlier, Hayagrīva writes that on … [Read more...] about On the margin – Rāma mantras
Jaya Jagannātha!
“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 25 From Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta we understand that during the Rathayātrā festival Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wandered from one kīrtana group to another, chanting “Jaya Jagannātha!”1 and all the other devotees were chanting “Jaya Jagannātha!” as well.2 Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta says that at the San Francisco Rathayātrā Śrīla Prabhupāda told devotees to switch the chanting from Hare Kṛṣṇa to Jaya Jagannātha.3 On November 17, 1975, on a walk on Juhu Beach, Lokanāth Swami asked Śrīla Prabhupāda about the chanting of “Jaya Jagannātha!” … [Read more...] about Jaya Jagannātha!
Jaya Śacīnandana, Nitāi Gaurāṅga, and Prabhu Nityānanda
“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 24 Śrīla Prabhupāda told us we should chant the full Pañca-tattva mantra—śrī kṛṣṇa caitanya prabhu nityānanda śri advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. To this he gave emphasis again and again. Nonetheless. . . Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura (in 1885) wrote of the day when devotees from abroad would join with the Bengali devotees and chant “Jaya Śacīnandana.” When Śrīla Prabhupāda visited the ISKCON temple in Baltimore, where the main Deities were Gaura-Nitāi, Śrīla Prabhupāda said: So this benediction is offered … [Read more...] about Jaya Śacīnandana, Nitāi Gaurāṅga, and Prabhu Nityānanda
Govinda Jaya Jaya
“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 23 From the earliest days of ISKCON, Śrīla Prabhupāda chanted: govinda jaya jaya, gopāla jaya jayarādhā-ramaṇa hari, govinda jaya jaya In San Francisco in 1967, Śrīla Prabhupāda taught Mukunda Mahārāja this chant.1 Sometimes Śrīla Prabhupāda would lead chanting of “Govinda jaya jaya” after giving class or would have the devotees chant it.2 In 1968 Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote to one new devotee: Please go on chanting “Govinda Jaya Jaya, Govinda [sic] Jaya Jaya, Radha Ramana Hari, Govinda Jaya Jaya”, along with “Hare … [Read more...] about Govinda Jaya Jaya
Jaya Pañca-tattva, Jaya Pañca-tattva
“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 23 As mentioned above (under “The real point: Strictly follow”), Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed that we should chant “only what the ācāryas have given,” that “the ācāryas only chant all five names of the Pañca-tattva,” and that we should not “chant our own made-up mantras.” And yet we hear: Jaya Pañca-tattva! Jaya Pañca-tattva!Jaya Pañca-tattva! Jaya Pañca-tattva! This is not something the ācāryas have given. It doesn’t include any of the five names. It wasn’t chanted by Śrīla Prabhupāda. And we don’t hear it even in the … [Read more...] about Jaya Pañca-tattva, Jaya Pañca-tattva
Hari bol, Hari bol / Gaura Nityānanda bol
“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 22 Looking into some specifics, seemingly not so important, here leads us to important instructions from Śrīla Prabhupāda about broader principles. Let’s see how the journey unfolds. The chanting of “Nitāi Gaura Hari bol” is common in Gauḍīya kīrtana. But Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to keep our focus on the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Śrutakīrti Prabhu writes: March 18, 1973, ISKCON Māyāpur Candrodaya Mandir During ISKCON's first international festival in Māyāpur, many devotees demonstrated how they had become influenced by … [Read more...] about Hari bol, Hari bol / Gaura Nityānanda bol
Jaya Gurudeva!
“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 22 The chanting of “Jaya Gurudeva” has become popular in ISKCON, but like other chants not received directly from Śrīla Prabhupāda, this one has its problems. Kripamoya Prabhu gives the following account: February 1977, Gaura Pūrṇimā. Before the first maṅgala-ārati, Pañca-dravida Swami had been chanting bhaja bhakata vatsala śrī gaura-hari for the maṅgala offering, before the ārati. During the maṅgala-ārati kīrtana someone had been chanting —for Prabhupāda, of course—Jaya Gurudeva. And Bhavānanda came down after … [Read more...] about Jaya Gurudeva!
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