Sri Krishna Sankirttan - The Universal Church of the Holy Name
June 2007. Article by Sriman Devashis Prabhu.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna Himself. Not an expansion of Krishna but directly Svayam Bhagavan, Krishna, the darling of Vraja, the son of Mother Yashoda. The Supreme Lord Himself covered with the heart and halo of His Divine consort Srimati Radharani. Thus He is golden in complexion instead of the luminous black that is Krishna.
When Lord Sri Krishna wants to distribute Himself to the souls of this world He becomes overwhelmed with the deep spiritual emotion which is known as Audarya. When Sri Krishna, the personification of Madhurya (divine sweetness), contracts this emotion of Audaryya (supreme magnanimity), and these two combine, then He becomes the great Golden Messiah who is Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Like Svayam Bhagavan Sri Krishna, this Sri Chaitanya; Gaura Hari, only appears once in a day of Brahma, and five hundred years ago He advented Himself to fulfil the role of the Yuga Avatar to teach the religion of this age; Hari Nama Sankirttan.
Sankirttan means the perfect and complete worship of the Supreme Godhead through the medium of the congregational chanting of the Holy Name (samyak kirttana). Specifically and pre-eminently the chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra;
The Lord has predicted that this chanting will spread to every corner of the universe (prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama). It is most simple and pure and is applicable to everyone of every race, creed, colour or religion. The great pioneer of Krsna Sankirttan in the modern age, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur with his broad vision, once commented that the Salvation Army taking their musical instruments and hymns to the streets, were performing Sankirttan.
In the performance of Sankirttan there are no hard or fast rules and anyone can perform this kind of worship in any fashion, in any language and using any kind of musical instruments and tunes. Still, the followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu favour the exclusive Kirttan inaugurated by Lord Chaitanya Himself. With the simplicity of the khol (clay drum) and the karatals (brass hand cymbals), Sriman Mahaprabhu showed the method for practicing Sri Krishna Sankirttan to the whole World. He is the embodiment of spiritual perfection and you cannot improve on perfection.
Following the standard of Srila Prabhupad, Saraswati Thakur, our Gurudev, Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaj only allowed the khol and karatals to accompany the Kirttan in the temple (apart from on Sri Gaura Purnima Festival day when any instrument is allowed). Even the harmonium is forbidden. When we first heard of this stricture, naturally some of the disciples of Srila Prabhupad, AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj mentioned to Srila Sridhar Maharaj that of course, he (Srila Swami Maharaj) often played the harmonium. Srila Sridhar Maharaj replied, “but his harmonium is from the plane of Vaikuntha” (I doubt that ‘Bina* can supply that type of harmonium. And God only knows where you will find that kind of harmonium player!)
Srila Saraswati Thakur remarked that, “The Kirttan of Sri Hari is not the burlesque.” We will have to guard against turning our practice of Nama Sankirttan into a mockery in the name of ‘attracting the people’. The safe and sure way is to follow the standard established by the Lord of Sankirttan, Sri Chaitanyadev. Nothing added and nothing taken away, that will be most wholesome.
When we chant together in congregation that will be Sankirttan. Solitary bhajan is neither recommended nor truly efficacious for the aspiring devotees. We shall seek out association and together we will chant the Kirttan of Sri Hari. Our Guardians have established Temples all over the world only to facilitate this kind of association. If the Temple is devoid of Hari Kirttan or we avoid the Kirttan in the Temple then we are truly unfortunate. We have come to the line of Nama Sankirttan, we are preachers and practicers of Nama Sankirttan. Our Divine Master, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj has repeatedly said, “at least once a week my disciples and followers should come together for Hari Kirttan.”
Srila Sridhar Maharaj said, “99.9% of our advancement in spiritual life will depend on our association. Birds of the same feather flock together!“ Seek out your association, join your local temple as often as you can. And if you have no temple near to you then invite the devotees to your home or better still make a temple near you. Serve and make devotional company your social recreation. But don’t make your time at the temple your time for mundane talk and gossip. Make it the time for Hari Kirttan.
The songs of the Vaishnava Acharyyas are so full with spiritual potency that by singing them in congregation with real devotion then the true feeling with which they were composed may be imparted. The devotion of Narottam Thakur and Bhaktivinoda Thakur can manifest in your own heart. Even understanding the translation is not as important as the deep and pure vibration that they convey.
When the devotees raise their voices together in praise of the Lord, the vibration power is inestimable on every level and when that chant is pure and unadulterated it pierces the coverings of this material world, crosses the barriers of time and space and enters the Divine Abode and comes to rest as an offering at the lotus feet of Sri Krishna. This is real holy communion.
And what are the results of the Hari Nama Sankirttan? Lord Chaitanya has revealed this in His first verse of Siksatakam;
| 1. Our consciousness is cleansed. 2. We are liberated from all mundanity. 3. Positive goodness awakens within us ultimately taking us to Vrindavan. 4. We are made fit for wholesale surrender in the highest Rasa of Love by a proper aquaintance with the knowledge of the soul (Sambanda Jnana). 5. We become established in the infinite ocean of spiritual joy. 6. Our whole existence becomes soothed and purified. 7. We are conquered and wholly converted to our true transcendent spiritual nature by the Loving Name of Sri Krishna. |
Revelation of Divinity has never been greater than that revealed by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers. Therefore this Kali Yuga (The age typified by disagreement, hypocrisy and conflict; The Iron Age of mankind) is worshipped by the gods in heaven and is truly the Golden Age of Spiritual Enlightenment.
What a great fortune and chance we have. When everything else is dangerous, difficult and treacherous we will find our safety in Hari Nama Sankirttan. Srila Swami Maharaj Prabhupad has written, "We should always remember the danger of Maya's influence and endeavour to save ourselves from her great power. We must therefore always merge in the transcendental mellow of Kirttan-rasa, for Kirttan-rasa is the safest situation within this material world. Hare Krishna."
Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirttan!
*A well known manufacturer of traditional Indian musical instruments