Why Kirtan Is More Effective Than Japa

Transcript

2:45The age of Kali: why people suffer so much

I am reminded of the words of the elder St. Silouan the Athonite. He lived on Mount Athos, and he writes: “I don’t feel like dying—that means I don’t love God.” Every day passes, one after another, week after week... And now a new year has begun—no less than 2024 from the birth of Christ. Although, as the latest research shows, it turns out Jesus Christ was born not on January 7 but on December 25.

3:36People suffer so much in this world because they have completely, utterly forgotten the Lord. There isn’t even an understanding that this whole world was created by God. They find so many reasons to enter into enmity, into conflicts. A real disaster. Essentially, you and I live on a hellish planet, because chatvari bharata-varshe—the four yugas exist on Bharata-varsha, not in the whole universe. Bharata-varsha includes planet Earth, so it is a very small piece of the universe. And Kali-yuga, the time in which you and I live here, is the saddest life of all.

4:44There is a story in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the Tenth Canto, where Lord Krishna outwitted a powerful, demonically minded king named Kalayavana. He led him into a cave where the great warrior Muchukunda had been sleeping—ever since Treta-yuga. Lord Krishna appeared at the juncture of Dvapara-yuga and Kali-yuga. You can say He appeared in Dvapara, and you can also say He appeared in Kali. Because when the clock shows one minute to six, we say, “It’s six,” right? In the same way, Krishna appeared in Dvapara-yuga, but in essence—already in Kali.

5:48And so this Muchukunda woke up. He had a special blessing, and he burned Kalayavana to ashes. And then he was astonished as he looked around. These details are described in the Harivamsha, a wonderful work that tells of the deeds of Lord Krishna and His avatars. So Muchukunda looked around and thought: “What is happening? Why, first of all, have people become so small?” Compared with Muchukunda, even Krishna was rather small—Muchukunda was such a huge, mighty warrior. “What is happening? Why has everything shrunk?” he wondered. And he noticed not only that the human population had shrunk in height, but also the trees and the other living beings. He noticed that utsaha, which means “enthusiasm,” and bala and virya, that is, people’s strength and valor, had declined considerably. Considerably.

7:15At the very beginning of the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said that in the age of Kali essentially only unfortunate people live: mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagyah. Manda means “unfortunate.” But since we understand that there are no accidents, luck, too, is conditioned by our past actions. Here it’s every man for himself. And mostly all those who are born in Kali-yuga are people who led very sinful lives in their previous births. That is the opinion of the Vedas. Of course, the illusory energy of the Lord is called illusory for a reason: it makes it seem to us that, basically, things aren’t all that bad—there’s a salary, I didn’t get cancer, no missile hit my house. All these statements come separated by commas, but after each of them you could open a parenthesis and write: “so far.” So far. So far death hasn’t come.

8:47In the end, all the ways of protecting ourselves in this world—earning money, settling down—are nothing more than a manifestation of fear. Bhaya means “fear.” A person acts in this world out of fear. And of course, everything is relative: we don’t know what heavenly life is. Devotees are elevated—they don’t want to reach the heavenly planets; they want to reach the spiritual world. But I think that for the absolute majority of devotees, just show them a heavenly apsara, a woman who would give him a certain look and not simply walk past... Or even if she simply walked past! And if she gave him that look... Our minds touch through our eyes. And I’m reminded of that old film: “Prabhu, you haven’t even finished your sixteen rounds yet!” Hare Krishna.

10:19Stri means “woman.” Well, women have their own demands and men have theirs, but one way or another it is very easy to be tempted in this age. Very easy. And so devotees think, “I don’t need Svarga or moksha”—and meanwhile we build a private house. Or at least we want a private house in the countryside, by a lake, where white swans glide and quack their songs, where flowers grow and smell sweet—everything smells sweet, bumblebees and bees swarm around those flowers, you have your own apiary, delicious acacia honey, everything natural... And so in the morning we step out with our japa, with a light, flying gait—and then we wake up: the alarm clock. Hare Krishna. By the way, they chose a pretty good time for devotees: the sirens usually go off just when devotees wake up—at 2:30. Well, all right, at 3:30.

12:09External and inner happiness

We are very attached to sense pleasures. This is called bahir-mukha—one who looks outward. Antar is one who has found happiness within, in his own heart—real happiness. Because happiness comes in different kinds, dear devotees. In goodness, in the mode of rajas or tamas—everywhere there are kinds of happiness of their own. So when we wish someone happiness, health and success in their personal life for New Year or on their birthday, we should meditate a little on exactly what kind of happiness we are wishing that person. Happiness that arises from the contact of the senses with any external objects is rajas. What is very sweet at first turns out to be bitter poison in the end. This is what Lord Krishna says. Lord Krishna also says:

Antah-sukhah: antar means “within.” Antar-aramah is the inner person, who experiences an inner happiness that does not depend on external circumstances. Within he finds the source—the source of joy, the source within. Tathantar-jyotir eva yah: jyoti means “light”—he finds light in the depths of his heart, in the depths of his consciousness. Krishna says, sa yogi brahma-nirvanam—he is a yogi, and he is situated in the state of brahma-nirvana. Krishna uses such terms. And when the Lord describes such a person, He says, sarva-bhuta-hite ratah—such a person directs all his activity toward the welfare of other living beings. Hita means “welfare,” sarva-bhuta means “all living beings.”

15:41Friends and enemies: living without hatred

And look at the decline religion is in now, how hard it is to follow elementary things from the standpoint of the Bhagavad-gita. Of course, we want to discover Vrindavan right away, Radha-Madhava, to taste the sweetness of the Vrindavan lilas, to behold the Lord. But until a person has learned to treat friends and enemies alike, he has no access. And he needs access. And that access is opened to him by treating friends and enemies alike. Krishna says this in the Bhagavad-gita again and again, many times.

16:47This does not mean that devotees who have such vision support or share in the sinful activities of villains, of demons. Yes, a devotee may even destroy such villains, because Krishna destroys them: vinashaya cha dushkritam. Dushkrita means “miscreant.” Destroying miscreants is one of the Lord’s missions when He manifests in this world. But it’s interesting that Krishna teaches Arjuna in the following way... Moreover, Krishna Himself—and this is also presented interestingly in the commentaries—when Lord Krishna killed Kamsa... In fact, when Krishna descended into this world five thousand years ago—how many He cut down, how many He slew! He destroyed a great many people. And so we wonder: why would the Supreme Lord destroy people? All right, demonic ones—but why? Let’s start from one simple rule: in this world everything is mortal. Absolutely everything.

17:54I never cease to be amazed at how cunning and powerful illusion is. Our consciousness is arranged in such a way that none of us, no one, realizes death. In theory we talk about it a lot, tell stories and so on—yes. But to really, truly grasp it... That comes only when some extraordinary circumstances happen in life, when death... Or let’s put it this way: when the world shows its true face. And at that moment everything ends—panic simply sets in, fear. Again, this is our only problem—fear.

19:21Of course, a devotee must be very sensitive to people’s emotions. If, for example, a terrible war is going on in our country, many people are suffering: some have directly lost their homes, some their relatives, their health. And the level of hatred now is not just in the red zone—it is simply off the charts, obviously. A devotee treats these things with understanding. He will not condemn people for this, he will not hate people for their hatred. He will love and feel compassion, he will feel pain in his heart. But at the same time he will not support this hatred, even justified hatred, because a devotee understands that hatred destroys the one who carries it. Hatred destroys. Resentment is anger. Anger destroys the personality, destroys the soul. Lord Krishna says:

Kama—let’s put it this way: selfish desire, the desire to get hold of something in this external world. Krishna says it arises from rajo-guna, the mode of passion. Mahashano maha-papma—it devours everything, it is the greatest in its sinfulness—selfish desire, lust. Viddhy enam iha vairinam—this is your enemy. Vairi means “enemy.” There it is, your enemy—selfish desire. Because it is precisely because we have a sense of ownership and plans to stay in this world forever and ever... Paradoxically—this is the paradoxical action of illusion: we want to stay in this world eternally, our plans are eternal. But devotees who have truly advanced think: “Well, all right, I’m going to die anyway. Whatever happens—happiness—I’m going to die anyway. Unhappiness—I’m going to die anyway.” That is why such a devotee doesn’t expect too much from this world—no bonuses.

22:08Well, family people do have this natural tendency: a wife, children, there are duties. That is why there is such a category as dharma. Dharma means “duties”—sacred ones, prescribed by the Lord. A person must perform his dharma without being attached to the fruits of his work. Krishna teaches: you have the right to perform your duties, but you have no right to claim the fruits of your work. Don’t think that you are the cause of these fruits, don’t consider yourself the cause—and at the same time don’t give up your duty. We need to read the Bhagavad-gita, study the Bhagavad-gita, research the Bhagavad-gita. And then a devotee’s consciousness is gradually purified, and he rises above this duality: happiness and unhappiness—that is duality. But it is a very gradual process: at the end of many lives a person comes to this result.

23:17But if a person rejects—yah shastra-vidhim utsrijya—the injunctions of the shastras, the sacred books, and does whatever he pleases, he will not attain perfection, he will not attain happiness, and after death he will not attain the supreme goal either. That is what Krishna says about a person who does not follow the scriptures. Because true religion is expressed precisely in how far its followers follow the injunctions of their sacred books.

24:01True religion means following the scriptures

Today is January 7, right? I haven’t got it mixed up? Hare Krishna. One way or another, we honor Jesus Christ and worship His personality. Srila Prabhupada never criticized Christianity as such, but, being a paramahamsa, a person of a very high spiritual level, he criticized in every way the distortion of Christianity that its followers allowed. They distorted the spiritual science. And what did this main distortion consist of? (From the audience: “Thou shalt not kill.”) But that’s already a specific point. More generally—what does the distortion consist of? Come on, what other options? There are only a few of us. (From the audience: “Rituals,” “Selfish interest.”) And what was it that these people did?.. No, the followers already—what is the problem?

25:31Let’s put it this way: what is the problem? Today’s Christianity does not follow Holy Scripture, right? It’s all very simple: it does not follow the scriptures. Christians have the Bible, they have Jesus, they have instructions—and they don’t follow them. It’s all very simple. And Prabhupada was indignant precisely about this: “Why don’t you follow?” And “thou shalt not kill” is the specific point where he says: “Here you are, please, the first rule.” When people came to him for darshan, for a meeting, and started, “Let’s talk with you about something higher,” he would answer, “Wait: ‘Thou shalt not kill.’” That’s it. That’s where it all ends.

25:53And now, attention, dear devotees. It’s good when we reason about them, but now let’s reason about ourselves. After all, the fact that a person has become a vegetarian and mostly follows the principle “thou shalt not kill” does not yet mean that he has been raised to the rank of a sadhu. Isn’t that so? We also have many rules and regulations. And here is the question: are we followers of Srila Prabhupada, followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? That is the question: how far do we follow these rules and regulations? Because a sincere soul tries in every way to follow the rules. This is very important.

26:56But when we see that after ten years of practice people cannot learn to get up early in order to chant their japa attentively... Of course, everyone came here with their own baggage—guna, karma: someone was a demigod in a previous life, and someone was a dog. It’s normal that it is easier for one and harder for another, that’s normal. But nevertheless a person must follow at one hundred percent of his capacity. And how is he to determine his capacity? The answer is very simple, right? He will never determine his capacity by himself. He must have a guru: guru-padashraya—he must take shelter.

27:59That is why independence in spiritual life, as in any other sphere, is the greatest evil. This is precisely where the whole problem grows from—insincerity. Try to trace the connection: because I am independent, I end up distorting the religion I follow. Do you understand? Independence, independence from the guru means independence from Krishna. So in form it is religion, but in essence it may not be religion at all.

28:43The essence of practice is prema-sankirtana

The essence of Vaishnava practice is to perform prema-kirtan. Not even prema-kirtan, but prema-sankirtana, prema-nama-sankirtana—with love for Krishna. And when a person truly loves Krishna, he cannot hate. This is how true love works: one who loves cannot hate. The essence of practice is to perform prema-kirtan: to chant the holy name of Krishna with love. With love. And when a person chants the holy name... Aha, let’s even say not “chants” but “praises” the holy name, because kirti literally means “to glorify.” Kirtan: kir is kirti, glorifying God. And when we sing the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, we glorify God. That is, we utter the holy name.

30:06And of course, it has become very hard for devotees to chant japa now. Well, that’s just how we are made: the corresponding guna dominates. Let’s look into our hearts. Let’s recall the experience of the last week, the experience of chanting the number of rounds that I chant every day, at a minimum. Analyze it: was it a sweet glorification of the Lord in His beautiful form of the holy name—with tears in the eyes, with the hairs on the body standing on end? Was there such chanting, such repetition? Well, the answer, I think, is obvious. Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Two, Chapter Three, text twenty-four, if I’m not mistaken:

32:09The Bhagavatam says: this is the iron of previous sinful activity. Tad ashma-saram hridayam—a heart that feels no joy in the process of worshiping the Lord by chanting the holy name. Durdaivam... nanuragah—there is no love. So the question is: what chances do we have, dear devotees? What should we do?

32:56One problem: we sing too little

And now I will present my analytical data to you—immodestly, I’ll say they’re mine. I understood this unequivocally, simply unequivocally. I understood it all, I became fully convinced in my understanding of this thing. I don’t even know whether to share this top-secret information with you—after all, it’s my analytical data, one has to respect copyright here... Well, actually, it’s not my analytical data. I simply became fully convinced, firmly settled in the understanding of this simple thing. We all have only one problem. Just one. As we can see, japa doesn’t particularly save us. Well, honestly, devotees? We do chant—but there’s no bliss. There just isn’t! We chant every day, after all. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes something bubbles up—okay. But on the whole there isn’t, right?

34:22And the suffering in life—there’s a lot of it, isn’t there? So much suffering, misfortune—my God! It never stops: problem after problem. The question is: what should such an unfortunate, destitute person do? First of all, one has to understand one’s position. For a problem to get solved, one has to realize one’s position. And now I am sharing a realization with you. Wait, don’t leave—I’m about to tell you the most important thing. We simply sing Hare Krishna very little—catastrophically little. There you have it. This is the conclusion of the analysis I have been carrying out since 2006. Now I have drawn these conclusions: we take part in real kirtans catastrophically little.

35:52What is real kirtan?.. Rasa in the mind. Rasa is juice. Imagine: you walk around, and in your head there is juice—rinsing, washing your brain. And not just juice, but rasa—ecstatic juice through the whole brain. In the material as well as in the subtle material body, in the mind—there is nothing but nectar, the sweetest of all: the realization of the holy name. When Mahaprabhu performs kirtan, when there is kirtan, when there is nritya—nritya means “dance”... Mahaprabhu’s dance—how He danced, the golden Lord! How He danced! Hare Krishna. Here all this is described, and by reading about it, hearing about it, discussing it, one can become immersed in this rasa. Truly.

37:41The beda-kirtan of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

Do you know what Kaviraja Gosvami writes at the end of this chapter? So, are you ready, devotees? Listen. I’m reading... Well, isn’t it nectar? Don’t you understand Bengali? Ours is the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, and Gauda means “Bengal.” I’m saying this just to wake up a little those who have dozed off. At the end of this beautiful chapter—which number is it? The eleventh, right?—of the Madhya-lila, he writes: ei ta kahilun... “I have told these things.” And what he told about was how Mahaprabhu... Much is described there, including how Mahaprabhu held kirtan with the devotees, dancing around the temple, circling Lord Jagannatha in Jagannatha Puri. The chapter is called “Beda-kirtan.”

39:32And what a crazy kirtan it was! Hare Krishna. Crazy, crazy, supremely, absolutely crazy kirtan! Eight mridangas, thirty-two pairs of karatalas, four groups of devotees who sing very loudly, in great bliss, with tremendous enthusiasm, dancing—dancing and singing.

40:18Maharaja Prataparudra is a historical figure. Historians who study India know this name very well, just like the names of Nawab Husain Shah, Aurangzeb, for example, and so on. It’s all historical. When I say “historical,” I mean that these names are well known in historical science.

40:38Prataparudra Maharaja ruled Orissa at that time. And so he and the other residents of Jagannatha Puri... This was 500 years ago, and Indians are unquestionably the most singing nation. They are in Krishna consciousness from early childhood; from early childhood they sing the glories of the Lord, chant the holy name, and they know what it means to sing with joy, what happiness and bliss are. Even now, if you go somewhere—Indians are, of course, completely different, that’s obvious. And when they sing kirtan—wow! So much emotion, so much enthusiasm—it’s pure fire!

41:20And all these... more precisely, the jagannatha-puri-vasis, the residents of Jagannatha Puri, and the king, Maharaja Prataparudra, beholding such kirtans, were amazed: “How is this possible? So much love, so much happiness, so much enthusiasm! And how beautiful!” And at that moment mridangas, drums and karatalas are playing, and Mahaprabhu dances, dances, dances. So much happiness! What else are we busy with—that is the question.

42:09Our misfortune is that, sadly, we get the chance to take part in something like this only at festivals, five days a year. Five days a year! We talked about this with devotees—for example, we discussed it with Nitai Karuna Prabhu. I’ll say it now on his behalf, and he is always intoxicated with love of God, always, because he is a pure devotee. He says: “I can’t understand why everything is arranged like this. Why do we sing only one hour of kirtan at the Sunday festivals? How is this possible? One hour of Hare Krishna—just one hour!”

42:53Well, honestly, if you think about it, that hour is just, you know, to warm up the engine. That is, we haven’t even started driving—just so the oil warms up a bit. I understand that the era of electric cars is coming now, that’s a fact. Devotees at the beginning are usually, you know, like this: tamas, rajas... well, mostly tamas is pressing down, ears flattened like this. (Laughter.) Dancing, of all things—this past week I watched twenty hours of news: “How can I dance normally now? Are you kidding? This is no time for dancing, no time for dancing.”

43:59Kirtan as a prayer for the welfare of all

But devotees understand that by dancing and glorifying the Lord they bring benefit to the whole universe—without exception, to the whole universe. Devotees pray like Prahlada Maharaja:

Svasty astu vishvasya—may everyone be happy, may everyone in this whole universe be happy. Khalah prasidatam—may all the ill-natured living beings be happy. Khala means something envious, angry, repulsive. May they, too, all find satisfaction. An amazing prayer, really! Nama-hatta is constantly opened with this beautiful prayer. May they think of one another’s welfare: shiva means “welfare,” mithah means “mutually.” May their meditation be directed toward mutual welfare. But all this is possible if, my dear Lord, ahaituki bhajana is offered to You—that is, unmotivated devotional service. May they all be happy, serving the Lord.

45:46That is why, when devotees dance and chant, it is not some hobby aimed at having fun or relaxing. It is a prayerful state, only a prayerful state. And then this prayerful kirtan evokes all the necessary ecstatic emotions. Mahaprabhu’s kirtan is the beda-kirtan. It took place right at the time when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu returned from His pilgrimage through South India. My God, Kaviraja Gosvami describes what love reigned in the society of devotees, how the devotees loved one another, how Mahaprabhu loved the devotees! During the kirtan He embraced the devotees, pressing them tightly to Himself; He inspired them to chant louder, louder.

46:27Every devotee felt that Mahaprabhu was looking at him in particular. This is an amazing ability of the Lord and of His pure devotees, the saints: He leaves no one out. And every devotee thought that he had a completely special relationship with Mahaprabhu. They danced, sang—and danced and sang, played musical instruments, sang, danced, slept a little, ate a little. Because after the beda-kirtan ended, the servants of Lord Jagannatha brought out a lot of maha-prasadam. Mahaprabhu Himself, with His own hands, distributed maha-prasadam to the devotees. The devotees received this maha-prasadam from the lotus hands of Chaitanya, their beloved Lord. They relished the maha-prasadam the way devotees do—not with the tongue, but with the heart.

47:31And then, as soon as they woke up—immediately: “Krishna!” This is what the Hari-bhakti-vilasa prescribes: the moment you get up—“Krishna!” When you wake up, you must immediately remember the holy name of the Lord—“Krishna, Krishna!”—and immediately engage in activity dedicated to the Lord.

48:15And Prataparudra felt very deprived, because he was not acquainted with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He asked the devotees to arrange darshan for him. The king—the very first person in the whole state: wealth, power—what opportunities for preaching harinama, what opportunities! But when Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, who was essentially the guru of Prataparudra Maharaja... He was the court priest—that’s a special category.

48:56Prataparudra Maharaja listened very closely to Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya—an elderly man who had gone mad for Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Simply gone mad. Mahaprabhu came to him when He was 24 years old, 24 years old. And Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya was a great pandita who knew all these scriptures perfectly. And at first he wanted to bestow his own mercy on Chaitanya Mahaprabhu—through spiritual knowledge, to protect Him from falling. But Mahaprabhu showed him His mercy, and Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, having received the mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, simply went mad. Simply went mad with love. And when Mahaprabhu left after that—He was setting out on His pilgrimage through South India—Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya simply lost consciousness. He fainted because he could not see how he would be able to exist in separation from the Lord.

50:03Homework: more kirtan

Yes, by the way, we never did translate this text: ei ta kahilun prabhura kirtana-vilasa—“I have told,” writes Kaviraja Gosvami. Please, devotees, here is your homework until the end of eternity: read and meditate on the meaning of this beautiful eleventh chapter of the Madhya-lila of the Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita. Please. Well, this week that is just beginning, read it. It is inconceivable! All the more so since you have just heard these words: kirtana-vilasa, that is, the transcendental lilas of the Lord, His pastimes, His enjoyment in kirtan. “I have just told about these lilas,” says Kaviraja Gosvami.

50:47And anyone who hears this—he says shune; shuna means “to hear”... Do you know what a person gains if he listens to this story that I have just told? He will become chaitanyera dasa: dasa means “servant”—a servant of the Lord directly. Just imagine what a tremendous blessing we receive simply by hearing about this!

51:29So, filled with enthusiasm, we should get up early every morning, chant the holy name very attentively, performing our duty, our dharma—sanatana-dharma before the Lord—try in every way not to criticize the devotees around us, show them respect, and take part in kirtans as much as possible. More! My Lord, any initiative is always welcome. Please, devotees, let us simply adorn our lives with singing, with dancing, with playing musical instruments. All this intoxicates the mind, all this makes life unimaginably sweet. Every atom of the body relishes life—that’s when it’s real. Yes, perhaps for the first hour or two you’ll have to warm up a little, but then—guaranteed bliss. Guaranteed.

52:56So, dear devotees, please don’t miss this truly unique opportunity—to take part in kirtan. Let kirtan become more intense, let there simply be more of it. More! We’ll simply win by quantity. All it takes is desire and a little determination. Because when the mode of ignorance has crushed us a bit, of course it will take some time to come to our senses. But kirtan is a miracle—in the society of devotees, in the society of enthusiastic devotees. Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! If you have any additions or questions, dear devotees, please go ahead.

53:44A question about Mahaprabhu’s melodies

QuestionPrabhu, are the melodies that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sang known? I have heard that there are some traditional melodies that we sing—for example, at Gaura-arati, or the morning melody after guru-puja. I heard that these melodies come from back then, from those times. I heard this from Brija Prabhu when we talked with him about it. Perhaps, Prabhu, you could say something about melodies that have come down from Mahaprabhu’s time?

55:24(One of the devotees mentions the film Nader Nimai.) Ah, yes, yes, yes, that film—black and white, a beautiful film, highly recommended viewing. The melodies there really are traditional. I have also heard that traditional melodies are used in that film. In general, of course, kirtan is our life, our soul. Well, devotees, let’s end here. Thank you very much for your attention. Now we will move on to arati, and we will pray that this kirtan never ends.