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Yoga Made Easy by Music: How Kirtan Works

October 14th, 2010

(Kirtan refers to devotional singing, but it also refers to the recitation of spiritual poetry and drama or even just speaking about spiritual subjects. In the school of Śrī Caitanya, when devotional singing is done in a group with musical accompaniment it is specifically called sankirtan; the prefix “san” comes from samyak, which means “complete”. It is called sankirtan, or complete, as the group experience of kirtan is more absorbing and moving than the individual one. For the purpose of distinguishing group from individual kirtan, when I refer to devotional singing and music in a congregation I will use the word “sankirtan”, although it is commonly known as just kirtan.)

I was happy to read that “sankirtan (chanting with others) is superior even to kirtan (chanting alone) because it produces such extraordinary feelings”.[1] That has always been my conviction, but here was a declarative statement by Śrī Jiva Gosvāmī, one of the greatest Vaiṣṇava scholars in his classic work Śrī Bhakti Sandarbha.

Although I was happy to find a supportive statement for the magnificence of sankirtan, the question still remained, why? Why does sankirtan produce such extraordinary feelings? Luckily the answer came soon. While thumbing casually through a book containing the personal correspondence of my spiritual master, Śrīla Prabhupāda, I chanced upon the following statement:

“The hearing tendency is made easy and still more favorable by songs and music of spiritual value to be equally shared by all classes of men namely the highest educated and the lowest illiterate.” [2]

The answer was simple and clear: “hearing made easy by music!” The test of any meditational practice is its ability to facilitate focus on the object of one’s mediation, usually a mantra that is heard. As proper melody and rhythm spontaneously allure the mind, mantra couched in music naturally makes mantra meditation easier. And as the focus in sankirtan is the very object of the practitioner’s devotion (the divine names of God), extraordinary feelings, such as devotion and joy, naturally arise as one’s meditation deepens. Continue Reading »

Kirtan Retreat with Sacinandana Swami

September 4th, 2010

Kirtan Retreat with Sacinandana Swami
Island of Iz, Croatia
June 12-18, 2010

A friend once told me that a good class is where you learn at least one new thing. I learned many things at the kirtan retreat. Each class of Sacinandana Swami filled my book with notes. In the next few days I'll share them with you.

 

Day 1

Entering a retreat means to enter a new atmosphere, a new mode of thinking, for the purpose of change or transformation. “Kirtan Retreat” means how to connect to God, the power who can really transform us.

Attending a retreat is not just a matter of going through the programs. It entails a change in intention, as only according to our intention do we act. Intention is so important it even determines life and death. For example, in a serious life and death health crisis, our intention, our will to live, determines whether we do or not. So if you want to have a successful retreat, if you want to ensure the best use of your time here, you must first create a serious intention to be transformed. A sankalpa is necessary, an expressed intention of what you hope to achieve.

When we come to a retreat we may feel an initial discomfort. That's because we come not alone, but with our old life, a life that must be changed, which means creating space in the mind for something new to happen. It may make us initially uneasy, but it is exciting and important work.

Common maxim: if you think of the same things and do the same things, you will get the same result. Retreat is to move from that place and get different, better results. Accept your limitations, but take this opportunity to get the empowerment to go beyond your limitations. If you take this opportunity, you will bear the fruit of this opportunity.

 

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Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa Puja

September 2nd, 2010

Dear Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you!

A god-brother shared with me a personal realization, fully aware of the irony: “After studying the sastra deeply for over forty years, I have come to the realization that the essence of spiritual life is to fully surrender to the spiritual master.” I chuckled. It seemed like my life as a devotee. How do we miss the simple points you stressed again and again? But it also strongly highlighted one of my strongest appreciations over the last few years of you as a spiritual teacher:

You are expert at stressing and teaching those points that are most essential.

It also brought to my mind the things you emphasized that I am just beginning to realize after my own forty years of study:

Closeness or distance from you is not a matter of personal association or even what generation we are. It is simply our humility and mood of service that reveals who you are.

The foundational moods of devotion like humility, gratitude, and fixedness in guru are the mood and shape of love of Godhead that we can most readily access and express now.

Without being fully dependent on the mercy of Sri Guru there is no hope to advance in spiritual life.

My studies have also have reaffirmed your expertise as a teacher:

Although advanced in studies, you can explain even the deepest concepts to those who are not.

You're an authority in the subject you teach – never off the mark.

In the second verse of the Bhagavatam, we are told that one who hears the Bhagavatam just once arrests Krishna in his heart! I ask, “Why doesn't that ever happen to me? I've heard the text hundreds of times.” I know the answer. I haven't accepted its simple message – that Krishna is the most worthy object of devotion and my duty is simply to surrender to and serve Him. By hearing it again and again from you, however, I am getting closer to the goal.

What greater treasure than to have the lotus feet of Krishna in one's heart, by your grace? Thank you. Thank you.

Your unworthy disciple,
Dhanurdhara Swami

In Memory of Sripad Aindra Prabhu

July 21st, 2010

In Memory of Sripad Aindra Prabhu

(The following is an interview with Sripad Aindra dasa done last year for the forthcoming book  Kirtan Meditations The Mood and Technique of Bhakti Kirtan compiled by Dhanurdhara Swami and Akincana Krishna dasa.  Due to the unexpected loss of this great soul I decided to release his interview quite before the editing has been finished. I hope it gives some pleasure and solace to the congregation of the devotees feeling the loss of this great soul.)

AINDRA DASA

Doing kirtan for Srila Prabhupada

When Srila Prabhupada came to Washington in 1976, we would all briefly stop at his quarters before going to the temple to greet the Deities. One morning, somehow or other, the mrdanga was pushed into my hands and I was told to lead the kirtan. I guess there was nobody else to do it so I was trying to play as best as I could in a very simple way.  I was walking right by Srila Prabhupada's side when he suddenly turns to me, lifts his head in his typical, regal way, and says with a very positive glance of approval “Jaya!” And that's the only word he said to me in my whole Krishna conscious life.

But that one word carried so much inspiration and potency.  How did I get a “jaya!” out of Srila Prabhupada? It was simple–I was performing harinam sankirtan. I thus thought “why not continue to perform harinam-sankirtan, as at the least that simple service got a ‘jaya!’ out of Srila Prabhupada.” And that's been my whole idea ever since.

Chanting with purity

Harinam-sankirtan means to loudly chant the holy name for the benefit of others.  We should seriously consider to what extent we are benefiting others, and also to what extent we are benefiting ourselves. There is apparent kirtan and real kirtan. Only sankirtan where the pure name is chanted is real sankirtan.  If someone is making offenses to the name, simply articulating the syllables “Hare Krishna,” that is not real sankirtan.  One must thus carefully consider the offenses to be avoided in the matter of chanting.

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Does a fallen soul have to be depressed?

June 30th, 2010

June 30, 2010

Does a fallen soul have to be depressed?

A saintly soul prays in the mood of dhainya, utter humility:

“For my own pleasure I never fear to commit any sin. I am devoid of pity and full of selfishness; I’m sorry at others’ happiness and am an inveterate liar. Indeed, I take delight in others’ miseries.” Amara Jivana – Bhaktivinoda Thakur

If the great devotees feel like this, shouldn’t the actually fallen practitioner of bhakti feel depressed and ridden with guilt?

Remorse is certainly healthy, but does the sincere and weak need to feel shame? I don’t think so. I found a reference to support this.

“Having awakened faith in the narrations of My glories, being disgusted with all material activities, knowing that all sense gratification leads to misery, but still being unable to renounce all sense enjoyment, My devotee should remain happy and worship Me with great faith and conviction. Even though he is sometimes engaged in sense enjoyment, My devotee knows that all sense gratification leads to a miserable result, and he sincerely repents such activities.” [emphasis mine] (Bhag. 11.20.27-28)

I like the balance. We do need to be humble and repent if we cannot maintain our practices. We shouldn’t, however, embrace the type of shame and excess guilt that is depressive and lowers self esteem, that makes the adoption of spiritual life miserable and debilitating.

 

The Passing of Rasajna devi dasi

December 29th, 2009

December 29, 2009
Sri Vrindavana

This morning I got the news that my dear god-sister, Her Grace Rasajna devi dasi, passed away from this world. I will miss her dearly. I can't remember where I heard the saying, but it goes something like, “One will be remembered more for how one made others feel than for what one has accomplished.” I think of Rasa in this way. It's not that she didn't have significant accomplishments, but whatever she accomplished is overshadowed by the simple fact that there was just nothing bad in her heart. I can't say that about many; I certainly can't say that about myself. I can say that, however, about her. It is rare to know such a person. I feel grateful that I did.

She was a regular listener on my sanga classes twice a week and her contributions were always thoughtful. I learned a lot from them. She was always on the side of compassion over law, essence over form, but all couched in unflinching faith in the words of Srila Prabhupada over every thing else. And because of that unswerving faith and because of her pure heart, there is no doubt about her eternal destination at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada.

I just wrote Ekacakra yesterday that I would be visiting Austin as soon as I came from India so that I might see Rasa before she left. Today he wrote me that she left. I feel sad that I won't see her again, but relieved that her Lordships took Rasa quickly to be with Them and to free her from any more pain.

I need to thank you, Rasa, for giving your love, example, and intimate friendship to so many of my students and friends. It is a very significant and prominent part of their spiritual lives. I am indebted to you for that.

Thank you for your desire to hear about Krishna and thus engaging me in talking about Him. The most important sign of spiritual advancement is the desire to hear about Krishna. You were thus a very elevated soul that will be missed dearly by all.

Thank you for your encouragement and support in my own devotional service from the thoughtful birthday cards to the kind donations. We all need to be encouraged in devotional service, especially from those senior and more elevated than us. I pray that I may follow your example of empowerment, kindness, and reciprocation.

I am writing this early in the morning in Sri Vrindavana on the day after she left. When I finish this I will chant for several hours and pray that whatever little benefit comes from my chanting here this morning in Sri Vrindavana Dhama will be transferred to her soul. I realize, however, that I am probably doing this more for myself. I have little doubt that she has already achieved what I am only aspiring for, the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha-Shyamasundara.

 

Govardhana Retreat Part 2

November 20th, 2009

This is the second part of my lecture notes from the VIHE Govardhana Retreat this year.

November 20, 2009
Sri Govardhana

Lecture 2: The Mystical Keys for Entering the Presence of the Divine Couple by Srila Sacinandana Swami *

“How to love Krishna? It starts with giving attention. It is called mindfulness.”

“Our mind gets colored by our thoughts. Our thoughts should thus be of the quality of ultimate benefit (sreyas). Instead we think constantly of a thousand small things that are only immediate needs (preyas). The method of developing a mind of ultimate thoughts is to hear and meditate on the Lord's associates – for their thoughts are focused on the highest considerations.”

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Govardhana Retreat

November 17th, 2009

Although I am not writing my journal as regularly as before, but rather concentrating on articles and books, occasionally I will continue to send journal entries. I hope you enjoy them!

 

November 17, 2009
Sri Govardhana

 

Every year I have the opportunity to attend the Govardhana Retreat led by Sriman Bhurijan dasa and Srila Sacinanandana Swami. It is a pleasure to sit with a peaceful mind, free from other responsibilities, to just hear the realizations of accomplished practitioners. Here are some of my notes. First from Bhurijan Prabhu:

Lecture 1: The Path and Empowerment of Sri Rupa by Bhurijana dasa*

Bhurijana (BJD) discusses Sri Caitanya's pilgrimage to South India. He comments on the benefits of walking to the places of pilgrimages in India as Sri Caityana did:

“Today when we come to a holy place we usually come very much in the mode of passion by airplane. Our mind thus generally arrives days after us. Saints like Sri Caitanya, however, walked peacefully to the holy places, mindfully anticipating their destination. In contrast to us, their mind would arrive days before.”

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Japa Thoughts | Subject/Object Japa

October 16th, 2009

October 16, 2009
Sri Govardhana

Subject/Object Japa

SUBJECT consciousness: Seeing oneself as the SUBJECT and everything else as an OBJECT of one’s desires. The focus is on one’s own desires. It is selfishness.

OBJECT consciousness: Seeing others as the SUBJECT and oneself as an OBJECT of their desires. The focus is on the desires of others. It is selflessness.

Japa means chanting in OBJECT consciousness: “I am a servant or OBJECT for the Holy Name and the Lord’s devotees.”

I sit today for my meditation in my room. Govardhana, the sacred mount, is just 100 yards in front of me. I consciously try to see myself as just another tiny object on its periphery. I pray to move from the illusion that the world moves around my petty desires. I focus on His desires and move from SUBJECT to OBJECT by prayer:

“O Lord, O Energy of the Lord (SUBJECT), please engage me in your service (OBJECT).”

Kartik Journal | Japa Thoughts

October 11th, 2009

October 11, 2009
Sri Govardhana

Since 1999 I have faithfully kept and distributed a journal on my japa meditations from the first day of the holy month of Kartik in the most sacred of places, Sri Govardhana. This year, for the first time, the journal has not been kept nor distributed. It is not because I finally published those journals in a book. At the beginning of Kartik, two important groups came to visit, one after another. Raghunatha brought a group of eighteen people from New York. Right after that Jagadisha brought a group of fifteen from Moscow. I just thought, perhaps uncharacteristically for me in this month, that assisting others in enjoying the holy dhama was more important than enjoying it myself. I'm not sorry, but still it is very important for my spiritual life to take a month just for myself in deeper meditation. I thus started my Kartik japa vows two days ago today. Better later than never.

Japa Thought I

Devotional service is for Krishna, not oneself. Of course we benefit, but that should be the attitude, “Chanting is for Krishna”. I made an offering today of the holy name. Each syllable was a separate ingredient of that offering. I tried to offer Krishna the best ingredients for the best offering—sweet syllables with attention and affection.

Japa Thought II

Looked over my notes from Dr. Fakir Mohan's class in Vrindavana:

“Kartik is Sri Radha's month. You are Her devotee. What will She not give? But what will you ask for?”

“When with affection you are calling to Krishna, His form is coming just like when you call your child with affection—the form of child is there. How to chant with affection? If you think of the benefit of taking shelter of Krishna, His protection and maintenance, then affection will come.”

“What is the best bhajan (spiritual practice)? The best bhajan is to follow guru. Every bona-fide spiritual Vaisnava line thus has the best bhajan. Why should one say come to my guru? We have the real and best bhajan!”

 

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