Srila Prabhupada's Kirtana Standards- A Handbook

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Hari Nama Sankirtana-the congregational chanting of Krsna's holy names-is our main spiritual practice, the main thing we do. It is our life and soul. But how should we do it? Srila Prabhupada often said, "Do as I do." But what did he do? What standards did he set? What instructions did he give us?

Over time, we can forget. New things find their way in, old teachings get lost.

This book, therefore, puts on record a wealth of teachings Srila Prabhupada gave about kirtana and how best to do it.

Drawing on Srila Prabhupada's books, letters, and archived conversations-and on personal testimony from direct diciples it gives us a chance to see up close what Srila Prabhupada did and hear from him what he wanted us to do.

It serves as a handbook, a guide, and gives us insight as well into the "soul" of kirtana, its essence. It tells us rules, yet it also points to how Srila Prabhupada encouraged individual expression.

For anyone who cares about Srila Prabhupada's standards for kirtana, this is an essential book.

W hen I was asked to write the Foreword for this book, my thoughts went to Aindra Dasa. In the early days, all said he couldn't sing. The temple would empty when he'd start. At the end his voice would be broken. Still, he never quit harinama seva. A person with such dedicated sadhana every day of his devotee life understands harinama seva.

Music and rhythm drew me to kirtan. Aindra Dasa knew that. I never sang. I'd play inspired mrdanga beats while amazed by the blur of my hands. But Aindra Dasa pounded on me daily for a full year: "Your mrdanga playing is zero if you don't put 'one' before it, and that 'one' is Krishna." And he finally defeated and conquered my dull, stubborn nature. He instilled in me a steady sadhana and taught me kirtan as devotional practice for the pleasure of Krishna only. I was eighteen years old.

Hare Krishna is a Person, beyond our blunt material senses. We can't just imagine His activities or make Him an object of our experience, yet sometimes we feel His presence. When we start kirtan, we try to enter a true devotional mood. (For me that means praying to our acaryas and Sri Hari Nama.) We try to focus on one mantra at a time.

And if Hari Nama chooses, He reciprocates. Suddenly the dimension changes. Kirtan becomes timeless and we don't struggle anymore. Nothing matters-hunger, thirst, body, instruments, audience, time, place... The Hare Krishna mantra takes over. Krishna is close, real and palpable. We could go on tirelessly, forever it seems.

This is a book about anukirtanam-chanting of the holy name of Krsna by following "the ways of great authorities," and specifically by following His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the great authority who introduced the chanting of Krsna's holy name throughout the world. We may be full of material desires, free from material desires, or selfsatisfied in spiritual realization. But surely by following the way shown by Srila Prabhupada in chanting of Krsna's holy name, we can attain all success.

When I first came to ISKCON, in 1968, kirtana was simple. We W chanted Hare Krsna easil and mrdangas, with the emphasis on hearing and chanting the holy name. Over time, devotees became more expert in playing the instruments. But we basically followed the simple pattern of kirtana we had learned from Srila Prabhupada. Kirtana now has become quite different-and not always better. Innovations have appeared. Some trends and fashions have turned into norms. And over time the pure, simple kirtana of the holy name has sometimes become lost.

At the request of temple leaders at ISKCON Juhu, Mumbai, in 2014 I gave a several-day seminar on Srila Prabhupada 's kirtana standards. I gave the seminar again in 2019 at the Mayapur Institute for Higher Education. Sometime later my godbrother Taraka Dasa asked me to turn the seminar into a book. So here you have it.

When I gave a talk in 2022 about kirtana standards for a group of young devotees in Alachua, Florida, one devotee asked, in essence: Why should " kirtana standards" be such a big deal? Why do they matter?