One Sound More Important than Everything

The Essence of Kirtan and the Holy Name

We just had a lively Kirtan. We expect, especially when devotees come here, that there will be lively Kirtan. That is the essence of Krishna consciousness, especially as propagated by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. If we can simply chant "Hare Krishna" all day with pure love, that is the perfection of life.

It may seem that pure love is far off, but chanting the holy names of Krishna is the means to revive the pure love of Krishna that is dormant within our hearts. Pure love of Krishna is dormant in everyone's heart; it is to be awakened by the process of devotional service, beginning with hearing.

Hearing and Chanting

Here, hearing is emphasized. Not just chanting, but the two go together. Before we start chanting Hare Krishna, we have to hear someone tell us why we should chant Hare Krishna. And we should not only chant; we should also hear the sound of the chanting. If we have pure love for chanting the holy name of Krishna, that is pure love for Krishna, because the holy name is Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada gave various definitions and different angles on what it means to be a pure devotee of Krishna. In one place, he wrote that a pure devotee is one who has full faith that the holy name of Krishna is Krishna. We aspire to have full faith; that is a precursor to full love for Krishna.

Kirtan vs. Japa

Singing in Kirtan naturally brings bliss—unless we are a demon; there are some people who don't like this chanting. We are also enjoined to chant the holy names as Japa. We are often asked how to get a taste for chanting, especially in Japa. It seems to be easier to have a taste in Kirtan. It is the same holy name, so if we have a taste for Kirtan but not for Japa, maybe our taste has something to do with the music. That's not a bad thing; that is a good thing to enjoy chanting Hare Krishna in Kirtan. But we sometimes find difficulty in chanting Japa.

However, we know that pure devotees relish the holy names of Krishna in both Japa and Kirtan. We have descriptions of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu with His numerous associates enjoying the bliss of Kirtan. The Six Goswamis of Vrindavan, in the famous song praising them, are first described as krishna-kirtana-gana-nartana-parau—they were very much attached to performing Krishna Kirtan, singing, and dancing. Within that song, it is also stated sankhya-purvaka-nama-gana-natibhih—they would chant the holy names of Krishna according to a number; they were chanting Japa also.

We know that Rupa Goswami was deeply in love with the holy name; he has composed Sanskrit verses glorifying the holy name of Krishna. We can understand from many of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s songs that he was also deeply in love with Krishna's holy name.

Examples of Total Absorption

Our Param Guru, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, for several years sat and chanted the holy names; that is basically what he did. His vow was the shat-koti-nama-yajna (one hundred times ten million names), which took him over nine years—just chanting and chanting in a little hut. He would eat once a day, some simple food, and just chant.

One of Srila Prabhupada's godbrothers, Krishna Dasa Babaji, would also chant, chant, chant—both Japa and Kirtan—and he wasn't seen to sleep at all. He would go on chanting throughout the night. Generally, whichever Math he was in (he would go between different Maths), he would lead all the Kirtans. All his Kirtans were blissful, and practically, he didn't talk to anyone hardly at all. If anyone said anything to him, he would reply, "Hare Krishna."

There is a story about him—maybe it's apocryphal, but it demonstrates how deeply he was absorbed in the holy name. Once he appeared to be sick, so devotees called the doctor. What is the first thing the doctor does? He puts his stethoscope on your heart. He said, "This is the strangest heartbeat I ever heard. I don't hear boom-boom, boom-boom. All I hear is Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare." So, it may be apocryphal, but it gives the idea that his heart, his whole being, is the holy name.

He was present performing Kirtan when Srila Prabhupada was accepting Sannyasa. He was called to perform Kirtan in the Sannyasa ceremony. He was doing Kirtan, and then all the mantras were being chanted. The priest who was chanting the mantras made an indication to Krishna Dasa Babaji, "Just keep your Kirtan quiet." Srila Prabhupada indicated, "No, make it louder." Krishna Dasa Babaji Maharaj said, "At that time, I knew this devotee is going to do something very special."

Faith is the Key to Success

Many years later, Krishna Dasa Babaji was with Srila Prabhupada and another of Srila Prabhupada's godbrothers. That godbrother had been sent by Bhaktisiddhanta Thakura to Europe to preach in the 1930s, but he came back, and there was no lasting impression made from his preaching.

So, Babaji Maharaj asked that other godbrother, "How is it that you were not able to be successful, and Bhaktivedanta Swami was able to be successful in preaching in the West?" Then Babaji Maharaj himself gave the answer: "Bhaktivedanta Swami had full faith in the holy name; you didn't."

I am not saying this to denigrate any of Srila Prabhupada's godbrothers, who are all great, worshipable personalities, but that was an exchange that was reported.

The Power of the Holy Name in Kali Yuga

The holy name is so powerful. Whoever was fallen, lowly, or sinful, they were lifted up by the holy name. The example is Jagai and Madhai. The saving of Jagai and Madhai shocked the whole of Navadvipa. How is it possible? Such bad people have become such good people. Nowadays, there are Jagais and Madhais on every street corner, and the power of the holy name is uplifting them.

We are so fortunate to have the gift of the holy name that was brought by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, imported from the spiritual world. Srila Prabhupada renders this as "the holy name is imported from the spiritual world." So we should chant with full faith. We should worship Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda with full faith. The best way to worship them is by Sankirtan.

In Kali Yuga, we can say someone has intelligence if they worship Mahaprabhu by Sankirtan (yajnaih sankirtana-prayair). Anyone who is intelligent in this Kali Yuga will chant Hare Krishna; everyone else is stuck in the material world. All the yajnas (sacrifices)—the essence of them all is the chanting of the holy names of Krishna.

Overcoming Struggles

We may find difficulty in chanting because we are coming from the platform of conditioned souls. We can pray for the mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, and all Their associates. We can pray for the mercy of Haridasa Thakura, who was so absorbed in chanting the holy names he had no fear whatsoever. And then, Rupa Goswami, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, our own Srila Prabhupada, Krishna Dasa Babaji—so many great devotees are all ready to give us their mercy. We have to go on praying for their mercy.

We may find that our anarthas—the bad things in our heart—seem to hold us back. It may seem very powerful and very difficult to overcome, but the holy name of Krishna and the mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates are far more powerful than Maya. So we have to have faith in this and go on chanting.

It is important to go on hearing regularly also, to help bolster our faith. Otherwise, we hear so many things from the world of Maya all the time. If we don't hear messages from the spiritual world, then we will start to think that the material world is important. It is important in the sense that we have to preach here, and it is important seeing as we are stuck here and we have a human body which is so valuable for cultivating Krishna consciousness. But ultimately, this material world is of no importance whatsoever.

Conclusion

You can bring all the big important political leaders, business leaders, cinema stars, and cricket stars. You can bring all the war weapons—guns, missiles, bombs, planes, tanks, and so on. But all of them together are of no importance ultimately.

"Hare Krishna"—we just say the holy names once, and that is more important than everything that exists in the material world, everything that has ever existed in this material world, and everything that will exist in this material world.

We may say, "Well, the holy name is also in the material world." No, that is a mistake to think like that. The holy name is always spiritual. If we perceive it as material, then Krishna will reciprocate, and we will just take it as an ordinary sound. Just like the Deity of Krishna is directly Krishna, but if you take this as just some stone or brass, then Krishna to you will be just stone or brass; He won't reciprocate.

So, we have to hear about Krishna to understand: this name of Krishna is not a material sound. Go on chanting with faith, and from faith, going on chanting, we will gradually develop love for Krishna.