Program with Madhava Naidoo and Radhika Dasi

Giriraj Swami: Thank you all for joining us this evening for chanting and hearing about Krishna. Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that just as Krishna is properly worshipped with His svarūpa-śakti, that means His own internal potency See, she might be right. So just as Krishna is properly worshipped with His svarūpa-śakti, so similarly, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana is properly worshipped with Hari kirtan of Krishna. Of course, the process of bhakti-yoga begins with hearing, śravaṇam, and then kīrtanam, which means repeating what one has heard. And when we hear and chant nicely, then smaraṇam follows. We will able to remember Krishna and His form, qualities, His pastimes, and His entourage and dhāma. And our whole goal ultimately is to remember Krishna at the time of death.

There is a verse that Srila Prabhupada used to quote: sādhana karo bhajana karo, whatever sadhana you may perform will be tested at the time of death, whether you can remember Krishna at the time of death. Because Krishna tells in Bhagavad-gītā, yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvam tyajaty ante kalevaram, whatever you remember at the time of death, you will achieve that state. So we want to remember Krishna’s form and qualities then our life will be successful.

One of Srila Prabhupada’s lady disciple, Nitya dasi, who left her body in Vrindavan on Ekādaśī. I won’t go into her history of devotional service, but her history was wonderful. She came to Juhu around 1973. She stayed there for quite some time and then later she went to Vrindavan and stayed there until end. And in the last few days, she had some liver ailment. She was vomiting. She had even earlier someone told that she was ready to go, which most people are not ready to do. Mostly people want to hold on till end. And then there are others who want to leave, but they can’t. Quite mysterious. But in her case, she was ready to go and she wanted to leave on Ekādaśī. And it so happens as per her desire with one devotee who was very close to her, of chanting in her ear. So with chanting and with remembering Krishna at the time of death, our whole life is a sort of preparation. What we do outside of the kirtan affects how we relate to the kirtan. So if our life is clean and simple, then it will be easier for us to absorb ourselves in the kirtan.

And then again, sometimes distress can also serve as an impetus in Krishna consciousness. During tonight’s kirtan, led by Madhava Prabhu, I thought of something that I had heard very early from his kirtan, which is that he tries to chant each mantra as if it were his last. If we understood that, okay, this is the end, you have one more mantra to chant, and everything really depends on how you chant that one mantra. You would let go of everything else and put everything into that mantra. And so Madhava Prabhu said, that is how he chants each mantra. He tries to chant each mantra. And although we expect that there will be many more mantras to come, but there is a value to chanting each mantra as if it was the only one.

Bhurijana Prabhu makes that point in his talks about chanting. That really, you can only chant one mantra at a time. You can’t re-chant the one you just chanted, and you can’t jump ahead and chant the one that is coming next. You can only chant the mantra that you are chanting. And really you can’t even chant the whole mantra at once. You can chant one word, one holy name, or one syllable really. And so we have to focus our full attention on that mantra, that name, that syllable. We have to be present; you have to be mindful. And that is not always easy as Radhika told in the beginning. It is hard work. Really hard work.

I remember one japa-retreat. Someone serving me and came up to me and said, “You looked like you had a good time chanting your japa.” I said, “I feel like I just finished the battle of Kurukshetra.” Because it is easy to control the mind. He is your best friend and enemy. It is a battle, it is a war, and it is not easy. Of course, you can give into your mind and leave it whatever you want. But actually that the battle is worthy effort. Giving into the mind will not help you. It has bad consequences in the long run.

So, although it is a sort of solitary effort, Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu would say that I mean, it would apply both to japa and kirtan, although he said it in relation to japa at one of the japa retreats we facilitated. He said that when he chants, he generally only prays for one thing, which is to be able to hear. Because if you can hear, then everything else follows. And he said it keeps it very simple. There are just three things: him, the holy name, and the mind. And that is the. . . That is the battleground. But we have to make that effort. As many of you would have heard, there are different stages in chanting. There is the offensive stage called nāma-aparādha. There is the clearing stage called nāma-ābhāsa. And then there is the pure stage called śuddha-nāma.

And, Srila Prabhupada is given the definition of the clearing stage as the consistent effort to chant with attention. If you do that, your offenses will be cleared. As Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, that attentive chanting will remove all the other offenses. So that is the clearing stage. And there is a big difference offensive stage and clearing stage. So this is our practice. And Srila Prabhupada said, practice makes perfect even in spiritual life. And he said that it took him, I think this was in maybe 1967 or something, early when he came to the States and was training disciples. He said that it took him thirty years to be able to chant the way he chants now. Then I thought Wow, I have been chanting, trying to chant for way more than thirty years. Chanting the way Prabhupada chanted when it took him thirty years.’ So, but we have to keep trying. I mean, there is just no other alternative.

And the association of other devotees, serious chanters, is very encouraging, both for japa and kirtan. I feel really the vibrations of the other chanters. I would feel it very distinctly here with japa. There was a time when Rtadhvaja Swami was long time here. And I would be chanting alone and then when he would come to chant japa, I would immediately feel that my japa is elevated. And then sometimes Jaya Advaita Swami would be here. Then when he joined us, Rtadhvaja Swami and I would both feel our chanting was uplifted. So it helps that consciousness of a serious chanter will help us in our efforts.

So, we are really grateful that Varadraj is coming for the first time here. There is a pattern, I am not saying that it is a compulsion, but it is just noting that it is a pattern, that devotees often come for a few days and then when they see what it is like, they decide to come back and stay longer. Hope that they can come back with the devotees. It is said that by, that when you serve someone, you take on their qualities. When Radhika and Madhava come, I feel happy that I can serve them and get some of the quality of humility which is so necessary for everything and especially chanting and taste for the holy name.

So, all of you enhanced the experience for all of us. Exactly how it works but I am sure that all of our viewers on the internet are also enhancing our love and devotion. Yes, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ, always do the kirtan. Thank you very much.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Sri hari-nāma ki jaya!
Gaura-bhakta-vṛnda ki jaya!

[chanting japa]

I remember a talk given by Srila Prabhupada in Los Angeles. He said, “Whenever you have time, chant Hare Krishna. Don’t waste time.”

[chanting japa]

Madhava Prabhu, how you engage us?

Madhava Prabhu: I think Mother Kunti is going to engage us in prasādam.