In a kirtan at a recent festival in South Africa a devotee who sings very sweet, appreciable Hare Krishna kirtans was also singing, "Radhe Radhe Shyama, Shyama." Is it bona fide to sing this in a kirtan?
Padasevana Das
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Srila Prabhupada specifically ordered us to only sing in kirtan the mantras that have come to us from our Vaisnava acaryas. In fact he was so strong on this point that he would sometimes stop the kirtan when concoctions were being sung by his disciples. The mantra you have mentioned is not an authorized mantra coming to us from our Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya and thus should not be sung in our kirtans. In connection with such kirtan concoctions Srila Prabhupada has written as follows in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 7.9.18:
"One should chant the bona fide songs received from the disciplic succession. In Bhagavad-gita it is said that the chanting is powerful when one follows the disciplic succession (evam paramparā-prāptam imam rājarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2]). Manufacturing many ways of chanting will never be effective. However, chanting the song or the narration left by the previous acaryas (mahājano yena gathah sa panthāh [Cc. Madhya 17.186]) is extremely effective, and this process is very easy."
And he also stated in a lecture in Vrindavana on November 3rd, 1976:
"There are so many they have invented. Just like Hare Krishna mantra is prescribed in the sastras, and they have invented so many. Although there is the name of the Supreme Lord, still you have to follow the sastra. If you say Rama Rama Rama, Radhe Radhe Radhe, Krishna, there are so many mentioned. That is also name, but you have to follow the sastra. Sastra says: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. You have to take that. Not that you can say, nitāi-gaura rādhe-śyāma, hare krishna hare rāma, no. Why? Is there any in the sastra? No, you have invented. What is the value of your invention? You are not perfect."
As the followers of Srila Prabhupada we are meant to stick to his instructions and not introduce any invented or concocted kirtans.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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