By a Dasa ()
Associate editor for Back to Godhead Magazine and founding editor, The Journal of Vaishnava Studies
Today, when I think of Sankirtana—and by Sankirtana I mean the process in which men and women go out and distribute spiritual literature or prasadam to people in general—I must admit that my opinions about this singularly transcendent activity have come full circle.
Initially, as a young devotee, I saw Sankirtana as spiritual activity par excellence, and there is much scripture to support this conclusion. Then, as time went on, I became acquainted with the less savory aspects of the Sankirtana process: the competitiveness, the deceitfulness, the arrogance. Don’t misunderstand me—I knew that these unfortunate characteristics were not inherent in Sankirtana as such, but, be that as it may, it seemed that many a Sankirtana devotee got caught up in this whirlpool of one-upmanship, overtaken by qualities that are the very antithesis of the true Sankirtana mood. Of course, some devotees never allowed such qualities to emerge, and, for them, Sankirtana remains the pure activity it was meant to be. Even those who were given to “Sankirtana shortcomings,” however, are now finding it easier to bid adieu to their remaining bad habits, as there is a serious reform movement now in vogue among Sankirtana devotees.
And, so, I am back to revering Sankirtana, as I did in my youth. Today, I think of Sankirtana as an extension of Krishna’s pastime of “taxing the Gopis.” First expressed in Chandidasa’s Sri Krishna-kirtana and then in Rupa Gosvami’s Dana-keli-kaumudi, this story tells of when Srimati Radharani and Her girlfriends were carrying dairy products along a country path. Suddenly, Krishna appears out of nowhere and, pretending to be a revenue official, demands a “tax” for allowing the girls to pass. First He merely wants to tax them for their dairy goods, but then He decides to tax them for their beauty as well.
This scenario will conjure up a line that is familiar to the Sankirtana devotee—“the citation line”—wherein the devotee acts like he is giving a person a citation ticket for any number of reasons, not least for looking “too beautiful.”
When Radharani refuses to pay, Krishna proposes that She turn Herself over to Him in lieu of tax. Radha castigates Krishna for His boldness, but He assures Her that He is doing this, ultimately, as a service to Her—that His plan is to give Himself fully in return for Her tax. The Sankirtana devotee, too, is necessarily bold, trying to distribute books or prasadam for the other person’s benefit. And just as Krishna is trying to give Himself to the gopis in exchange for a certain “tax,” the Sankirtana devotee is trying to give Krishna to his interlocutor as well, in exchange for a slight remuneration.
The other Sankirtana scenario that comes to mind is the same one that I used to meditate on when I, as a Radha-Damodara TSKP boy, used to go out and distribute books to the masses. I kept two things in mind, which naturally led to a third: First, I tried to train myself to see Krishna in the hearts of all people. By doing this, I had hoped, I wouldn’t see my prospective book recipients as “a mark” but rather as spirit-soul, with Krishna residing in their hearts. Secondly, I saw myself as working for the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya, whose focus and life is Sri Radha. So what emerged is this: I was bringing Prabhupada’s books, carrying the Gaudiya message, into direct contact with these spirit-souls, who were carrying Krishna in their hearts. Therefore, when I would come and bring Prabhupada’s books into their lives, I would try to see that I was reuniting Radha and Krishna. This was my realization back then, and it is my realization today.
And yet I see the whole Sankirtana enterprise quite differently than I did as a youth. Sankirtan is not so much about giving a person a book or prasadam—or even about reuniting Radha and Krishna. It’s more about sharing Krishna consciousness. The distinction has tremendous implications. You can give someone a book and still be selfish. You can distribute tangible, visible forms of Krishna consciousness for all the wrong reasons. You might want to show how smart you are; you might be trying to convince yourself that you have something others do not; you might want praise among friends, or among the other devotees.
While this might be a good beginning – you are, after all, still distributing Krishna consciousness – it is an extremely neophyte spiritual position. Real Sankirtana must be infused with selflessness, with the intense desire to share the rich virtues of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. Without this mood of giving, it is only a shadow of Sankirtana. I therefore recommend that all devotees cultivate an inner mood of giving – giving what we have been fortunate enough to receive, but, more, to give what we never had.
How can someone give what they don’t have? Simple: A devotee should feel that even though they have received the causeless mercy of their spiritual master, they do not take proper advantage of it. It’s there, but it remains untouched. It’s palpable, but it remains far away.
Still, because it has been given to us, we can give it to others. And our hope should be that the new recipients of this mercy will take it from us and bring it to places we cannot even begin to fathom. Indeed, in this sense, a devotee is like a parent, who provides the fundamentals of a good life for her child and hopes that thereby the child will lead a better life than she did.
In my own work, I have tried to share whatever I learned from Srila Prabhupada in a way that might benefit people today, hoping that their understanding of Krishna consciousness might eventually exceed my own (an easy goal, to be sure). The world has changed much since Prabhupada left us, some 25 years ago. Words are used differently, politically correct jargon affects the way in which people accept or reject ideas, historical trends impact on modern-day perceptions. Scholars and intellectuals have come a long way since Prabhupada was on the planet. In those days, Sanskrit scholarship and academic studies of Vaishnavism were in their infancy, and most people studying these things were Christian missionaries, with exclusivistic religious agendas.
Not so today. And so I have devoted my studies and customized my Sankirtana to address this new world order. I am happy to report that I get numerous letters from people saying that after reading my books, they now understand Prabhupada’s books a bit better. Others say that, after reading my work, they want to delve more deeply into the tradition. And so I direct them to Prabhupada’s work. In this way, I have tried to imbibe the true Sankirtana mood of selflessly serving others, by sharing what I know and trying to help people to go further. It is this kind of vision and selflessness that a true Sankirtana devotee feels. I pray that readers of this article will pray for me, that I may one day imbibe this mood more fully and thus go back to Godhead.
Good article, with many interesting points.
When I think back about how I came to Krishna Consciousness, and why I became a devotee, I remember meeting extremely kind and caring devotees out on sankirtan. It was their kindness and humility which broke down my demoniac spirit and forced me to surrender.
I’ve distributed with confidence “the Hidden Glory of India”. I have given copies away to neighbors, friends, and people I meet from time to time. I don’t have to tell anyone I am (gulp) a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, with all its implications and failings.
I think though, we have to remember that Srila Prabhupada instructed us to just chant Hare Krishna, in whatever state of consciousness we are presently in, without making any mental adjustments, and the mantra would have still have its effect. I think the same may be true with distributing a book written by Srila Prabhupada.
The book itself is the Guru – his words will take care of everything, we just have to get our egos out of the way. I have heard Srila Prabhupada state that if anyone just touches his books they begin their path of initiation.
He also stated that anyone who chants 16 rounds per day and follows the 4 regulative principles is initiated – receiving your spiritual name and the initiation ceremony itself is only a formality.
Of course making a promise before fire is also very important too. Srila Prabhupada stated anyone who makes a promise before fire, and then later breaks his promise, is in animal consciousness.
Thank you very much for your needed article, . It sometimes seems to me that sankirtana has become a dirty word in ISKCON. Just as the Brits say “bloody” this or “bloody” that, which is a slur on the blood shed by Christ on the cross, I’ve begun to think that we also, perhaps in our minds, say “sankirtan” this, “sankirtan” that. For some of us sankirtan has almost become a curse word. Although, like the blood of Jesus, the sankirtana-yajna is the basis of our religion, the supreme sacrifice, many no longer see it as such.
Dear Suresh Prabhu, Hare Krsna. You mention that Srila Prabhupada said that if someone simply touched one book, his spiritual life would begin, and I also heard something like that. And because our Srila Prabhupada is perfectly repeating what he has heard from previous acharyas, it is natural that this statement should be recorded in the sastra. And I did find it a few years ago in the Bhakti-ratnakara. It is in Chapter (or Wave) number 7. I will start my quote from text 80: “King Vira Hamvira thought the carts belonged to western India. ‘On many occasions I have obtained great wealth but never before have I felt so satisfied about it. Certainly these carts must be filled with priceless jewels.’ (80-82) He looked greedily at the crates and tore them open with his own hands. There in, he found the priceless, jewel-like books of the Vrindavana Goswamis (83) The sigh of the books struck the mind of the king with wonder and as he stared at them unflichingly his heart began to change. (84)”
Vande rupa sanatanau raghuyugau sri jiva gopalakau
All glories to Lord Caitanys’s movement of Sri Krsna sankirtana!
THE SEVEN TONGUED “SANKIRTAN” MOVEMENT
Message of His Divine Grace from Back to Godhead Magazine 1944
His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Maharaja Prabhupada the celebrated Acharya (Spiritual Head) of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas spoke the following few lines in a message to his disciples just a few days (23rd December, 1936) before his passing away from this mortal world.
“I have most probably given many people troubles in the mind. Some of them might have thought about me that I am their enemy because I was obliged to speak the plain truth for service and devotion towards the Absolute Godhead. I have given them all those troubles only for the reason that they may turn their face towards the Personality of Godhead without any desire for gain and with unalloyed devotion. I hope some day or other they may understand me rightly.”
“I advise all to preach the teachings of Rupa-Raghunath (disciples of Lord Chaitanya) with all energy and resources. Our ultimate goal shall be to become the dust of the lotus feet of Sree Sree Rupa and Raghunath Goswamins. You should all work conjointly under the guidance of your spiritual master with a view to serve the Absolute Knowledge, the Personality of Godhead. You should live somehow or other without any quarrel in this mortal world only for the service of Godhead. Do not please give up the service of Godhead in spite of all dangers, all criticisms and all discomforts. Do not be disappointed for most people in the world do not serve the Personality of Godhead; do not give up your own service which is your everything and all, neither reject the process of chanting and hearing of the transcendental Holy Name of Godhead. You should always chant the transcendental Name of Godhead with patience and forbearance like a tree and humbleness like a straw.”
“We wish that this mass of our body of flesh and blood may be sacrificed at the altar of preaching the Samkirtan Movement (congregational chanting of the Holy Name of Godhead) propagated by Lord Chaitanya. We are not desirous of becoming a hero of work or a reformer of religion, but our reality may be identified with the dust of the Lotus Feet of Sree Rupa and Raghunath for that is our everything. The flow of the transcendental tide of the attraction of devotion will never be blocked, and you with your all energy shall devote yourself for fulfilling the desire of Sreela Bhakti Vinode Thakur. There are many amongst you who are well qualified and able workers. We have no other desire whatsoever.”
“There are certainly many difficulties while we are in this mortal world but it is not our business simply to be overwhelmed with those difficulties or to try to overcome them only. We must know even during the duration of our present life, as to what we shall gain after overcoming all those difficulties of life and what shall be the mode of our permanent existence. We must make an adjustment of all things that evoke our love and hatred and for those that we want and do not want. Attachment and detachment of this mortal world will engage us more and more as we become farther and farthest from the Lotus Feet of Sree Krishna. When we are able to transcend the position of attachments and detachments of this mortal world and be attracted with the Holy Name of Godhead, it is then only we can understand the import of the transcendental service of Sree Krishna the Personality of Godhead. At the first instance the subject Krishna is startling and perplexing to us. Every one who is called by the name ‘man’ is more or less struggling knowingly or unknowingly to eliminate those invading elements what are baffling our conception of eternal need. It is our only duty to enter into the kingdom of eternal need.”
“We have no love or hatred for any one in this world. All arrangements made in this world are but temporary. There is, therefore, unavoidable necessity for that ultimate need for every one in this world. You should attain the transcendental loving service of the objective, being situated in concerted action for that one aim. Let there be a constant flow of the ideas and thoughts as conceived by Rupa Goswami and His followers. We shall not at any time show our slightest dejection for the seven tongued “Samkirtan” movement. If we have undaunted faith in it we shall then only achieve all perfections. You should all therefore preach with fearlessness and with utmost energy the message of Rupa and Raghunath under the guidance of the followers of Sree Rupa.”
(Translated from Bengali by the Editor)