Who can lead kirtan, who should lead kirtan?

Ananta Purusottama das

Why such a question you might ask? In one sense anyone can lead a kirtan,
but let us consider a few things first. I write this as much for myself as
others as I too am prone to egoism and a lack of proper attitude at times
in my service.

There are few leaders, such as Indradyumna Swami and Sivarama Swami, who
will only have capable devotees lead a kirtan, those who know how to keep a
steady pace and stick to the same melody. I am not of the opinion that
anyone can lead at any given time, maybe we need some sort of training
program? There does not seem to be an exact standard even, some will sing
Gaura Nita and other things, which are not wrong, obviously, but we saw
Srila Prabhupada mainly stick to the Hare Krsna mantra, so why don’t we do
that. It is after all called “sarva mantra sar”, that which contains all
other mantras.

We all know that Srila Prabhupada taught the famous three couples who came
to England, how to conduct kirtan, it seems that is a necessity, we should
have some idea how to conduct a proper kirtan, whether we are pure or not,
that will come in time no doubt.

On the other hand, Srila Prabhupada was once asked, what can we do to
attract more people to kirtan, he said you don’t need to do anything
externally, but if you chant purely and sincerely, Krsna will send people
to you. I believe he also stopped some travelling festivals because it was
getting too extravagant and losing the purity, I would have to look that up
to remember the specifics though.

There are many instances where Srila Prabhupada would stop somebody if he
felt they were in the wrong mood, one particular instance comes to mind.
One devotee was leading, dressed very nicely and very expert at playing
mrdanga and he had a very nice voice, but Srila Prabhupada stopped him and
asked a young gurukula boy to sing, whose voice was even a little off tone,
apparently that devotee who began leading walked out. I heard this in one
of Srila Prabhupada’s memories.

We have heard Srila Bhaktisiddhanta asking his devotees to lead who did not
have a great voice, I think he was making a point there, Krsna wants our
love, not our expertise.

Should a devotee ask to lead or be asked to lead? It may be he or she wants
to lead as a service, and that is okay, as long as their motivation is just
that. Nowadays we do have a bit of a celebrity culture and it seems one
needs to know a very good melody also. Does that matter? One could be pure
in heart still, one who sings a basic melody that we all know, may not be
so pure, it may be difficult to tell for some of us. It is up to that
devotee to be sure of their own heart. I prefer the scenario where a
devotee is asked to lead.

There is a nice interview with Agnideva Prabhu where he mentions that he
has now become well know, even famous, he didn’t want that, but he takes
the opportunity to lead kirtan as a service which I think is a nice attitude

As for melodies, now we have a few of our Guru’s using melodies from songs
of the 60’s and 70’s, I don’t say it is wrong or bad, I don’t think it is
necessary either, in fact it makes some think of that song the melody has
been taken from. Now younger devotees follow that sometimes, and may not
always do a good job of it, then better they sing something simple for all
to follow.

You sometimes get a situation where a devotee is not thinking of the
audience, but instead is singing a “far out” melody that perhaps only a few
know, so why is that, are they being taught that it is necessary to know
great melody, or a new melody, that could give the wrong impression, it
could be we get bored of the same old melodies, that is not a good mood to
create I don’t think. I have even had a few devotees tell me that when they
are leading they think the melody should be changed as others might be
getting bored!

I know one of our sanyasi who will only sing the same melody when leading,
one that Srila Prabhupada taught us, he feels that is right I guess, and
other melodies are not needed. I have never asked him though.

I have seen situations where every single festival the same few devotees
are leading a kirtan, they should give others an opportunity. There are
often senior devotees present, but I never see that they are asked to lead,
it may be they don’t mind, but I think it is good etiquette to at least ask
them, but it is not happening, at least in England. I go on a local Harinam
on festival days, we often have a disciple of Srila Prabhupada there, Saksi
Gopal, we always invite him to lead, even though some of us have been in
the movement over 40 years, as he is still lout senior devotee and it is
the right thing to do.

We also have kirtans now with all sorts of instruments, which can be a
distraction, we may like that kirtan because it is funky or jazzy etc. You
can listen to Revati Nandan Prabhu on Srila Prabhupada memories telling us
how Srila Prabhupada did not like such kirtans, he said the ear will tend
to hear those instruments and distract one from hearing the maha mantra
properly. I don’t really like the extra instruments, but now it is another
fashion in ISKCON. I hardly think they are necessary either. You might see
a flute player who is not even able to chant along with the kirtan.

I remember Bhaja Hari Prabhu saying in one of his Vyasa Puja offerings that
the devotees used to argue over who should lead, not a very nice mood for
having a kirtan in my opinion. Some devotees like to “book a spot” for an
upcoming festival, in some cases that seems okay, for example, there is 24
hour kirtan on Gaura Purnima and devotees are asked to put their name
forward, but when I see a Harinam coming up and devotees want to book their
place, they are often the same devotees again and again. I am not sure if
that is the right and fair thing, to start with it takes away the
opportunity for others on the day. Usually singers are asked on the day,
organised by one devotee who might be organising the festival, I think that
is better. I have heard that Aindra had two others lead with him, he said
that helps diffuse the false ego of the leader, let’s face it, it is easy
to think I am singing nicely, I know I struggle with that sometimes.

There are some situations where only one devotee will lead the whole time
for a Rathayatra festival. Is that right or fair? I recall a small Rath
Yatra festival in England where the devotee led the whole time, another
disciple of Srila Prabhupada asked me if he could lead, but I said I can’t
say anything (it was another Srila Prabhupada disciple leading). I think
some or many devotees really do not mind that happening, it seemed to be
common in the early days, Visnujana Swami would lead a lot, or Parikisit
and Bhardvaja, most are just happy to be in a kirtan actually.

At the end of the day we have to be pure and concentrate on the melody
whether we are leading or responding, the same goes for our japa, we all
know what a struggle that can be at times. I do not think devotees
have to *lead
the kirtan* to be encouraged to attend a Harinam. That could possibly give
the wrong impression and create the wrong mood for that person, as well as
the motivation to go on Harinam could be spoiled, instead the emphasis
should be on why we go out on Harinam, for both our own and the public’s
benefit. How we have to have good sadhana and japa in order to be in the
correct frame of mind at the time of the Harinam.

These are some of my thoughts on the matter. I welcome any input,
especially from senior devotees who knew how Srila Prabhupada wanted us to
behave in all situations.

Here are some headline quotes I found from the kirtan standards book plus
other quotes I found online, as below.

*“Srila Prabhupada’s Kirtana Standards,” installment 5*

*Guidelines from His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami*

*1. Kirtana means glorification of Sri Hari by means of singing. (When only
one devotee sings, it is bhajana.)*

*2. Glorify Sri Krsna, not yourself.*

*3. Sing with sincere devotion for the pleasure of Sri Krsna and His
devotees.*

*4. When singing in a group, one or two persons should lead and other
devotees should follow.*

*5. The instruments that Srila Prabhupada instructed for accompanying
kirtana were karatal, mrdanga and jhampa (whompers). He didn’t approve of
harmonium for kirtana. For bhajana it is all right. The instruments,
especially jhampa, should not drown out the holy name or cause pain to the
ears. The instruments should follow the kirtana leader.*

*6. Use simple melody and preferably the appropriate melody (raga) for the
time of day.*

*7. Don’t think that you are the best singer and therefore you should lead.
Vaisnavas are by nature humble. They naturally want to follow, not lead.
However, if they are requested to lead by the Vaisnavas, then they are
happy to serve.*

*Melodic instruments divert attention from the mantra; rhythm instruments
make one inclined to dance and dancing unlocks devotion; melodies are to be
filled with the mantra; no extended notes*

Revatinandana: “Srila Prabhupada gave a Sunday feast lecture about kirtan,
and he said things that I never heard him say at other times, particularly
not during a lecture. He remarked that melodic instruments, including the
harmonium, are not meant for kirtan, and he explained why. He said that the
ear will automatically follow musical strains, and then our attention will
be diverted from the mantra. He said that rhythm instruments are good for
kirtan because they make one more inclined to dance, and dancing, in turn,
unlocks devotion. He liked graceful dancing. He used to mention that
Jayatirtha was a graceful dancer. He said, “See how he dances. This is very
good. This will help one feel more devotion.” Another time he told
Vishnujana that he did not like melodies that had long, extended notes in
them. He liked the melody to be filled with the mantra.

*Prabhupada wanted the devotees to learn how to do kirtan properly*

Prabhupada wanted to teach his London-bound disciples to sing and play
instruments in a specific way. Someone should learn to play the harmonium
properly-following the melody, not simply pumping it, as the devotees had
been doing for years. And the Sanskrit mantras and bhajanas should be
pronounced properly and the melodies sung correctly. Some melodies were to
be sung in the morning, others in the evening. Each word was to be
pronounced correctly and with the right intonation.

Prabhupada liked Yamuna’s singing, and Mukunda was an expert musician for
organizing the party. The spacious Montreal temple was a suitable place for
them to practice. Ideally, Prabhupada said, the party should have two
mridanga players, one harmonium player, one tamboura player, and at least
six karatala players. He talked about sending the group not only to London
but to the European continent and then to Asia also. So he wanted them to
become expert at kirtana. (Prabhupada Lila 7– 4, Satsvarupa Swami: A Summer
in Montreal 1968)

*Musical ornamentation attracts people but devotees should not be attached
to it*

“Aniruddha: Vishnujana Swami was a wonderful devotee who sang beautifully.
Prabhupada said, “By his singing alone, he can go back to the spiritual
world.” And Vishnujana Swami was expert in playing the tambora, the
mridanga, the harmonium, and in making up his own melodies. He was a little
embarrassed to play his own melodies for Prabhupada, but he wanted to be
recognized. Once, in the La Cienega temple, where Prabhupada had a small
private room adjoining the main temple room, Vishnujana was elaborately
playing his melodies on the harmonium in the temple room when Prabhupada
came out of his room and said, “What is wrong with the melodies I have
given you?” Today the movement has grown and we have many different
melodies, but I’m fond of Prabhupada’s original ones.

Prabhupada knew that we were attracting all varieties of people and he was
broad-minded. When Vishnujana Maharaj started the road shows using guitars
and a lot of music, Prabhupada said, “This is very good to attract people,
but the devotees shouldn’t get attached to it.” Today, however, in some
places it’s common for devotees to play all these songs
. Whatever brings a
person to Krishna consciousness is all right – Prabhupada taught us to be
broad-minded – but we have to be careful not to compromise.” (Srila
Prabhupada Remembrances [Siddhanta das ITV], Chapter 32)

*Not to please the crowd but to deliver Krsna in the right way*

“Your business is not to, I mean to say, satisfy the crowd. Your business
is satisfy Krishna, and then crowd will be automatically satisfied. We are
not going to please the crowd. We are going to give them something,
Krishna. So you should be very much careful whether you are delivering
Krishna in the right way. Then they’ll be satisfied. Your only business
should be to satisfy Krishna.” (Bhagavad-gita 7.1, Los Angeles, December 2,
1968)

SP letter to Jadurani, 26 May 1969:

Regarding your question about kirtana, practically we are not concerned
with the instruments. They are used sometimes to make it sweeter, but if we
divert our attention for using the instruments more, that is not good. We
can accept everything for Krishna’s service, but not taking the risk of
diverting attention to any other thing which will hinder our Krishna
Consciousness. That should be our motto, or principle.