<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
By HH Janananda Gosvami<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI shall personally inaugurate the religion of the age\u2014nama-sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name. I shall make the world dance in ecstasy, realizing the four mellows of loving devotional service.\u201d – Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. September 1971. <\/p>\n I am sitting in the prasadam room surrounded by buzzing devotees in Bury place, London – My first time ever in a Hare Krishna temple.<\/p>\n Enthralled and astonished by what\u2019s going on around me. Filled to the brim with prasadam \u2013 all my conceptualizations that yogis don\u2019t eat have been smashed to pieces. Suddenly someone talks to me. <\/p>\n \u201cWould you like to come on sankirtan?\u201d 6 months later I joined the Temple and it wasn\u2019t long before I, like all other devotees in the temple, was out on the street 6 days a week 7 hours a day chanting and dancing. That\u2019s all I thought Hare Krishna devotees did \u2013 chant Hare Krishna, dance and take prasadam. A few other things in between, but that was the heart of it all and the beginning middle and end. As if 7 hours was not enough. Back at the Temple there seemed to be nothing much going on either, except hearing and chanting about Krishna, with 4 or 5 classes daily and everyone \u2013 practically \u2013 being there. Lots more kirtans and dancing. The devotees would even chant whilst cleaning, whilst bathing, whilst cooking, whilst serving prasadam, whilst going to the shop, in the toilet, in their sleep. There were no computers or even phones or tape recorders at our disposal in those days. Wow those must have been boring times and real primitive. Ummmm?<\/p>\n Well times changed and we all know the history. Other services came in and Harinama became a background or backburner activity. A bit of a show once in a while if you\u2019re into it, or pushed. Something to take pictures of and stick in our publicity magazines to make out we are doing the yajna..<\/p>\n Temple programmes also became minimal. Special programmes were introduced \u2013 bhakta programme, bhakti sastra courses etc to try to fill the gap. But there is really no alternative in Kali yuga We talk a lot in classes and articles about chanting but ask ourselves, \u201cHow much are we chanting?\u201d<\/p>\n I look back just for interest and learning sake. In London there were about 20 of us in the temple. Now let\u2019s do a bit of a comparison. Work it out 20 devotees, Each day about 15 would be out on Harinama for 7 hours of the day. Multiply 20 devotees x 24 hours x 7 days = total 3360 hours available hours per week (and that includes the time sleeping). Let\u2019s call them man hours. Just before I left the UK for Malaysia in 1984 I did a similar calculation of the devotees living in the temples in UK . It\u2019s interesting to note \u2013 Living in the temple at that time about 250 devotees. I doubt the ratio or percentage has gone up over the last 20 or so years, at least where I have visited of late. A common question the public ask nowadays is \u201cwhere have you guys been? I don\u2019t see you anymore.\u201d Anyway, never mind it\u2019s only the yuga dharma \u2013 the only way to attain love of God, the only way to save the world. With the growth of the movement the chanting doesn\u2019t seem to have kept pace at all. <\/p>\n True the vast majority of devotees are not living in temples etc. Still the process is the same \u2013 chanting the holy names and be happy. It applies as much now as ever. In a recent lecture Suhotra prabhu had quoted the following from early Mayapura memories of Bhavananda Prabhu. So where is all this leading \u2013 what\u2019s the punch line? This year at the Mayapura GBC meetings the following resolution was made:<\/p>\n Annual World Holy Name Day A step in the right direction? Got to go on with the show, no time to be slow, let the sankirtan flow, give maya a blow, Krishna consciousness grow and our hearts do glow, – HARINAMA let\u2019s go.<\/p>\n Your servant, Special programmes were introduced: bhakta programme, bhakti sastra courses etc to try to fill the gap. But there is really no alternative in Kali yuga We talk a lot in classes and articles about chanting but ask ourselves, “How much are we chanting?”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-janananda-gosvami"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3735"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3735\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nCaitanya Caritamrita \u00c4di 3.19<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d I reply.
\n\u201cIts complete ecstasy, bliss, just try it.\u201d He replies.
\nI\u2019m out the door into the tsunami waves of people on Oxford Street \u2013the busiest shopping street on earth.
\nWow what an experience. Oh what am I doing here with hair down to my waist, a mrdanga in my hands?
\nWhat an experience. The not to praiseworthy comments from the passersby. The strange behaviour of some of the devotees, the screaming kid in the pram in front of me, having to beat a mrdanga for 2 hours which sounded like a \u201cfuneral beat\u201d according to the Sankirtan leader. I managed to escape the party halfway and make a quick retreat back to the temple.
\nDon\u2019t remember much bliss on harinama that day but it was an indelible impression in my memory. <\/p>\n
\nIt was real easy if you surrendered to it. Exciting, purifying and \u201ccomplete bliss and ecstasy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nISKCON has grown \u2013 large communities of devotees. In the west few devotees are living in the temples. Many other programmes for spreading Krishna consciousness have been developed. Grhasthas now obviously far outnumber the \u201crenunciates\u201d. In the early 70\u2019s it was more or less in or out. Grhastahas even lived with their kids right in the temple. One \u201cbig or small\u201d happy family. Even the kids were on harinama. <\/p>\n
\nOf that 15 devotees going on Street Harinama 6 days
\nfor 7 hours = total 630 man hours. = 19% total time
\navailable on Harinama if you can work that out.<\/p>\n
\nUsing the same ratio: 250 x 24 x 7 = 42,000 total available man hours. Now that is not including the thousands of congregation devotees.
\nThe great increase in the number of devotees speaks for itself in terms of the preaching but still Harinama is the single-most important activity and to get a taste, to sustain we need it. In 1984 in UK around 100 devotees were going once a week on harinama on average. 100 devotees for one hour (and many of them were from the congregation). The Bhakta programme were also going out. About 10 of them – 5 hours a week. There were a few extra bits here and there. Let\u2019s be really generous and say a total 250 total harinama man hours a week. Now coupled with that the attendance of classes and temple programmes had dropped phenomenally. Tape recorders have replaced devotees chanting whilst doing service etc.
\nSo at most 250 hours of street sankirtan out of 42,000 that\u2019s a bit of a drop \u2013 from 19% to 0.6% Now that does not take into account the thousands of serious community devotees, many of whom rarely, if ever, get out on street sankirtan.<\/p>\n
\nWe advertise huge increases in number of devotees. It is ironic when the movement was just a few temple devotees a common statement was \u2013\u201cI see you guys everywhere\u201d<\/p>\n
\nI certainly haven\u2019t transcended the need to chant the holy names, neither has anyone else.
\nNo doubt many other very wonderful innovative methods of spreading the holy names have been developed. The reality still remains that the sign of one advancing is that we are developing more and more of a taste for chanting the holy names and dancing. The effect of hours of Harinama cannot be replaced with any amount of sophisticated technical devices to keep us busy.
\nMost of the early stalwarts in our movement were raised on the street dancing and chanting.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cOnce a lady disciple of Srila Prabhupada in Mayapura was physically unable to engage in any service except chanting. She lamented about that to Srila Prabhupada.
\nSrila Prabhupada responded that chanting was actually real service, but because we were not able to chant all the time he therefore had to tax his brain to find things for us to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nAh I do have a vested interest here. <\/p>\n
\n Therefore it is resolved, That World Holy Name Day is made an annual program for all ISKCON centers. Different countries or continents can modify the name to suit their needs.
\nThe observance of World Holy Name Day is to be held in connection with Srila Prabhupada\u2019s arrival in the USA (Sept. 17, 1965) to coincide with, and commemorate, his delivering the gift of the holy name to the world.
\nA Global Coordination Team for World Holy Name Day shall be appointed consisting of His Holiness Lokanath Swami, His Grace Janananda Das, and His Grace Ekalavya Das.
\nThe chanting of the holy name is the yuga dharma, \u201cThe vision of ISKCON is to bring the holy name to every town and village and this program is helpful in fulfilling this vision.\u201d – Quote from purposes of ISKCON.
\nEvery year, there would be massive harinama sankirtan festivals held across the planet, generating a tremendous amount of media interest and coverage.
\nEvery year, devotees around the world would share their ideas on spreading and glorifying the holy name.
\nThere would be an increased focus in ISKCON on the chanting of the holy names.<\/p>\n
\nLet\u2019s hope so. We humbly request all devotees of ISKCON in and out of temples, to please be merciful to yourselves and others and try to turn up the chanting of the holy names. At least take advantage of this little push to increase the chanting and take part in WORLD HOLY NAME DAY.
\nThis it the first of many articles which will appear relating to \u201cWORLD HOLY NAME DAY\u201d. Future articles will be more specific giving details, guidelines, news and views, quotes etc.
\nAny devotee who would be interested in trying to inspire devotees in your area to get more involved in Harinama or would like to take some responsibility to organize World Holy Name day in your area please let me know.
\n Have to stop for now. I hear a voice coming up the stairs of the Sydney Temple:
\n\u201cHARINAMA SANKIRTAN IS LEAVING. WHO\u2019S COMING\u201d
\n\u201cYou mean that ecstasy and bliss. Sorry prabhu I\u2019m busy, very, very busy.\u201d UMMM.<\/p>\n
\nJanananda Gosvami (Janananda.gosvami@pamho.net)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"Hare](\"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/4297fra82a5f51_o.jpg\")
By Janananda Gosvami <\/strong><\/p>\n