![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i.imgur.com\/Yn2BW66.jpg\")
<\/center>\nBy Swami B. A. Ashram<\/strong><\/p>\n
For those of us who love Agnideva prabhu and his kirtana<\/i>, it has been far too long since his last CD. Of course, tracks from his most recent CDs, as well as from his older cassette albums and temple kirtanas<\/i> from Laguna Beach, Los Angeles, etc., and, more recently, from kirtana<\/i> festivals around the world, have circulated so widely and for so long that generations of devotees seem to have tunes we identify with him as part of our DNA. We hear the evidence of this in the cheering as Agnideva segues to another \u201cclassic Agni tune,\u201d one of those tunes most second-generation devotees grew up with as their parents played them in the kitchen, in the car, and at bedtime, in a kirtana mela<\/i>. And wherever Agnideva has gone the last few years, devotees have asked about his next CD. And Agni has responded by smilingly assuring them, \u201cWe\u2019re working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
And now, at last, it\u2019s here, in the form of Prayer to the Lotus Feet of Lord Krishna<\/i>. Agnideva conceived of this CD as an offering to our beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, to commemorate the 50th<\/sup> anniversary of his establishing the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. This is a collection of six bhajanas<\/i>, some long familiar to those of us who have chanted with Agni over the years, and some with which he has made the world more familiar somewhat recently.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n The first, \u201cSong of Surrender: Emona Durmati<\/i>,\u201d is one of the songs we\u2019ve all heard Agnideva sing so long we may identify it with him. Its utterly humble celebration of the sadhaka<\/i>\u2019s good fortune at having been found by one of Lord Caitanya\u2019s dear servants, together with Agni\u2019s voice, at once plaintive and celebratory, makes it the perfect opening for this offering to Srila Prabhupada.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cThe Process of Surrender,\u201d an introductory song to Bhaktivinoda Thakura\u2019s Saranagati<\/i> collection, may only be familiar here and there, but I was happy to hear Agni include it, as if embracing the good fortune recognized in the previous song. Adding to my own enjoyment is the sweet, lively tune that he and I have sung together countless times, capped with a Hare Krsna kirtana<\/i> led by Amala Harinama.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n I found myself quite delighted by the tune for \u201cThe Glorious Names of Lord Caitanya: Kali Kukkura.\u201d This is a nama<\/i> kirtana<\/i> glorifying Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, one which Agnideva and I have sung together for many years. Although I sing this bhajana<\/i> frequently, this beautiful tune is new to me, and it seems to give the song new life. And again we find ourselves treated to a Hare Krsna kirtana<\/i> led by Amala Harinama. <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n This collection gets sweeter still with another selection from Bhaktivinoda Thakura\u2019s Saranagati<\/i>. \u201cConfidence in the Lord\u2019s Protection: Atma Samarpane,\u201d illustrates, as the title tells us, the surrendered devotees\u2019 conviction that Krsna will protect them in all circumstances. I have long wondered what would be just the right tune for this song, which shows the Lord protecting his devotees in many of his pastimes in Vraja. The lively tune Agnideva shares with us here is just what I have been seeking, and I can easily see Krsna\u2019s cowherd friends confidently walking into Aghasura\u2019s mouth as I sing along with Agni and his friends.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n The centerpiece, the crown jewel of this CD is the title track, \u201cPrayer to the Lotus Feet of Lord Krishna: Krsna Tava Punya Habe Bhai<\/i>.\u201d Agnideva admits in his liner notes that this song is particularly dear to him. Our spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada wrote this poem aboard the Jaladuta<\/i> while crossing the Atlantic ocean on his way to America in September 1965. Srila Prabhupada noted this in his diary: \u201cToday I have disclosed my mind to my companion Lord Sri Krishna.\u201d In so disclosing his mind, he expresses his utter dependence on the Lord\u2019s mercy for fulfilling the task inherited from his own guru of transplanting the teachings of Lord Caitanya to the West and spreading them worldwide. When Agni discusses this poem, he also shares his insight into the intimate relationship it shows between the Lord and Srila Prabhupada, who knows that, whereas everyone is interested in attaining Krishna\u2019s mercy, Krishna desires Radharani\u2019s mercy. This awareness frames Srila Prabhupada\u2019s unique appeal for Krishna\u2019s personal intervention, which Srila Prabhupada felt would alone ensure his success. Agnideva has consistently shared his appreciation for this poem with devotees he has led in kirtan over the last few years, highlighting Srila Prabhupada\u2019s mood of dependence on his dear friend Krishna. And when Agni sings this prayer, he shares his own appreciation for Srila Prabhupada\u2019s surrender with full voice and heart.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n Agnideva wraps up this package of sweets with Narottama Das Thakura\u2019s \u201cRadha Krishna Prana Mora<\/i>,\u201d a simple, sweet, intense meditation on longing for direct service to the Divine Couple, the pinnacle of Gaudiya Vaisnava aspiration. This piece strikes me as an appropriate bookend to Emona Durmati<\/i>, demonstrating as it does the high end of essential Krsna bhakti.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n Srila Prabhupada has sometimes said that bhajan<\/i> means becoming mad after serving Krsna. We find that kind of bhajan <\/i>here, that seeking Krsna\u2019s service, in an infectious form in Agni\u2019s heart and voice. Who wouldn\u2019t want to catch that bug? I\u2019m grateful to Agni, and to Jahnavi-jivana, Amala Harinama, and the others who worked on this CD to bring this new strain of the bhakti bug into our lives. I find it hard to imagine a collection of devotional music that does not have two copies of Agnideva\u2019s Prayer to the Lotus Feet of Lord Krishna<\/i>: one for the home and one for the car. And we should encourage each other to buy a copy for a friend, so we inundate the devotional world with this CD. Perhaps this will encourage him to start considering his next.<\/p>\n —- \u201cPrayer to the Lotus Feet of Lord Krishna\u201d is an Agnideva tour de force, delivered with inimitable grace and unassailable expertise. A tribute to the great acharyas and Srila Prabhupada, he honors them by working sensitively and cooperatively with mainly second-generation devotees who also show considerable talent and enthusiasm. Special stand-out performances are to be noted from Amala Harinam, on vocals, harmonium and percussion; Krishna Kishora on flute; and Jahnavi Harrison, whose hauntingly beautiful violin has become more than a mere addendum to kirtan and bhajan performances throughout the world. Her crisp and clear production on this CD is a further testament to her talent and feeling for the genre.<\/p>\n But \u201cPrayer to the Lotus Feet of Lord Krishna\u201d is primarily Agnideva\u2019s moment. Engaging an authenticity that is vibrant and sincere, he brings his listeners to Bengal via Trinidad and Tobago, and from there they find a direct flight to the spiritual world. Agni is clearly a Rupanuga Vaishnava, singing with all the passion and fire of his namesake. His seasoned voice and related skills catapult listeners into the hallowed realm of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates. In his voice we feel the presence of Rupa-Raghunatha, Narottama Dasa, and Bhaktivinoda Thakura. <\/p>\n Apropos of this, the CD gives us six songs, all steeped in Gaudiya Vaishnava moods and conclusions (siddhanta). For example, \u201cRadha Krishna Prana Mora,\u201d composed by Narottama Dasa Thakura, focuses on the Divine Couple, Sri-Sri Radha-Krishna, but in a distinctly Gaudiya way, that is, by \u201centering into Their exalted service and seating Them on Their throne of jewels, anointing Them with sandalwood paste, fanning Them, garlanding Them,\u201d and so on. <\/p>\n Four of the CD\u2019s bhajans were composed by Bhaktivinoda Thakura, three of which are excerpted from his work, \u201cSaranagati,\u201d which is comprised of some 50 songs. The first, titled simply, \u201cSaranagati,\u201d focuses on the process of surrender, its permutations and absolute necessity. \u201cEmona Durmati,\u201d which follows, bemoans our fallen condition in the material world, beseeching both Mahaprabhu and the guru for their all-too-necessary mercy. \u201cAtma Samarpane,\u201d also from the same songbook, expresses confidence in the Lord\u2019s protection, and visualizes Him as He grazes cows and kills various demons in Vraja-lila. And \u201cKali Kukkura,\u201d from an alternate songbook named \u201cKalyana Kalpataru,\u201d offers direct, emotional, and heartfelt glorification of Sri Caitanya.<\/p>\n The grand finale, the pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance, is undoubtedly the title track, \u201cPrayer to the Lotus Feet of Lord Krishna\u201d (Krishna Tava Punya Habe Bhai) \u2014 an 18-minute tribute to Srila Prabhupada, whose famously penned poem, originally written in Bengali in 1965 while on the Jaladuta steamship that brought him to Western shores, is now the stuff of legend. His intimate relationship with Krishna is expressed in full force, and Agnideva feelingly conveys it with both voice and heart. This is bhajan at its best. If you purchase only one kirtan\/bhajan CD this year (2017) \u2014 make sure it\u2019s this one.<\/p>\n \u2014Steven J. Rosen (Satyaraja Dasa), author of 30 books on Vaishnava-related subjects, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Vaishnava Studies and associate editor of Back to Godhead magazine.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For those of us who love Agnideva prabhu and his kirtana, it has been far too long since his last CD. Of course, tracks from his most recent CDs, as well as from his older cassette albums and temple kirtanas from Laguna Beach, Los Angeles, etc., and, more recently, from kirtana festivals around the world, have circulated so widely and for so long that generations of devotees seem to have tunes we identify with him as part of our DNA. We hear the evidence of this in the cheering as Agnideva segues to another \u201cclassic Agni tune,\u201d one of those tunes most second-generation devotees grew up with as their parents played them in the kitchen, in the car, and at bedtime, in a kirtana mela. And wherever Agnideva has gone the last few years, devotees have asked about his next CD. And Agni has responded by smilingly assuring them, \u201cWe\u2019re working on it.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46283","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=46283"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46283\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46287,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46283\/revisions\/46287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nRelated post by Satyaraja Dasa:
\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i.imgur.com\/G3R8FZZ.jpg\")
\nAgnideva CD Review<\/h2>\n
![\"Hare](\"http:\/\/i.imgur.com\/JVbnhnR.jpg\")
By Swami B. A. Ashram<\/strong><\/p>\n