httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqOOVHxaLj4
“Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, 500 years back, introduced the sankirtan movement. Sankirtan means large number of people come together and chant the holy names of the Lord together. Srila Prabhupada, when he went to the West, he introduced this nama-sankirtan in the streets of New York, in the streets of Western cities. It was a common sight and everyone knew that Hare Krishna people chanting the holy names of God.
With the rising of so many malls all over the country we were thinking of some innovative way by which the people in the mall could actually witness such sankirtana and that is how we got the idea to fuse the flash mob concept with the sankirtan.
We feel that it’s really divinely inspired modern way. It’s really historic that a new form of sankirtan has emerged, wherein people very happy to actually watch and participate in chanting the holy names of the Lord. And this is going to set the trend for future sankirtan movement”
(Madhu Pandit Dasa – ‘The Making of Hare Krishna Flash Mob’)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oK5JuAADLY
(http://padaproblems.blogspot.com/2016/02/iskcon-bangalores-new-form-of-sankirtan.html)
Let us all read what Srila Prabhupada says :
“I never thought about the audience. I was prepared to chant even if there were no men present to hear me. The principle of chanting is to glorify the Lord and not to attract a crowd. If Krishna hears nicely then he will ask some sincere devotees to gather in such place.”
(Prabhupada Letter 67-11-12)
“Krishna kirtana is not meant for entertaining the public for demonstration of arts. It is dynamic service to the Lord. We do not therefore mind so much about the artistic presentation of Krishna kirtana but we want to see how much a devotee is satisfying the Supreme Will.” (Prabhupada Letter to Jadurani 67-12-12)
“Practicing is already done by kirtana. It is not required for us to become artists. Our main point is service to Krishna, not to please an audience. We shall not divert our attention too much to adjustment of musical sounds. People should not misunderstood that we are a band of musical artists. They must know that we are devotees of Krishna. Our devotional practice and purity shall be so strong that wherever we chant there will be immediately an impression in the audience for devotion to Krishna.” (Prabhupada Letter to Tamala Krishna 69-10-30)
here in London they had arranged one program of lecturing by me along with a recital by one man playing on the vina just to attract attention to my speaking. I am not in approval of such arrangements, and it will be dangerous thing in future if we begin this type of program just to attract the masses. Already I see this happening practically all over the Society, so better we stop it now and get ourselves firmly on the track chalked out for us by Lord Caitanya. We are simply Sankirtana men, our program is chanting, dancing, distributing prasadam, and speaking high philosophy, that’s all.” (Prabhupada Letter to Madhudvisa. 72-07-08)
Dear Ram Das Prabhu.
Thank you for presenting Srila Prabhupada’s directions on this subject. These instructions are there to be implemented by the followers of His Divine Grace. The hiring of professional singers, buses, PA system, and requesting permission from mall management for this ”performance” (in their own words) of ‘pre-recorded’, lolly-pop superficiality is complete fad and “Bollywood Style” nonsense!
Heed the instructions of Srila Prabhupada! Isn’t that what we are supposed to do?, otherwise NO realization, NO purification of the heart, NO detachment from materialistic superficiality, NO understanding of how society can benefit…………….just absorption in compromise, deviousness and (jn Srila Prabhupada’s own words ‘diversion’.
Daso Smi
Sudarsana
Kirtan Standards – Srila Prabhupada’s Instructions
http://padaproblems.blogspot.in/2014/04/srila-prabhupada-kirtan-standards.html
‘Strong Preaching was the Essence’
http://padaproblems.blogspot.in/2014/01/strong-preaching-was-essence.html
Srila Prabhupada – ‘No Compromise’
http://padaproblems.blogspot.in/2014/01/srila-prabhupada-no-compromise.html
Caitanya-Caritamrta 12.9
Some of the disciples strictly accepted the orders of the acarya, and others deviated, independently concocting their own opinions under the spell of daivi-maya.
Purport by Srila Prabhupada
This verse describes the beginning of a schism. When disciples do not stick to the principle of accepting the order of their spiritual master, immediately there are two opinions. Any opinion different from the opinion of the spiritual master is useless. One cannot infiltrate materially concocted ideas into spiritual advancement. That is deviation. There is no scope for adjusting spiritual advancement to material ideas.
Hare Krsna Prahlad Prabhu, the ‘schism’ began when Keith HAM and cohorts saw Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON as a ‘cash register’ for their own greed and it has compounded ever since.
This is what has become of the New Goverdhan ‘ISKCON’ farm project… exactly the OPPOSITE of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions as usual…
Srila Prabhupada
“So far the Road Show and this Yoga Village are concerned, these things should be stopped. Simply perform our kirtana. If we divert our attention in this way, the whole thing will gradually deteriorate.. All these things are nonsense inventions. Such inventing spirit will ruin our this movement. People may come to see, some will become devotees, but such devotees will not stay because they are attracted by some show and not by the real thing or spiritual life according to the standard of Lord Caitanya. Our standard is to have kirtana, start temples. What is this “Road Show” and “Yoga Village?” It will be another hippie edition. Gradually the Krishna Consciousness idea will evaporate: another change, another change, every day another change. Stop all this. Simply have kirtana, nothing else. Don’t manufacture ideas.” (Prabhupada Letter to Sudama 72-11-5)
http://krishnavillage-retreat.com/
Yhs,
Balaram das
Prabhupada: No. Why compromise? My Guru Mahäräja never made any compromise.
Atreya Rsi: Compromise means you have some material attachment.
Prabhupada: Yes, compromise means you don’t want real business but you want some money by cheating and by bluffing. That’s all. That is compromise.
(Conv. San Diego 29/06/72)
Your Servant
Ram Das
Madhu Pandit Dasa : “We feel that it’s really divinely inspired modern way. It’s really historic that a new form of sankirtan has emerged”
Srila Prabhupada : “So don’t spoil the movement by manufacturing ideas. Don’t do that. Go on in the standard way, keep yourself pure; then movement is sure to be successful. But if you want to spoil it by whimsical, then what can be done? It will be spoiled. If you manufacture whims and disagree and fight amongst yourself, then it will be another edition of these so-called movements. It will lose the spiritual strength. Always remember it. You cannot…. Now, actually, people are surprised: “What this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra has got power that it is changing so quickly?” And on the other hand, it is to be admitted, unless it has got power, how it is changing? So we have to keep that power. Don’t make it an ordinary musical vibration. It is a different thing, spiritual. Although it seems like musical vibration, but it is spiritual, completely. Mantrauśadhi-vaśa. Even, by mantra, the snakes can be charmed. So mantra is not ordinary sound vibration. So we have to keep the mantra in potency, potent, by offenseless chanting, by remaining pure. If you pollute the mantra, then it will lose its effect.”
Srila Prabhupada’s Room Conversation — April 27, 1976, Auckland, New Zealand
Thank-you Ram das Pabhu for the appropriate quotes from Srila Prabhupada.
Fashmob means Bollywood IMITATION dance for PUBLIC SHOW. There is no devotion. Bollywood dance moves to impress the public – bas! This is just absolute nonsense. Best to stick to what Srila Prabhupada has given – that is enough for our spiritual progress:
“Practicing is already done by kirtana. It is not required for us to become artists. Our main point is service to Krishna, not to please an audience. We shall not divert our attention too much to adjustment of musical sounds. People should not misunderstood that we are a band of musical artists. They must know that we are devotees of Krishna. Our devotional practice and purity shall be so strong that wherever we chant there will be immediately an impression in the audience for devotion to Krishna.” (Prabhupada Letter to Tamala Krishna 69-10-30)
Hare Krishna Mahesh Raja prabhu
yes, that is what we need to understand that we just need to follow Srila Prabhupada strictly for our spiritual progress. That’s it. No need of manufacturing anything new. But alas IB leaders are not getting this point.