Kirtan

The commander-in-chief of the army was Nityananda, the very image of love, who led the army from victory to victory.

and went on announcing his victories, not by the sound of band, but with the sound of kirtan, accompanied by the sound of kul.

This is an oval-shaped drum, generally used in Sankirtan.

I repeat from the beginning, the commander-in-chief of the army was Nityananda, the very image of love, who led the army from victory to victory, and went on announcing his victories, not by the sound of band, but with the sound of kirtan, accompanied by the sound of kol, karantal, cymbals, singa, and conchshell.

The commander, who had vowed to conquer the whole of Gaura, went from door to door saying, Brother, say Krishna, say Gaura, and purchase me as your servant forever.

There was no limit to the happiness of Raghava Pandit.

He arranged for a grand festival to celebrate the occasion.

The highlight of the festival were the Grand Sankirtan, to which Madhava Ghosh, Govinda Ghosh, and Vasu Ghosh, the three brothers, who were regarded as the best poets and singers of Gauda were invited.

I think that's what she said in the episode.

And it is, it does feel that, I do feel that if you're, you know, a casual practitioner and you'd like to go deeper, I do think that sometimes like feeling like you can go to a Kirtan class, it feels a little elusive, right? Like, you know, in New York, I don't necessarily, and like when I'm looking for a yoga listing where I'm looking for classes, I'll see restorative yoga, I'll see meditation, but you don't necessarily see Kirtan in mainstream spaces, right? And so sometimes that has the effect if you don't know somebody who's already in that community or practicing in that way, it feels a little out of reach.

And so like, I think you're right.

The book really makes all of these practices so accessible and you feel like you belong and you also feel like you're, you know.

Yeah.

And I mean, Kirtan may not be, the way for everyone to experience bhakti yoga.

I mean, I think that's an incredibly effective way.

Like kirtan, which if people don't know, I mean, basically it's like usually call on a response of chanting in a musical way with a musical accompaniment and It's a devotional practice, but there are other ways to bring in that devotional quality.

Dear Srila Prabhupada,

you said of Bhaktivinoda Thakur that he left the work of spreading the Sankirtan movement unfinished so that we would have some service.

That is his mercy.

You have extended that same mercy to us.

We are your foolish, stumbling, but earnest servants.

We chant your pranam mantra every morning and remember that you came to lift the world out of its spiritual poverty.

We pray, therefore, that we may please you by our services, imperfect as they are, and that by your continued mercy this community may grow into an ever brighter and more powerful instrument for the Sankirtan movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

We pray to remain your ideal followers, perpetually students.