# Kīrtana *On congregational chanting and glorifying the Lord* --- ### Kīrtana Defined > For two hours our program will continue in kīrtana. Kīrtana means sometimes chanting with music and sometimes speaking. Both of them are kīrtana. Kīrtayati iti kīrtanam. Whenever we glorify the Lord, that is called kīrtana. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- ### Chanting and Dancing > Just like, see, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is chanting and dancing, chanting and dancing, you see, the same thing. This picture is before you so that gradually, when you feel ecstasy, you will also dance like Him. And when you automatically dance, then you will know that the thing is already realized. — [[spoken/1966/660909le.ny|Lecture on Mahā-mantra, New York, 1966]] --- ### Not Artificially > Not artificially, but when you feel, "Oh, let me dance. It is so much ecstatic. Let me dance." Nothing should be done artificially. Let everything come automatically. — [[spoken/1966/660909le.ny|Lecture on Mahā-mantra, New York, 1966]] --- ### Lord Caitanya's Distribution > He left home at the age of 24 years only and just young boy and His wife was not more than 16 years old. And His mother was about 75 years old, but He did not care. He took sannyāsa and all over India He distributed this kīrtana movement. Since then every part of India they are chanting this: Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. — [[spoken/1966/661128bg.ny|Bhagavad-gītā 9.14–15, New York, 1966]] --- ### Nobody Will Be Dissatisfied > If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and dance, nobody will be dissatisfied. At least they will say, "Ah..." Just like in the paper, "The boys are very nice." You see? You have seen. Instead of not very sympathetic, they have remarked this, "Oh, these boys are very nice." — [[spoken/1969/690510r1.col|Room Conversation, Columbus, 1969]] --- ### Ecstasy Grows Unlimitedly > Just like when we were chanting here you could feel some ecstasy. Well, this ecstasy grows unlimitedly and infinitely, eternally, if one takes to it. It's not as if you reach some point of enlightenment, and then you're enlightened. No. But it's always eternal, ever increasing. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- ### Making Plans > Yatantaś ca means just like the politicians they make plan how to execute successfully his mission he has got a plan. Similarly, the great souls who come to glorify the Lord who come to reclaim the conditioned souls. They are also engaged yatantaś ca, they are trying making plan how people will accept it. — [[spoken/1966/661128bg.ny|Bhagavad-gītā 9.14–15, New York, 1966]] --- ### Part of Devotional Service > So this method, chanting, chanting of the transcendental name of the Supreme Lord, is a part of devotional service. There are nine kinds of devotional services, of which, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sākhyam ātma-nivedanam. — [[spoken/1966/660909le.ny|Lecture on Mahā-mantra, New York, 1966]] --- ### Kīrtane Achievement > Abhavad vaiyāsakī kīrtane. Vaiyāsakī means Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he simply glorified the Lord. Prahlādaḥ smarane. Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was simply meditating. There are many examples. Simply by following one principle of this devotional service, they got the highest perfectional life, liberation, back to home, back to Godhead. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- ### Spreading Kṛṣṇa Consciousness > This International Society for Krishna Consciousness movement is meant for spreading the Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the whole world, so that people might realize their spiritual existence, and so that the whole atmosphere of the world can become spiritualized by chanting the names of Kṛṣṇa. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- *10 quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on kīrtana* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]