Agnideva leads New Vrindaban temple kirtan, summer 1984.

Outline of this chapter:

Importance of sound to Vaishnavas.
Silence: for impersonalists only.
Omkara.
The mystical power of Sanskrit.
Musicians must be devotees.
Shrimad-bhagavatam references to music.
Krishna and the gopis: the summon bonum of music.
Music, poetry and bhakti.
Raga and tala.
The origins of Vaishnava music.
Gita-Govinda: Krishna-lila in song.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's sankirtan movement.
Kirtan.
Bhajan.
Kirtan in Vrindaban.
Nam-kirtan: folk music.
Padavali Kirtan: serious "art" music.
Manoharasahi kirtan.
Chaitanyaism perverted.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura.
Loud chanting recommended.
Music in modern India: great changes and challenges.
Prabhupada liked Indian instruments.
The harmonium: a Western instrument.
Ravi Shankar: "sense gratification music."
Music at New Vrindaban.
Uniting East and West.

The gopis entertain Radha and Krishna with music.

Chaitanya's sankirtan party.

Prabhupada plays the mrdanga.

Ajamila, Murari Hari, Brhan Naradiya Purana and Maheshvara at the Palace, 1986.

Back

Next

Back to: New Vrindaban: The Black Sheep of ISKCON Homepage