Kirtan has such great potential that it attracts even the most ‘attractive’ people. Krishna’s feet are very small. He carefully got out of bed and started walking towards the sound of Mother Yashoda singing. He was still quite stunned and used his small hands to rub his beautiful lotus eyes. When He approached His mother, she pretended not to see Him.Krishna came to stand next to her to seek her attention but when he received none, with His right hand He held the stirring rod, thus stopping her from doing what she was doing. Yashoda’s mother smiled thinking that her son was getting stronger as he grew older. Krishna then sat on Mother Yashoda’s lap and started drinking her milk. That’s when suddenly the milk kept on the stove started boiling. This was special milk for Krishna and she thought it necessary to save it otherwise her beloved son would be deprived of it till the next day. So she gently but quickly, took Krishna aside and said to Him; “I worship you with ‘arati’ but for a moment please protect the stirring pot. After taking care of the milk, I will come back as soon as possible.” Then she ran into the kitchen. And Krishna doesn’t like that at all! God is a jealous lover. He sought the full attention of his devotees. Kirtan comes from the word ‘Kirti’ which means glory. So, ‘Kirtan’ means glorifying the Supreme Lord through chanting His holy name, form, qualities and pastimes. The human mind is very sensitive to sound and when it is exposed to the sacred sound of God’s name, it is cleansed of all the negativity that has accumulated over many years (or perhaps many lifetimes). Kirtan changes the vibe and can elevate our consciousness instantly. It also builds a protective armor around us so that negativity cannot penetrate further. Wherever sincere chanting/singing of the Lord’s name has taken place even once, that place will forever be filled with positivity. It dispels all types of complaining and helps our minds transcend the dualities of life such as pleasure-suffering, fame-humiliation, praise-criticism and gain-loss. If the mind remains stuck in these things, we cannot grow. This is a true story, in Russia we have a large community of Hare Krishna devotees. There is a man who is a common link between Hare Krishna devotees and another community dealing with energy, who moves around with their meter. If there is a good aura around an object, only then will they share or accept that object. They will connect with people appropriately and organize events where people will perform. The person who was the common link also invited the devotees to participate and the ever-eager devotees performed Kirtan, where they sat with the audience and a lady sat with a meter, demonstrating the positive energy that a Specific sound vibrations create. The audience laughed and saw them as extraterrestrial beings, dressed in sheets, new dhotis to them, and thought of listening to them. The devotees sang Hare Krishna Mahamantra and after some time, the woman holding the meter started howling and crying. Looking at this, the audience was surprised! The positive energy generated by Hare Krishna Mahamantra is huge and the hands on the clock are spinning. So that is the amount of energy that Kirtan and chanting creates. Reciting the Buddha’s name will free the mind from all longing and lamentation. In Hindi, mind is called ‘Mann’. And a mantra meaning ‘that which liberates the mind (mann)’ – manas traayate iti mantra. It is thus clear that chanting this sutra is the perfect medicine for an uncontrolled and unfriendly mind. But the ultimate benefit of this deviant chanting goes beyond the spiritual level. Ultimately, it connects us to the supreme lord, to the divine. It adds His grace to our lives, although He is the possessor of all luxuries, He is above all kinds of longings and lamentations, but when He sees the process Kirtan, sincerely chanting his name, he was attracted to that person and took his unlimited bath. graceful. This chapter is an excerpt from Nityananda Charan Das, A Monk, Seeker, Visionary & Author whose debut book, Bound by Love, was critically acclaimed
