24 Hour Kirtana
A Comprehensive Guide to Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma
There are nine distinctive processes of pure devotional service: Sravanam, kirtana, smaranam, pada-sevanam, arcanam, vandanam, dasyam, sakhyam, and atma-nivedanam. Of all these, kirtana, chanting and singing about Krsna, is the most powerful. Of the different types of kirtana, nama-kirtana is the most powerful, and maha-hari-nama-sankirtana (mass chanting and dancing) is the most powerful of all.
Therefore Srimad Bhagavatam states, yajnaiù saìkirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasaù—that those who have good brain substance will attach themselves to the performance of sankirtana-yajna. Of all the places to perform sankirtana-yajna, Sri Vrindavana-dhama is the most powerful. Sankirtana—or any devotional service performed in Vrindavana—has one thousand times the potency of the same service done anywhere else in the world.
Thus, the international importance and benefit of sankirtana done at Vrindavana-dhama compares in magnitude to the establishment of a twenty-four hour kirtana at one thousand certers around the world. Therefore, twenty-four hour sankirtana in Vrindavana may also be seen as a form of maha-sankirtana.
Just as the sages of Naimisaranya resolved to perform a one thousand year sacrifice to benefit the people of this fallen age of Kali, similarly Srila Prabhupada instructed that a group of sixteen devotees should perform akhanda (continuous) hari-nama-yajna at the Krishna-Balarama Mandir. His Grace Aindra Prabhu has headed this up since 1986.
Our doing this kind of hari-nama-maha-yajna has far reaching effects. It helps maintain the strong and healthy Krsna conscious atmosphere of the temple for the spiritual benefit of the Vrindavana ISKCON community of devotees and the public at large, and it helps inspire and strengthen everyone’s commitment to advance in pure devotional life. Everyone can participate. Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-saìkirtana.
Ultimately Radha-Krsna prema is the only goal of our chanting. By participating in this type of pure, apolitical sacrifice of spiritual welfare service we can hope to please Guru and Gauranga and taste the fruit of prema-bhakti in this very life. Hari-nama eva kevalam