Mar 03, 2013 — CANADA (SUN) — Our segment yesterday raised the question, how are we to understand so-called 'kirtan' events where the song list includes the Hare Krsna Mahamantra and Jaya Radhe, punctuated by an agnostic song glorifying lusty sex? Is it all kirtan material? Or has the Mahamantra been situated in the bad association of a gross karmi song? When the Mahamantra is being chanted on the street, while some other ungodly music is simultaneously going on… like Bollywood tunes being amplified from across the street… is there any difference between that, and a crafted kirtan performance where that same ungodly music is made part of the program? Yes, of course there is a difference. One is intentional, the other is not.
Mr. Zat Baraka of the LA Kirtan Collective, singer of 'Hallelujah', has now launched his own yoga music festival event, Tadasana. His 2012 festival lineup gives us a quick look at the beautiful people on the yoga/kirtan industry's second tier circuit. There are also a number of familiar faces seen regularly in the ISKCON 'kirtaniya' crowd, including headliner Jai Uttal along with Wah!, MC Yogi and the duo, Govindas and Radha. The singer who calls herself Wah! describes her kirtan in this way:
"I'm praying actually. I'm changing my brainwaves to a higher frequency. I'm using sacred geometry, light frequencies and thoughts to enhance my devotional practice. I'm not doing it consciously, I've never been taught any technique; I'm reciting the mantra as I have done for many years."
The 'mantra' she chants is undefined… listening to her audio collection, one cannot tell from the disembodied snippets of many mantras, mostly the recitation of the names of demigods, just who it is she's praying to. Wah!, along with Neem Karoli Baba followers Govindas & Radha and Jai Uttal are a few of the many unbonafide influences that travel into the ISKCON body through personalities like Radhanath Swami and Gaura Vani. As mentioned yesterday, Wah! performed on the 'Stay Strong' music video along with these two ISKCON notorieties.
The Tadasana line-up represents just some of the performers who are working their way through the now very competitive landscape to the top tier venues like Bhakti Fest. Along the way, a good deal of money changes hands.
A Sun reader called our attention to a YouTube video in which the now departed ISKCON kirtaniya, Aindra das said the following:
"By doing kirtan for money one gets sinful reactions. It is very clear in Hari Bhakti Vilasa that if one performs kirtana with motivation of family maintenance or anything like that, monetary remuneration, for doing his kirtan, then who does the kirtan, who hears the kirtan, and who pays for such kirtan to be performed--- so-called kirtan, its not kirtan its imitation kirtan---that they all become infected with material desires. They get sinful reactions.”
On Gaura Vani's website, we find this promo piece for Bhakti Fest 2012:
"August 31st, 2012: This is going to be a fantastic event: CC White, Dave Stringer, Shyamdas, The Mayapuris, Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, and so many more. My Guru, Radhanath Swami will speak. Benjy, John, Puru and myself will take the stage as The Hanumen. … Tickets are from $20 to $300 can be purchased by clicking…"
Clearly, kirtan venues like Tadasana, what to speak of Bhakti Fest, involve the generation of a significant amount of revenue. The above was written within days of the article, "Spiritual Slut" and Company, in which author Caritra-varnana dasa pointed to Gaura Vani's offensive self-promotion under the band name, the 'Hanumen'. He appeared at Bhakti Fest under that performance name while his Guru was also performing there. In other words, Radhanath Swami approved of the use of Sri Hanuman's name in this derogatory way.
While many of Gaura Vani's 'kirtaniya' activities clearly appear to be in conflict with Krsna Conscious standards and sastric injunctions, it is understandable that many members of the devotee community have difficulty making sense of the apparent conflicts. After all, Gaura Vani is constantly performing along with his Guru Maharaja, Radhanath Swami. By his presence and participation, Radhanath is clearly giving his blessing to these activities. As a GBC member, he is thus also giving the blessings of the ISKCON governing body.
The 'kirtan business' is clearly a self-feeding loop: Radhanath is now a big draw on the circuit; he promotes and supports Gaura Vani; Gaura Vani serves as his goodwill ambassador; Gaura Vani is becoming a big draw in and outside of ISKCON; each one validates the other, and the promotional presence grows. In fact, Radhanath Swami's support and promotion of his disciple Gaura Vani is almost unprecedented. How often do we hear an ISKCON Guru sitting on the asana at a Sunday Feast lecture, describing at length the glories of his disciple, who sits nearby. But that's exactly what we see in this video, 'The Appreciation Of Gauravani Prabhu by HH Radhanath Swami':
Glorifying the birth of Gaura Vani -- in fact, almost elevating his birth to a transcendental event -- Radhanath Swami tells the Chowpatty audience:
'Jiv Jago! Wake up, wake up sleeping souls! You are sleeping in the lap of illusion! But how to wake up? With Krsna's Names, through kirtan, one can attain perfection. This is the essence of 'gaura vani', Lord Chaitanya's message… and as far as I can see, this is the essence of Gaura Vani. His parents prayed, cried and served for a child like this…'
Gaura Vani, who sits on the temple dais alongside Radhanath's asana, next to Jahnavi Harrison and another man, wipes tears of emotion as his Guru Maharaja sings his glories to the Chowpatty congregation.
How could any devotee from Chowpatty temple, or any follower of Radhanath ever find fault with Gaura Vani's 'kirtaniya' activities, after all that? Even the singing of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' won't likely be questioned when the Guru has made such a glorious proclamation of support for the disciple as we hear on this video. In fact, how will any ISKCON devotee following GBC member Radhanath hear this video and be able to make sense of the obvious philosophical contradictions, the contravening of so many Vaisnava standards of kirtan found in the archives of Gaura Vani's musical performances with some of the worst mayavadis and sahajiyas in the business?
Likewise, how can Gaura Vani find fault with his Guru? On the 'Ten Million Moons' CD, Gaura Vani sings a song about 'Surrender': "I've been doing it my way, and it's brought me here …" But where, exactly, is "here"? What is he surrendering to? He is surrendering to the influence of an ISKCON authorized diksa guru who himself does not follow the example of, or surrender to the standards of his own Guru, the Sampradaya Acarya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
In Journey Home, Radhanath Swami emphasizes his Jewish background, and this mood is so prevalent that even ISKCON Communications Director, Anuttama das defended Radhanath's 'preaching style' by saying 'hey… he's just a nice Yid from Highland Park' [Chicago]. This apologia was in response to the ongoing criticism about Radhanath's preaching, in which he regularly refers to 'God' rather than 'Krsna', and downplays or omits entirely his connection to ISKCON, the Hare Krishnas, and Srila Prabhupada.
Radhanath has become famous for his Interfaith proclivities, which include a continued fondness for the Jewish faith, and this can also be expected to seep over into the kirtaniya realm. Among the mishmash of personalities and traditions being promoted as 'kirtan' these days are the musical stylings of Andrew Hahn, the 'Kirtan Rabbi'. Incorporating what he calls 'Hebrew mantras' into a kirtan environment, the Kirtan Rabbi has launched a whole new movement. His 'Hebrew mantras' are comprised of verses from the Hebrew Bible, the Siddur, and the Jewish book of mysticism, the Kabbalah.
In the video below we can see the metamorphosis of traditional kirtan, transformed in the Jewish milieu. Framed against a background logo of the Interfaith Movement, the Jewish chanters are playing harmoniums and drums, dressed in kurtas and flowing dupattas, some dancing and jumping in kirtan fashion.
Can we expect to one day see Radhanath Swami on stage, performing with the Kirtan Rabbi? Or the rabbi sharing a kirtan stage with Gaura Vani? Yes, of course we can. Will the Kirtan Rabbi be invited into an ISKCON temple one day to perform? Almost surely. Will this further contaminate the ISKCON body, further bewilder the devotees as to where the line is when it comes to kirtan standards? Yes… but no one will dare complain, because it will have Radhanath Swami's stamp of approval all over it, like white on rice.
One man in the video is heard predicting: "Kirtan is one of the new technologies that are going to transform the face of the Jewish world." Unfortunately, it is likely to also transform the face of the Gaudiya Vaisnava world, and ISKCON in particular, since our leaders are unlikely to stop the infiltration of Jewish tradition anymore than they do the unbonafide kirtan. In fact, this could be a 'perfect storm' for ISKCON.
Again, the situation fits the model of benign and hostile parasites, passive and active carriers, delivering an infectious mood to the ISKCON body. Author Steven J. Rosen (Satyaraj dasa) in his book, Yoga of Kirtan, interviewed the Kirtan Rabbi, who also appeared with Radhanath Swami in the 'Stay Strong' music video and has attended all four annual Bhakti Fests. The Rabbi will once again take the stage at Bhakti Fest 2013 along with Gaura Vani and his 'Hanumen' and many others mentioned in this series: the Mayapuris, Karnamrita, Jai Uttal, Krishna Das, Govinddas and Radha, et al.
The Bhakti Fest website seems to have been updated since yesterday, and now indicates the venue rosters more clearly: Indradyumna Swami will be attending the May 'Shakti Fest', while Radhanath will maintain his slot at the September 'Bhakti Fest'. One can only imagine the possibilities if Indradyumna Swami and the Kirtan Rabbi were to come together, joining forces to deliver their unique blend of kirtan to Indradyumna's Eastern Europe zone…. everyone will be scratching their heads, wondering if they're supposed to be brahminical or rabbinical?
