Sunday,
March 12th, 2017
Scarborough,
Ontario
The Birth
of Sankirtan
For the
occasion, Gaura Purnima, the birth anniversary of Chaitanya, two venues were
our destination points for our cultural presentation. Come to think of it, we haven’t given a name
to our piece, which was a narration, danced to in Odissi-style, and sung in Bengali with musical
accompaniment.
Now none of
us are Bengalis, but we
did sing a song in that language—the language of our guru, Prabhupada—as
well as the native tongue of the author of the song “Udilo Aruna.” Bhaktivinode was a song-writer from Orissa
who used the Bengali medium.
Here’s the
song that I narrated in English for the Scarborough and Toronto crowds:
The Birth of Sankirtan
1. When a tinge of red on the eastern
horizon heralded the sunrise, the jewel of the brahmanas, Gaura, immediately awakened. Taking His
followers with Him, He
went all over the countryside, visiting the towns and villages of Nadia.
2. The Khol drums resounded, “tathai tathai.” The five cymbals chimed in time, and Gaura’s
foot bells jingled as His golden form trembled slightly in ecstatic love for
the Divine.
3. Gaura called out to the townsfolk, “Perhaps
we are wasting time—sleeping? Then much
time spent on decorating the body? Try
this vibration, with its sweet names, ‘Mukunda?
Madhava? Yadhava! Hari!’ engaging our full voices.”
4. This human body, among all
collective species, is a rare gift. We
must ask ourselves, “Just what are you doing?”
Have you given sufficient thought to this question? If you do not see to the love of the darling
of Yashoda, Krishna, it would be a great loss—a shame.
5. Each time the sun rises and sets, a
day passes and is lost. Why then remain
idle, and not honour the Lord of the heart?
6. Understand this essential fact: life
is temporary and full of all kinds of challenges. So make it a priority by being under the
protection of the sweet names and remain engaged in divine service.
7. Desiring to bless all entities, the
sweet name has descended to this world as a response to the need of ending the
darkness of ignorance,
as this sound shines like the sun in the sky of the heart.
8. Drinking the pure nectar of the name
satisfies the author of the song, Bhaktivinode.
There is nothing but the sacred name within all the 14 worlds.
(End of
song)
Additional
narration:
People
listened to Gaura, the Golden Avatar.
Why wouldn’t they? He was
beautifully imposing at
a stature of seven feet tall, broad shouldered, with a chest of a lion, eyes
captivating, hair a-flow, as He danced with a swing and a sway.
The
villagers were taken by the sight and sound.
With their hearts now embraced, they were motivated to move themselves
and to surrender their voices in a splendorous volume, their bodies in rhythmic
back-and-forth motion.
Gaura journeyed
from one village to the next, offering a new engagement, a new way of
being. He made His plea. His sharing had been done and all in
good fun. A mission had taken hold, one that would be
rather bold in its projection throughout the globe.
To those
who participate in Sankirtan, a
warmth, a fullness and a love are achieved.
May the
Source be with you!
2 km
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