cheto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha--davagni-nirvapanam
shreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam
anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamritaswadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krishna-sankirtanam
Glory to the Sri-Krsna-Sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.
I was just reflecting on this beautiful verse of the Siksastakam prayers and how I practically felt this cleansing last Saturday. It was an intense day for all of us devotees starting with wonderful mangala Arotik, followed by cleaning up a huge shed, a marathon pizza making session that took 4 hours. I felt drained by the lack of sleep, but I was determined to attend the Bhakti Vriksha that very evening and wanted to drown in the nectar of the holy names. The Kirtaniyas took their place. As if connected by an invisible bond all those with a penchant for music filled in the slots forming a natural circle. The kirtan began with the chanting of the Mahamantra and I felt layer after layer of tiredness peeling from my body. As I sat absorbed in the kirtan, I felt my eyes turning moist listening to Kalpavriksha Prabhu's chanting. Srila Prabhupada's words "Chanting should be like the cry of a child for his mother" rang in my ears and pictures of the drowning soul saved by Lord Visnu seated on Garuda flashed across my closed eyes. As they started singing Jaya Sri Krishna Bolo jaya Radhe, I felt all the weariness melting away, as if i had been bathed in the cooling waters of Mother Ganga. With all my insecurities rising into thin air, I felt safe in the company of the holy names that had enveloped all the people seated there..No one went back the same person that day. They had tasted the sweetness of bathing themselves in the nectar of the holy names. One mataji had slipped away from home almost 40 minutes away from the venue to drink in this nectar and sat mesmerized by the sound of the kartals, mridanga and the sweet names of Krishna. Sarvatma Snapanam Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam. Clearly, everyone there experienced this first hand that Summer Saturday night! An overwhelming gratitude for Srila Prabhupada surged in my heart and I felt thankful for being a part of this wonderful sankirtana movement.
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