Maha Kirtan 3

An awesome poster! Please note the address - it's not at the temple this time, but rather at the Graceville State School Hall.

Dear Prabhus,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Sri Harinam Sankirtan yajña ki jay!

First of all, please let me thank you for your contribution and participation in Maha Kirtan 2. It was another ecstatic festival of the Holy Name that built on the foundation established by Yastele prabhu.

After the resounding success of Maha Kirtan 2, it gives me great pleasure to announce Maha Kirtan 3!

Maha Kirtan 3 is on Saturday October 24; it will be held in the Graceville State School Hall; and it will feature the participation of Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits and the Mayapuris!

We are holding the festival in the hall to allow more people to participate in the kirtan - last time many people couldn't get into the temple room; and also to allow devotees to dance throughout the kirtan, as requested!

I think that you are looking forward to participating in this ecstatic kirtan as much as I am right now; and I am writing this to ask you for your active participation and contribution. Now here is the important part:

Back in July, when I first pitched the Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits + Mayapuris tour, I included the following point:

Having these dedicated kirtan artists here will galvanise devotees locally by showing them what is possible. Their personal example is already inspiring kirtans and kirtan groups. Having them here, personally present, and interacting with local kirtan artists will help to spark fires that will blaze across the country over the next few years.

What we want to do with Maha Kirtan 3 with Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits and the Mayapuris, is have *kirtan groups* leading, rather than individual kirtaniyas. We would like devotees to form groups and practice together throughout this next month. This is going to have several benefits:

• we will form and deepen relationships around kirtan
• we will improve our kirtan together
• we will create more momentum around kirtan
• we will be on a "kirtan marathon" in the month leading up the event
• on the day the ecstasy will be even greater!

We will organise the day so that there are 30, 45, and 60 minute slots available for groups. Gaura Vani and the Mayapuris will have two hours at the end of the day for their set.

It is not that only the people in each group will be there doing kirtan during their set. They will be supported by every one else, but we will all be following them. The idea is not to create divisions, but to bring people together even more strongly. In the kirtan it will not simply be one person leading, but a group leading. This will make the kirtan stronger and thicker.

Forming a Kirtan Group

You may already know a bunch of devotees that you can get together with to form a kirtan group. If you do, then great! Get together, come up with a name, and let Krishnapada (email: krishnapada@hotmail.com) know so that he can put you on the schedule.

If you don't, or you don't have enough devotees for a complete group, then get in touch with Krishnapada and he can put you in touch with others who want to join/form a group or put you in touch with an existing group.

You don't have to be a musician. If you can already do something in kirtan - play cartals, play mrdanga, harmonium, any other instrument, sing, or *even just clap*, then all you need to do is more kirtan together with the same people. It's not a band, it's a kirtan party!

Don't get too hung up on who is going to sing if you have multiple singers. Constraints are a great source of creativity. If you have a bunch of capable singers, you can come up with interesting arrangements - changing singers part-way through, having different singers lead the different parts of the melody, having different singers sing together - the possibilities to apply your creativity are endless.

And remember: it's not (just) about you! It's about serving the Holy Name. To a degree we get to express our individuality and ability in the kirtan, but at the end of the day we are simply the setting in the background, and the Holy Name is the shining jewel.

We discover ourselves by losing ourselves in the kirtan. We are the servants of the Holy Name!

Practice makes Perfect

Once you find/form a group, it's time to practice. Repetition is the key to success. The more time you spend doing kirtan together the more your unique sound will start to gel. Give your time to it, because wherever your time is going, that is where your heart is. When it comes to kirtan, more is definitely better! Get together at least once a week, and stay in touch between kirtans. Record things and practice things and come up with new ideas - make the kirtan a focus in your life for the next month.

If you can, organise a small kirtan evening before then, either inviting around some friends for an evening of kirtan, or by leading a Saturday night kirtan at the temple. This will give you confidence and help to iron out potential problems before Maha Kirtan 3.

Dealing with Discouragement

Don't get discouraged if you find forming a kirtan group challenging - that's part of the process! Any group endeavour requires us to become humble and tolerant to make it work. And it's that increase in humility and tolerance that makes the kirtan even more powerful!

One should be more humble than a blade of grass, more tolerance than a tree. In such a state of mind one can chant the Holy Name constantly.

- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

Just as stones become polished and smooth by rubbing against each other, by sticking together and working through our differences, by having a shared commitment to a higher cause, we become perfected.

This is the wonderful gift given to us by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada. Let us take advantage of it and flood this world with the chanting of:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam!
Sitapati das

Remember: To register your kirtan group, or to join one, contact Krishnapada (krishnapada@hotmail.com)