The uniting process, Sankirtana!

In the Padma Purana, an ancient spiritual text of the Vedic canon, it is stated

“nama cintamanih krishnas

chaitanya-rasa-vigrahah

purnah suddho nitya-mukto

'bhinnatvan nama-naminoh”

“The holy name of Krishna is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Krishna Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Krishna's name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Krishna Himself. Since Krishna's name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with maya. Krishna's name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Krishna and Krishna Himself are identical”

The blissful nature of this spiritual sound vibration can be best understood by the process of Sankirtana, Congregational singing, and dancing.

 I have been doing Sankirtana since I remember being alive and I can fully say that there is something absolutely magical and intoxicating about this process. A process which seeks to break down social and religious barriers and let loose the flood of divine nectar, love of Krsna to anyone who pays just the small price of faith. Faith that the name is directly the supreme himself descended in the sound vibration emanating from the lips of the pure devotee. Faith that the name alone is all that one needs to enter into the highest spiritual reality and taste bliss incomparable. It is stated over and over again that in this process there are no rules, no consideration of qualification, no consideration of birth, purity, race, caste, creed. All are welcome. This religion will unite the whole world. All the world needs is a little faith.

Faith that all of one's misgivings all of one's faults, all of one's suffering, are at once destroyed by the utterance of the pure name.

I know it’s a hard price, I know that in today’s society we are more likely to place our faith in the fancy pseudo-spiritual leaders who charge their fair dollar for re-hashed Vedic wisdom. Tantrics, yogis and philosophers, flaunting long beards, fancy robes, and a long list of followers.  They teach bastardized variations of spiritual self-gratification, paying very little attention to the absolute truth, Sri Krsna.

True knowledge is free, True knowledge is freely given, true knowledge begs a real price and pays little attention to material reciprocation. True knowledge is compassionate. True knowledge is love.

In the heat of nama sankirtana, bliss is so tangible, it is so real and so satisfying that for my entire life, week after week, day after day, I return to the gates of this incomparable spiritual process, and belt from the top of my lungs “ let the pure name dance upon my tongue and my I always be the servant of the servant of Sri Krsna!”

The rhythms and melodies of Nama Sankirtana are truly mesmerizing. Every change, every pulse, pulls us deeper and deeper into the reality of the name. Words do so little to express how absolutely amazing the religion of Nama sankirtana truly is, This truly is ecstasy.