“Unreleased Works” and “Unsung Songs” of Prabhupada

Krsna Kirtana Songs est. 2001 www.kksongs.org

“Unreleased Works” and “Unsung Songs” of Prabhupada

nama oḿ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale

śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine

namas te sārasvate devam gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe

nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

“I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.”

Today, August 17, 2006, is the anniversary of Srila Prabhuapda’s appearance day. The devotees of Krsna not only worship the appearances of the Lord and His forms, but they also worship His devotees. The appearance of a spiritual master is a special one, as the spiritual master is considered to the link between the disciple and Krsna. As approaching Krsna directly is quite difficult, the guidance of a guru is highly recommended. The guru is considered the image of Srila Vyasadeva. Hence the appearance day of the spiritual master is also known as “Vyasa Puja.” This year’s Vyasa Puja is a unique one, as this is the one-hundred tenth Vyasa Puja, and the fortieth anniversary of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). On this special day, this article of the glories of Srila Prabhupada is our small humble offering.

By the order of his spiritual master, Sri Srimad Bhaktisidddhanta Sarasvati Goswami, Srila Prabhupada has preached Krsna Consciousness to the Western world, created many preaching centers and temples, initiated thousands of disciples, given thousands of lectures, and has written a Vedic library of literature, which is not only read by devotees of Krsna, but academic scholars have even accepted them as textbooks. While Srila Prabhupada put the highest focus on chanting the Hare Krsna mahamantra, he encouraged his disciples to travel to India and collect Vaisnava bhajans, learn them and use them for preaching. He constantly sang songs of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Narottama Dasa Thakura, and other great Vaisnavas, while offering useful purports and commentaries to allow better understand of these songs. A devotee once requested Srila Prabhupada if singing his two famous poems, “Boro Krpa Koile Krsna” and “Krsna Tava Punya Habe Bhai”, were acceptable. Prabhupada agreed and said that they may be sung in kirtan like any kirtan or bhajan by Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Narottama Das Thakura, etc.

Nearly twenty-nine years after Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance, the glories of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Narottama Das Thakura, and other Vaisnava acarya songs are sung and popularized very nicely. However, Srila Prabhupada’s bhajans have not been sung too often. Prabhupada never forced anyone to sing his bhajans, as he enforced four regulative principles, chanting Hare Krsna, and reading books on Krsna Conscious philosophy which came from his predecessor acaryas. He never forced anyone to read his original works. To glorify the overflow of devotional feelings Srila Prabhupada had, it is not only important to examine his works, but take the time to understand his devotion.

The two most common songs Srila Prabhupada wrote were “Boro Krpa Koile Krsna” and “Krsna Tava Punya Habe Bhai.” These two were specifically written during his trip on the Jaladuta. The former was written while reaching upon Commonwealth Pier in Boston. This song explains the spirit of preaching Krsna Consciousness to a group of people who had no knowledge of Krsna. Krsna Tava Punya Habe Bhai is more philosophical in nature, with the refrain saying that Krsna will bestow virtue, if Srimati Radharani is pleased. These two have been favorite songs to bhajan enthusiasts.

Srila Prabhupada certainly wrote more songs than these. He has written a song “Sri Guru Vandana Kori’” which has the same style of writing as Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Narottama Dasa Thakura. The common thing is that he has mentioned his spiritual master in all three of the preceding works. He was very close to his spiritual master and took his final instructions seriously that his Krsna Conscious inspirations were all centered on him. For instance, whenever “Bhaja Hu Re Mana” was sung, he would begin to cry, because the word “abhaya-caranaravinda” found in the song was the same name his spiritual master initiated him as.

Amongst the disciples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s, Srila Prabhupada came later, but as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura predicted, Srila Prabhuapda would do much more than anyone has done before. On his Vyasa Puja in 1935, Srila Prabhupada has written a very short poem which has touched Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura so much that he posted it on the magazine of the Gaudiya Matha, The Harmonist. The poem had the first words “Adore Adore Ye All The Happy Day Blessed.” Likewise, Srila Prabhupada has written a poem in 1959 on the anniversary of the disappearance of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. The poem was eight poems bounded together known as the “Virahastakam”, or the eight prayers of separation.

It is said that one of the qualities of the Vaisnava is poetry. Vaisnavas are generally great poets. Looking at how many poetic texts and songs produced by Vaisnavas, it is certainly no surprise that spiritual forefathers such as Brahma, Narada, Vyasadeva, Madhvacarya, Krsnadasa Kaviraja, the six Goswamis, Narottama Das Thakura to more contemporary acaryas with well known songs like Bhaktivinoda Thakura and lesser known songs written by Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, and Bhakti Prajna Kesava Goswami. Srila Prabhupada was very poetic in reflecting scriptures and devotional songs. Srila Prabhupada translated three Vaisnava songs into English verse and poetry. The songs were “Adore Thy Feet My Master”, “I Wish My Eyes Flow In Tears”, and “Glory To Radha and Krsna in Vrndavana”, which are translations of Mangalacarana, “Gauranga Bolite Habe Pulaka Sarira”, and “Jaya Radhe Jaya Krsna Jaya Vrndavana (I), respectively.” These three songs were featured in Back To Godhead in 1960.

Srila Prabhupada is known all over the world for translating and giving perfect commentaries of the Bhagavad-Gita, known as Bhagavad-Gita As It Is. Srila Prabhupada did not just stop there. He took it a step further and translated all seven-hundred verses of the Gita into Bengali versification. He called this translation, “Gitar Gan” or “singing (gan) of the Gita (which literally means song in Sanskrit).” Srila Prabhupada never popularized the Gitar Gan as much as he emphasized Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, which is why it is not readily available. The Gitar Gan songs, on the other hand, will be available to KKSongs users by the end of this week.

On his Vyasa Puja days, devotees all over the world have written glories, poems, offerings, and songs praising Srila Prabhupada. Kusakratha Dasa has written the Prabhuapdastakam “Sri Sri Navadvipa Para Pradipau”, and Dravida Dasa has written the English poetic translation “The Transcendental Lamp of Navadvipa.” Dravida Dasa has also written the English poetic translation to the Gurvastakam in the scope to glorify Srila Prabhupada, “Trapped Within Samsara’s All Devouring Blazing Fire.” The song “Jayore Sva Parisada Srila Swami Prabhupada” was written by B.G. Narasimha Swami. On the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of ISKCON, Kalakantha Dasa wrote a profound poem for Srila Prabhuapda, “You Could Have Stayed in Vrndavana.” When ISKCON had its Golden Avatar recordings, which featured artists to perform and sing bhajans, a good amount of original bhajans came out. The late Parivadi Dasa sang “We’ve Left The Shore, We’re Sailing Forth” in the album “Ancient Hymns (1983).” The album “Prabhupada Krpa (1981)” had two famous songs, “Srila Prabhupada Gurudeva Tihare Carano Men Pranam” and “Kirtana Karake Tihara” which are featured in the Krsna Book CD. Vamsidhari Dasa sang in his album “Bhakti Kusum (1997) “Jaya Prabhupada Jaya Srila Prabhupada.” Lastly, Jake Carignan sang “In Nineteen Hundred and Sixty-Five” to glorify Srila Prabhupada. On Srila Prabhuapda’s Centennial in 1996, a two-part CD of songs glorifying Srila Prabhupada called “Garland of Songs (1996)” came out. As more of these songs are available, they will be posted accordingly.

Certainly, this is not all of the devotional work Srila Prabhuapda has written, and there are more songs out there which are either written by Prabhupada or devotee glorifying Prabhupada. This article is an offering to Srila Prabhupada, reflecting on his life and works, and a chance to inform the web community as a whole of the unique songs by Srila Prabhupada. May Krsna be pleased by the glorification of His dear devotee and may the devotees relish the nectar of Prabhuapda’s glory.