Lets Chant Together

Japa Talk by Guru Maharaj
Date: 5th Feb 2026
Theme: Explanation of ‘Udilo Aruna puraba bhage’

jaya radha-madhava kunja-bihari
gopi-jana-vallabha giri-vara-dhari
yasoda-nandana braja-jana-ranjana,
yamuna-tira-vana-cari

Radha Madhava ki jaya! Jagannath baladeva Subhadra ki jaya! Yesterday we were in Panihati. Panihati Dham ki jaya! Panihati is near Kolkata. Now we have heading towards Mayapur, but yet we have not reached Mayapur. We are at ISKCON Mogra. After saying Mogra, I remembered jasmine flowers. In Marathi we call it ‘mogra’. Do mogra, jasmine flowers grow here in Mogra?

We are in the Jagannath Baladeva Subhadra and Radha Madhava temple. And today in the Mangal Arati many Gaur-bhakta-vrindas, Prabhupadanugas were here. Together we even did chanting. Mogra temple devotees chanted with Zoom temple devotees.

Sub-theme: Mahaprabhu distributed Harinam
harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā

Translation:
In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari. [CC Ādi 17.21]

Gauranga Mahaprabhu showered His mercy upon all of us, upon each soul of the world. And He gave us this Harinam. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare! He gave Harinam does not mean that He merely said, ‘you chant Harinam; you do kirtan.’ He did not just say this; yeah He said so, or spoken through Nityananda Prabhu.

prabhura ajnaya bhai magi ei bhikha
bolo krishna bhajo krishna koro krishna-sikha

Translation:
O my brothers, by the Lord’s command I ask this charity of you: Please chant, Krishna, worship Krishna, and learn and teach about Krishna. [From nadiya-godrume nityananda mahajana]

Even Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself used to chant and do kirtan. Gaur Bhagavan ki jay! He used to perform Harinam sankirtan and chant on beads. This kirtan started from Srivas Angan, which is in Mayapur. This is where the sankirtan movement began. But it used to be indoor kirtan. Advait Acharya was not happy with this. “This kirtan is happening only for some limited devotees. What about the general people of the world?” So, on the request of Advait Acharya, Caitanya Mahaprabhu reached on the streets of Navadvipa. And then kirtan began all over Navadvipa.

Sub-theme: Mahaprabhu’s nagar-sankirtan
Bhakti Vinod Thakur in one of his songs, mentions about this kirtan. How was this kirtan? ‘Udilo aruna kirtan’!

(1)
udilo aruna puraba-bhage,
dwija-mani gora amani jage,
bhakata-samuha loiya sathe,
gela nagara-braje

Translation:
When the rising sun appeared in the East, the jewel of the twice-born, Lord Gaurasundara, awakened, and, taking His devotees with Him, He went all over the countryside towns and villages.

We will discuss a little bit on this song. In this song, Bhakti Vinod Thakur is talking about the nagar sankirtan of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He also glorifies the Holy name. Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, early in the morning, when the sun is rising in the east, sets out for kirtan along with His Gaurbhaktas.

(2)
‘tathai tathai bajalo khol,
ghana ghana tahe jhajera rol,
preme dhala dhala sonara anga,
carane nupura baje

Translation:
And played the mridanga, and the cymbals chimed in time. Lord Gauranga’s shimmering golden features danced, and His footbells jingled.
In the kirtan of Caitanya Mahaprabhu there were these two instruments, mridanga and karatal.

mahāprabhoḥ kīrtana-nṛtya-gīta-
vāditra-mādyan-manaso rasena
romāñca -kampāśru-tarańga-bhājo
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

Translation:
Chanting the holy name, dancing in ecstasy, singing, and playing musical instruments, the spiritual master is always gladdened by the sankirtana movement of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Because he is relishing the mellows of pure devotion within his mind, sometimes his hair stands on end, he feels quivering in his body, and tears flow from his eyes like waves. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master. [From Sri Guruvastakam]

Mridnaga was being played, making sound ‘tathai tathai’, ‘dhig dhig dhigitan’. Bhakti Vinod Thakur writes, tathai tathai bajalo khol, ghana ghana tahe jhajera rol, preme dhala dhala sonara anga, carane nupura baje. Where is Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu in this kirtan? Is He behind or is He not there? It is not possible that sankirtan is going on and Caitanya Mahaprabhu is not there. He always used to be in the front. And He is not watching the kirtan or taking photographs; no, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is dancing and singing in the kirtan.
Sub-theme: Go for Gauranga

preme dhala dhala sonara anga, what is the complexion of Mahaprabhu? Bhakti Vinod Thakur is directing our attention to this. How is Mahaprabhu? Gauranga! Gauranga! Gauranga! Do you like sona (Hindi), gold? Sleeping is also sona. Everyone loves gold, and may be that is why Lord has taken golden complexion.

suvarṇa-varṇo hemāṅgo
varāṅgaś candanāṅgadī
sannyāsa-kṛc chamaḥ śānto
niṣṭhā-śānti-parāyaṇaḥ

Translation:
His bodily hue is golden, and His whole body is like molten gold. Every part of His body is very beautifully constructed and smeared with sandalwood pulp. Accepting the renounced order, the Lord is always equipoised. He is firmly fixed in His mission of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and He is firmly situated in His dualistic conclusion and in His peace. [CC Madhya 10.170]

‘You like gold, right? Then see, I am becoming golden. Then you would probably like Me, love Me.’ Therefore Gaurbhakta keeps saying, ‘Go for Gauranga’. preme dhala dhala sonara anga, carane nupura baje, such Gauranga wears nupur on His feet. Mahaprabhu used to dance. There is possibility that in Vrindavan, during Rasa dance, Krishna, Radharani and Gopis were wearing nupur on Their feet. That same Sri Krsna, when He is dancing in sankirtan, He is wearing nupur. And these nupur are jingling. Do you like jingling sound? All the instruments were being played in such a way that anyone could clearly hear this jingling sound. We should take note of this point.

(3)
mukunda madhava yadava hari,
bolena bolo re vadana bhori’,
miche nida-base gelo re rati,
divasa sarira-saje

Translation:
All the devotees chanted the names Mukunda, Madhava, Yadava and Hari, their mouths being filled with the vibrations. They would announce to the still sleeping people, “You spend your nights uselessly sleeping and your days decorating your bodies!

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare! This kirtan and then in between they used to sing the names like

hari haraye namah krishna yadavaya namah
yadavaya madhavaya kesavaya namah
gopala govinda rama sri-madhusudana

or they used to sing-
mukunda madhava yadava hari,
bolena bolo re vadana bhori’

When this sankirtan used to take place in Navadvipa, some devotees would do preaching and encouraging people, ‘You also sing. Mahaprabhu is singing, His followers and associates are singing. You also sing.’

jiva jago, jiv jago, gauracanda bole
kota nidra jao maya-pisacira kole

Translation:
Lord Gauranga is calling, “Wake up, sleeping souls! Wake up, sleeping souls! How long will you sleep in the lap of the witch called Maya?”
Caitanya Mahaprabhu is calling them, ‘you also sing mukunda madhava yadava hari and how should you sing? bolena bolo re vadana bhori, use some energy and sing with force. Don’t make sounds like a sparrow, chi-chi-chi. Use some force and sing with full heart. When you eat rasagulla, you open your mouth fully. Same way, open your mouths and sing, vadana bhori. Our Maharaj used to say, ‘Full heart, full throat, mouthful chanting!’

Sub-theme: Don’t waste rare human birth
miche nida-base gelo re rati, divasa sarira-saje, some devotees of this kirtan team are preaching the people, waking them up. ‘You people sleep the whole night,’ some devotees sleep even while chanting, ‘and when you wake up, in the day divasa sarira-saje, you spend time in decorating and feeding your bodies.

nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ
vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ
divā cārthehayā rājan
kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā

Translation:
The lifetime of such an envious householder is passed at night either in sleeping or in sex indulgence, and in the daytime either in making money or maintaining family members. [SB 2.1.3]

Sukadeva Goswami said in Bhagavatam, ‘You Grihamedhis’, some devotees are grihasthis, but mostly people are grihamedhis. These grihamedhis spend time in sleeping and mating and divā cārthehayā rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā, they get engaged in making money. Where is money, how can I earn. And why they need money? kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā, to maintain their families. They consider it their only duty. But they forget their duty of delivering the family members.

gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt
pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt
daivaṁ na tat syān na patiś ca sa syān
na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum

Translation:
One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod. [SB 5.5.18]

One should not become a sva-jana, relative, a father, a husband or a mother if you are not saving them from the death. It is also said that if you cannot deliver your disciples, then do not make disciples, do not become spiritual master. You have to make them devotees. This is you real duty. So, these members of kirtan team are preaching the people, ‘you are wasting your days and nights.’

(4)
emana durlabha manava-deho,
paiya ki koro bhava na keho,
ebe na bhajile yasoda-suta,
sarame poribe laje

Translation:
You have achieved such a rare human body, but you do not care for this gift. You remain not serving the darling of Yasoda and slowly fall through your last moments to death.

‘Listen, you have received this rare human birth.’
bhajahu re mana sri-nanda-nandana
abhaya-caranaravinda re
durlabha manava-janama sat-sange
taroho e bhava-sindhu re

Translation:
O mind, just worship the lotus feet of the son of Nanda, which make one fearless. Having obtained this rare human birth, cross over this ocean of wordly existence through the association of saintly persons.

How should you spend this rare human life? In the association of saintly persons! You get that association here in ISKCON. You have taken human birth, then go in ISCKON and attain satsang or go to Mayapur. There also saintly persons, devotees, Gaurabhaktas from all over the world come there. Take benefit of that. Do you feel ashamed of becoming a devotee of the Lord or to chant Harinam? Some people do not want to chant on beads. They think that ‘when people will see us while chanting, then what they will think about us?’ They feel ashamed. Be fearless and chant on beads. We can chant and do kirtan everywhere. Why to feel ashamed? Sometimes people seeing our bead-bag ask, ‘do you have fracture?’ Or sometimes people get afraid, ‘is there handgun?’ And Prabhupada has said, ‘Hare Krishna Hare Krishna; this Hare Krishna is a bomb or bullet. When we shower Harinam, Maya get destroyed and Krishna consciousness flourishes.’ Leave shame.

(5)
udita tapana hoile asta,
dina gelo boli’ hoibe byasta,
tabe keno ebe alasa hoy,
na bhaja hridoya-raje

Translation:
With every rising and setting of the sun, a day passes and is lost. Then, why do you remain idle and not serve the Lord of the heart?
Our days and nights are passing by.

taravaḥ kiṁ na jīvanti
bhastrāḥ kiṁ na śvasanty uta
na khādanti na mehanti
kiṁ grāme paśavo ’pare

Translation:
Do the trees not live? Do the bellows of the blacksmith not breathe? All around us, do the beasts not eat and discharge semen? [SB 2.3.18]
Sukadeva Gosvami has said, ‘why do you want long life? The trees of your town are hundreds of years’ old, taravaḥ kiṁ na jīvanti. Don’t do have long life? bhastrāḥ kiṁ na śvasanty uta, bellow of the blacksmith, have you seen? It throws out lot of air and that air helps to ignite fire. That bellow takes so much air in and out. You take very little air in your lungs. Bellow takes a lot of air in, but does that mean the bellow is superior? No! na khādanti na mehanti kiṁ grāme paśavo ’pare, the beasts of your town, they also eat, sleep and mehanti, mate. Is there anything special about your eating, sleeping and mating? It is same like the animals.

āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca
sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām
dharmo hi teṣām adhiko viśeṣo
dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ

Translation:
Eating, sleeping, sex, and defense – these four principles are common to both human beings and animals. The distinction between human life and animal life is that a man can search after God but an animal cannot. [Hitopadesa]

Eating, sleeping, mating and defending are common things. Animals also do this. You do something which even animals and birds cannot do and that is dharmo hi teṣām adhiko viśeṣo, only religion is additional thing which only a human being can do. Therefore go in satsang. durlabha manava-janama sat-sange taroho e bhava-sindhu re; leave laziness, na bhaja hridoya-raje, tabe keno ebe alasa hoy, and become enthusiastic.

utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt
tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt
saṅga-tyāgāt sato vṛtteḥ
ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati

Translation:
“One can execute the process of bhakti-yoga successfully with full-hearted enthusiasm, perseverance and determination, by following the prescribed duties in the association of devotees and by engaging completely in activities of goodness.” [Upadeśāmṛta 3]
Prabhupada used to say, ‘in ISCKON we do not want two types of people, no lazy and no crazy. Laziness is enemy of spiritual life. Shoot and kill this enemy. Become enthusiastic and serve the Lord. hridoya-raje, the king of your heart, the Lord, worship Him. Do kirtan.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Sub-theme: Seventh Gosvami
(6)
jivana anitya janaha sar,
tahe nana-vidha vipada-bhar,
namasraya kori’ jatane tumi,
thakaha apana kaje

Translation:
This temporary life is full of various miseries. Take shelter of the holy name as your only business.
Such a wonderful thing Bhakti Vinod Thakur is saying. Bhakti Vinod Thakur ki jay! He was also grihastha and district magistrate. He had big family with twelve kids. Now you have ‘ham do hamare do’, we two and our two kids. And now even only child. That ‘ashtaputra saubhagyavati bhava’, ashta-putra, you may have eight sons; they used to get such blessings. Bhakti Vinod Thakur had twelve kids; that mean he was very busy. Yet he used to chant 64 rounds. He used to sleep only for two to two and half hours; then after getting up he used to chant and write books. He became seventh Gosvami for Mayapur, Navadvipa. We have six Gosvamis of Vrindavan and seventh Gosvami is Bhakti Vinod Thakur. The work which Sad-gosvamis did in Vrindavan, that same work Bhakti Vinod Thakur alone did in Mayapur Navadvipa. He even found out the birthplace of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. No one knew where Caitanya Mahaprabhu took birth on Gaur Purnima. Bhakti Vinod Thakur with the help of his spiritual master

gauravirbhava-bhumes tvam nirdeshta saj-jana-priyah
vaishnava-sarvabhaumah shri-jagannathaya te namah

Translation:
I offer my respectful obeisances to Jagannatha dasa Babaji, who is respected by the entire Vaishnava community and who discovered the place where Lord Caitanya appeared.

He found out the birthplace of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and wrote many books. Here he is giving us suggestion, ‘take shelter of Harinam.’ As Krsna said

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

Translation:
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear. [BG 18.66]
We should take shelter of the holy name. namasraya kori’ jatane, and we should cherish this shelter. After receiving the shelter of Harinam, we should be alert that we should not lose it because of some offense. Be aware of Vaisnava aparadha.

kabe ha’be bolo se-dina āmār
(āmār) aparādha ghuci’, śuddha nāme ruci,
kṛpā-bale ha’be hṛdoye sañcār

Translation:
When, O when, will that day be mine? When will you give me your blessings, erase all my offences and give my heart a taste [ruci] for chanting the Holy Name in purity?

When will that day be mine? When will I nullify all my offenses? There are nama-aparadha, dhama-aparadha, seva-aparadha, vaisnava-aparadha; we should be aware of this and should not commit any offense. This is our business and seva for whole day. And thus we have to develop taste for the Holy Name. aparādha ghuci’, śuddha nāme ruci, kabe ha’be bolo se-dina āmār, when will that day be mine? Bhakti Vinod Thakur is saying, ‘take shelter of the Holy name.’ By doing this ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi, Harinam will protect us from all sins, mā śucaḥ, do not afraid.

Sub-theme: Realize the importance of Harinam
(7)
jivera kalyana-sadhana-kam,
jagate asi’ e madhura nam,
avidya-timira-tapana-rupe,
hrd-gagane biraje

Translation:
To penetrate the darkness of ignorance and bless everyone’s heart, the holy name has risen like the shining sun.
Bhakti Vinod Thakur told this around hundred and fifty years ago, but it still relevant today. He has said ‘this Holy name is for the welfare of the souls.’ jagate asi’, it has arrived in this world for the benefit of the souls. avidya-timira-tapana-rupe, hrd-gagane biraje, may it arise in the sky of our heart.

kṛṣṇa — sūrya-sama; māyā haya andhakāra
yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa, tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra

Tanslation:
Kṛṣṇa is compared to sunshine, and māyā is compared to darkness. Wherever there is sunshine, there cannot be darkness. As soon as one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the darkness of illusion (the influence of the external energy) will immediately vanish. [CC Madhya 22.31]
The sun of Harinam will arise in our heart and with that avidya-timira-tapana-rupe,

oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya
jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur-unmīlitaṁ yena
tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

Translation:
I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance.

When will your eyes open? Harinam will release us from the ignorance. And in the end Bhakti Vinod Thakur writes
(8)

krsna-nama-sudha koriya pan,
jurao bhakativinoda-pran,
nama bina kichu nahiko aro,
caudda-bhuvana-majhe

Translation:
Drink the pure nectar of the holy name. There is nothing but the name to be had in the fourteen worlds. It has filled the soul of Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

Krsna-nam is sudha, nectar, harinamamrta. Drink this nectar, krsna-nama-sudha koriya pan. nama bina kichu nahiko aro, caudda-bhuvana-majhe, what else is there in this world besides the Holy name.

yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa
cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam
śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ
govinda-viraheṇa me

Translation:
My Lord Govinda, because of separation from You, I consider even a moment a great millennium. Tears flow from My eyes like torrents of rain, and I see the entire world as void. [CC Antya 20.39]

What else is there in this world besides the Holy name of the Lord? What is there in the supermall, in the world, in Mogra? Most precious is the name of the Lord, dham of the Lord, and the service of the Lord. And this is the life. Apart from the Holy name of the Lord, there is nothing in the fourteen planetary system. This is realization of Bhakti Vinod Thakur. While meditating on this, we should improve our lives and should take our Krsna conscious life very seriously. Especially we should do chanting very carefully. Thank you.