Question by Nafar Babu: Why do you not allow any pūrva-rāgadi-līlā- kīrtan or padavali kīrtan by those professional kīrtaniyas at Mayapur or at any Gaudiya Maṭha?
The answer by Śrīla Prabhupāda: There is some specialty in between līlā kīrtan and śṛṅgāra kīrtan. A jiva who is full of anārtha can do Śrī Gaura līlā kīrtan or Balya līlā kīrtan of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but if they try to hear about śṛṅgāra rasa kīrtan, than instead of maṅgala simply they can invite tremendous amaṅgala in their life.
Question by Nafar Babu: At least those devotees can hear and sing those kīrtan, what wrong in it?
The answer by Śrīla Prabhupāda: Who can pass judgment on this topic to decide who is devotee and who is non devotee? And again who is genuine devotee, why would he take trouble to arrange a judgment pass by materialistic person on this topic of devotee and non devotee to go under the control of their Lordship? A devotee– he himself can do kīrtan. Why would he go for non devotional association to hear kīrtan from hired kīrtaniya party (professional kīrtaniyas)? One should hear kīrtan from Śrī Gurudeva (śuddha guru– vaiṣṇava)
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With a motive to collect kanaka- kāminī-pratiṣṭhā, if we like to hear kīrtan from materialistic people, then we can never attain maṅgala in our life.
Question by Nafar Babu: We have seen that Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura used to hear kīrtan from those professional kīrtaniyas, and also he used to allow people to hear those kīrtan; why? Has he done any non devotional activity?
The answer by Śrīla Prabhupāda: Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura never heard any hari–kīrtan from any professional kīrtaniya or from any sense enjoyer or from any lascivious person or from any material woman. Just it was one kind of technique to draw the attention of those fanatic material people to drive them towards hari-bhajan to destroy their crazyness; it was just like the technique of catching crazy elephant by the help of trained elephant. Very very lascivious listeners those who always like to seek material satisfaction by hearing those attractive kīrtan (by those sahajiyās)- somehow they can come to Śrī Mayapur and ultimately by the influence of srī dhāma and sādhu-saṅga they somehow can attain some maṅgala. Even unknowingly if they can do some sevā of gaura-dhāma, then they can develop some good luck to attain the stage of bhaktābhāsa.
Question by Nafar Babu: Then what do you mean to say, he (Śrīla Ṭhākura) used arrange two different types of preaching process for two different groups, one for internal group and the other for external group?
The answer by Śrīla Prabhupāda: As such there is no any label as internal and external. Those who without any duplicity wanted to get his niskapat kṛpā and have accepted those very strict absolute Siddhānta vichars to the best of their ability or those who will do so in future they can became his internal devotees, and those who are busy with sense gratification or busy with apparently advantageous situation and circumstances, or those who will go that way in future, they are all external. In “Sajjana Toṣaṇī patrika”, in “Śrī Caitanya Śikṣāmṛta” or in “Jaiva Dharma”, in all such different books and papers he (Śrīla Ṭhākura ) has already discussed so many things on the topic of rasa-kīrtan. In his Sajjana Toṣaṇī 6/2 issue he wrote the article on the topic of “Bhakti-siddhānta-virodha & Rasābhāsa”, perhaps you also have gone through those writings of Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.
Mahājana vakya (speech) cannot reserve any space of rasābhāsa and siddhānta-virodha. A blind rasika man or singer-when try to add some special word to decorate his own tune of song, then this becomes rasābhāsa and siddhānta- virodha. Vaiṣṇava-siddhānta is extremely heavy. Those who are habituated to hear and discuss visuddha vaiṣṇava dharma for long time in the association of sādhu, they surely cannot commit virodha siddhānta vichar. …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Those professional kīrtan singer, they never gone for any sādhu-saṅga, even they do not know vaiṣṇava- siddhānta (after all the great defect with them is this- that they are professional by nature). So all their words used in their kīrtan seems to be an impact of thunderbolt in the ears of Vaiṣṇavas. …………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
After all there is one very dangerous misconception on the topic. Śrī Śrī Radha-Govinda related śṛṅgāra līlā sravan–kīrtan both are considered as the main upāsana and nittya bhajan. This most secret bhajan-līlā should not be sung in front of common people. This is strictly prohibited and also offensive.
“apan bhajan kathā na kohibe yathā tathā” (kīrtan by Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura Mahashay)
Meaning: Personal secret bhajan topics should not be shared with common people.
On the basis of the strong faith in this ācārya vākya – hearing rasa-tattva kīrtan (song) from the mouth of professional kīrtan singer can bring great aparādha in our life. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
The place where all common adhikārī are present, at that place bhagavan-nama and parthana kīrtan or the song related to dāsya rasa should be sung. The place where unmixed pure Vaiṣṇavas are present (if at all their adhikārī permit them) they can hear rasa kīrtan and during hearing rasa kīrtan, can feel their respective bhajan bhava according to their respective svarūpa. If such restriction going to abolish the song system at all, still Vaiṣṇavas can attain maṅgala. With money making policy and with sensual gratification mood- if it is allowed to go on the system of rasa kīrtan (song), then this is nothing but the dirty policy of Kali.
Special Note by Śrīla Prabhupāda:
Do not hear hari-kathā from a man having no acharan. If you all have shortage of acharan, then do not go for hari-kathā preaching, just close the door to preach hari-kathā in front of yourself.