kirtan or japa?

Question: Often there is more attention in kirtan rather than japa chanting. Which is more important?

Response: Kirtan and japa are both essential for our spiritual life. We take a vow when we receive initiation to chant at least 16 rounds of mala every day, and that is very, very essential for our own personal, private purification. We need to regulate our chanting to where nothing else around should in anyway disturb us. We should actually chant our japa in such a way that we have nothing else to do during that time otherwise you cannot chant attentively.

Krishna reveals Himself according to how we approach Him. If you are doing so many other things while you are chanting your japa, then Krishna’s name will be doing so many other things besides revealing Himself to you. But if you really want to show Krishna that you are serious, you will be in a place with the right people where you can just chant. No phone calls, no fax messages, no managerial decisions to be made. You should just sit and chant. We should really make a time of the day when that is the only priority; that is very important.

But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also taught the process of dancing and chanting; that is equally important. Which is more important to your health?

Let me ask Radha Rajya Prabhu, he is our most illustrious health expert. May I ask you a health question? What is more important for your health, eating or sleeping? Both. Can you live without eating? Sometimes. But you can sometimes be a devotee without chanting [laughs] but it doesn’t last very long. Can you live without sleeping? For some time; but then you go crazy. Prabhupada said who is crazy? The whole world is crazy because they have forgotten Krishna.

So similarly this chanting and dancing, and this japa; they are both very essential for proper spiritual development. The chanting and dancing - not only do we personally benefit but we present the name in such a loud way that even the neighbour and the police benefit, even the trees benefit and it creates a unity within society which is so pleasing and joyful.

So really there is no difference between japa and kirtan and bhajans. They are there for the same purpose and we make the best spiritual advancement when we accept the guidance of our great spiritual masters who teach us how to balance our life, like a good natural doctor. Similarly, Srila Prabhupada has taught us how to balance our life: have kirtan in the morning, have kirtan in the evening, and chanting japa in this way is very important. We should chant with the congregation, and we should chant our japa everyday. It is very nice if we have kirtan with our family at home or if we come to the temple on the regular basis and have kirtan with devotees. This is the sublime form of purification.