Tune

Expressions researched:
"attuned" |"tune" |"tuned" |"tunes"

SB Canto 4

SB 4.21.42, Purport:

A perfect Vaiṣṇava, or Kṛṣṇa conscious person, is always in this transcendental position because he speaks according to Kṛṣṇa and His representative. Because Vaiṣṇavas speak exactly according to the tune of Kṛṣṇa, whatever they say is free from these four defects. For example, Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā that everyone should always think of Him, everyone should become His devotee, offer Him obeisances and worship Him, and ultimately everyone should surrender unto Him. These devotional activities are transcendental and free from mistakes, illusion, cheating and imperfection. Therefore anyone who is a sincere devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa and who preaches this cult, speaking only on the basis of Kṛṣṇa's instructions, is understood to be virajam, or free from the defects of material contamination. A genuine brāhmaṇa or Vaiṣṇava therefore depends eternally on the conclusion of the Vedas or Vedic versions presented by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.

SB Canto 8

SB 8.15.21, Translation:

The city was filled with the sounds of mṛdaṅgas, conchshells, kettledrums, flutes and well-tuned stringed instruments all playing in concert. There was constant dancing and the Gandharvas sang. The combined beauty of Indrapurī defeated beauty personified.

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

SB 10.13.51, Purport:

"Only Kṛṣṇa is the supreme master, and all others are His servants. As Kṛṣṇa desires, everyone dances according to His tune.' (CC Adi 5.142)

There are two kinds of living entities-the moving and the nonmoving. Trees, for example, stand in one place, whereas ants move. Brahmā saw that all of them, down to the smallest creatures, had assumed different forms and were accordingly engaged in the service of Lord Viṣṇu.

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 10.158, Purport:

Thus he went to Vṛndāvana, where he engaged in reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. He was so expert in reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that he would recite each and every verse in three melodious tunes. While Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was living with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Lord blessed him by offering him betel nuts offered to the Jagannātha Deity and a garland of tulasī said to be as long as fourteen cubits. Under Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī’s order, one of his disciples constructed the Govinda temple. Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī supplied all the ornaments of the Govinda Deity. He never talked of nonsense or worldly matters but always engaged in hearing about Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day. He never cared to hear blasphemy of a Vaiṣṇava.

CC Antya-lila

CC Antya 13.79, Translation:

She sang a gujjarī tune in a very sweet voice, and because the subject was Jayadeva Gosvāmī’s Gīta-govinda, the song attracted the attention of the entire world.

CC Antya 13.128, Translation:

His voice was as sweet as a cuckoo's, and he would recite each verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in three or four tunes. Thus his recitations were very sweet to hear.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna Book 18:

Vṛndāvana is such a nice place. Flowers are always blooming, and there are even various kinds of decorated deer. Birds are chirping, peacocks are crowing and dancing, and bees are humming. The cuckoos there sing nicely in five kinds of tunes.

Kṛṣṇa, the reservoir of pleasure, blowing His flute, accompanied by His elder brother Balarāma and the other cowherd boys and the cows, entered the beautiful forest of Vṛndāvana to enjoy the atmosphere. They walked into the midst of newly grown leaves of trees whose flowers resembled peacock feathers. They were garlanded by those flowers and decorated with saffron chalk. Sometimes they were dancing and singing and sometimes wrestling with one another.

Krsna Book 45:

First of all They learned how to sing, how to compose songs and how to recognize the different tunes; They learned the favorable and unfavorable accents and meters, how to sing different kinds of rhythms and melodies, and how to follow them by beating different kinds of drums. They learned how to dance to the rhythm of melody and different songs. They learned how to write dramas, and They learned the various types of painting, from simple village arts up to the highest perfectional stage. They also learned how to paint tilaka on the face by making different kinds of dots on the forehead and cheeks. Then They learned the art of making paintings on the floor with a liquid paste of rice and flour; such paintings are very popular at auspicious ceremonies performed at household affairs or in the temple.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Los Angeles, July 1, 1970:

Prabhupāda: Diṣu, short. Śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ.

Devotees: Śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ.

Prabhupāda: So these Bhāgavata verses, if it is chanted with little tune, then it is very nice. The tune should be like this: (repeats verse with tune) Like that.

Devotees: Jaya. (laughing)

Prabhupāda: Yes. Try to hear and... (chanting with tune:) varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ (SB 2.1.1).

Devotees: Varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ.

Prabhupāda: Kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa.

Lecture on SB 2.9.1 -- Tokyo, April 20, 1972:

Prabhupāda: Na ghaṭetārtha-sambandhaḥ. Svapna-draṣṭur ivāñjasā. Next. Next. You read. Go on. One after another. (continues devotee reciting, Prabhupāda correcting) You read the transliteration. The thing is hearing the meter and repeat. That's all. The writing is already there, transliteration. Simply you have to hear the written. Just like you have chanted so many verses, songs, by hearing. The hearing is very important. A child learns another language simply by hearing, pronunciation, hearing. That is natural. If we hear one thing repeatedly, you will learn. You will learn. So one has to hear little attentively. Then it will be easy. There is no difficulty. Just like you are singing our song in tune, (sings)

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- San Francisco, March 1, 1967:

Otherwise stop producing cats and dogs.

So no sense is stopped, but you have to utilize it for Kṛṣṇa. You can walk to Kṛṣṇa's temple, you can dance to the tune of Kṛṣṇa's song, you can eat nice foodstuff, you can see very beautiful Deities, you can hear very beautiful sound, you can talk on Kṛṣṇa philosophically from Bhāgavata and Bhagavad-gītā. So everything in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no stoppage. And devotional service means that purifying the senses and engage them in the service of Kṛṣṇa. Tat-paratvena nirmalam. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). One has to get himself freed from all material designations. We are impure because we are compact in designation: "Oh, I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am white," "I am black." So these are all designation.

Lecture on SB 7.7.29-31 -- San Francisco, March 15, 1967, (incomplete lecture):

Just go on chanting and dancing. This is worship. That we are doing every day. No more, no more going to anywhere. You just keep Lord Caitanya before you and go on chanting and dancing. Your all worship finished. It is very simple. Very simple. We are simply just demonstrating everything. You can do it. You can have a picture like this and you can chant with the tune. If you like, you can play the record and chant. That is very nice. So all worship is concentrated there. Here it is said that sādhu-bhaktānām saṅgena and īśvarārādhanena ca, and you have to worship. So if you make this process, then you become fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness wherever you live and whatever you are, and your life is perfect. And there is nothing objectionable. This picture, anyone can have.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 8, 1972:

You may be Jews. You may be Muhammadan or Hindu, Muslim. Whatever you may be, it doesn't matter. Please come and join with us, the Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting. Actually, that has become successful. In Tompkins Square, I was sitting underneath a tree and chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra alone. And these young men, they used to assemble and dance also in the tune, for three hours—from two to five. In this way, we got our followers, associates. And gradually it developed into organization. So in the beginning we did not impose so many rules and regulations. There is no rules and regulations. First thing required: ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Unless one's heart is cleansed, he cannot accept rules and regulations. That is not possible. Cora nasane dharme khaiḥ (?). If, if a man is thief, and if you give him moral instruction, that "Stealing is very sinful; do not do it," he will not care for it. A butcher, if you advise him that "Animal killing is very bad. It is sinful," he'll not accept it. That is not possible.

General Lectures

Srila Prabhupada and Disciples Speak -- New York, April 9, 1969:

Of course, not in the beginning, but actually, one who has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa fully, without any reservation, his life is perfect. That's all.

So keep this attitude of surrendering and then everything will come, perfection. And this remembrance also will be kept by chanting the mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Yes. Prabhati, Prabhati(?) should... Morning tune. Yes.

Lecture at Harvard University -- Boston, December 24, 1969:

Student (1): Apparently, there are two parts to this. The first, the kīrtana singing and dancing, to some extent resembles the rock music that appears in the Western world within the last five years. Very notably the Beatles song last year, "Hey Jude," in the second part, is very similar in tune to this. The second, which is quite remote, but there is a connection—your message is similar in some ways to the message of evangelical or fundamentalist teachers in Christianity, who are taking the name of Jesus Christ...

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Student (1): ...and excluding everything other than complete devotion to Christ. Would you comment on this?

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Plotinus:

Prabhupāda: ...they are singing in the tune, sometimes attention diverted by the audience, it becomes out of the tune. Similarly we, when we divert our attention to the illusory energy, then we fall down, and although we remain the same part and parcel of the Lord, but the influence of the material energy covers us, and we identify with the covering elements, and life after life bodies changing, and we are identify with the covering, and this is our miserable condition of material existence. And therefore first education is that "I am not this covering." That is spiritual education. That is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā instruction, that "You are not this body. Arjuna, you are not this body. Why you are taking this bodily concepts of life, your relatives, your family, so seriously? It is all foolishness. It is accidental. You are born in this family, and you have got so-called relatives. You are actually spirit. So now you are identifying with this bodily concept of life, you are member of the Kuru family. Then as soon as this change of body takes place, you will again enter into the dog's family or cat's family or demigod's family.

Purports to Songs

Spelling of Arati Song -- Los Angeles, December 31, 1968:

Yes. Everything will come out nice, beautiful. (break—Prabhupāda sings mahāmantra in morning tune, also mixing the words) Like that. I asked you not to sit down before Deity like that. You should always sit very respectfully. This is to be practiced. So these words can be mixed in a different way to make the sound palatable. That's all. Just repeat. The Hare Kṛṣṇa is there, but in a different way. That's all. (end)

Purport to Jaya Radha-Madhava -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971:

...gopī-jana-vallabha giri-vara-dhārī, yasoda-nandana braja-jana-rañjana yamunā-tīra-vana-cārī. This small song you can practice. The tune I can give you. (Prabhupāda sings each line and devotees respond, then with mṛdaṅga and karatālas.) This is actual picture of Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā-Mādhava giri-vara-dhārī. Original Kṛṣṇa this is. Rādhā-Mādhava giri-vara-dhārī. Vraja-jana-vallabha. His business is to please the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. That's all. He has no other business. And the vraja-jana also, they have no other business than to please Kṛṣṇa. That's all. This is original Kṛṣṇa. Vraja-jana-vallabha giri-vara-dhārī. And first business is Rādhā-Madhave. Of course, Kṛṣṇa is concerned with everyone, especially concerned with Rādhārāṇī. Rādhā-Mādhava, kuñja-bihārī, and enjoys with Rādhā in different kuñjas, bushes, of Vṛndāvana. And then, yaśodā-nandana. Next He wants to please His mother, Yaśodā. Yaśodā-nandana vraja-jana-rañjana. And Kṛṣṇa is very affectionate to all the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. The son of Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja. They love Kṛṣṇa, all the elderly persons. They love.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 12, 1969, New York:

Prabhupāda: So śaśan ke adhikārī means they should be punished. (laughs) Punished means, just like dhol, when the, I mean to say, sound is not very hard, dag-dag, if you beat it on the border, then it comes to be nice tune. Similarly, paśu, animals, if you request, "My dear dog, please do not go there." Hut! (laughter) "No, my dear dog." Hut! This is the way.(?) Similarly, woman. If you become lenient, then she will be troublesome. So in India still, in villages, whenever there is some quarrel between husband wife, the husband beats and she is tamed. (laughs) In civilized society, "Oh, you have done this?" Immediately some criminal case. But in uncivilized society they don't care for court or civilized way of... Kicharī. (prasādam being served)

Room Conversation -- April 27, 1969, Boston:

Haṁsadūta: What are they called?

Prabhupāda: It costs not much with single... (Someone turns on tape of chanting) Oh, the... Middle. Middle. What is this? Tune? Tune? No, what is called?

Satsvarūpa: Speed.

Prabhupāda: Speed. Yes. That's all right. Oh, so many things. This is the rest of...

Haṁsadūta: Conchshell.

Prabhupāda: Is it broken?

Haṁsadūta: A little bit. What is this for, Swamiji?

Prabhupāda: This pancapātra.

Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg -- May 11, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Hayagrīva: I don't know how long we will keep a big audience there. That is to say, after the first hour they might start milling out. But if we keep half an audience, that would be nice.

Allen Ginsberg: Yeah, well, half will stay. Then the other thing is what tune to use in the kīrtanas? I use several tunes.

Prabhupāda: That as you like.

Allen Ginsberg: I would like to begin with the one I've been using. Is that all right? Or do you want to end with that? Or whatever we want.

Hayagrīva: How can we get the people to join in? That's a big thing. We'd like to have the audience to join us.

Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg -- May 11, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Allen Ginsberg: The question I'm asking basically is, one question I'm asking is, would it be all right to use the tune I've been using at one point or another?

Hayagrīva: Well, tomorrow night, if we can practice together, we can play together some...

Pradyumna: We have four drums, cymbals, and a taṁburā.

Hayagrīva: We can use yours and we can use ours. When we chant, it's easier for a large group to follow. It's very simple. First, we sing a couple of melodies. Then we can practice in a little while and see which one is (indistinct).

Allen Ginsberg: Okay.

Hayagrīva: I think once they get into the chanting, your melody might be a little difficult for them to follow. I'm not sure. Because it varies. There's variation there.

Allen Ginsberg: The problem, though, is that I've never been able to swing with it before. That's why I haven't used it. So what I would suggest is... Okay. We'll practice it tomorrow.

Hayagrīva: We can swing, I'm sure we can swing something.

Allen Ginsberg: Yes. But whatever we do, we got to swing.

Hayagrīva: That's for sure. But there've been... See what you think of various melodies. We play various melodies and see how we can come out. Another thing, do you want to have responsive chanting?

Prabhupāda: Responsive chanting must be there.

Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg -- May 12, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Ranadhir: I think when they worship, they're allowed to say God's name, it's just when they're not, when they're talking about Him outside the temple that they have to use different name.

Hayagrīva: We've got to tune some harmoniums.

Allen Ginsberg: Yes, we have to work on the music boxes. We have to start material preparations for the evening.

Prabhupāda: That is not material. (laughter) We have no,...

Allen Ginsberg: A śabda preparation.

Prabhupāda: Yes, śabda is originally spi..., śabda-brahman.

Allen Ginsberg: We have to find out if all the...

Room Conversation With John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and George Harrison -- September 11, 1969, London, At Tittenhurst:

Gurudāsa: It is. In the 150th Psalm it says, "Praise the Lord with every breath. Praise the Lord with drum and flute."

John Lennon: But they haven't got very good tunes, you know. I mean, they haven't been passing on any good chants, have they?

Mukunda: They don't have the aural disciplic succession with the Bible. It's broken.

John Lennon: It's just a matter of archetype (?). I mean, would it be as effective to chant, "Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, Hail Lord Jesus"?

Devotee: If you're sincere, sure.

John Lennon: But it's a waste of time of doing it unsincerely, isn't it?

Yoko Ono: Yeah, it depends on sincerity.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Lord Jesus says that he is son of God. He's son of God.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 2, 1972, Sydney:

Śyāmasundara: But He is always playing the tune, Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Śyāmasundara: Kṛṣṇa is always playing the tune by which everyone is dancing?

Prabhupāda: No. You wanted to dance like this, He is giving facility. He is not in agreement with you.

Śyāmasundara: Oh, I see.

Prabhupāda: Otherwise, why does He say, "You give up all this nonsense, you surrender"? He does not approve, but he wanted to dance, "All right, you take the facility, dance." He doesn't like that you should dance like that, but he wants. "All right, you dance. You can take the facility, dance." Just like my Guru Mahārāja, Tīrtha Mahārāja wanted his property. "All right, take this property." But what he is doing?

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversations with Sannyasis -- March 15, 1974, Vrndavana:

Acyutānanda: Yes. Well, for myself in particular, I don't think that many people take my words very heavily. There is so much bad talking about me. First they say the songs are māyā, then the tunes are māyā. They have, behind my back I hear all kinds of things they are saying. So nobody takes my words seriously. Even though I may quote from any scripture right, they don't respect me.

Prabhupāda: What is that māyā? Songs are māyā?

Acyutānanda: As soon as I left Calcutta, then all the bhajanas, they are all, "Oh that's Gauḍīya Maṭha poison." Then, "Ok, the songs are all right, but the tunes are poison." Now how can I overcome that?

Room Conversation with Sanskrit Professor -- August 13, 1973, Paris:

Prabhupāda: No, wife also involved. Everyone is involved. The child is also involved. You'll find in our class a small child dancing to the tune. Yes. We have opened one school for children in Dallas. All the gṛhastha-bhaktas, those who have got children, we send there. Have you got pictures of Dallas? So there we have got very nice building, and, about, for the present, about near about hundred students. They're simply taught Sanskrit and English.

Professor: Nothing else.

Prabhupāda: Nothing else. Later on, little geometry, geography, mathematics. They're not meant for outside work. They're meant for as soon as they learn Sanskrit and English, they'll read these books.

Room Conversation -- September 19, 1973, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: And in London, Oxford Street, the most crowded street, just like our Bombay, Harley Road... So in the big, big cities they are now chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, dancing. People are enjoying. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). You can play this record at home and dance in tune and enjoy.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They are bringing it. This is the record, Every Town and Village. They are bringing the machine.

Prabhupāda: We are arrested by the police sometimes. Sometimes there are big cases against us. In Ireland. Ireland?

Pradyumna: Ireland, Scotland, in Edinburgh, too.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran:

Prabhupāda: By chanting, yes.

Lady: ...by chanting of worldly name, tuned on prayer...

Prabhupāda: That is not worldly name. Why do you mistake that? God's name is not worldly.

Lady: Because if you, if you really know the tuning of God...

Prabhupāda: Do you think Allah is wordly name?

Lady: We recognize that it is before Kṛṣṇa...

Prabhupāda: That's all right, you recognize it. Allah, Allah is not worldly name. It is given by the authority Muhammad so you have to chant it, who knows God.

Room Conversation with the Rector, Professor Olivier and Professors of the University of Durban, Westville -- October 8, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: It is the foundation.

Prof. Olivier: It's the foundation. But we know so little about the foundation. When the rich man in the Bible asked the Lord to send this poor man down to warn his brothers, the Lord said they've had all the prophets all the years and they haven't listened. Any new evidence they will not accept either. I think that we have enough evidences around us. We need not seek more evidences, except I believe, through more direct contact with the workings of the holy spirit itself, which I think is available. But again, which I agree with you, I don't think we have exploited enough. You could use that word advisedly. Because the spirit is there. "It bloweth where it listeth." It is for us to get attuned to that spirit. And now the point is, that we are concerned with: Who is going to do this?

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 11, 1976, Mayapur:

Yaśodānandana: Many temples also in South India, they have all the functions in the morning-waking up the Deity, bathing the Deity, dressing the Deity, they have different shenai tunes for that. Every temple.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Similarly here introduce.

Guru-kṛpā: You should play your flute. Tamāla Kṛṣṇa knows how to play the flute.

Prabhupāda: No flute.

Guru-kṛpā: He can learn to play the shenai, though.

Prabhupāda: No, shenai, yes. Very good.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There's a man here that's been here. He knows how to play shenai.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Evening Darsana -- July 7, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Bill Sauer: That's correct. Matter and energy are really the same thing. It's another form, that's correct. So once you have light, you have the source of life, and then you have to have an enormously creative power to take the light, move it into a form which can become life. It started out as single cells in the ocean or simple chemicals in the ocean, then single-celled, then more complex celled, all with an extraordinarily complicated creative power causing the light to flow through, to create a new image, which is light. And it's very similar, as you understand the television picture has the same electromagnetic energy that we are. We, with our simple brains, can take electromagnetic energy, tune it, transmit it, retune it as a two-dimensional picture. The creative power in life has taken the same electromagnetic coming from the sun, and has tuned it in the form of living images, three-dimensional images, far, far more complicated than our simple television.

Dr. Sharma: I'll read your book page by page and you do the same number of chanting. (laughter)

Bill Sauer: All right.

Dr. Sharma: Okay?

Bill Sauer: Yes, sir.

Dr. Sharma: And you'll be surprised what happens. I'm a hard-core scientist, and to me, it's a transformation, absolutely. I'll read your book and you read the transformation. I'm sure you'll get ahead much quicker than me.

Bill Sauer: I've talked to your people, and I think there's pretty much agreement on the fundamental philosophical concept.

Dr. Sharma: There's something magnetic about it, something creative which comes from inside.

Prabhupāda: Where is our scientist?

Conversation with George Harrison -- July 26, 1976, London:

Prabhupāda: In India, all different states they have got different alphabets, but the Sanskrit is the same. There is no change in Sanskrit. India's culture, all the provinces, they talk a little Sanskrit. If you chant this mantra according to the Sanskrit tune, oh, your admirers will take it very nicely. (laughter) And that will be a great benefit to the mass of people.

George Harrison: I don't know if they'd like it.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (laughs)

George Harrison: They don't understand. Already they don't understand such a lot. Even if you say it in English. Even when you say things to them in English, they don't understand.

Prabhupāda: That word Kṛṣṇa, if they hear, that will be sufficient.

Conversation with George Harrison -- July 26, 1976, London:

George Harrison: No, it was last year. And "He who is complete, three worlds at His feet, cause of every star, it is He, jaya śrī kṛṣṇa." It's a nice song. But I took the old, the tune that we sang in Vṛndāvana, and just make slightly different, you know, with chords, chord patterns.

Prabhupāda: So in your next record, you can give this. (laughter)

George Harrison: (break) ...this little girl, he had a baby girl and was trying to think of a name, so I told him to call it Dhara, you know? 'Cause from Rādhā-rādhārādhārādhā—it becomes dhārā. So he called his girl that name.

Jayatīrtha: There's a story of Valmiki, you know that story?

Gurudāsa: Maramaramaramaramaramara.

Room Conversation -- September 17, 1976, Vrndavana:

Hari-śauri: To learn how to sing them nicely. To learn how to sing them?

Prabhupāda: Yes. I can give them the tune. (chants first line of another verse) (break) ...ghnantaṁ go-mithunaṁ padā. This is Kali-yuga's king. Nṛpa-liṅga. Dressed like king. Nṛpa-liṅga-dharam, but śūdra. Nṛpa-liṅga-dharaṁ śūdraṁ ghnantaṁ go-mithunaṁ padā. Very expert in cow-killing.

Hari-śauri: That's a very accurate prediction.

Prabhupāda: Third-class, fourth-class men, dressed like President and king. Business: plunder money from the citizens and kill cow. 1965, 17 September, I landed at Boston.

Room Conversation -- November 25, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: No, no. Not in the temple. I... I want... If the wordings are all right, so there is no... If there is no mistake in the set-up of the wording, the change of musical tune, that is not harmful.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: This one tape that Alex has made, he gave me a copy in Bombay to listen. I just played it...

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa, this vibration, you can make in different tune. We are already doing that.

Hari-śauri: We're talking about these songs that they are writing.

Jagadīśa: Philosophy songs.

Prabhupāda: And therefore we have to see the words.

Room Conversation with Life Member, Mr. Malhotra -- December 22, 1976, Poona:

Prabhupāda: This is called musical science, Jala-taraṅga. Jala, taraṅga means vibration, different vibrations. Still there are, among the musicians, there are artists, they'll put vials and make the different tunes by filling it with water. (SP makes sound dn dn dn dn dn) (break)

Mr. Malhotra: This place is full of tourists from Bombay, from all of Gujarat. (break) Pancagani is one place, and 12 miles difference Mahabalesvara. Also it is twin city like Secunderabad, Hyderabad. (break) In the morning when you go for walk you will find local ladies getting load of food collected from the forests and taking. Very old, old type of life (break) ...this place. I visited Switzerland and I visited almost every hill station of the country, and almost practically entire world. But I find this place of a different solace, (break) ...and second, it is very neat and clean.

Morning Walk -- December 25, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Very simple thing, "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." I have not given them any bribe. I have not shown them any magic of gold manufacturing. From the very beginning I said, "You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." But that is becoming fruitful.

Guest (1): That gives them peace of mind, because their mind gets attuned to something that is good.

Prabhupāda: But that they will not take.

Guest (2): That they will not take for what reason?

Prabhupāda: Reason is: "This is cheap. The swami is giving something cheap." Nowadays it has become a fashion, "Meditation." What nonsense meditation he will do?" This is going on. He cannot take cheap thing.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversations -- February 20, 1977, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: John Lennon. (Govindam record playing in background)

Prabhupāda: At that time I used to come to Conway Hall. It took at least one hour. Then they inquired. In that car I was singing with this tune, govindam ādi-puruṣam. So they adjusted this word, George, Mukunda and...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yamunā.

Prabhupāda: And took up this tune. I was repeating. They were chanting within the car while coming from Conway Hall to... That is intelligence.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Not to do anything new, simply to explain in one's own way.

Prabhupāda: This song was favorite to me since very, very long time. This album was very popular in Europe and America.

Room Conversation -- April 19, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: That's all. Mūrkhasya lakuṭauṣadhi(?). When a person is fool number one, beat him. That's all. Ḍhol gobara...(?) Tulasī dāsa has said, ḍhol gobara śūdra paśu nārī, ei saba śāsana ke adhikārī. Ḍhol, drum, you have to bring it to the tune by beating, "tung, tung." Gobara. Gobara means fool person. Paśu, animal. Ḍhol, gobara, pa..., śūdra, and nārī, woman. They should be punished to bring them into order. Ei saba śāsana ke adhikārī. Otherwise they will spoil. A barking dog, you cannot pacify him, "My dear dog, don't bark." It will disturb him: "No!" Ḍhol gobara śūdra paśu nārī, ei saba śāsana ke... So anyone who is denying the existence of God, he is a rascal number one and beat him with shoes. Bas. He is being beaten with shoes by nature.

Room Conversation -- October 21, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: It is plastic?

Bharadvāja: Yes, Completely, everything. And it can be tuned also on the spot. There is a key, and with this key you can tune it up. The heads never break, but if they happen to break they can be immediately replaced within... They can get extra heads and it takes about two minutes to change, to put a new head on.

Prabhupāda: Hm!

Bharadvāja: So Īśāna has worked very hard to fulfill your order, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Now he's successful.

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Sumati Morarjee -- New York 27 October, 1965:

The American public also give reception to the Indian art and music. So many of them come and every one of them is given good reception. Recently one dancer from Madras came here (Balasaraswati) and just to see the mode of reception, I went to see the dance with a friend although for the last forty years I have never attended such dance ceremony. The dancer was successful in her demonstration. The music was in Indian classical tune mostly in sanskrit language and the American public appreciated them. So I was encouraged to see the favorable circumstances about my future preaching work.

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Gargamuni -- San Francisco 3 February, 1967:

I hope Kirtanananda has already arrived destination. I shall be glad to hear from him. Hope you are all well and performing Kirtana regularly. Kirtanananda has learned one tune to be sung in the morning which please practice as far as possible. Brahmananda must attend his office timely so that he may not be called for explanation or reprimanded. Now Kirtanananda is there and I think there will be no difficulty in the management. I have received the cover of the record and hope to receive the records as early as possible.

Letter to Mukunda -- New York 6 June, 1967:

The record which you have sent singing Sri Ram, Jaya Ram, Jaya Jaya Ram, and other Kirtana is really a new turn and we have enjoyed the record so nicely. This Narada Muni song is in your country tune and I think it will attract many more of common man to join the Kirtana so you should practice this standard Kirtana more conveniently so that during your Rathayatra festival you can have this singing with the procession.

Please inform all the devotees, boys and girls, especially Janaki devi, that I am progressing well. As soon as I get a little strength for travelling I shall come to San Francisco. In the meantime I shall be very glad to know what arrangements you are going to do for the Rathayatra festival. Make it a grand procession and unique introduction in the United States.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Harikrishnadas Aggarwal -- Los Angeles 3 March, 1968:

Some years before, when I was staying in your Prem Kutir you expressed your desire to organize a SANKIRTAN party, and I wish that it may be done now to help me in my mission. If you have got opportunity to purchase one copy of Life Magazine, published Feb. 9, 1968, you will find there on page 56, how nicely the American boys and girls are dancing and chanting the Holy Name of the Lord. A Sankirtana party as they can be organized in India is not possible here. Here the boys and girls, they are very serious about chanting, but they are not trained singers, or singers in the tune we chant in India. Therefore, I wish that if you organize a Sankirtana party there, completely trained in spiritual ways, and the American students combine with them, I think a very nice Sankirtana party can be organized to travel all over the world.

Letter to Brahmananda -- San Francisco 9 September, 1968:

You will be pleased to know that this morning I experimented with my harmonium, and of course, it is just an experiment, still all the girls present here and Tamala Krishna also, they liked the tune very much. Maybe such Sankirtana solo singing; I can give so many. I can give so many verses, just like Cintamani Prakara Sadmasu . . . and explain them in English, so we can produce not only pictures, but also records, in so many ways. So you should be serious about taking quotation of the records as soon as possible and immediately we shall print some records. So far I know, that the records, small records, as Gargamuni told me, it does not cost more than 10 cents. But this big record will not cost more than 50 cents, including everything, I am sure. Anyway, you seriously take quotations about the album, about printing, and just see what will be the cost.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Yamuna -- Hawaii 13 March, 1969:

I am giving you herewith the transliteration of the song, Sri Krishna Caitanya Prabhu, along with the meaning. If you have got the record, please practice it with the tune and it will be very nice. I think you have sent the Prasadam formula for Purusottama but he is not with me just now, he is in L.A. I am in Hawaii, so I am sending the formula to him with my next letter.

Letter to Dinesh -- New Vrindaban 10 June, 1969:

The Sankirtana Movement is not my invention. So how can it be copyrighted? Besides that, as you will find in the album of my previous recording, the chanting of Hare Krishna is going on since time immemorial. So Hare Krishna cannot be copyrighted, although the tune in which I sing with my disciples, that may be made copyrighted. I have no objection to sign this agreement, but don't be misled that the chanting of Hare Krishna or Lord Caitanya's Movement can be made copyrighted.

There are some points in the contract which are not very clear, so you may explain them to me further by post. The points are as follows: "ISKCON shall have the sole and exclusive right and authority to collect preserve and distribute all tangible expressions of said sound vibrations."

Letter to Gaurasundara -- Los Angeles 2 August, 1969:

Also, I am very encouraged to learn that you have your own radio show for one hour every Sunday morning. Here in Los Angeles I have so many tapes of my singing prayers, chanting new tunes of Hare Krishna, playing mrdanga, and purports to prayers. So if you think that some of these tapes will be nice for your program, I will have copies made of some of them and have them sent to you.

Please convey my blessings to Heroine Govinda Dasi. Yes, it is nice if she can draw pictures for BTG covers. She may ask Brahmananda what pictures will be required for upcoming covers. But as she is still sometimes feeling weak, she should not tire herself out in this connection. Please convey my blessings to all of the others.

Letter to Syamasundara -- Los Angeles 13 August, 1969:

Regarding your recording of Nama Om and Hare Krishna, it is very, very good and everyone says that it is technically all-perfect. So your endeavor to induce the Beatles to cooperate with us is successful to a greater extent. Now when I shall go to London I shall carry with me various other recordings sung by me, and if these recordings can be attuned in the same technical perfection, then under my direction we can produce at least one dozen Hare Krishna recordings in varieties of tunes. I am sure people will like them very much when they are presented through Mr. George Harrison and his company. I am very glad to learn that Mr. George Harrison was playing on harmonium and guitar; Digvijaya and Gurudasa were playing karatalas; Yamuna and Malati were singing; and you were playing dilruba. Kulasekhara is so nice khole player I thought it was being played by Mukunda. Why do I not find the name of Mukunda?

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Syamasundara -- Los Angeles 25 February, 1970:

I will give the theme and if the sound is Westernized that does not matter. But another point is that this specific sound of Kirtana as I sing is also another introduction of art that can be intermingled with Western art, and such combination will certainly be appreciated. But so far I know that the Kirtana tune is a specific representation of Gaudiya Vaisnavas and this tune is appreciated all over India as unique. They say that the Kirtana tune is the specific gift of Bengal, and that is a fact. So why not utilize this tune in the Western countries under the able guidance of such expert musician as George?

If you arrange, I will certainly come during Rathayatra. You will have to arrange for passages for at least two men, coming and going.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Gaura Hari -- Los Angeles 9 July, 1971:

So give them protection and instruct them so that they may not go away. We recruit devotees with great difficulty. So they must be well-treated. New men may not always behave so nicely but we must be tolerant. To train a new man is like training a wild animal to be a pet. Just like the tiger is trained in the circus and later on they are dancing to the tune of the master. So the point being stressed is training. A preacher should always be tolerant.

I am so glad to hear how nicely Tulsi is growing. That is the sign of substantial devotional service. Every center should be encouraged to grow Tulsi. If there is any impediment in growing Tulsi, that means that devotional service is defective. Yes, Jagannatha Deities may be carved and installed later on. So I will give you instructions how they should be installed. First of all, let them be carved.

Letter to Ekayani -- London 31 August, 1971:

I am very glad that your mother is also taking interest in Krishna Consciousness. That is very good. As you have to leave Boston very soon it is better that you go immediately to N.Y. and live peacefully with your husband. That is my order. I hope you will not disobey me.

So far your questions: Any tune can be used. When it is in relationship with Krishna, that makes it bona fide; Some precautionary measure should be taken to keep bugs from the altar and Deity. You cannot allow them to disturb the Deity. Best is that you try and catch them and throw them out rather than kill them but if killing them is the only alternative, what can be done?; Tulasi plants are liberated souls who want to serve Krishna in that way. Anyone who even desires to serve Krishna is liberated, what to speak of one who is actually engaged in devotional service; expansion means remains in Goloka Vrindaban and at the same time expands all over the universe.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Suresvara -- Nairobi 3 February, 1972:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated Sept. 19 and have noted the contents carefully.

I have just received it along with other mail which was forwarded from London. I am in due receipt of your $5.00 daksina, and I thank you very much. The verses of the Gita have a specific melody but you may choose a suitable tune. Most important is that the melody remains very simple. You can take further direction from Kirtanananda Maharaja regarding these matters.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Hamsaduta -- Bombay 12 November, 1974:

The songs which I have recorded there I have heard today on the record, and they are very nice, especially the "Prayers to the Six Goswamis." It has come out very successful on the whole. I hope the German people will like the Bengali tunes. What is the report of how they are selling?

Whenever you call me for coming there I shall come. Never quit the Frankfurt palace. It is very nicely situated, in a open place. The landlord is a good gentleman, so keep good relations with him and his wife.

Letter to Sarada -- Bombay 25 November, 1974:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated October 17, 1974 and have noted the contents. I am very glad to hear that you are engaged in the service of tulsi devi. Tulsi leaves are very important for satisfying Lord Krishna. But tulsi devi is not pleased by the nice tune of singing but by the nice devotion. So you continue to your best, and you will automatically advance more and more in Krishna consciousness.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Ramesvara -- NEWSLETTER 26 November, 1976:

The western style music

HSd.: In the new BBT newsletter which just came yesterday, there is a statement by Ramesvara that you were asked whether this record could be played in the temples and you replied: "Why not in the temples" Hari Sauri thought you said, "not in the temples," but Ramesvara,..

S.P.: No, not in the temple. If the wordings are alright, if there is no mistake in the set up of the wording, the change of musical tune, that is not harmful. Hare Krsna, this vibration you can make in different tune, we are already doing that.

HSd: But we are talking about these songs they are writing, philosophy songs, like this "caterpillar had a change of heart"