Module 03 · Kirtana Standards — Temple Room Guidelines

3.1 GBC Resolution Summary

Three Golden Guidelines

1. Always consider: "Is this kirtana pleasing to Srila Prabhupada?"
2. The most important sound is the congregational chanting — instruments must never overpower it.
3. Kirtana should be attractive, welcoming, and inclusive.

Kirtana Leader Qualifications

• Preferably initiated devotees in good standing, chanting 16 rounds, following four regulative principles.
• Dress: men — dhoti, kurta, chaddar; women — sari or gopi dress and shawl. Shorts and revealing clothes discouraged.
• Mangala arati must use the "morning melody."

Mantra Standards

• Sequence during arati: Pranam mantras → Panca Tattva Maha Mantra → Hare Krishna Maha Mantra.
• Nrsimha Prayers after each arati.
• No syllables added to or subtracted from mantras.
• No gender-split response chanting.
• No interjections ("Chaitanya!", "Hare Hare!") while the leader chants.
• Alap not appropriate during arati kirtanas. In other kirtanas, only with local management approval.
• Prema Dhvani at the close of every arati kirtana.

Instrument & Sound Standards

• During arati: mridanga and kartalas. Whompers and gong may also be played.
• Harmonium and additional instruments after arati only, with management approval.
• Sound system maximum: 85 dBA. Health considerations explicit: migraines and permanent ear damage documented.
• One microphone recommended during kirtanas.
• Mridanga must never be eclipsed by other drums.
• Instrument practice must be done outside the temple room.

Dancing Standards

• Graceful, traditional Gaudiya Vaishnava style: Swami Step, forward and back, jumping.
• Always face the deity.
• Lifting devotees discouraged — injury risk.
• Deities in procession must not be rocked, jumped, or spun.

3.2 Prabhupada's Direct Instructions

If you do not accept mantra initiation from the disciplic succession of the sampradaya, then it will be useless. People are manufacturing religion without any reference to these authorities.— SB 6.1.34–39, Surat lecture, December 19, 1970

Prabhupada modeled the kirtana standard by personally leading Mangala arati in near-freezing conditions at Allahabad's Kumbha Mela. He introduced the Swami Step, established the morning melody, and disapproved of adding or subtracting syllables. The resolution codifies standards he personally taught and demonstrated.

On Alap: the resolution states this technique "was not utilized in ISKCON kirtana during Srila Prabhupada's physical presence." This is a factual historical statement — not a condemnation, but a clear naming of what is and is not part of the received tradition.

3.3 Compare & Contrast Analysis

3.4 Learning Objectives

3.5 Practical Assignments

• Week 1: Attend Mangala arati daily for 7 consecutive days. Log adherence to the guidelines each day.
• Week 2: Record a local kirtana session. Evaluate it objectively against the guidelines. Present findings to temple president.
• Week 3: Practice the morning melody. Lead at least one arati under senior evaluation.
• Week 4: Write a 500-word essay on the distinction between sampradaya standards and institutional innovation in kirtana, using Alap as the central case.

3.6 Assessment