Upcoming program to go through all the kirtans of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura

Bhaktivinoda-gīti-dhārā

The current of songs that bring delight (vinodan) to devotion (bhakti)

In exactly two weeks from today (May 7th or 8th, depending on your time zone), on the auspicious occasion of Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita's appearance day, we will embark on a journey through the large treasure trove of songs of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. This will include everything within the four songbooks he authored — Kalyāṇa-kalpataru, Śaraṇāgati, Gītāvalī, and Gītamālā — as well as songs not contained within these volumes.

These Bhaktivinoda-gīti-dhārā sessions will be conducted on Zoom and YouTube nearly every day at 7 AM India Time (find the time in your location here). The program will last approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The only days these sessions won't take place is when we have our other scheduled online programs at that time, which you are most welcome to join: 

• Dainik Nadīyā Prakāśa readings (every Sunday) – In this program, Śrīvāsa takes us through the articles he has been translating from this daily newspaper of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda. 
• Rays of The Harmonist iṣṭa-goṣṭhī sessions (on particular tithis every week) – In this program we gather to read and discuss various articles of our ācāryas.
• Readings, glorifications and kirtan programs for the various appearance and disappearance days and other festival tithis throughout the year.

If you'd like to see the dates and time each of these programs will take place, check out our Google calendar by clicking the link below.

(Note: the link seems to work only when you click on it from a computer, not a phone.) 

Aspirations for this Bhaktivinoda-gīti-dhārā program

I will initially keep the structure of the Bhaktivinoda-gīti-dhārā program flexible so that it can develop according to everyone's preferences. For instance, I'm not sure whether the participants would prefer if we gave greater focus on the melodies of kirtans, learning the Bengali language of the kirtans, engaging in group discussions about the kirtans, and so on. Actually, if you have the time, please hit reply and let me know what you would like to get out of the programs. That would help me a lot.

 Here's what I'm hoping to get out of this program:

• Gain a deeper appreciation of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and his matchless gifts of prayers and kirtans.
• Make a personal connection with Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's songs so that they are no longer something we only sing during bhajanas at a program, but that they remain with us all the time as our companions and guides.
• Deepen our devotional practices like chanting harināma, making prayers before the deities, honoring mahāprasāda, observing festival days, performing nagara-saṅkīrtana, overcoming various anarthas, and delving deeper into the verses of Upadeśāmṛta, Manaḥ-śikṣā, Śikṣāṣṭaka, Kṛṣṇa-nāmāṣṭaka, Radhikāṣṭāka and so on – all of which he composed songs on.
• Get a good sense of the structure of his songbooks. I've always found it incredibly enlightening to see his exquisite placement of each song, specifically, how each song fits in with the others.
• Develop an understanding of the themes within each kirtan so that you'll always be able to find the most appropriate song to turn to for any situation you may find yourself in.
• Learn the basic Bengali vocabulary and grammar within his kirtans so that you can connect directly with his original, transcendental words. Even in the best of translations, so much gets lost. Plus, once you start to understand the language, you'll find yourself memorizing songs without even trying.
• Become familiar with various melodies that you can use to sing his songs.

So these are some things that immediately come to mind as I am writing this post. I'd love to hear what you have in mind!

Initial schedule

This schedule is subject to change, but this is the initial plan I'm considering:

7 May (note: all these dates will be one day earlier for those in the Americas)
A casual introductory session. First we'll do a maṅgalācaraṇa, read and discuss some words of our ācāryas' about the glories of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. This session will also serve as an informal opportunity to get to know each other and share ideas for the next sessions.

8 May (Gadādhara Paṇḍita's appearance day)
Read and sing a couple of kīrtanas about Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Sing the songs he composed to Gaura-Gadādhara. Read, sing, and discuss the introductory song of Śaraṇāgatī, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Prabhu Jīve Dayā Kori.

9–14 May
Go through ten songs from Śaraṇāgati daily until we complete the entire book, providing a broad overview of all the songs. Additionally, you will be able to select 1–4 songs that resonate most with you to concentrate on, potentially even committing them to memory over the coming months.

15 May till 4 June
Return to the beginning of Śaraṇāgati and slowly go through one or two songs a day till we reach the end.

5 June (The disappearance day of Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura)
Begin going through Gītāvalī

To manage expectations, I'd like to mention that due to my current workload, I won't be able to dedicate loads of time to elaborate preparations for this program. But, I believe that with time, we'll establish a smooth rhythm and discover what works best for everyone.

How to join

The most effective and convenient way for me to reach you is via our WhatsApp group. Currently, it's primarily utilized for our daily Caitanya-bhāgavata readings. (Before we start each reading, I share the YouTube and Zoom links in that group.) But we're nearly finished with Caitanya-bhāgavata now, and the group will soon be transitioning into the official Bhaktivinoda-gīti-dhārā group. Click below to join:

You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel where I stream all our programs live. 

I pray for the blessings of our guru-varga and all the Vaiṣṇavas within the lineage of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura with the hope that this program will please them because that will be its only success. Only by their grace will we have the fortune to access a drop from the powerful current of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's conceptions.

I hope to see you in a couple of weeks!