Nāma-saṅkīrtana
by Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura
I have always liked the following song by Srila Narottama Dasa Thakur. And this song describes very simply, the beginning of the Sankirtan Movement, or The Hare Krishna Movement. The first four lines of the song, are the ones most often sung, with the first verse repeated as refrain.
Full Song and Purport follow.
…“You say that everything means Kṛṣṇa and we should ultimately always be chanting the names of Kṛṣṇa. Just how should we do this?” Then Lord Caitanya began to sing the names of Kṛṣṇa and clap His hands, and He began His nāma-saṅkīrtana movement. The names He sang are the first two lines of this song, and Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura and others have placed these names in the beginning of their writings to immortalize these events in the memory of everyone.
…Then Śrīla Narottama Dāsa chants the names of the six Gosvāmīs. “I offer my obeisances at their feet,” he sings, “which destroy sufferings accumulated over many long years. I am the servant of these six Gosvāmīs, and the dust of their lotus feet is my five kinds of foodstuffs. To serve their lotus feet and keep the association of devotees is my only business, birth after birth.” (from purport to song by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)
Song & Purport
Nāma-saṅkīrtana
by Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura
hari haraye namaḥ kṛṣṇa yādavāya namaḥ
yādavāya mādhavāya keśavāya namaḥ
1) O Lord Hari, O Lord Kṛṣṇa, I offer my obeisances to You, who are known as Hari, Yādava, Mādhava, and Keśava.
gopāla govinda rāma śrī-madhusūdana
giridhārī gopīnātha madana-mohana
2) O Gopāla, Govinda, Rāma, Śrī Madhusūdana, Giridhārī Gopīnātha, and Madana-mohana!
śrī-caitanya-nityānanda śrī-advaita-sītā
hari guru vaiṣṇaba bhāgavata gītā
3) All glories to Śrī Caitanya and Nityānanda! All glories to Śrī Advaita Ācārya and His consort, Śrī Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī. All glories to Lord Hari, to the spiritual master, the Vaiṣṇavas, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Śrīmad Bhagavad-Gītā.
śrī-rūpa sanātana bhaṭṭa-raghunātha
śrī-jīva gopāla-bhaṭṭa dāsa-raghunātha
4) All glories to Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.
ei chay gosāir kori caraṇa vandan
jāhā hoite bighna-nāś abhīṣṭa-pūraṇ
5) I offer my obeisances to the feet of these six Gosvāmīs. By bowing to them, all obstacles to devotion are destroyed and all spiritual desires are fulfilled.
ei chay gosāi jār—mui tār dās
tā-sabāra pada-reṇu mora pañca-grās
6) I am the servant of that person who is a servant of these six Gosvāmīs. The dust of their lotus feet is my five kinds of foodstuffs.
tādera caraṇa-sebi-bhakta-sane bās
janame janame hoy ei abhilāṣ
7) This is my desire: that birth after birth I may live with those devotees who serve the lotus feet of these six Gosvāmīs.
ei chay gosāi jabe braje koilā bās
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-nitya-līlā korilā prakāś
8) When these six Gosvāmīs lived in Vraja they revealed the lost holy places and explained the eternal pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
ānande bolo hari bhaja bṛndāban
śrī-guru-vaiṣṇaba-pade majāiyā man
9) Just shout the names of Lord Hari in great ecstasy and worship the transcendental realm of Vṛndāvana while absorbing your mind in meditation upon the divine feet of the spiritual master and the Vaiṣṇavas.
śrī-guru-vaiṣṇaba-pada-padma kori āś
narottama dāsa kohe nāma-saṅkīrtana
10) Desiring to serve the lotus feet of Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas, Narottama dāsa sings this saṅkīrtana of the holy names of Lord Hari.
Purport
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
This song of Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura is very famous among devotees in Bengal and Orissa. When Lord Caitanya returned from Gaya, where He was initiated by Śrī Īśvara Purī, He was completely transformed into a God-intoxicated personality whom His students of grammar had never known before. Instead of teaching ordinary grammar studies, Lord Caitanya explained every sentence in such a way that every Sanskrit word and every letter was understood to indicate Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This form of grammar was later on developed by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī in a book called Hari-nāmāmṛta-vyākaraṇa, The Grammar of the Nectar and Name of Śrī Hari. But Lord Caitanya’s students thought that their teacher had become mad, and they rubbed His head with Viṣṇu oil, an oil that cools the brain. Finally they asked Him, “You say that everything means Kṛṣṇa and we should ultimately always be chanting the names of Kṛṣṇa. Just how should we do this?” Then Lord Caitanya began to sing the names of Kṛṣṇa and clap His hands, and He began Hisnāma-saṅkīrtana movement. The names He sang are the first two lines of this song, and Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura and others have placed these names in the beginning of their writings to immortalize these events in the memory of everyone.
Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura chants the names of Lord Caitanya, Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita and Sītā (Lord Advaita’s consort). Since Lord Hari, the spiritual master, and the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā are all on the transcendental platform, they are given the same respect. Then Śrīla Narottama Dāsa chants the names of the six Gosvāmīs. “I offer my obeisances at their feet,” he sings, “which destroy sufferings accumulated over many long years. I am the servant of these six Gosvāmīs, and the dust of their lotus feet is my five kinds of foodstuffs. To serve their lotus feet and keep the association of devotees is my only business, birth after birth.” When the six Gosvāmīs were staying at Vṛndāvana, they revealed the eternal transcendental pastimes of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Before Lord Caitanya the exact location of the places of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes were not known, and therefore Lord Caitanya instructed the Gosvāmīs to uncover the holy places and construct temples. The temple of Śrī Rādhā Dāmodara is situated near the location of the rasa dance, and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and the other Gosvāmīs used to gather there and discuss the topics of their literatures, which scientifically explained the super-excellent pastimes of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura says, “In great ecstasy shout the name of Hari and serve the real transcendental master and devotees.” He concludes by saying, “With all hopes in the lotus feet of my guru and the holy Vaiṣṇavas, Narottama Dāsa sings the saṅkīrtana of Lord Hari: Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare/Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.”
The Hare Krishna Movement 