The Making of the “Kartik” Album

Dear Friends,

This kirtan recording project is an invitation to listeners everywhere to embark on a journey to India’s sacred river Yamuna; to the forests and hidden bowers of Vrindavan; to the enchanted lakes, caves, and hilltops of Govardhan; and to other pastime places in the land of Vraj, where the Divine Couple Sri Sri Radha and Krsna played with their friends over 5,000 years ago. This collection of kirtan and prayers is a feast for the soul, celebrating the pure joy of devotional service — bhakti-yoga.

The “Kartik” album is also a loving tribute to my spiritual master, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja, and to his legacy of promoting the annual pilgrimage of Vraja during the autumn (Kartik) season.

The production has been completely funded by the generous donations of supporters and friends and is a labor of love. It has been a long journey, starting in winter 2010, and there have been many times times when I didn’t know how it would ever manifest. That all changed after I embarked on a vision quest, observing Purusottam vrat in 2015. At the end of my fast and vows of harinam and kirtan, I received complete clarity; all the obstacles on my path began to vanish one by one. I moved to Jagannath Puri, and soon afterward I connected with Saraswata Studios in Bhubaneshwar headed by Mr. Sachikant Lenka. Over a few recording sessions in the spring of 2016 and spring of 2017, everything began to fall into place and we gradually completed the remaining recording work.

It is impossible for me to really put into words the gratitude and the grace which I feel and which continues to multiply with each step forward. With the moral support of dear friends, as well as the inspirational voices of my dear godbrothers and godsisters singing with me on the album, we have attempted to share a very special devotional mood.

The songs composed by the vaisnava acharyas are full of powerful siddhanta and moods of devotion; they nourish our sadhana and help us become absorbed in Krsna consciousness and bhakti-rasa in a natural, effortless way.  When performed as intended by their authors, these kirtans help to cleanse us of the effects of aparadha, to strengthen our relationship with our chanting (hari-nam japa), and to completely transform our sense of identity and our sense of place. They transport us. They connect us.

For myself, and for many of us, the lofty teachings and mysterious nectar of pure love that is locked within the Srimad Bhagavatam and the Holy Names can feel too subtle — even impossible — to integrate into our daily lives. And yet, having once tasted that nectar, nothing can take its place. The key is kirtan. Only through kirtan can we unlock this remarkable inheritance and sustain that current of love.

I pray that the spiritual teachings and moods contained within these kirtans may illuminate my heart, and that through such endeavors I may serve the mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Please bless me so that I may fulfill this sacred mission.

Aspiring for the service of the Vaisnavas,

Manjari dasi