Uttamasloka dasa Leads Kirtan
In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, musical talent has never been viewed as a tool for personal prestige or vanity. From the time of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the great Acharyas who followed, natural artistic gifts have been understood as sacred gifts of human expression—talents to be purified, refined, and placed directly at the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. When a devotee musician practices their craft, tuning an instrument or mastering complex rhythms, it is an act of meditation and a humble offering crafted carefully to bring maximum pleasure to Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada clarified that sincerity and spiritual focus—rather than empty material show—are the heart of true devotional art (Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 7.1, Los Angeles, July 2, 1970):
"Unless there is love, you cannot do it nicely... Just like a musician—because one has got a good attachment for music, he tries to perform it very perfectly. So love is the basis. Similarly, when you serve Krishna, if you have no love for Krishna, you cannot serve Him very nicely... It does not mean one has to be a very artistic singer. Very nicely means sincerely and with great attention."
This devotion through art was at the very core of the Sunday Feast program inaugurated by Srila Prabhupada. Designed to present Krishna Consciousness to the public in its most vibrant and attractive form, the Sunday Feast combined three essential elements: dancing, chanting, and feasting.
Srila Prabhupada envisioned these gatherings as a powerful, welcoming gateway for the community, writing to his early disciples (Letter to Rayarama, October 16, 1967):
"The Sunday Feast program is very important. In every temple, if we hold this Sunday Love Feast, inviting the public to join us in chanting, listening to philosophy, and taking prasadam, many hundreds of people will take to Krishna consciousness. It is our best opportunity to show the public how joyful this life is."
In Chicago, we fully embraced this vision. Every Sunday was treated like a major production, executed with standard-setting excellence to give guests and congregation members a genuine taste of the spiritual world.
Srila Prabhupada constantly encouraged his disciples to channel their natural musical and artistic talents directly into devotional service, noting the immense spiritual impact when kirtan is performed with heartfelt skill (Letter to Hamsaduta, February 16, 1972):
"Krishna has given you special talent for chanting Hare Krishna Mantra. When you were chanting in the temple... I enjoyed your chanting so nicely that I thought myself immediately carried to Vaikuntha."
The recording from August 15, 1976, captures this exact devotion in full motion and is the third in the series of three Chicago Sunday Feast recordings. In this particular kirtan, Uttamasloka dasa leads the chanting while simultaneously playing the mrdanga—a feat requiring deep concentration, rhythmic mastery, and an unwavering absorption in the Holy Name. Rather than letting technical skill overshadow the devotion, his playing enhances the mood, building a rich, dynamic structure that invites everyone in the temple room to sing louder and dance with greater enthusiasm.
When a musician approaches kirtan with this mindset, the sound vibration transforms the atmosphere. Every beat of the drum and every turn of the melody becomes an invitation for the public to experience the joy of Krishna Consciousness. As you listen to this historic recording from August 15, 1976, you are hearing more than just a musical performance—you are experiencing the sincere effort of working together to offer their absolute best for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Kishora Kishori.
About the Kirtan
Chicago Sunday Feast with the assembled Chicago Yatra and guests — August 15, 1976
Kirtan Leader & Mrdanga: Uttamasloka dasa (ACBSP)
About the Recording
Original Recording by: Gopati dasa (ACBSP)
Equipment: Nakamichi 550 recording deck with 3 condenser microphone system
Remastered 2026 by: Uttamasloka dasa (ACBSP)
Chicago Sunday Feast Kirtan Series:
Part One: Chicago Sunday Feast 1977
ŚB 1.2.17
शृण्वतां स्वकथा: कृष्ण: पुण्यश्रवणकीर्तन: ।
हृद्यन्त:स्थो ह्यभद्राणि विधुनोति सुहृत्सताम् ॥ १७ ॥
śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi
vidhunoti suhṛt satām
Synonyms
śṛṇvatām — those who have developed the urge to hear the message of; sva-kathāḥ — His own words; kṛṣṇaḥ — the Personality of Godhead; puṇya — virtues; śravaṇa — hearing; kīrtanaḥ — chanting; hṛdi antaḥ sthaḥ — within one’s heart; hi — certainly; abhadrāṇi — desire to enjoy matter; vidhunoti — cleanses; suhṛt — benefactor; satām — of the truthful.
Translation
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.
Purport
Messages of the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, are nondifferent from Him. Whenever, therefore, offenseless hearing and glorification of God are undertaken, it is to be understood that Lord Kṛṣṇa is present there in the form of transcendental sound, which is as powerful as the Lord personally. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in His Śikṣāṣṭaka, declares clearly that the holy name of the Lord has all the potencies of the Lord and that He has endowed His innumerable names with the same potency. There is no rigid fixture of time, and anyone can chant the holy name with attention and reverence at his convenience. The Lord is so kind to us that He can be present before us personally in the form of transcendental sound, but unfortunately we have no taste for hearing and glorifying the Lord’s name and activities. We have already discussed developing a taste for hearing and chanting the holy sound. It is done through the medium of service to the pure devotee of the Lord.
The Lord is reciprocally respondent to His devotees. When He sees that a devotee is completely sincere in getting admittance to the transcendental service of the Lord and has thus become eager to hear about Him, the Lord acts from within the devotee in such a way that the devotee may easily go back to Him. The Lord is more anxious to take us back into His kingdom than we can desire. Most of us do not desire at all to go back to Godhead. Only a very few men want to go back to Godhead. But anyone who desires to go back to Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa helps in all respects.
One cannot enter into the kingdom of God unless one is perfectly cleared of all sins. The material sins are products of our desires to lord it over material nature. It is very difficult to get rid of such desires. Women and wealth are very difficult problems for the devotee making progress on the path back to Godhead. Many stalwarts in the devotional line fell victim to these allurements and thus retreated from the path of liberation. But when one is helped by the Lord Himself, the whole process becomes as easy as anything by the divine grace of the Lord.
To become restless in the contact of women and wealth is not an astonishment, because every living being is associated with such things from remote time, practically immemorial, and it takes time to recover from this foreign nature. But if one is engaged in hearing the glories of the Lord, gradually he realizes his real position. By the grace of God such a devotee gets sufficient strength to defend himself from the state of disturbances, and gradually all disturbing elements are eliminated from his mind.
Courtesy of VedaBase