Sridharas Kirtan Group at Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir
In the spring of 1977, the air in West Bengal was thick with more than just the approaching heat of summer. At the ISKCON Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir, a historic gathering was taking place. It was the annual Mayapur festival, but this year featured a unique event: the first (and only) official Kirtan Competition in ISKCON’s history.
Traditional Hari Nam groups from the neighboring towns of Bengal traveled to Mayapur to the Hare Krishna Mantra on stage, bringing with them a raw, ancestral style of devotion. Among the sea of devotees from around the world—including a vibrant group from Chicago led by Uttamasloka das—was a quiet effort to preserve these fleeting moments of transcendence.
While the main stage drew the crowds, the heart of the festival pulsed throughout the complex. In one of the small ashram rooms of the then-new "Long Building," a session was captured that would sit in the archives for nearly half a century.
I was armed with a Nakamichi 550 portable tape deck and a sophisticated three-condenser microphone system, recorded the Sridharas Kirtan Group singing the beloved bhajan, Nitai Pada Kamala.
The Nakamichi 550 was a quality piece of gear, often used by field recordists for its incredible fidelity. Because of that effort to carry around a twelve pound recorder along with microphones and mic stands, and a meticulous 2024 remaster by Uttamasloka das (ACBSP), we can now hear this kirtan with a clarity that transports us back to that room in 1977. I recorded most of the kirtans but was not able to record the Chicago kirtan because I was in the group on stage. In many ways, the Nakamichi was equivilant to Srila Prabhupada's UHER deck, so, when they experienced techinal issues, I was also asked to fill in and record Srila Prabhupada's lecture in Mayapur.
~ Gopati das ACBSP
Written by the great acharya Narottama Dasa Thakura, this song is a foundational meditation on the mercy of Lord Nityananda. As Srila Prabhupada often taught, one cannot approach the "dancing party" of Radha-Krsna without first seeking the shade of Nitai’s lotus feet.
Lyrics & Translation
Verse 1
nitāi-pada-kamala, koṭi-candra-suśītala
je chāyāy jagata jurāy
heno nitāi bine bhāi, rādhā-kṛṣṇa pāite nāi
dṛḍha kori’ dharo nitāir pāy
Translation: The lotus feet of Lord Nityananda are a shelter where one will get the soothing moonlight not only of one, but of millions of moons. If the world wants to have real peace, it should take shelter of Lord Nityananda. Unless one takes shelter under the shade of the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, it will be very difficult for him to approach Radha-Krsna.
Verse 2
se sambandha nāhi jā’r, bṛthā janma gelo tā’r
sei paśu boro durācār
nitāi nā bolilo mukhe, majilo saṁsāra-sukhe
vidyā-kule ki koribe tār
Translation: Anyone who has not established his relationship with Nityananda Prabhu has spoiled his valuable human birth. Such a human being is actually an uncontrollable animal. Because he never uttered the holy name of Nityananda, he has become merged into so-called material happiness. What can his useless education and family tradition do to help him?
Verse 3
ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsariyā
asatyere satya kori māni
nitāiyer koruṇā habe, braje rādhā-kṛṣṇa pābe
dharo nitāi-caraṇa du’khāni
Translation: Being maddened after false prestige and identification with the body, one thinks, "What is Nityananda? What can He do for me?" The result is that he accepts something false to be truth. If you actually want to approach the association of Radha-Krsna, you must first achieve the mercy of Lord Nityananda.
Verse 4
nitāiyer caraṇa satya, tāhāra sevaka nitya
nitāi-pada sadā koro āśa
narottama boro dukhī, nitāi more koro sukhī
rākho rāṅgā-caraṇera pāśa
Translation: The lotus feet of Nityananda are not illusion; they are a fact. One who engages in the transcendental loving service of Nityananda is also transcendental. Always try to catch the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda. Narottama dasa prays: "My dear Lord, please keep me close to Your lotus feet."
In his purport to this song, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains:
"In this material world (jagat), which is progressing toward hell, there is always a blazing fire, and everyone is struggling hard without finding peace; therefore, if the world wants to have real peace, it should take shelter of Lord Nityananda."
We invite you to listen to this remastered recording—not just as a piece of history, but as a meditation. Let the sounds of 1977 Mayapur bring you the "soothing moonlight of millions of moons."