Singing Hare Krishna mantra in a different tune

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami: Later, toward evening, Srila Prabhupada called us together - myself, Panditji, and Sudama. He said that since the temple was too far away we would not go there for an evening program but would hold our own with him. Prabhupada began singing Hare Krishna mantra and then asked Sudama to take over and lead. Sudama began singing but in a different tune. He stopped and tried to sing it in the tune just used by Prabhupada, but Prabhupada said, "No, it is all right, sing it your way. You are doing it according to your own ecstasy." With Prabhupada's permission I burned frankincense, and the atmosphere in his room became ecstatic. Prabhupada sat back on his couch, and we danced, arms upraised before him Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

After kirtana he asked each of us to read from the Bhagavatam and then speak something according to our realization - what we had learned from him, in other words. I relished such a gathering with Prabhupada even more than a big public preaching program, and I wished we could stay indefinitely in Hawaii in this way. The different ISKCON problems that came to Prabhupada, and which I was now more aware of, were not forgotten, but through the kirtana and preaching of philosophy I felt that the obstacles could all be overcome, by the grace of Krishna and Srila Prabhupada.