[Śrīla Bhaktivedanta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja requested a new disciple to sing a bhajana, after which he began his class.] My gurudeva, parama-ārādhyatama Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, was once staying with Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda in Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s home – Śrī Jagannātha Bhavana at Yogapīṭha in Śrī Māyāpura. At that time, a disciple of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura came and told my Gurudeva, “I want to sing some songs while playing harmonium.” This disciple pressured my Gurudeva, saying, “You are a very good boy; you should stay and hear.” The disciple then began to do his rāga-rāginī (a display of various melodic modes) with the harmonium, as he sang this song: “Rāya jāgo rāya jāgo rāya jāgo re.” Rāya means Rādhikā, and the line means, “O Rādhikā, now it is morning. you should wake up.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda somehow heard that Śrī Vinodabihari Brahmacārī was hearing that song. He at once called him and told him, “Oh, rāya jāgo rāya jāgo? He should first awaken himself and then he can awaken Rāya! He should not be worried about Rāya. Kṛṣṇa is sufficient to awaken her, and Lalitā and Viśākhā are also sufficient. You should not hear from him again.” From that very day, my gurudeva, Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja became very careful to avoid that type of singing. The harmonium should be used only when necessary. Otherwise, those who are singing while playing the harmonium will think, “I know I am the best among all. I know that I sing in a very good tune, because Mahārāja always allows me to sing while playing the harmonium.”
There is a song by Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura:
hari hari! kabe mora hôibe sudina?
bhajibô se rādhā-kṛṣṇa hôiyā premādhīna (1)
O Śrī Hari, when will that auspicious day be mine? Filled with prema, when will I worship Śrī Rādhā Kṛṣṇa?
suyantre miśā̃iyā gābô su-madhura tāna
ānande kôribô dũhāra rūpa-guṇa-gāna (2)
As the sounds of the divine instruments mix and create the sweetest melodies, I will blissfully
sing songs about their forms and qualities.
Hari Hari! Kabe Mora Hôibe Sudina? (Verse 1–2)
Guru Mahārāja would tell his followers to explain that in the line, “suyantre misaiya gā’bo sumadhura tāna”, suyantre (sounds of divine instruments) means khol and karatāla. Otherwise people will think that suyantre means harmonium and all other similar instruments. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda was very strict – a thousand times more than I am.
