FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.15.71

एकदा देवसत्रे तु गन्धर्वाप्सरसां गणा: । उपहूता विश्वसृग्भिर्हरिगाथोपगायने ॥ ७१ ॥
ekadā deva-satre tu
[ekadaa deva-satre tu]
gandharvāpsarasāṁ gaṇāḥ
[gandharvaapsarasaam ganaah]
upahūtā viśva-sṛgbhir
[upahootaa vishva-srigbhir]
hari-gāthopagāyane
[hari-gaathopagaayane]
ekadā — once upon a time deva-satre — in an assembly of the demigods tu — indeed gandharva — of the inhabitants of Gandharvaloka apsarasām — and the inhabitants of Apsaroloka gaṇāḥ — all upahūtāḥ — were invited viśva-sṛgbhiḥ — by the great demigods known as the prajāpatis hari-gātha-upagāyane — on an occasion of kīrtana for glorifying the Supreme Lord.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ekadā deva-satre tu
ekadā
once upon a time
deva-satre
in an assembly of the demigods
tu
indeed
gandharvāpsarasāṁ gaṇāḥ
gandharva
of the inhabitants of Gandharvaloka
apsarasām
and the inhabitants of Apsaroloka
gaṇāḥ
all
upahūtā viśva-sṛgbhir
upahūtāḥ
were invited
viśva-sṛgbhiḥ
by the great demigods known as the prajāpatis
hari-gāthopagāyane
hari-gātha-upagāyane
on an occasion of kīrtana for glorifying the Supreme Lord.
Once there was a saṅkīrtana festival to glorify the Supreme Lord in an assembly of the demigods, and the Gandharvas and Apsarās were invited by the prajāpatis to take part in it.

Saṅkīrtana means chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is not a new movement as people sometimes mistakenly think. The Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is present in every millennium of Lord Brahmā’s life, and the holy name is chanted in all the higher planetary systems, including Brahmaloka and Candraloka, not to speak of Gandharvaloka and Apsaroloka. The saṅkīrtana movement that was started in this world five hundred years ago by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is therefore not a new movement. Sometimes, because of our bad luck, this movement is stopped, but Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His servants again start the movement for the benefit of the entire world or, indeed, the entire universe.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Once, the Gandharvas and Apsarās were invited by the Prajāpatis to take part in a festival to glorify the Supreme Lord in an assembly of the devatās.
A saṅkīrtana festival was held to glorify the Lord; the Gandharvas and Apsarās were invited by the prajāpatis. Saṅkīrtana has been the practice in every age — chanting the Lord's holy name predates and outlasts every culture.
Reflection Questions
  • Where is saṅkīrtana — collective chanting — alive in your life?
  • What would it take to participate in (or initiate) regular collective chanting in your circle?
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 15