Question: Are there some music groups in Vrinda? And if so, what kind of music do they play?
Answer: Yes, many artists and young people are inspired by the message of Universal Love found in the example, teachings and books of Srila Prabhupada. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the great preacher of love for God, said that there are no hard and fast rules for chanting the Holy Names of the Lord. So Everybody can participate and help to distribute the Message of Love. It is a not matter of the color of your skin, social status, birth, age or any other material associations. We are all spirit souls and we have to satisfy the needs of the soul.
While in our temple programms we prefer classical bhajanas and kirtanas with mrdangas, kartalas and sometimes harmonium, there are many groups with different musical styles. From classical Vaisnava styles from India, to Rock, Metal and Hardcore bands presenting the message of Universal Love, Southamerican Salsa and other rhythms and cultural influences. The message of Lord Chaitanya becomes much closer and easily understandable for people in general if it is presented in their local languages and customs. So we also sing many devotional songs in the respective languages. This is approved by spiritual guardians of the Vrinda mission, Srila BR Sridhara Maharaja and Srila BP Puri Maharaja.
The beauty of spiritual life is in the unity in diversity. We are all individuals and therefore we have different approaches to spiritual life and we will develop different relationships with the Lord. But the first and essential thing is to come in contact with the Holy Names of the Lord. The first of the nine devotional processes is 'sravanam', hearing about the Lord, His transcendental nature and activities. The most powerful mantra, the maha mantra, can change people and their consciousness so much, it is amazing. We can seeit happen every day. Therefore we try to distribute this message of Universal Love through so many different channels.
You can see and hear music from some of our artists on our internet page http://www.consciusart.de.