Should a devotee avoid movie songs and dancing for them?
A devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna. I am not a full time devotee of shree krishna. However I follow the four regulative principles. I love to dance and sing also. While dancing I like to dance on bollywood songs which are a bit sense inducing and contain words which are not so decent,but since I find them very catchy and grooving I dance on them.
Since I want to progress further into devotion I was thinking on whether I have to stop dancing to bollywood songs? Whether I would have to think of Krishna as the centre while dancing on the same. This question may seem a bit silly but it is one of my favourite stress busters and I would like to gain clarity on this. Thank you in advance.”
REPLY:
It is not necessary. You know very clear that those songs are sense inducing. So, if you hear and dance for those movie songs, it will definitely make you more material and hence your spiritual development will be affected.
I too sometimes happen to hear some melodious songs, but, I have liked the tunes, not the words.
(Thoughts of TV Programs disturb Chanting? Tips! READ HERE!)
I have a habit of relating everything Krishna. For example, I have already said in another post that I liked the tune of Bazegar Me Bazegar song. But, the words are very local and sense inducing.
While hearings the songs like Bazegar, the popular song of Bahubali-1, etc., etc., I have thought why these great and sweet tunes have been wasted for the lines with sense inducing lyrics instead of using such tunes for the songs glorifying Krishna.
Many beautiful and melodious tunes have been used in the movies in many languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, etc. Whenever I happen to hear those songs, I think of Krishna. I change the lyrics of those songs with the names/glories of Krishna and sing a new song in those tunes.
For example, in ‘Bazegar Me Bazegar’ song, I have replaced Bazegar with Radhika. Then, I sang that tune with the new spiritualized lines.
In general, nothing is wrong and karmic until we affect others’ privacy and rights. So, no need to fear. But, our thoughts and acts should be favourable to devotional service to Krishna.
I have admired hearing some beautiful tunes, but, I have always applied those nice tunes with the lyrics related to Krishna.
I usually don’t enjoy the words used in those movie songs. If we enjoy the lyrics like “Choli Ke Peeche Kya hai”, we can’t grow in spiritual life. Our thoughts will be focused on choli and other related things.
That is why, it is said that it is good to avoid movie songs altogether. However, since we are living in the materialistic atmosphere, sometimes we come across some movie songs beyond our control.
(Good Pastimes for the devotees in the place of mundane pastimes! Tips! READ HERE!)
We may be waiting for a train in a railway station or may be travelling by bus. There, they may play movie songs.
We go to a salon/ beauty parlour to cut hairs. There, cinema songs will definitely be played.
So, we should not pretend as if we are the purest devotees without hearing even a single movie song. It happens sometimes in spite of our desire or initiative.
However, we should not “enjoy” those lyrics along with the tunes. If we hear a nice tune, we should relate it with Krishna.
Hearing and enjoying are different.
Hearing means, just hearing and forgetting and then focusing on our duties. Enjoying means, involving deeply in the lyrics and the tunes and responding to that song.
Here only, you are wrong. You are going deep into the contents of songs. That is why, you start to dance.
When you dance for such materialistic and lusty lyrics and tunes, those lyrics start to make chemical changes in your mind and body.
You become addicted to those sense inducing contents.
So, your focus on devotion comes down.
(How to manage our devotion ignoring the materialistic people around us? READ HERE!)
So, it is good for you to stop “enjoying” movie songs. If you happen to hear while travelling or in any function, just think of Krishna at that time or chant Hare Krishna within heart.
Ok, how to lose taste in materialistic & lusty movie songs? Should a devotee avoid movie songs and dancing?
Simple. To make a line smaller without erasing, we should draw a bigger line near to it.
Similarly, if you hear beautiful tunes and lyrics of the devotional songs, and kirtans, you will gradually lose interest in the movie songs.
When we get a higher taste, we will lose interest in the lower tastes.
This is 100% true and practical.
Krishna will occupy your whole heart when you show real interest in hearing His songs and singing His glories.
You would have seen the devotees forgetting the whole world when they dance for the kirtans. They are fully occupied by the beautiful tunes and lyrics of the kirtans and songs on Krishna.
Have you heard heart melting SAMSARA DHAVA sung by Srila Prabhupada? Have you heard Govindam Hari Purusham? Can you hear such melodies anywhere else?
Thus, we have everything in the basket of Krishna Consciousness. When we hear and sing about Krishna, our senses and mind are purified. Whereas when we enjoy and dance for lusty movie songs, they induce our senses that affects our taste towards the contents related to Krishna.
So, don’t fight to avoid movie songs; Just start to enjoy the kirtans and songs related to Krishna. You will gradually lose interest in enjoying and dancing for movie songs.
Hope you are clear whether a devotee should avoid movie songs and dancing for them.
(Is devotees enjoying student age wrong? Tips to come out of guilt! READ HERE!)