Question: Can we roll on the ground in kirtan in ISKCON?

Jayapataka Swami: Well, we do on the parikrama, especially in Godrumadvip. In the mango orchard, by Gaura Daha. Sometimes in Surabi kunja. Because the Lord’s dust is there and because He rolled there! So we want to get some of that dust on our body. But I don’t see much of this rolling in the kirtan in the temples! Ha!! I don’t think we can falsely imitate. I heard one Gaudiya matt sannyasi, he would have a mattress laid down and then he fall on the mattress and roll, but this seems a bit artificial. You see Lord Nityananda and Lord Gauranga when They rolled on the ground, it was out of Their control and was fully ecstatic. But to have a mattress put down and you fall on the mattress and roll, seems more like a dramatic performance. Mother Saci would sometimes see Lord Caitanya crashing to the ground. She would get worried, ‘oh no, my son!’  Lord Caitanya blessed her that she would be oblivious and be in ecstasy, and wouldn’t see Him crashing to the ground, rolling on the ground. If one really is on that stage of devotional service, then rolling like that would not be a problem. But generally we are told that we should try to control our ecstasy, because different sahajiyas they would stick chili up their nose just to cry, and so because of this false presentation, we are told we should try to control our ecstasy. Sometimes Srila Prabhupada became overwhelmed, but he would suddenly choke up and start to cry but then he told the devotees to chant. This would sometimes also happen to Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Prabhupada Thakur, although he tried to control, sometimes he would get overwhelmed with ecstasy. So the devotees, they can understand this is real ecstasy. But sometimes – I went to one house in Calcutta and the host he started acting, ‘oh Krsna, Krsna, You have come here to my house! Oh Krsna, Oh, Oh!’ Just in front of all the devotees he started playing all this drama, and we were not impressed. So one by one the devotees left. So when no more devotees were left, then his ecstasy stopped. Ha! Ha! So real ecstasy will not be dependent on viewers.
10-AUGUST-2019 SRI MAYAPUR DHAM, INDIA