Question: My question regarding kirtan is since Srila Prabhupada always sang the Hare Krsna maha mantra with the end of the kirtan, with no jaya or Haribol! Should we also chant this way instead of chanting jaya and Haribol! Is it important to worry about this?

Jayapataka Swami: We don’t want to add new words to the mantra. So we don’t want other things to be added. Jai Prabhupada! Once. One line may be alright but generally we should not add new words to the mantra. I have experience of this. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare! Bolo! Srila Prabhupada said, ‘don’t add any words to the mantra.’ I only said, ‘bolo, bolo!’ But Srila Prabhupada said this was a new word and we should not add. He was afraid that we would chant and include new words and the western devotees would blindly follow it. So for the first time I had been to Lima, Peru and the temple was on Hunin Street. I told one devotee ‘please take care of my shoes.’ I went into the temple and saw the devotee had followed me with my shoes into the temple room. I told him ‘no, I don’t want my shoes inside the temple room.’ He said, ‘but you told me to take care of your shoes so I was accompanying you and so brought the shoes along.’ So anything we do the western devotees will copy because they are innocent minded. So if we chant Jai Gaurahari, etc. that would then become a standard in the west. That is why generally, we say don’t add extra words. But I did say Jai Srila Prabhupada! It is hard to resist!
28-AUGUST-2019 SRI MAYAPUR DHAM, INDIA