Acyuta Gopi delves into her journey of devotion for Lord Krishna, and reveals her biggest learnings from her spiritual life
Acyuta Gopi expresses her devotion for Lord Krishna through kirtans
When Acyuta Gopi was born in New York, she was two months premature and weighed less than a kilo, which complicated her survival. The singer’s parents, who had joined the Hare Krishna Movement (ISKCON) in 1974, turned to Lord Krishna for deriving strength and praying for their daughter’s life.
“Bhagavad Gita made so much sense to my parents that it changed their lives, and of those around them. When I was at the hospital, my mom would read the holy scripture, and my father would chant ‘Hare Krishna’ to me. And they just prayed that everything would work out,” Acyuta Gopi reveals in a conversation with mid-day.com.
“We have a tradition in our family. There are beautiful deities of Sri Sri Radha Govinda here in New York. When I finally left the hospital after a few months in the incubator, my parents took me straight to the temple, put me at the altar and said, ‘Sri Sri Radha Govinda, if you desire, you can make everything work. It's up to you’,” she adds, stressing that Lord Krishna literally saved her life and she has been worshipping him ever since.
‘Kirtan was in our DNA’
The singer and spiritual content creator, also known by the name Gopi Mata, has travelled the world, expressing her devotion towards Radha and Govinda through bhajans. She was also a part of the album ‘Bhakti Without Borders’, which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2023 in the ‘Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album’ category.
Ask her how this journey of kirtans started, and she’s quick to say, “It was in our DNA. Everyone in my family is in some way or the other trying to sing the Holy name.”
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Through these bhajans and stories, she believes, people remember what Krishna has done not only in his own life but in others’ lives as well.
“Generally, we like to keep God very far. God stays at the altar and we live our lives. The two don't always meet. But when it comes to kirtan, everybody is there together. And when we hear kathas (stories) that purify our hearts and minds, it's icing on the cake,” the New York-based artiste states.
It is this spirit of togetherness and divinity that helps her, and audience overcome all language barriers.
“When it comes to kirtans, there is no language barrier. Everyone just understands when we're singing names of Radha Govinda together. This just shows me that this is something divine and transcendental,” the Grammy-nominated singer expresses.
“In fact, there are also people who can’t hear who came and communicated to me how much they appreciate my kirtan. Everyone can hear the vibrations of the bhajans. It transcends language, even bodily limit,” she adds.
‘Krishna is my friend’
Acyuta Gopi’s deep devotion for Lord Krishna has led her on a path of spirituality, and she derives motivation, reassurance, and positivity through several of his teachings. For her, reading the Bhagavad Gita is something that reopens her eyes.
“One thing that always gives me comfort is that within the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says that he is everyone’s most dear friend. If we think of God, who is a big entity, some thoughts that arise are: Why would he want to speak to me? I am a small person. I've made so many mistakes in my life. Why would the Supreme person, who everyone wants the attention of, want to speak to me? But Krishna spins all that around within the Bhagavad Gita,” the kirtaniya explains.
“That has been a big reminder for me to keep going despite anything and everything. When life gets tough, we're always looking for something to cling to, to look forward to. In such times, we can remember that Krishna is our friend. I'm not walking alone through all this. He's walking beside me, never leaving my side,” she further expresses.
‘Grand Janmashtami celebrations’
With Janmashtami around the corner, the singer is gearing up for a day of celebrations. “There are two wonderful temples in New York. I end up going back and forth between the two up until midnight. We observe the festival in a huge way. There is midnight darshan, and the street is also closed sometimes for a Janmashtami mela,” she reveals.
While she will celebrate the festival in New York, she reveals that India feels like home to her. “In India, I feel like I can exhale and take a nice deep breath. It is so easy to be who I am. In New York, sometimes, there's a feeling that we should be more normal. But for me, Krishna bhakti is normal,” she signs off.
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