What are kirtan and bhajan?

The musical forms, kirtan and bhajan, are essential components of virtually all Hindu worship, as well as of related traditions, such as Sikhism, where they play an indispensable role. More similar than different, both are related to jaapa, or repetition of the Sacred Name, and group participation is usually emphasized. Sangha means, "devotional group."

An interesting distinction is that while bhajans are commonly performed as such for listening audiences, kirtan - usually a group devotional practice - requires participation, rather than taking the form of a performance. Kirtan typically employs fewer and much repeated phrases, while a bhajan may contain elaborate verses and melodic improvisations, sometimes with sung mono-syllables (generally, the names of the notes, themselves). Both employ melodic structures based on the Indian classical raaga form, where the emphasis is on rhythm and melody, rather than harmony. Traditional instruments, such as the harmonium, tablas, tanpura, cymbals, and bells are typically used in both forms, but these may be augmented by sitar, flute, guitar, bass, other percussion, or anything else that works! There are no hard and fixed rules about renditions, and many styles are developing around the globe.

And, while kirtans generally take only the names and qualities (guna) of the Divine, bhajans often employ ornately poetical lyrics from the greatest of Indian poets, including Rabindranath Tagore, Tulsidas, the Sufi Kabir, and the great woman saint, Meerabai. There are many very well known exponents of these forms today, including Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, Anup Jalota, Jagjit Singh, Lata Mangeshkar, and now a number of non-Indians, such as the American, Krishna Das. As kirtan and bhajan become more popular, groups meet regularly virtually everywhere on the planet. I have recently heard described "the American Kirtan Movement"!

How does one participate, and what are some of the benefits?

Kirtan participants typically sing together, or in "call-and-response" fashion, where a chant leader sings out the lines with participants singing back the same together.

A delightful aspect of kirtan participation is the opportunity for entrainment. Entrainment happens when one object or person comes into rhythmic synchrony with another. Experiments have demonstrated that two clocks placed side by side may begin to tick together after some period of time. Similarly, the strings of one lute may resonate sympathetically in relation to a nearby lute, identically tuned. According to this principle, the members of a kirtan sangha may come into synch with one another during the process of chanting melodically and rhythmically. Further, as the root forms of kirtan typically derive from classical raagas, the melodies may help to synchronize us with Nature or the Cosmos, itself.

Also, when we sing or chant, the breath necessarily becomes rhythmic, and this may encourage balance and equanimity. This factor, along with the sounds and meanings of the sacred and ancient words, may have multifarious beneficial effects on the mind, body, and spirit. Also, it is said that one need not even participate in kirtan to derive its many benefits; merely listening attentively to the devotional music may uplift, inspire, and even heal the listener at some level. Stress, negativity, and "self-grasping" may all be let go during participation or listening to kirtan.

[The great Sufi mystic, Hazrat Inayat Khan also speaks of the effects of music: "What is wonderful about music is that it helps man to concentrate or meditate independently of thought; and therefore music seems to be the bridge over the gulf between form and the formless."]

Though the kirtan leader may seem most immersed in the kirtan, she or he must maintain keen awareness of one's instrument, voice, and the overall progression of the group, while the participants or listeners may enjoy the full benefits without such potential distractions.

What is the purpose of devotional singing, chanting?

It is said that the ancient Indian classical music, dhrupad, is intended for the delight neither of the audience nor the performers, but of the God Who in-dwells in each. The same may be said of kirtan. These forms share much in common with other related styles of spiritual music, such as the ecstatic Sufi qawwali. And, in practice and effect, this group form of prayer is also similar to the Islamic practice of zikr, the purpose of which is to cultivate "remembrance [of the True Nature of the Self]".

[Of course, praying with chant or song may be quite universal, employed in traditions the world over. Another related form of prayer is the Christian Taizé. Brother Roger, its founder, said: "Singing is one of the most important forms of prayer. A few words sung over and over again reinforce the meditative quality of the prayer. They express a basic reality of faith that can quickly be grasped by the intellect, and that gradually penetrates the heart and the whole being. These simple chants also provide a way of praying when one is alone, during the day or at night, or even in the silence of one's heart while one is working." This is virtually identical to the meaning and purpose of kirtan chanting, as well.]

Traditionally invoking names and themes germane to the Hindu pantheon, there are no hard restrictions with the "musical yoga" of bhajan and kirtan. The emphasis in these musical forms need not be as much on the words, melody, or rhythm, as on the cultivation of bhakti (devotion) or single-pointedness, focus of the mind, or "polishing" the heart.

A beautiful voice is not essential to kirtan. I like to say, "kirtan is more about singing from the heart than from the vocal cords." Here, I mean to describe the value of attunement toward the One, as well as entrainment with others, as a great vehicle toward immersion in the all-pervading bliss of the Divine.

Krishna Das says, “Chanting opens the inner eye of the Heart. It cleans the mirror of the Heart so it can clearly reflect what is already within us.”

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says: "When we sing, our minds get united. While singing, the intellect is not working. Singing happens on the level of the heart; it creates a sense of unity in the whole group. There is so much unity that it begins to radiate to the environment."

Paramahansa Yogananda, founder of the Self-Realization Fellowship, said, “Chanting is half of the battle.”

Swami Vivekananda said, "Music is the highest art and, to those who understand, is the highest worship."

The great Bengali poet, Rabindranath Tagore, said, "God respects me when I work, but He loves me when I sing."

Lord Krishna Himself, in the Padma Purana, says: "I dwell not in the spiritual kingdom, nor in the hearts of the yogis; where My devotees are chanting, there, O Narada, stand I!"

Regarding his enthusiasm for music, Shiva is purported to have written: "I prefer the singing of instruments and of voices to thousands of prayers and offerings..."

Music has been referred to as "the Fifth Veda."

The Vedas proclaim, "Let the drum sound forth and let the lute resound, let the strings vibrate the exalted prayer to God."