INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC
Just like in Western classical music, the roots of Indian classical music are spiritual. It traces its origin in the Vedic hymns of the temples of thousands of year ago. The Rishis (saints), deep in meditation, would contemplate different sound vibrations and tonal patterns and the effects they have on consciousness. Indian classical music is more of a spiritual experience rather than just mere entertainment for the enjoyment of the senses. It is a living thing. There is the raga and tala structure for the musicians to follow , but the rest is improvised in the moment. Thus the performance is a more of an experience of presence and meditation for the listener.
THE YOGA OF KIRTAN
Kirtan is the music of Yoga. The recent popularity of the kirtan movement is a natural follow up to the growth of yoga practice and philosophy in the West, including Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of Devotion. It is the outcome of understanding of the Yogic science of sound, Nada Yoga, combined with the growing interest in the world’s sacred traditions in general.
Congregational singing is popular in many traditions. Kirtan, the yogic call-and-response form of it, is today a universal and non-denominational spiritual practice. Mantras and devotional songs have often Sanskrit words, but English words are also used and melodies are often in Indian or Western scales. The many names of the one God are invoked in many languages. It opens the heart, awaken its energies and helps us harmonize with the healing forces of the universe. It is a gateway to deep states devotion and joy.
-Ullamaya Ma
Read an article in the Times of India about kirtan.
Just like in Western classical music, the roots of Indian classical music are spiritual. It traces its origin in the Vedic hymns of the temples of thousands of year ago. The Rishis (saints), deep in meditation, would contemplate different sound vibrations and tonal patterns and the effects they have on consciousness. Indian classical music is more of a spiritual experience rather than just mere entertainment for the enjoyment of the senses. It is a living thing. There is the raga and tala structure for the musicians to follow , but the rest is improvised in the moment. Thus the performance is a more of an experience of presence and meditation for the listener.
THE YOGA OF KIRTAN
Kirtan is the music of Yoga. The recent popularity of the kirtan movement is a natural follow up to the growth of yoga practice and philosophy in the West, including Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of Devotion. It is the outcome of understanding of the Yogic science of sound, Nada Yoga, combined with the growing interest in the world’s sacred traditions in general.
Congregational singing is popular in many traditions. Kirtan, the yogic call-and-response form of it, is today a universal and non-denominational spiritual practice. Mantras and devotional songs have often Sanskrit words, but English words are also used and melodies are often in Indian or Western scales. The many names of the one God are invoked in many languages. It opens the heart, awaken its energies and helps us harmonize with the healing forces of the universe. It is a gateway to deep states devotion and joy.
-Ullamaya Ma
Read an article in the Times of India about kirtan.