WHAT IS KIRTAN?
Kīrtana is a Sanskrit word meaning "honor" or "praise." It refers specifically to devotional singing, either of the Lord’s pastimes (Līlā Kīrtana), or simply the Divine Names (Nāmā Kīrtana). Practicing kīrtana in a group setting is called Saṃkīrtana, a contraction of Saṃgha, meaning "community" or "congregation", and Kīrtana.
This devotional practice was popularized in the early 1500’s by the Bengali saint Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who traveled from village to village chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahāmantra, inspiring all who heard it to drop everything and join him in ecstatic chanting of the Divine Names. Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught that there are nine types of Bhakti, or devotion to God. They are:
- Śravaṇa Bhakti
- Listening to stories of saints and holy people
- Kīrtana Bhakti
- Singing the glories of God
- Smaraṇa Bhakti
- Constant remembrance of the Divine (japa recitation, practicing the presence of God)
- Pādaseva Bhakti
- Service to the lotus feet of the Lord (selfless–service to humanity)
- Arcana Bhakti
- Outward worship (pūjā, yajña, ritual ceremonies)
- Vandanā Bhakti
- Inward worship (prayer, meditation)
- Dāsya Bhakti
- Becoming a servant to the Lord (complete humility – everything is done for the Lord)
- Sakhya Bhakti
- Becoming a friend to the Lord (i.e. the relationship between Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa, wherein Arjuna knew Kṛṣṇa’s Divine stature, but still related to Him as a friend)
- Ātmanivedana Bhakti
- Complete surrender of body, mind and soul to the Divine.
Of these nine forms of Bhakti, Caitanya Mahāprabhu emphasized Kīrtana, as it is the easiest way to find God and it naturally leads one into the other forms of Bhakti.
Kīrtana was brought to the west in the early 20th century by Paramahansa Yogananda, founder of Self-Realization Fellowship. Due to the novelty of Indian culture at that time, and to simplify things for his new American devotees, Yoganandaji translated many Bengali, Hindi and Sanskrit chants into English. It wasn't until many years later that traditional Sanskrit chanting started to move into the mainstream with the help of George Harrison and the Beatles, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his Transcendental Meditation movement, and most significantly, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), also known as the "Hare Krishna" movement. ISKCON has done more to push the practice of Kīrtana into the mainstream than any other individual or group, because whether they like the Hare Krishnas or not, everyone has heard of them!
More recent proponents of Kīrtana have been the American disciples of the Indian saint Neem Karoli Baba, the most prominent of which is Krishna Das. Other Neem Karoli disciples include Ram Dass, Bhagavan Das, Jai Uttal, Keshav Das, Durga Das, and Govindas & Radha. Some other western Kīrtana musicians are Wah!, Deva Premal, Karnamrita dasi, Vaiyasaki Das, The Temple Bhajan Band, Bolo!, Ragani, Jaya Lakshmi, Girish, Donna Delory, Kumuda, Dave Stringer, and many, many others, all of whom have helped to bring Kīrtana out of the temples and into yoga studios, interfaith churches, and even concert halls.
This simple, joyful practice of singing the Lord’s Name and glory is a surefire way to deepen our relationship with God, and open our hearts to the unending love that is within everyone.
