Celestial beings and Kiirtan
Kiirtan dispels calamities
Healing powers of Kiirtan
Dance of 7000 years
Devotion
Kiirtan and babies
             

“…You will notice that when people do kiirtan out of deep love, a highly powerful spiritual vibration is created. Those who do kiirtan feel that vibration in their minds, hearts, and everywhere. They become virtually intoxicated with unbounded bliss. That sort of bliss is not attainable by a person of knowledge. It may be that a person of knowledge will one day become one with Parama Purus’a (Supreme Consciousness) , but he or she will not be able to attain that bliss; nor that bliss is attainable by a person of action. That bliss is attainable only by a person of devotion. The ‘wholesale right’ to that boundless bliss lies with that devotee only.”
Shrii Shrii Anandamurti.


 
       
 

About HPMG(L)

HPMG(L) –Hari Pari Mandala Gosthi (Ladies) is and international movement founded by the spiritual teacher and philosopher Shrii Shrii Anandamurti in India. The objectives are for women to gather, form small bands and propagate the way of devotional songs, music and dance for the service and upliftment of society.

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What is Kiirtan?

[Text from the writings of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti]
The origin of the word Kiirtan: In Sam’skrta (Sangskrit language) the root verb kiirt means to ‘utter something loudly in praise of someone.’ To proclaim the glories of Parama Purus’a , the Supreme Consciousness, in a loud voice is termed kiirtan. Kiirtan was first invented by devotees to give joy to Parama Purus’a and in the process of pleasing and delighting Parama Purus’a, the devotees lost themselves.

Popularity of Kiirtan

Kiirtan touches the core of human heart. Followers of all religions do kiirtan. The only reason for such large-scale popularity of kiirtan is that it arouses the soft spiritual sentiments in a person. Behind kiirtan is a blissful ideation. This ideation blossoms into full flower - the soft feelings of the human heart lying so deep in a bud form. Kiirtan awakens the human feelings and transports one into great bliss. Kiirtan fills one’s life and satisfies all wants.

Baba Nam Kevalam Mantra for Kiirtan

What is the meaning of the kiirtan Ba’ba’ Na’m Kevalam? Ba’ba’ means the Dearest One, only the name of the Dearest One, only the name of Parama Purus’a (Supreme Consciousness).

Ba’ba’ Na’m Kevalam is a siddha mantra. When the first syllable ba’ is uttered, the feeling should be: ‘ I am crossing the threshold and entering the new world’; and when the last syllable ma is uttered the feeling should be ‘I have accomplished my duty.’ If the kiirtan is done with these feelings, within two or three minutes the effect will come into play. ... A feeling of bliss and perfection.

A siddha mantra must necessarily have eight syllables …The whole siddha mantra should be uttered fully in each phase of the tune – Ba’ba’ Na’m Kevalam and not a part of it while doing kiirtan. If this is not done, the kiirtan cannot be said to be a perfect kiirtan. Everything must be done in a methodical way. Then you will enjoy and get the (completion) of kiirtan properly.

The kulakun’d’alinii (spiritual force at the base of the spine) rises slowly form the Muladhara Cakra to the Saha’sra’ra Cakra in eight steps, it passes through eight cakras and the Saha’sra’ra is the ninth… The kulakun’d’alinii rises upwards in eight jumps or phases, …that is why such a siddha mantra has eight syllables, never seven or nine syllables.

The Science of Kiirtan

Indo Aryan music is based on a system, a rhythm: there is no room for any mistake, no scope for deviation. Initially kiirtan was in vogue, which at first was not based on hard and fast rules, just as folk songs do not conform to many rules. Later, however, it was also subjected to fixed rules…it became elevated from folk music to classical music.

Kiirtan belongs to the category of supra-aesthetic science. Now the question may be asked: What is supra-aesthetic science? To put it precisely is the endeavor to ensconce the microcosmic entity, the individual entitative rhythm, in the eternal bearing, the infinite rhythm of Parama Purus’a (Supreme Consciousness). So in all the branches of music kiirtan is the best. Since kiirtan is the composite of song, dance and instrumental music… and the charm, the excellence of kiirtan is that when these three aspects of music are combined together they create such an unblemished, heavenly environment that people completely forget themselves.

There is a system for the accompaniment of music in kiirtan, because sometimes, while doing kiirtan our ears may be distracted …normally a mrdanga (special drum), or some such instrument, is prescribed. Why? Why not drums and such heavy sounding instruments? The fact is that the sound of the mrdanga is very sweet. Where there is harsh or heavy sound and a sweet sound, the mind is normally attracted towards the sweet sound. Hence the playing of mrdanga serves the purpose of attracting the mind and helping it to associate with the vibration of kiirtan, thus immediately the mind returns to the bha’va (feeling) of kiirtan…

Kiirtan and Meditation

Your mind must be in a state of composure while doing sa’dhana’ (meditation) and in order to bring the mind to a state of composure, you are to do what? You are to do kiirtan. During kiirtan what happens?
The mind gets lifted, exalted and as a result you will enjoy a particular nature of peace. And if you start your sa’dhana’ just after doing kiirtan, you will enjoy bliss. So kiirtan is a necessity, an indispensable necessity for a proper sa’dhana’.

Those who wish to attain spiritual progress in their sa’dhana’ will have to do more and more kiirtan. By kiirtan the mind becomes pure and with this pure mind one can do sa’dhana’. If the mind is purified even for five minutes by kiirtan then if you do sa’dhana’ for only five minutes, your sa’dhana’ will be very good. You will surely attain spiritual progress.

Effect of Kiirtan on the Cakras

The physical body of those who practice sa’dhana’ (meditation) or do a lot of kiirtan secrets fluids from certain art of the Anahata Cakra, Vishuddha Cakra and Ajina Cakra. The smell of this secretion is somewhat, but not exactly, like a light smell of jasmine flower or ripe jackfruit. The body of those with a devotional nature or who regularly practice yoga usually emits this kind of fragrance. In fact the emission of a sweet aroma is one of the criteria for ascertaining the degree of one’s devotion to God.

Celestial beings and Kiirtan

Whenever there is an assemblage of singers or dancers what happens? Gandharvas (luminous beings) with their mental bodies…assemble. Wherever there is any musical programme they assemble there but they are invisible. Sometimes though, they become visible…. During a musical function, whenever the mind of a particular artist becomes concentrated, he or she will see the luminous bodies of Gandharvas. Similarly, during meditation, or particularly during kiirtan or devotional chanting, when a spiritual aspirant’s mind becomes concentrated, he or she will feel the existence of those siddhas.

Kiirtan dispels calamities

Now whatever might be the physical miseries – be they natural or man-made – if people collectively chant kiirtan, the calamities are dispelled then and there. In the case of natural calamities like flood, famine, drought, or epidemic, or man-made calamities, miseries and tortures – if kiirtan is chanted with maximum sincerity it will being direct relief in no time. In addition kiirtna removes the collective psychic afflictions as well those which are already existing and those, which are not yet arrived but about which we have premonitions of their impending arrival. If kiirtan is done in advance, those impending troubles disappear. Why do they disappear? They are dispelled not merely because of the collective mental force of so many people, but also due to the impact of so many minds moving with tremendous speed under the inspiration of Parama Purus’a.

Healing powers of Kiirtan

Kiirtan is not only helpful in the realm of spirituality, but also in all spheres of life. It banishes physical troubles and tribulations as well. Kiirtan fights against all mundane difficulties and finally becomes victorious.

Whatever worldly difficulties might obstruct your path the best position or auxiliary force is kiirtan. Kiirtan helps a devotee to accelerate the speed towards the hub of the universe…If people do kiirtan with distinct expression of the mantra, their mouth becomes pure, their tongue becomes pure, their ears become pure, their whole bodies become pure and when so many parts of the body become pure, the atman (self or soul) also becomes pure.

A person moving about puffed up with vanity and arrogance and always engaging in self-aggrandizement can improve only by utilizing the time in kiirtan. If one keeps oneself engaged in kiirtan, one will not get time to criticize and scandalize anyone in order to elevate oneself in comparison. So it is a must for such a person to do kiirtan to the maximum, so that one doesn’t get time to indulge in nefarious activity of criticism.

Lalita Ma’rmika Dance of 7000 years

Parvati, the wife of Shiva, invented Lalita Marmika which means: ‘voice of the inner spirit’. The dance used for kiirtan is Laita Marmika. It represents the inner voice of the spiritual aspirant. The main thing in Lalita Marmika is the expression through mudra’ (gesture).It represents that now we are enjoying bliss, we are in a happy mood.

Lalita ma'rmika is purely a devotional dance. The elbows must be placed above the 90° position in relation to the shoulders. The upraised hands indicate the spirit of surrender.

Devotion – Love for the Supreme

Devotion has tremendous power which neither knowledge nor action have. Rather people of knowledge, have a subtle sense of vanity of which common people are afraid. So they maintain distance from them, saying: ‘Good heavens, they are such scholars, how can we go near them?’ But no one is afraid of people of devotion. Rather they think: ‘After all they are devotees, so let us go and sit near them for a while’. So if you can arouse devotion, then by coming in contact with you, thousands and thousands of people will attain spiritual salvation.

One may not possess knowledge or intelligence, but if one has devotion, that is enough. So devotion must be aroused by all means. After coming in contact with a devotional person thousand and thousand of people may also become devotional.

Kiirtan and babies

Until the age of six months the mother should give only milk to the baby and at the time of nursing she should sing the kiirtan mantra Baba Nam Kevalam in a low voice, so that only she and the baby can hear. If she does so the baby will have a spiritual start, and at the time of singing kiirtan, her milk will become divine nectar.

 

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