Surya Namaskar Surya Namaskara was a part of the daily ritual of our ancients. It is a wonderful regular routine of exercise, prayer and worship given in the scriptures of ancient of India. Surya Namaskara means salutations to Lord Surya. Stand facing the east at dawn and recite the mantras to pray Lord Surya and offer red sandals, flowers, rice grains (Akshatas) with water or simply water as libation and perform Surya Namaskara. It must be performed before the sunrise. Take water in a pot and mix all the materials in it and hold the pot in your fingers, keeping the thumbs aside and face the east. Chant the following Mantra and offer the libation thrice. Ehi Soorya sahastransho tejorashe jagatpate Anukampaya mam bhaktya grihanarghyam divakara Then offer the following prayer to Lord Surya. Dhyaeah sada savitri mandala madhyavarti Narayanah sarashija sanasanni vishtha Keyurvan makara kundalavan kireeti Hari hiranyamaya vapurdhrit shankha chakrah Surya Namaskaras There are twelve positions in Surya Namaskara. Twenty-five such Namaskaras form one Avriti (frequency). Surya Namaskara must be performed preferably in an open and airy place. Perform Surya Namaskara slowly without exerting too much or panting and puffing. There is one Mantra for each of the twelve Namaskaras- there by you also recite the dwadasa namas of Sun. 1st Position – Dakshasana Mantra: Om Mitraya Namah Procedure : In the first position of Surya Namaskara contemplate the virtues of Lord Surya with concentrated mind and feel that you are the friend of everybody and have friendship with every creature on the earth. Immersing yourself with these feelings stand erect stretching your hands, neck and all other parts of your body. Stretching both of your arms, touch your thighs with palms and inflate the chest and point your vision on the tip of the nose. This is a position of attention. Benefits: Disorders of the skin and waists are corrected, the back and the legs become strong. Focusing of the vision on nose helps to control the mind. It is an easy and effective way of attaining good health and development of personality for the students. Meditating with concentrated mind enhances confidence. 2nd Position: Namaskarasana Mantra : Om Ravaye Namah Procedure : Fold together both of your hands in such a way that that both the thumbs begin to touch your chest. Expand your chest and pull in the belly as far as possible. Look straight ahead. The head, the neck and the body should remain in a straight line. Closing the mouth inhale the breath and hold it inside as far as possible and then expose the breath. Benefits: Good for the diseases of the throat and voice is enhanced. Both mind and body become healthy. 3rd Position: Parvatasana Mantra : Om Suryaya Namah Procedure: Raising the arms up, stretch whole of your body backward while gazing at the sky with open eyes. Bend backward as mush as possible, inhale and expand your chest at the same time. Benefits: Both the shoulders and the food pipe (Esophagus) get exercise and diseases related to them are corrected. Eyesight is also improved. 4th Position: Namaskara Hastapadasana Mantra: Om Bhanave Namah Procedure: Inhale deeply, retain the breath and bend forward without folding the knees. Rest both your palms on the ground and touch your knees with your forehead or the nose and exhale the breath with audible sound. In the beginning if you can’t rest your palms on the ground, just touch the ground with fingers. Benefits : Disorders of the belly and digestive system are corrected. The chest and hands become stronger and you become well balanced, beautiful and good looking. Diseases of the feet and fingers are also corrected. 5th Position: Ekapada Prasaranasana Mantra : Om Khagaye Namah Procedure: Inhale and pull your right leg backward in such a way that the knee and the fingers of the foot touch the ground. The abdomen and belly must be pressing hard into the left leg. Raise your head as high as possible and look upwards. Push the waist down and hold the breath and stay in the posture as long as you can – comfortably. Benefits : The posture stretches the small intestine and the seminal vesicles. Hence this posture helps in correcting the constipation and diseases of the liver. Thinness of the semen is also corrected. Diseases of the throat are also corrected. 6th Position: Bhudharasana Mantra : Om Pushne Namah Procedure: Inhale the breath deeply and hold it and pull both of your legs backward, so that the thumbs of the feet, ankles and knees touch each other. Stabilizing the feet and keeping the head, waist, the back and the elbows in a line bend forward and resting both the palms on the ground keep your body like a bow. Benefits : One gets relief from the pains – specially of arms, legs and the knees. Bulging waist is trimmed and it is good for the abdominal disorders. 7th Position: Ashthanga Pranipatasana Mantra: Om Hiranyagarbhaya Namah Procedure: Holding the breath, rest both your knees on the ground. Touch the ground with your chest and touch the lower part of the neck with chin. Also touch the ground with the upper part of the forehead and the nose. Please note that the abdomen should not touch the ground. It should be pulled in. Then exhale the breath. Both the hands/palms must be on the side of the chest. Benefits : This posture makes the arms strong. If ladies perform this Asana before getting pregnant, the breast fed babies could be saved from the attacks of many diseases. 8th Position: Bhujangasana Mantra : Om Marichye Namah Procedure: Keeping the legs, palms and knees as in Ashtanga prampatasana position above, unfold the arms and rise inhaling the breath, push the chest out and bend the waist in a circle backward. Then rise and bend your head backwards looking up and back as much up as possible and exhale the breath. Benefits : Tones up the body and the back muscles and improves the eyesight. Corrects all kinds of disorders related to the reproductive system, corrects the irregularities in females menstrual cycles. Blood circulation is also improved. 9th Position: Bhudharasana Mantra : Om Adityaya Namah Repeat the process of Bhudharasana as described in the step six – Inhale the breath deeply and hold it and pull both of your legs backward, so that the thumbs of the feet, ankles and knees touch each other. Stabilizing the feet and keeping the head, waist, the back and the elbows in a line bend forward and resting both the palms on the ground keep your body like a bow. Benefits : One gets relief from the pains – specially of arms, legs and the knees. Bulging waist is trimmed and it is good for the abdominal disorders. 10th Position: Ekapada Prasaranasana Mantra: Om Savitre Namah Procedure: Repeat the process of the fifth Namaskara as described in the fifth position but just reverse the position of the legs. 11th Position: Namaskara Hastapadasana Mantra : Om Arkaya Namah Repeat the process described in the fourth position. 12th Position: Parvatasana Mantra: Om Bhaskaraya Namah Procedure : Same as position 2 Then come back to the 1st position and repeat the full round once more. Our ancients used to do 25 rounds of Surya Namaskaras, called one Avriti. Can you?! As per the scriptures one who performs the Surya Namaskaras daily does not get poor in a thousand births. Surya Namaskar and Spirituality Surya Namaskar will provide health benefits for individuals regardless of their level of interest in its spiritual benefits or their religious beliefs. Whether you consider it of spiritual benefit or not, learning the poses and practicing them regularly is incredibly gratifying and humbling. Over time, Surya Namaskar will help you achieve a sense of well-being and purpose. It is a spiritually uplifting exercise and promotes a keen awareness of the interconnectedness of your body, mind and breath. Aum Mitraya Namah: The sun is your friend. HE is called Jaganmitra. HE is lovable like a true friend. You miss HIM in his absence. You ever long to experience the joy of his warmth and affection. If the sun is not in the sky you get disturbed – bodily and mentally. Your appetite is lost. Nervousness takes hold of your activities. You gather friends to restore your mood. You eat hot and drink hot and talk a lot to compensate the absence of the warmth and joy of the Sun God. Now you can understand why the people from far off countries come to India to enjoy SunBath. The touch of twilight has dramatic effect on our body. It is a touch of warmth and care. It is a magic touch. It is a healing touch. It is the touch of mother that calms down the crying child instantly. The touch of love and affection of the Sun God cures our physical and mental worries. The Sun God is to us as Lord Krishna is to Arjuna. Pray the sun God who is intimate and dear to us. ॥ ॐ ध्येयः सदा सवित्र मण्डल मध्यवर्ती नारायण सरसिजा सनसन्नि विष्टः केयूरवान मकरकुण्डलवान किरीटी हारी हिरण्मय वपुर धृतशंख चक्रः ॥ ॐ मित्राय नमः। ॐ रवये नमः। ॐ सूर्याय नमः। ॐ भानवे नमः। ॐ खगाय नमः। ॐ पुषणे नमः। ॐ हिरण्यगर्भाय नमः। ॐ मरीचये नमः। ॐ आदित्याय नमः। ॐ सवित्रे नमः। ॐ अर्काय नमः। ॐ भास्कराय नमः। ॐ श्रीसवित्रसूर्यनारायणाय नमः। ॥ आदित्यस्य नमस्कारन् ये कुर्वन्ति दिने दिने आयुः प्रज्ञा बलम् वीर्यम् तेजस्तेशान् च जायते !!
To the noblest of Sages, Patanjali, who gave Yoga for serenity of mind, grammar for purity of speech, and medicine for the health of the body, I prostrate with folded hands. To this white Patanjali, who has a human form, holding conch, disc and sword and having a thousand heads, I bow. Patanjali, undoubtedly the greatest expounder of Yoga, lived sometime between 500 and 200 B.C. The life of Patanjali is an enigma to modern historians, and almost nothing is known about this great Master who epitomizes Yoga. It is only with the help of legends that one can draw inferences about him. Undoubtedly he was a great Yoga adept and was perhaps the head of a school in which “Swadhyaya”, study of the Self, was regarded as an important aspect of spiritual practice. Indian history is presumptive of several individuals by the name of Patanjali. Three of them were well-known; the first one being the famous grammarian who wrote the commentary on Panini’s Ashtadhyayi (the Mahabhashya) and compiled the Yoga Sutras, the classical text on Raja Yoga. The Mahabhashya symbolises the perfection of the discipline in grammar. The object of grammar is to supply rules for control of current speech (laukika) for the preservation of the integrity of the Vedas and the comprehension of proper meaning. The second person named Patanjali wrote the Nidana-Sutras, considered indispensable for the study of the Vedic ritual literature; while the third was a well-known teacher of Samkhya Philosophy. The above three people, in the historian’s view, happen to come from different time periods and are considered to be different personalities. The Indian Tradition however, differs in opinion strongly and advocates that the above different treatises were done by a single person and even further, attributes various medical treatises to him. In the Indian tradition, Patanjali is said to be self-born, swayambhu. He was a highly-evolved soul who incarnated of his own will in a human form to help humanity. He is also considered an incarnation of Ananta, the source of all wisdom (Jnana) and of Shesha, the thousand-headed ruler of the serpent race, which is thought to guard the hidden treasures of the earth. Ananta depicts a couch on which God Vishnu reclines. He is the Lord of serpents and his many heads symbolize Infinity or Omnipresence. Many yogis bow to Ananta before they begin their daily yogic practice. In one of the legends, it is said that Lord Vishnu was seated on Adishesha, the Lord of serpents as His couch, watching the enchanting dance of Lord Shiva. Lord Vishnu was so totally absorbed in the dance of Lord Shiva, that His body began to vibrate to its rhythm. This vibration made Him heavier and heavier, causing Adishesha to feel so uncomfortable that he was gasping for breath and was on the point of collapse. The moment the dance came to an end, Lord Vishnu’s body became light again. Adishesha was amazed and asked his master the cause of these stupendous changes. The Lord explained that the grace, beauty, majesty and grandeur of Lord Shiva’s dance had created corresponding vibrations in His own body, making it heavy. Marvelling at this, Adishesha professed a desire to learn dance so as to exalt his Lord. Vishnu then became thoughtful, and predicted that soon Lord Shiva would grace Adishesha to write a commentary on grammar, and that he would then also be able to devote himself to perfection in the art of dance. Adishesha was overjoyed by these words and looked forward to the descent of Lord Shiva’s grace. Adishesha then began to meditate to ascertain who would be his mother on earth. In meditation, he had the vision of a yogini by the name of Gonika who was praying for a worthy son to whom she could impart her knowledge and wisdom. He at once realized that she would be a worthy mother for him, and awaited an auspicious moment to become her son. Gonika, thinking that her earthly life was approaching its end, and that her desire of finding a worthy son would remain unfulfilled; now, as a last resort looked to the Sun God, the living witness of God on earth and prayed to Him to fulfil her desire. She took a handful of water as a final oblation to Him, closed her eyes and meditated on the Sun. As she was about to offer the water, she opened her eyes and looked at her palms. To her surprise, she saw a tiny snake moving in her palms, who soon took on a human form. This tiny male human being prostrated to Gonika and asked her to accept him as her son. This she did and named him Patanjali because her hands had been in the prayerful gesture (anjali) and he had fallen (pat) from heaven.* Another incidence is said to have happened in Chidambaram (also known as Thillai ) located about a hundred miles from Madras. Chidambaram is considered to be one of the holiest temples in India. In this temple, Lord Nataraja is present in his cosmic-dancing form. The story goes that once in Darukavanam, Shiva wished to teach a lesson to the Rishis who were proud of their learning. Shiva took the form of a mendicant with a begging bowl in hand, accompanied by Vishnu disguised as Mohini. The rishipatnis (wives of the Rishis) were attracted by the sight of this beautiful pair. The Rishis grew angry and tried to destroy the pair. They performed a sacrificial fire and raised a tiger from the fire, which sprang at Shiva. Shiva pealed off the skin of the tiger and wrapped it round his waist. Then again the Rishis sent a poisonous serpent and Shiva tied it round his neck. Then the Rishis sent against Shiva an Apasmara Purusha, Muyalaka, whom Lord Shiva crushed by pressing him to the ground with his foot. At this, the Rishis confessed defeat and Shiva started to dance before all the Gods and Rishis. Lord Adishesha heard the description of Shiva’s dance at Darukavanam from Vishnu and requested Vishnu to allow him to witness the dance himself. Vishnu agreed to this. Adishesha performed penance and prayed to Shiva to allow him to see the dance. Being pleased with his penance, Shiva appeared to him and promised that he would dance at Tillai (Chidambaram). Accordingly, Adishesha was born as a human being, as Patanjali, and went to the forest of Tillai. At this time a certain sage, Vyaghrapada, also lived in this forest. Vyaghrapada was the son of Madhyandina Rishi who lived on the banks of the Ganga. He came to the South under the directions of his father and started praying to the Swayambhulinga under a banyan tree near a tank in this Tillai forest. He used to collect flowers for puja and he prayed for the boon of getting tiger’s feet and claws, so that he could easily climb up the trees and pluck plenty of flowers. He also prayed for the eyes of bees, so that he could collect the flowers before any bee could taste the honey in them. His prayer for these two blessings was granted, and since he had the feet of a tiger, he was called Vyaghrapada. Each constructed his own hermitage, Patanjali at Ananteeswaram and Vyaghrapada at Tirupuleeswaram in Chidambaram. They started worshipping Shiva in the form of the Swayambhulinga in Tillai forest. Days passed and when the time came for Shiva to give them Darshan, the guardian Goddess of the place, Kalika Devi, interfered and did not allow Shiva to give His Darshan. Shortly afterwards, Shiva and Devi agreed that they should participate in a dance contest and that the winner should have undisputed possession of Tillai. So the dance started. At one moment during the dance, the Lord’s earrings fell down, but the Lord took them up from the floor in such a way that nobody could notice the loss and the recovery. This dance is called Urdhva Tandavam in which Shiva defeated Kalika Devi. Now Nataraja performed the Ananda Tandavam, i.e. the Dance of Bliss, in the presence of Shivakamasundari and all the Gods and Rishis, and at the same time fulfilled the wish of the two devotees, Patanjali and Vyaghrapada, by allowing them to witness it and thus satisfying them. Another story tells that once upon a time Nandi, Shiva’s carrier, would not allow Patanjali Muni to have Darshan of Lord Shiva (Nataraja of Chidambaram). In order to reach Lord Shiva, Patanjali, with his mastery over grammatical forms, spontaneously composed a prayer in praise of the Lord without using any extended (Dirgha) syllable, (without Charana and Shringa) i.e. leg and horn, to tease Nandi. Shiva was quickly pleased, gave Darshan to the devotee and danced to the lilting tune of this song. These three short legends throw some light upon Patanjali and his greatness. Today unfortunately even Patanjali’s lineage does not appear to exist anymore. Patanjali’s life is obscure, with precise details about his place of birth, life and personality missing; this uncertainty however does not detract the great merit of the Patanjali Yoga-Sutras. It is the most condensed traditional outline of the yogic path and should be studied in depth by all serious students of Yoga. Yogacharya B.K.S Iyengar, who is definitely one of the greatest exponents of Patanjali Yoga Sutras, is responsible for shedding much light on the greatness of Patanjali and his writings. It is his great vision that brought to the forefront, the science of Patanjali Yoga Sutras and its benefit to our daily lives. atanjali, undoubtedly the greatest expounder of Yoga, lived sometime between 500 and 200 B.C. The life of Patanjali is an enigma to modern historians, and almost nothing is known about this great Master who epitomizes Yoga. It is only with the help of legends that one can draw inferences about him. Undoubtedly he was a great Yoga adept and was perhaps the head of a school in which “Swadhyaya”, study of the Self, was regarded as an important aspect of spiritual practice. Indian history is presumptive of several individuals by the name of Patanjali. Three of them were well-known; the first one being the famous grammarian who wrote the commentary on Panini’s Ashtadhyayi (the Mahabhashya) and compiled the Yoga Sutras, the classical text on Raja Yoga. The Mahabhashya symbolises the perfection of the discipline in grammar. The object of grammar is to supply rules for control of current speech (laukika) for the preservation of the integrity of the Vedas and the comprehension of proper meaning. The second person named Patanjali wrote the Nidana-Sutras, considered indispensable for the study of the Vedic ritual literature; while the third was a well-known teacher of Samkhya Philosophy. The above three people, in the historian’s view, happen to come from different time periods and are considered to be different personalities. The Indian Tradition however, differs in opinion strongly and advocates that the above different treatises were done by a single person and even further, attributes various medical treatises to him. In the Indian tradition, Patanjali is said to be self-born, swayambhu. He was a highly-evolved soul who incarnated of his own will in a human form to help humanity. He is also considered an incarnation of Ananta, the source of all wisdom (Jnana) and of Shesha, the thousand-headed ruler of the serpent race, which is thought to guard the hidden treasures of the earth. Ananta depicts a couch on which God Vishnu reclines. He is the Lord of serpents and his many heads symbolize Infinity or Omnipresence. Many yogis bow to Ananta before they begin their daily yogic practice. In one of the legends, it is said that Lord Vishnu was seated on Adishesha, the Lord of serpents as His couch, watching the enchanting dance of Lord Shiva. Lord Vishnu was so totally absorbed in the dance of Lord Shiva, that His body began to vibrate to its rhythm. This vibration made Him heavier and heavier, causing Adishesha to feel so uncomfortable that he was gasping for breath and was on the point of collapse. The moment the dance came to an end, Lord Vishnu’s body became light again. Adishesha was amazed and asked his master the cause of these stupendous changes. The Lord explained that the grace, beauty, majesty and grandeur of Lord Shiva’s dance had created corresponding vibrations in His own body, making it heavy. Marvelling at this, Adishesha professed a desire to learn dance so as to exalt his Lord. Vishnu then became thoughtful, and predicted that soon Lord Shiva would grace Adishesha to write a commentary on grammar, and that he would then also be able to devote himself to perfection in the art of dance. Adishesha was overjoyed by these words and looked forward to the descent of Lord Shiva’s grace. Adishesha then began to meditate to ascertain who would be his mother on earth. In meditation, he had the vision of a yogini by the name of Gonika who was praying for a worthy son to whom she could impart her knowledge and wisdom. He at once realized that she would be a worthy mother for him, and awaited an auspicious moment to become her son. Gonika, thinking that her earthly life was approaching its end, and that her desire of finding a worthy son would remain unfulfilled; now, as a last resort looked to the Sun God, the living witness of God on earth and prayed to Him to fulfil her desire. She took a handful of water as a final oblation to Him, closed her eyes and meditated on the Sun. As she was about to offer the water, she opened her eyes and looked at her palms. To her surprise, she saw a tiny snake moving in her palms, who soon took on a human form. This tiny male human being prostrated to Gonika and asked her to accept him as her son. This she did and named him Patanjali because her hands had been in the prayerful gesture (anjali) and he had fallen (pat) from heaven.* Another incidence is said to have happened in Chidambaram (also known as Thillai ) located about a hundred miles from Madras. Chidambaram is considered to be one of the holiest temples in India. In this temple, Lord Nataraja is present in his cosmic-dancing form. The story goes that once in Darukavanam, Shiva wished to teach a lesson to the Rishis who were proud of their learning. Shiva took the form of a mendicant with a begging bowl in hand, accompanied by Vishnu disguised as Mohini. The rishipatnis (wives of the Rishis) were attracted by the sight of this beautiful pair. The Rishis grew angry and tried to destroy the pair. They performed a sacrificial fire and raised a tiger from the fire, which sprang at Shiva. Shiva pealed off the skin of the tiger and wrapped it round his waist. Then again the Rishis sent a poisonous serpent and Shiva tied it round his neck. Then the Rishis sent against Shiva an Apasmara Purusha, Muyalaka, whom Lord Shiva crushed by pressing him to the ground with his foot. At this, the Rishis confessed defeat and Shiva started to dance before all the Gods and Rishis. Lord Adishesha heard the description of Shiva’s dance at Darukavanam from Vishnu and requested Vishnu to allow him to witness the dance himself. Vishnu agreed to this. Adishesha performed penance and prayed to Shiva to allow him to see the dance. Being pleased with his penance, Shiva appeared to him and promised that he would dance at Tillai (Chidambaram). Accordingly, Adishesha was born as a human being, as Patanjali, and went to the forest of Tillai. At this time a certain sage, Vyaghrapada, also lived in this forest. Vyaghrapada was the son of Madhyandina Rishi who lived on the banks of the Ganga. He came to the South under the directions of his father and started praying to the Swayambhulinga under a banyan tree near a tank in this Tillai forest. He used to collect flowers for puja and he prayed for the boon of getting tiger’s feet and claws, so that he could easily climb up the trees and pluck plenty of flowers. He also prayed for the eyes of bees, so that he could collect the flowers before any bee could taste the honey in them. His prayer for these two blessings was granted, and since he had the feet of a tiger, he was called Vyaghrapada. Each constructed his own hermitage, Patanjali at Ananteeswaram and Vyaghrapada at Tirupuleeswaram in Chidambaram. They started worshipping Shiva in the form of the Swayambhulinga in Tillai forest. Days passed and when the time came for Shiva to give them Darshan, the guardian Goddess of the place, Kalika Devi, interfered and did not allow Shiva to give His Darshan. Shortly afterwards, Shiva and Devi agreed that they should participate in a dance contest and that the winner should have undisputed possession of Tillai. So the dance started. At one moment during the dance, the Lord’s earrings fell down, but the Lord took them up from the floor in such a way that nobody could notice the loss and the recovery. This dance is called Urdhva Tandavam in which Shiva defeated Kalika Devi. Now Nataraja performed the Ananda Tandavam, i.e. the Dance of Bliss, in the presence of Shivakamasundari and all the Gods and Rishis, and at the same time fulfilled the wish of the two devotees, Patanjali and Vyaghrapada, by allowing them to witness it and thus satisfying them. Another story tells that once upon a time Nandi, Shiva’s carrier, would not allow Patanjali Muni to have Darshan of Lord Shiva (Nataraja of Chidambaram). In order to reach Lord Shiva, Patanjali, with his mastery over grammatical forms, spontaneously composed a prayer in praise of the Lord without using any extended (Dirgha) syllable, (without Charana and Shringa) i.e. leg and horn, to tease Nandi. Shiva was quickly pleased, gave Darshan to the devotee and danced to the lilting tune of this song. These three short legends throw some light upon Patanjali and his greatness. Today unfortunately even Patanjali’s lineage does not appear to exist anymore. Patanjali’s life is obscure, with precise details about his place of birth, life and personality missing; this uncertainty however does not detract the great merit of the Patanjali Yoga-Sutras. It is the most condensed traditional outline of the yogic path and should be studied in depth by all serious students of Yoga. Yogacharya B.K.S Iyengar, who is definitely one of the greatest exponents of Patanjali Yoga Sutras, is responsible for shedding much light on the greatness of Patanjali and his writings. It is his great vision that brought to the forefront, the science of Patanjali Yoga Sutras and its benefit to our daily lives.
Pnduranga Vittala & Temple above Bhajan is a Hindu devotional song often known as Kirtan. It is of ancient origin and sung with utmost devotion to God. Bha in the word Bhajan means that which is bhaavyam (sacred or holy), that Atma Tatwa (Principle of Atma) which is divyam (self-effulgent). The letters Ja in the word bhajan connotes japa (chanting of the Lord’s name). Bhajan literally means chanting the sacred name of Lord with utmost devotion. This act of singing with devotion makes one feel closer to true self (atma or jeeva) or to God (Brahma or Ishwara). In other words, Rasanam Lakshanam Bhajanam, acts which are performed for the purpose of pleasing God also known as Bhajans. Such devotional form of singing is heavenly to human ears and truly divine. Bhajans have been deep rooted in Indian tradition than anything else. They are simple soulful songs expressing undying love for God, a complete submission to Him through singing. This is one of the constituents of Bhakti for Haridasa to acquire the highest level in devotion (The other being Faith). These songs can be for a single God/Goddess, or any number of divinities, sometimes featuring several names and aspects of the chosen deity (esp in case of Ashtottarams and Sahasranamas). The music based on ragas and talas of Indian Classical Music played on Veena, Sarangi Venu (Flute), Mridanga (Tabla) or any traditional Indian instrument. The Sikh Scripture, however, contains 31 ragas and 17 talas which form the basis for Bhajan (Kirtan) music compositions. Bhajans can be seen in as old as Sama Veda, third Veda in Hindu scriptures. They have a very easy flow and their colloquial renderings differentiate them from the Shlokas (which for most people are much difficult to utter). They usually are sung in group by devotees, with one or more lead singers. The theme for a Bhajan is based on lives of Gods, their preachings, preachings of saints, glories of Gods and descriptions. Tunes are often fixed and words and phrases are repeated through out the bhajan. Bhajans have come a long way from when they were introduced first in Sama Veda. Types of Bhajans: Bhajans are typically classified into the following. There is no basic criteria for definign these types, but just the way they have been either formed or sung or who sang them. 1) Suprabhata Bhajans: Bhajans that are sung in the praise of Lord early morning to wakeup the Lord. Suprabhatam for Sri Ramakrishna,Sri Panduranga at pandharpur,Sri Kashi Visshwanath etc. are some good examples for Suprabhata Bhajan. 2) Avarohana Bhajans: Bhajans that are song in a descending order of the swaras (notes) in the early morning come under this category. Bhajagovindam sung in praise of Lord Venkateshwara is one good example for such Bhajans. 3) Aarohana Bhajans: Bhajans sung in ascending order of swaras (or notes) mostly during the evening or close to night are placed under this category. Shej Arathi sung for Shirdi Saibaba is a good example for Aarohana Bhajan. 4) Haridas Kitran: A well-known bhajan form is Haridas Kirtan where the bhajans are story-lined and revolve around the Gods and Godesses. 5) Sampradaya Bhajans: Also known as Dakshina Bharatha Sampradaya Bhajana is famous mainly in South India. Its a collection of Keertanas and Namavalis in a specific order which was evolved mainly by Sri Marudhanallur Sadguru Swamigal, Sri Pudukottai Gopala Krishna Bhagavathar, the trinity gurus for Sampradaya Bhajans. Sringeri Bhajans: A form of bhajan popularly known as Jyothirbhan is another form of Bhajan which has been uplifted from past 50 years by Sr. R. V. Krishnabhat in Bangalore. These bhajans have a flavor of classical raga and touch of tala perfection. They also have a mix of modern bhajans, kirtans and traditional bhajans. 6) Shyama Sangeet/Kali Kirtan: Shyama Sangeet is a genre of Bengali devotional songs dedicated to the Mother Shyama or Kali. It is also known as Shaktagiti. Shyama Sangeet appeals to the common man because it is a musical representation of the relationship of eternal and sublime love and care between the mother and her child. It is free of the common rituals of worship and also the esoteric practice of the Tantra.In modern times both Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam have composed poems of Shyama Sangeet genre. The term ‘Shyama’ refers to the skin color of Kali (usually depicted in black or deep blue.) Literally, it means dusky (or wheatish). Shyamasangeet can be divided into two streams: devotional or metaphysical and Umasangit, Agamani or Vijaya songs. The first category of songs is inspired by devotion and spiritual thoughts. The second category which is based on themes of daily family matters or social events, is known as Padavali, Umasangit, Agamani or Vijaya songs. Shyama Sangeet conceptualizes Goddess Kali as a loving human mother and the singer is longing for The Mother’s love. The songs have become popular not only for it’s devotional side, but also for it’s human appeal. The theme and occasion of Āgāmanī and Vijayā songs are as follows. Umā or Gaurī, daughter of Himālaya and Menakā, was married to Śiva, the Lord of Kailāsa. The Goddess Durga comes to see her parents from her in laws every year. The goddess is portrayed here as an ordinary girl living far away from her mother and feels joyous to come back home after a long stay at her in laws’ place. These songs too are highly popular because of their human appeal and as they are easily identifiable with any married girl living far away from their parents.
