Podcast details
Bhajan... and kirtan
The nature of bhajan is a personal devotional expression distinct from kīrtan. Bhajans are poems born from direct experience, containing teachings, explanations, and a dialogue of questions and answers to provide clarity and motivation. While both are paths of bhakti, bhajan encompasses more narrative and instructional content than the repetitive singing of a single divine name found in kīrtan. Its primary purpose is not performance for others but a personal act of singing. It is a means to express one's own inner state—whether joy or sorrow—and to communicate that feeling outwardly.
"When you sing, you are not singing for others. You are singing for yourself, and to express your happiness or unhappiness to others."
"Bhajans have teaching and explanations. They contain information, motivation, questions and answers, and clarities."
Filming location: Vép, Hungary
This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.
The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:
- Yoga in Daily Life - The System
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2000. ISBN 978-3-85052-000-3 - The Hidden Power in Humans - Chakras and Kundalini
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2004. ISBN 978-3-85052-197-0 - Lila Amrit - The Divine Life of Sri Mahaprabhuji
Paramhans Swami Madhavananda. Int. Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram Fellowship, Vienna, 1998. ISBN 3-85052-104-4