About Kirtan
Kirtan is simply chanting the names of God.
A Sanskrit term, it means ‘divine praise’ and is an ancient spiritual practice that comes from India. Although entirely universal in their application and effect, these devotional chants stem from the Hindu tradition and the words are based around the various names of Hindu deities – such as Ram, Krishna, Durga, Hanuman and so on – invoking the qualities that they are each thought to embody. There are also occasional exclamations such as ‘Jai’ (‘praise’), honorifics such as ‘Shri’ (‘Lord’) and also supplications such as ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ (‘I bow to the Lord Shiva, the Self’).
The format of kirtan is call and response: the kirtan leader sings a line and the group echoes it back, accompanied by harmonium and percussion. Silence follows each kirtan, but it is charged with energy.
The purpose of repeating these names is a simple one: to merge with the Divine whether, for you, that means God, nature, the life force in every living thing, the universe or the higher Self.