Realizing the Bhava in Kirtan and

Mantra
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati
Kirtan and chanting, which are a part of mantra yoga, are an important part of yoga
education. In ancient times words and music were used to attain an altered state of
mind. Music was an aid to develop the mind, spirit, emotions and sensitivity. In this
modern age different forms of music have developed, like rock, heavy metal, jazz
etc., but until recent times music was used not to please the mind but to tranquillize
the agitations of the mind.
Mantra does not mean word of power. It is something you feel from deep inside,
something that comes up from the depths of consciousness to the surface of your
mind. Mantra is the unspoken language of the heart. !he proper use of mantra can
evoke a particular sentiment and sensitize the mind to be receptive to many
e"periences, both internal and e"ternal. #lthough it is said that $ama and Krishna
are the names of Indian gods, or that %evi is the name of a goddess, this is only a
religious interpretation. !he word $ama is also the sound of a chakra, and yogis had
knowledge of the word $ama in its different capacities long before $ama was born.
Mantras predate religion& they represent the link between the individual nature and
the divine.
Kirtan is both an art and a science. It is sung to evoke a feeling that is uplifting and
pure. It is not so much the chanting of the name that is important as the awakening
of the bhava, the feeling or emotion that is associated with it.
!here is a story about the musicians in the court of the 'mperor #kbar. (henever a
musician used to sing, all the courtiers would shake and sway their bodies, hands
and heads and say, )*h what wonderful music+) #kbar thought to himself, )%o all
these people really understand music, do they really appreciate it, or are they only
making a show of understanding it,) !o find out, he issued a proclamation- )#nyone
seen swaying to the music will be beheaded.) #fter that no one moved, everyone in
the court sat very still .everyone that is e"cept for a few who were unable to control
themselves whenever music was played. /o #kbar asked them, )0avent you heard
of the declaration that anyone found swaying to the beat of music will be beheaded,)
!hey said, )1es, we have heard the royal mandate, but death would be acceptable to
us because we have enjoyed the bliss of music.) /o #kbar knew that only a few in
the entire court really appreciated the music and that all the rest were just
sycophants.
!o really appreciate music, you have to follow the four stages of kirtan- 2i3 singing, 2ii3
keeping time with the rhythm or taal, 2iii3 evoking the appropriate mood so that the
mind begins to swing, and 2iv3 swaying the body with the rhythm, which happens
naturally when the mind begins to dance. !ry this and you will see the difference in
the quality of your e"perience during kirtan.
Different levels of experience
Kirtan plays an important part in yogic or spiritual life just as hatha yoga, raja yoga,
meditation or kundalini yoga do. !his is because we e"ist at different levels of
e"perience simultaneously- 2i3 at the sensorial level, where e"perience comes only
through the senses, 2ii3 at the intellectual level, the rational mind, giving rise to likes
and dislikes, aspirations and ambitions, etc., 2iii3 at the emotional level, the level of
feelings, of sensitivity, being able to connect with something non.rational, and being
in tune with the energy that transforms sensitivity and feelings into emotion, 2iv3 at
the psychic level, which includes latent impressions, ingrained attitudes and habits,
samskaras and karmas that define character and self.identity, and 2v3 at the spiritual
level, which can only be directly e"perienced when the other four levels are in
harmony.
In the process of yoga, we have to access and bring each level together little by little,
rather than focusing on just one level or dimension . only the body or only the mind
or only the feelings. If we are able to develop a fully comprehensive awareness,
then, according to the tradition, complete fulfilment, poornata, can be e"perienced in
this life.
4ust as in this process, raja yoga, jnana yoga, kriya yoga or kundalini yoga may be
important, to the same e"tent and intensity kirtan is also recommended. (hy, (hat
is kirtan, Kirtan is chanting of different names of the self, of which we are a part, an
e"pression& we all e"press different manifestations and identities of the self. !hese
names are composed in /anskrit of aksharas, or sound syllables, which never
change. #lthough they may appear to indicate a manifest form of divinity, in which,
for e"ample, $ama may invoke the image of $ama, and similarly for Krishna,
5uddha and 6hrist, the mantras do not represent a personalized identity of the
divinity but rather an e"pression of that force and energy. (hen you chant the
names, it is the syllables that alter the patterns of the mind according to the different
sound frequencies and vibrations, making it more clear, tranquil and receptive, more
complete, thus increasing sensitivity and feeling. !his sensitivity will help you
connect with the source of your being and then you e"perience yoga. !his is the
purpose and meaning of kirtan.
4ust as we have an I7, an intelligence quotient, we also have an '7, an emotional
quotient. !he emotional quotient is not just confined to e"pressions of love and
affection, compassion and charity. $ather it is e"pressed as a sensitivity in all areas,
no matter where your mind is directed. 1our mind may be directed to a particular
point or focus, but there is an awareness in which the whole field is also covered. In
chanting the name you are e"pressing sentiments that are free from the conditioning
of such e"ternal inputs or samskaras, and you are e"pressing those sentiments to
this pure being, which is your personal 8od. #nd if purity is an e"pression of 8od
why not learn how to connect with that,
Kirtan helps to achieve the state where one is able to e"press ones feelings towards
the pure nature in their purest form. !his devotion is different from e"pressing a
religious sentiment. It brings out the pure self and enhances the sensitivity, and one
is able to connect with the pure being. #nd this equals yoga.
!herefore, kirtan has a very prominent place in ashram life, in yogic life and in the
lives of all spiritual seekers. Kirtan is yoga for the feelings. 4ust as hatha yoga is
yoga for physical purification, raja yoga is a yogic system for understanding the
mind, kriya yoga is a process of psychic awakening and kundalini yoga a process of
kundalini awakening, kirtan is a process of awakening sensitivity.
Should mantra be chanted without emotion
0ow can one even think of practising mantra without bhava, without the quality of
feeling, If you think about it, to think of any action or thought without emotion is
hypocritical. (hen you get angry or feel frightened, is it without bhava, (hen you
are under stress, is it without bhava, #ny mental state, whether it is hatred, jealousy,
frustration, an"iety, stress or passion, cannot e"ist without bhava, the associated
feeling.
!here has to be passion in mantra. In the beginning of mantra practice the mantra is
repeated mechanically because one does not know how to connect with the bhava.
5ut when you know how, then by combining the mantra with the bhava, the energy of
the mantra intensifies. #nd that potency has the capacity to invoke 8od in a physical
form in front of you, which means it can change any rule in creation. Mantra
performed with bhava has the potential and the capacity to make 8od take a
physical body and appear in front of you. /o, if it has the capacity to command 8od
to give darshan, you can imagine just how powerful the mantra is. 'ven 8od is
subject to the power of the mantra.
It is not the human mind that makes 0im or 0er appear before you. It is this
declaration of 8od in the form of the mantra and 0e is bound by that declaration. /o,
if 8od can accept the supremacy of the mantra, why cant the power of the mantra
change every kind of natural law, !hose who have practised mantra with bhava
have been able to perfect this quality and realize the full potency of the mantra.
!o think of any practice without bhava actually is the sign of an immature mind
because mantra will become fruitful only when bhava is associated with it. 4ust as a
feeling is associated with a state of anger, jealousy or stress and tension, or with
what you eat and drink, or with a friend or enemy, similarly a feeling is associated
with a mantra. 0ow then is it possible to keep the practice of mantra separate from
the feeling associated with the mantra, It is not logical. !herefore, whenever you
practise a mantra as part of mantra sadhana or sing kirtan, you should also try to
project the emotion associated with the mantra into it. !hen when you chant or sing
the mantra you are able to channel your emotions with full control, and that is quite
an achievement for any human being.
9ormally, logic follows a predetermined path and emotion follows a different path.
Many times emotions cloud logic, and many times logic can suppress an emotion.
5ut when they complement each other, then logic becomes an e"perience and
emotion becomes an insight which gives you wisdom. !herefore, try to feel the
emotion of the mantra when you repeat it. !hat is the real practice of mantra.
Mechanical repetition happens in the first stage of mantra practice in order to stop
the natural dissipation of the mind. *nce the dissipation stops, then in order to
awaken the state of consciousness, to e"perience the transformed condition inherent
in the mantra, the bhava, the emotions, have to be added. Mechanical repetition of
mantra is recommended in the first stage in order to create a pattern of mind, to
develop an awareness of the mantra for longer periods of time. (hen you are able to
do that, then, in the second stage, add the component of emotion, the bhava, to the
mantra and the result will be very beneficial and uplifting.
Does one have to !now the meaning of the mantra
In the early stage, if you are repeating the mantra mechanically, it is not necessary to
know the meaning of the mantra. 5ut when the mantra is established in the mind and
there is no effort to become aware of the mantra, then at that time the meaning of
the mantra is revealed. !he bhava becomes associated with the mantra and the
meaning is revealed. It is realized intuitively& you recognize it as the underlying
reality of the mantra. !he guru can help you realize the meaning of the mantra, but
not tell you. !he meaning of the mantra being revealed and telling the meaning of
the mantra are two different things.
*m 9ama /hivaya translated literally means I bow down to /hiva, I salute /hiva.
9ow the literal meaning can indicate an association through respect, faith, belief and
devotion, the bhakti, that an individual has for the divine. !hose who understand the
principle of /hiva will find this mantra very pleasing to their nature !hey will relate to
the bhakti, the aspect of surrendering with respect, gratitude and faith to a quality of
the divine which they have felt in their life. In the same way, different people have
found their heart and soul connection with $ama, or Krishna, %urga, %evi, 6hrist,
Mohammed, 5uddha, or Mahavir, which are all different images of the divine force.
!he literal meaning will stimulate a feeling in those people with that kind of nature.
5ut for most people, mantras thought of in that way are seen as adherence to a
belief system representing a religion. !he e"pression of ones sentiments towards
something unique and pure becomes converted into a belief system, and that belief
system becomes a religion. !he e"trovert nature of the human mind will always
create a logical justification for everything, even if it is inaccurate and inappropriate.
0owever, the revealed meaning of the mantra is different from the literal translation.
!he revealed meaning instantaneously leads you to the e"perience of /hiva. !hat is
why the guru cannot actually tell you the meaning, but he can help you to understand
the meaning. It is like this with every mantra, whether chanting 0are $ama 0are
$ama, $ama $ama 0are 0are, 4ai 4ai $ama /ita $ama, 4ai 4ai $ama /ita $ama,
or *m 9amo 5hagavate :asudeva, or any other mantra. !he meaning of the
mantra becomes revealed when the bhava, intense feeling, becomes associated
with it. /o, in the end, bhava is the real meaning of the mantra.