Kirtan (kīrtana), or the call-and-response style of chanting from the tradition of bhakti yoga, has received great popularity in our modern yoga movement. Today, we recognize the current torchbearers of this kirtan tradition, such as Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, Deva Premal, Dave Stringer, and Wah! These and many others have brought the classical Indian form of kirtan to the West and updated it for a modern, Western audience. These modern mantra musicians have revivified a practice that is said to have its roots in the purāṇa, where Nārada, the cosmic minstrel, chanted mantra.
Historically, we find the early roots of kirtan in the development of the bhakti yoga tradition (or the yoga of devotion). Around the ninth century or so, bardic bhakti practitioners would sing the scriptures in order to bring the stories to life, much like the way that the early Greek poets would have done. Eventually, in the sixteenth century, Caitanya Mahāprabhu (a popular leader of the bhakti yoga movement) popularized the more simplified version of kirtan chanting among the Vaishnav sect (who focus on worshiping the forms of Viṣṇu), and in particular the chanting of the Mahā Mantra (see page 153). From this point, the bhakti yoga movement became fueled by the primary practice of kirtan chanting. Kirtan arrived in the West largely through Paramahansa Yogananda (author of Autobiography of a Yogi), and in 1926, thousands of people packed into Carnegie Hall in New York City to chant kirtan with him. Boy, that must have been a party!
During the sixties and seventies, the hippie movement definitely helped. In particular, the Beatles’ interest in kirtan gave it a popular face. George Harrison recorded a version of the Mahā Mantra in 1969, which became a hit, and of course, the Beatles sometimes included mantras in their songs (listen carefully to “Across the Universe,” the mantra jai gurudeva oṁ is peppered throughout!). This trend has been followed by other popular musicians, including Madonna, Thievery Corporation, and Trevor Hall.
What is beautiful about the kirtan tradition is that many of the chants are not structured like some of the mantras from the Vedic texts. In fact, most are not derived from texts, but rather they were created to invoke the spirit of a particular deity. Generally, kirtan singers simply focus on the name of a deity, or even the “seed sound” (bīja mantra) — the vibration that houses the essence of the deity. They may chant a variety of chants to one or another aspect of the great Vedic pantheon. So while in this section you’ll find specific chants to specific deities, keep in mind that largely any kirtan chant to Śiva or Kālī or Kṛṣṇa, or any aspect of them, will embody and express the same type of mythology and energy. The structure of the chant is less important than the vibration of the name invoked. The word kīrtana means “to cut,” and the idea is that the focus on a particular name or deity helps to cut through the delusion of the mind that makes us feel separate from the source, which is being called upon, in part, by the name sung. In kirtan, the most important piece of the practice is the focus on the name, or the chosen aspect, of the chant. It is the act of calling out to that which will allow its energy and essence to arise from within, so that we know we are not separate from it, that we’ve “cut” through the delusion to realize we are one and the same.
As we participate in a kirtan practice, the call-and-response format generally escalates as the song progresses, culminates at a peak intensity or speed (we might additionally participate by clapping our hands or dancing), and then de-escalates and ends in a very calm, meditative way, almost like a lullaby. This reflects the arc of a spiritual practice that builds in intensity and then results in a feeling of calm and peace. At a concert, the kirtan leader will orchestrate this movement within the song, but in a yoga class, a kirtan chant may only be repeated a few times — but the essence of the arc is still there in the intention! At home, on our own, we may find that a kirtan mantra finds its way into our head and we sing it to ourselves throughout the day. We can make up the tune, say it silently, or allow it to repeat on its own within us. In this way, the repetition of the mantra can allow the energy and qualities of its chosen deity to awaken within us and shine brightly through us. No matter how we practice these mantras — alone or in a filled concert hall — they help to enliven our practice and, in turn, keep the kirtan practice alive.
And because modern-day practitioners are bringing this practice to life for us in the West, we’ll find modern-day versions of chants and renderings of the music. For example, today’s kirtan musicians may incorporate electric bass, synthesizers, and a full-on drum kit, in addition to the more standard classical Indian instruments like a tabla or sitar.1 These new, popular kirtan singers have broadened the scope of the tradition so that we find kirtan music inside not only Hindu temples but also yoga studios, where teachers often include kirtan music in their playlists, or at bigger concert venues, where spiritual practitioners from a wide variety of backgrounds will gather to participate in a kirtan concert on a Saturday evening. The kirtan tradition has definitely spread through not just spiritual circles but popular circles as well.
The modern kirtan movement is a great way to immerse ourselves in traditional spiritual practices. It connects us to the roots of the tradition in a way that speaks to our Western mind-set and our American rock-and-roll hearts. Music brings our spirit to life, and as untraditional as a modern expression of kirtan may seem, it still holds the reverent thread of the great tradition it comes from. There is nothing lost in reinterpreting it for our modern cultural matrix if we hold true to the intention behind the music, which is the sacred name that carries within its vibration the potential to realign and revivify our heart and spirit.