According to the Bhakti Rasamrit Sindhu (1.2.145), kirtan is the loud chanting of the holy names, pastimes, and virtues of God. Jagadguruttam Shree Kripalu ji Maharaj expanded this concept by composing kirtans which also present beautiful depictions of the various forms, abodes, and associates of God as a means to intensify devotional sentiments. Shree Maharajji made these aspects the central focus of his compositions to enable souls to engage in Tridha Bhakti or the three-fold process of devotion – hearing (i.e., Shravan), chanting (i.e., Kirtan), and remembering God (i.e., Smaran). The mind needs a basis for devotion; thus, through kirtan, when it focuses on the names, forms, pastimes, qualities, abodes, and associates of God, it becomes absorbed in His loving devotion. 

What is the Importance of Kirtans in Spirituality?

Shree Krishna explains the importance and power of kirtan to Arjun as the means to practice devotion: 

सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां यतन्तश्च दृढव्रता: |
नमस्यन्तश्च मां भक्त्या नित्ययुक्ता उपासते || 14||

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaśh cha dṛiḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaśh cha māṁ bhaktyā nitya-yuktā upāsate

Always singing My divine glories, striving with great determination, and humbly bowing down before Me, they constantly worship Me in loving devotion. [BG 9.14]  

Swamiji beautifully explains that the goal of material souls is to attach the mind to God. However, because the mind is as restless as the wind and tends to wander from thought to thought, kirtan enables the mind to revert back to God. For this reason, kirtan is also referred to as the yug dharma or the most powerful means of engaging in sadhana in this age of Kali. All Vedic scriptures and bhakti saints also recommend kirtan as a tool for evoking devotion and love for God as a tool for purifying the heart. 

What are the Benefits of Kirtan?

There are many benefits of utilizing kirtans to intensify devotional sentiments for God.

1. Reinforces Divine Knowledge. Many spiritual aspirants tend to rely primarily on scriptures to gain divine knowledge, underestimating the power of kirtans. What is important to understand and accept is that our material intellect can rarely comprehend complex tatvagyan based on self-study or oral lectures alone. However, when the same divine knowledge is integrated with hearing and chanting kirtans under the guidance of a true Guru, the same senses of knowledge and perception absorb that tatvagyan to help develop faith in the scriptures.

For example, most spiritual aspirants appreciate the critical role of a Brahmanishta and Shotriya Guru in promoting knowledge, faith, and devotion to God. Devotees may even recite and practice the beautiful verses from the Bhagavad Gita Verse 4.34 or Verse 4.38 with sincerity, but for the knowledge to sink into the intellect, chanting Shree Maharajji’s kirtan, “Bali, Shree Gurudev Kripal ki” (Prem Ras Madira, Volume 1, p. 7 – Sadguru Madhuri), or "Hamaro, Aiso Hai Rakhavara" (Prem Ras Madira, Volume 1, p. 8 – Sadguru Madhuri) will be a great helper. 

Similarly, we all are familiar with teachings related to the need to detach the mind from worldly relationships and objects while attaching the mind to God. Beautifully explained in Bhagavad Gita Verse 9.18 or Verse 2.45, we may understand the spiritual principles but may not be able to practice with consistency. Utilizing kirtans like “Gaho re mana! Shyam charan sharanai” (Prem Ras Madira, Volume 1, p. 63 – Siddhant Madhuri) or “Tu mana! manamani tyag re” (Prem Ras Madira, Volume 1, p. 81 – Siddhant Madhuri) as an integral part of one’s sadhana will help to gradually detach from the world and attach the mind to the divine realm. 

Relish these two beautiful kirtans in Swamiji’s voice. 

It is more likely that we will remember the tatvagyan noted above due to the neural connection between the theoretical concepts reinforced by hearing and chanting the kirtans. Constant sadhana facilitates constant remembrance of God – the most important tool for purifying the mind and progressing on the spiritual journey. [You can learn more about the practice of sadhana in the August 2022 issue of Samarpan.]

2. Mind Connects with God. The material mind is unable to purify because it is conditioned to variety and finds it difficult to focus on the divine realm consistently or constantly. Through kirtans, the mind remains engaged because of the variety in the tune, modulations in sound and scale, and compelling lyrics that characterize the glories of God and Guru. With specific reference to kirtans composed by Shree Maharajji, the mind easily gravitates to the divine realm when hearing and chanting about the names, forms, virtues, leelas, abodes, and saints of God.

   • Shree Maharajji’s kirtans provide the inherent variety that the mind wants, making it more likely to attach to God. Additionally, if spiritual seekers simultaneously sing and clap to the beat of kirtans, the engagement is all-encompassing. The mind becomes so hypnotized that devotees find themselves singing the kirtans long after a Satsang is over! For example, you could soak in the bliss of Shree Krishna’s loving pastimes during the Holi festival by listening to “Dhuma machi Hori, Vrindavan” (Prem Ras Madira, Volume 2, p. 871 – Hori Madhuri) or to relish the bliss of His enchanting form by hearing and singing “Dekhu sakhi! Jhumata avata Shyam” (Prem Ras Madira, Volume 2, p. 470 – Shree Krishna Madhuri). 

    

   • Keeping the welfare of the present and future generations in mind, Shree Maharajji composed innumerable kirtans with the intention of instilling virtuous qualities in devotees, for example, humility, tolerance, empathy, and selfless service. These sentiments are the hallmark of spiritual progress. By hearing and chanting these kirtans repeatedly, souls gradually make progress on the spiritual path under the guidance of a true Guru. Additionally, the lyrics in his kirtans captivate and fill the hearts of devotees with the special sweetness of the beautiful pastimes of the divine couple, Radha-Krishna.

   • The mind will not connect with God unless sadhaks (i.e., spiritual aspirants) have the basic knowledge of God, our relationship with God, and the purpose of our life. Shree Maharajji’s kirtans are the epitome of skillful and artistic presentation of tatvagyan in a form that is easier to remember because of its simplicity. As Swamiji says, “Shree Maharajji’s divine kirtans have captured a special place for themselves in the hearts of sincere devotees across the globe.” We too can benefit from these kirtans. Please relish the deep philosophical tenet as described in “Are mana! avasara bityo jata” (Prem Ras Madira, Volume 1, p. 31 – Siddhant Madhuri) in Swamiji’s voice. 

3. Roop Dhyan Becomes Easier. An added benefit of kirtans is the enhancement of roop dhyan. Novice spiritual aspirants do not experience the bliss of God when meditating on light or the formless aspect of God. Many even tend to fall asleep during meditation! Even while doing roop dhyan, if the mind gets distracted by internal discomfort of any kind, it is more likely to return to the focal point when visualizing God or His pastimes (i.e., leelas). By practicing roop dhyan during kirtan, the mind relishes the sweet “ras” or bliss that the soul seeks, which in turn, improves the quality of meditation on God’s divine realm. Thus, kirtans provide the external support needed to evoke devotional sentiments from within the recesses of the heart. Try practicing roop dhyan as you listen to “Hama dekhe Shyamalgaat re” (Prem Ras Madira, Volume 2, p. 499 – Shree Krishna Madhuri) in Swamiji’s voice.

4. External Noise is Blocked. Kirtan insulates the mind by successfully blocking external noises that distract the mind, especially in the context of a group Satsang. Besides, when collectively chanting, the reverberations of the music and singing also help to keep internal distractions at bay and enable the mind to focus on God. 

In summary, kirtans possess all the ingredients needed to enable the material mind toward spiritual progress. This cyclic process of attaching the mind to God and deepening devotional sentiments leads to a gradual purification of the heart and a deeper desire to surrender to God. Such conscious effort is what attracts divine grace which equips the souls with the necessary tools to guide them toward the ultimate goal.

How can We Enhance Devotion Through Kirtans?

As noted in the previous section, Shree Maharajji composed tens of thousands of kirtans to enhance each and every devotional sentiment or virtuous characteristics of sadhaks. In this section, we provide a very small sample of kirtans on a selected set of sentiments to remember the knowledge of God while improving the quality of roop dhyan or meditation. 

1. Hear, Chant, and Meditate. The kirtans presented below are meant to initiate us into the various types of devotional sentiments needed to enhance your existing sadhana practice. So, let's hear, chant, or meditate on the glories of God/Guru and the qualities of devotees that are endearing to them. Chanting kirtans in a structured Satsang not only helps to chant with devotional abandon but also helps to build a sense of community with like-minded devotees. To know more about the power of Satsang, refer to the June 2022 issue of Samarpan.

   The kirtans shared below are taken from Prem Ras Madira constituting various Madhuris but can also be found in Sankirtan Madhuri and Sankirtan Sudha (US editions). We encourage readers to take the time to read the description of these sentiments in the different volumes of Prem Ras Madira to develop the bhav during devotional chanting. [You can learn more about how to develop the bhav in devotional practice by referring to the January 2023 issue of Samarpan.] 

   Sadguru Madhuri  (Sweetness of the Divine Master)	Dainya Madhuri  (Devotional Humility)	Yugal Madhuri (Sweetness of the Divine Couple)	Virah Madhuri (Sweetness of Love in Separation)
   Jaun Guru Charana Kamal	Kishori Mori, Aba Na Lagao	Hamare Mana, Base Yugal	Udho! Kahiyo Hari Samujhaaya

               

   Siddhant Madhuri (Sweetness of Spiritual Principles)	Prakeerna Madhuri (Sweetness of Miscellaneous Sentiments)	Shree Krishna Madhuri  (Sweetness of Shree Krishna)	Shree Radha Madhuri (Sweetness of Shree Radha)
   Praanadhana Jeevan Kunj Bihari	Nandalal Pyare, Yashoda Dulare	Hamaro, Priyatam Nandkishore	Vrishbhanu Lali Guna gaiye

     

2. Connect Spiritual Principles from Bhagavad Gita or any Vedic Scripture with the Divine Knowledge embedded in Kirtans. Being able to connect the tatvagyan in our scriptures with the sentiments expressed in kirtans is useful for developing faith in the power of kirtans for inner transformation. For example, we all appreciate the nature of how God reciprocates the extent of the love of a devotee by reading the beautiful shloka from the Bhagavad Gita (Verse 4.11) and connecting the knowledge in Shree Maharajji’s beautiful kirtan, “Albelo Hamaro Yaar, Prem ke Bandhan Mein” (Prem Ras Madira, Volume 3, p. 1162 – Prakeerna Madhuri).

A tool has been provided in the next section to help you to make this connection.