Devotional Singing- Awakening Love for the Divine in our Hearts
I wanted to share a little bit about the tradition, history and effects of Traditional Indian Devotional music and singing, as it is very dear to me and something, that has affected my life in a very positive and uplifting way.
Sound, music and the art of singing are ancient and timeless, and yet there are times, where it greatly and openly marks the beginning of a new growing, unfolding and uplifting of humankind. One such development started to unfold in India between the 14th and 17th century with the appearance of saints like Tukaram, Tulsidas, Meera Bai and Lord Chaitanya, whose mission it was to wake up the sleeping hearts of humankind to burn again in Love for the Divine and to remind those many souls that had been deprived of knowledge about and the possibility to worship the Divine because of caste, gender, cultural or social background- that it was indeed possible for anyone and everyone to love and serve the Divine with no limitation. Saint Tulsidas was the one who, after having studied under the guidance of his widely renowned Guru, started to write his own poems and songs in the local language- something, that had been regarded as "blasphemy", as all holy books and texts had been written in Sanskrit, a language understood only by Brahmins, priests and Initiates;
Meera Bai, though a princess of birth and married (against her will, as she had already accepted her God Krishna to be her husband) to a powerful and influential prince, renounced all pomp and glory and, enduring many a trial and plot from her family, left everything behind to follow the call of her heart to union with Her Divine Beloved. She mixed freely with men, women and children alike, not caring about outside status and rank, but only caring to spread Love for the Divine to everyone alike.
These and many other saints are the cornerstones of a movement called the "Bhakti Movement" (Bhakti meaning loving devotion to the Divine), which, as stated above, began to form in India between the 14th and 17th century. This movement called anyone alike- irrespective of outside status and rank- to experience and express loving devotion to God. Where before it was reserved for the high-castes, priests and Initiates to know about and render worship to God, people of all walks of life and cultural backgrounds were now dancing and singing on the streets, raising their arms, playing the drums and Kartals, with tears streaming down their faces. Shouts of "Hari Bol!" ("Sing Lord Hari's Name!) could be heard, as the processions made their way through the cities and villages. The songs were written in the native dialects, so people could understand the stories they told about the different aspects and incarnations of God and they could establish their own relationship with the Divine. These songs- Bhajans and Kirtans- are popular to this day, and continue to move and inspire people and remind them, that their relationship with the Divine- in whichever form it may be- stands above all book-knowledge, doctrines and outside limitations, but is experienced in the Heart, the Seat of the Divine, the fertile ground where Bhakti blossoms.
Link to a Kirtan of an old movie about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
No comments:
Post a Comment