Bhajan styles compared/KDas' show -Tom

[Guest guest]

OM NAMAH SIVAYA

 

thanks for the post on the KD kirtan. i always seem to get

something from your posts and can tell from your posts your enjoy

dissecting, so far be it from me to discourage your ongoing

analysis. but i would like to make an observation from my

experience. the name of God is God. however you do it seems to be

irrelevant so long as it an expression of your Love for God. and

benefits are based on an individuals perceptions and can't be

compartmentalized. singing is like any other form of art form which

is meant to come from the heart not from egoic rules of the mind.

it is simply an expression of the feeling of Love for Creator from

the depths of your soul. chanting sacred mantras focus the mind and

purify the heart. it is consistant advice from all the Great Ones

Amma, Neem Karoli Baba, Shree Maa, Sivananda, etc.(or incomplete

Ones from your point of view) they all say the same thing, that

chanting the Divine Name is the easiest sadhana to open the heart.

 

Amma says that "Bhajan, concentration and meditation, this is the

progression. In fact, constant remembrance of God is meditation."

 

Chanting the Divine Name melts the mind so we can leave it behind.

 

JAI MA

 

Ammachi, "Tom" <tomgull@h...> wrote:

>

> Enjoyed Krishna Das's show, though disappointed he didn't have at

> least one female back-up singer/lead responder (like on his CD's),

or

> that his band didn't lead the responses (to set an example).

Maybe

> having the bandmates sing back-up would have sounded too heavy

with

> all the male voices, something I experienced during a Shree

> Maa/Swamiji visit. A few people left during K. Das' concert, and

> myself along with others left early just before the last song, as

3

> hours of chant seems plenty. I particularly liked it when he

> sang "Jesus is on the Main Line". Other than that, the mostly

slow-

> style bhajans of repeating 1-3 mantras, tends to put me to sleep.

I

> had planned on seeing alot of local spiritual folk I have known

> through the years, but the place was filled with what I

call "hatha-

> yoga-hippies" from the look of it.

>

> For those who can benefit from this information, I've presented

> my "discrimination" of the 3 main styles of bhajans, aside from

> the "type" of bhajan (namavali, singing praises, etc.) To the

> uninitiated, all 3 appear the same on the surface, so I go into

> details at the bottom.

>

> All 3 styles have Karmic Benefit, chanting the names of God, but

this

> compares the Fun Potential versus the Sadhana Benefit Potential,

> after describing each:

>

>

> LEFT-SIDE, LOOSE FORMAT: Style of bhajans sung by Hare Krishnas

> (ISCKON), Krishna Das, probably Bhagavan Das from what I've heard

of

> him; also at some unofficial Sai or Amma centers. Occasional

fast

> paced song, or change in tempo, but mostly songs that repeat a few

> mantras in slow ballad-like format, and each song can last a long

> time.

>

> CENTER, MIXED FORMAT: Ammachi bhajans are a mix of Loose Format

> songs, traditional namavali's (string of names) like those

commonly

> found at Sai Baba bhajans, and songs with a more contemporary

feel.

> I especially like the verse/chorus format with the verses being

ABB

> (2nd and 3rd verse share a melody, different from the first).

> Although many songs are in Sanskrit or Malayalam, there's plenty

of

> good-quality English and other language songs to choose from.

>

> RIGHT-SIDE, STRICT FORMAT: While there are Loose Format bhajans

> composed by Western Sai Devotees, attending an official center

will

> find mostly traditional bhajans of namavalis and Sanskrit songs

about

> God. There's a strict format for the majority of songs, that is

> sing each line 2 twice slowly, then faster 1 time each line, and

then

> first line in unison very slowly to end. No or little breaks

> between songs for the Akhanda (unbroken) effect.

>

>

> LOOSE FORMAT (i.e., Krishna Das, Hare Krishna's)

> WESTERNER ENJOYMENT POTENTIAL: HIGH, due to the less-religious

> atmosphere, and mello approach. Many people first experience the

joy

> of bhajans through this type of format. Maybe they'd be even

better

> after a few tokes... (now that's a cheap shot)

>

> POTENTIAL SADHANA BENEFIT: LOW, due to the lack of discipline.

The

> songs tend to have very long phrases (musical sentences) and also

> lots of breaks/rests, making it more difficult to follow than

shorter

> songs and killing any unbroken chain of concentration. Highest

risk

> of experiencing self-centered Emotionalism, rather than selfless

> Devotion in this format. High risk of this type of group

degrading

> into what I call a "spiritual glee club", that is, the fun

> experienced is mostly from the joy of music, not the joy of

> devotion. Too many slow songs wears out the crowd if sung too

long,

> and can make the group sleepy. Bhajan singing is supposed to be

a

> Rajasic sadhana.

>

>

> MIXED FORMAT (i.e., Ammachi Bhajans)

> WESTERNER ENJOYMENT POTENTIAL: VARIABLE, if too many Sanskrit or

God-

> forbid "malayalam" songs are sung, it can turn off some Westerners

> who are not familiar or comfortable with the foreign language.

Too

> laid back an atmosphere can turn-off serious sadhaks.

>

> POTENTIAL SADHANA BENEFIT: VARIABLE, depending on whether there's

> lots of talking and discussion between songs, or if enough songs

are

> sung. Depends on the group being Dharmic in singing.

>

>

> STRICT FORMAT (i.e., Sathya Sai Bhajans)

> WESTERNER ENJOYMENT POTENTIAL: LOW, due to the same format

(boring)

> for most of the songs. The little to no break between songs can

> create anxiety for folks struggling to find the page before the

song

> ends; difficult to stand an hour of a foreign language.

>

> POTENTIAL SADHANA BENEFIT: HIGH, the format described above, of

2x

> slow, 1x fast, then first line slow again is specifically designed

to

> act like Hypnotic Induction, to focus your waking consciousness to

a

> single point, leading to deeper consciousness. Doing this

> repeatedly is like teaching someone to drive stick, having them do

> the starting forward /cluth release action over and over again.

The

> little to no breaks in between songs is helpful for concentration,

> which is why using a sruti box (for drones) is better than

acapella.

>

> Shorter songs is also the dharma of "satsang bhajans",

> versus "concert bhajans" (by a guest or group) which is up to the

> performer.

>

> The 2 songs on my Krishna Das CD I like best are "traditional"

style

> bhajans. I was definitely surprised to see Sting having played

and

> sang on it. Sometimes on K.Das' songs, he tends to over-embellish

> the melody, and even start at weird times of the beat, appearing

to

> be off-beat (difficult for people to follow, even experienced

> musicians-adharmic). During his live show, he even tended to cut

> off the word "Hare", making it sound like "Re" at times, or

> just "Har". During his talks, Krishna Das confirmed what I had

> suspected: Neem Karoli Baba spent alot of time talking about

> mundane things, causing devotees like K.Das to always try to get

him

> to give teachings, which seemed rare the way K.Das recalled it.

> Definitely "more Avaduta than not".

>

> tom

>