Our December Kirtan

We were surprised to see so many come to the kirtan last Sunday, considering the wet and windy weather. But there of course nothing like the courage of the British!

It was a jolly event with Sakhyarasa, a wonderful kirtan leader and personality. He had come all the way from Birmingham to chant with us. In his traveller's mood, he brought us further afield to both Gujarat in India, as well as Bengal, with his singing and descriptions. So if you wonder why we have pictures of coconut trees and banana plants in this post - ask no further...

Here are the kirtans he lead:

(1) Gujarat

shri-krishna-govinda hari-murari
he-nath-narayan vasudeva

om namo bhagavate vasudevaya

govinda jaya jaya gopala jaya jaya
radha-ramana-hari govinda jaya jaya
govinda govinda govinda govinda
gopala gopala gopala gopala

with the Hare Krishna mantra.

(2) Bengal

Gay Gaura Madhur Svare

hare krishna hare krishna
krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama
rama rama hare hare

(3) Hare Krishna mantra

hare krishna hare krishna
krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama
rama rama hare hare

A big thank you to all who came to our chanting sessions this year. We hope to see you again next year!

Podcast galore!

As I'm writing this little post, our podcast [our recorded kirtans and talks] is getting its 10 000th subscriber! Well, right at this second, we have 9999 of them, but it changes so quickly that it'll probably shift by the time I'm done here.

If you haven't already subscribed to it, go to our podcast and [well, now it happened - 10 000!!!!] and copy the link in the browser to your podcast programme. If you don't know how to do it, look it up on the web. There is also a permanent link to the podcast on the column to the right.

You can also download the files manually, by first left-clicking on the name of the file, and then right-click where it says 'download music file'. You then click on 'Save Link As...' or something similar and save it to your computer. In this way you can listen to the chanting whenever you want.

Another option is to right-click on the link in our posts and download them from there. Easy as [mince] pie!

The month of Damodar

November is one of the darkest months in the year, but also one of lit candles and bonfires (not to speak of fireworks....). Maybe it is part of human nature to find ways to celebrate the changing seasons and to seek comfort in light and warmth.



We were certainly warmed by our November kirtan, which you can tune into below.

Gopal, who'd just been 'under the weather', and inspired by the rain, spoke from the Bhagavad-gita how self never change - in contrast to the changing seasons.

Short introduction.













Gopal chanted an invocation and continued with:

sri-krishna-chaitanya prabhu nityananda shri-advaita gadadhara shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda

hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

Talk 1.

Rasasthali chanted:

govinda jaya jaya gopala jaya jaya
radha-ramana-hari govinda jaya jaya
govinda govinda govinda govinda
gopala gopala gopala gopala

Talk 2.

Damodarashtakam followed by the Hare Krishna mantra, by Gopal.

This song is chanted in this month of Damodar (Kartik). Damodar means 'he who has a rope around his belly' and refers to Krishna as very young boy. Once Krishna's mother tried to catch him when he had been very naughty, and after much running, she finally caught him. She then tried to bind him with a rope to a large mortar so that he wouldn't escape, but her rope was two fingers too short. She then got another rope to make it longer. The rope was still two fingers too short. Then she got a third rope, a fourth rope, and on it went, but the rope was still two fingers too short...

Finally, she paused (completely stunned by this illogical sequence) and looked at him with bewilderment and love. At that moment, the rope was suddenly long enough, and she could tie him up. This is not a tale of child-rearing techniques, but rather that it is not really possible to bind God. The moral of the story is that we can never 'tie him up' unless he allows us to, attracted by our love.

[We apologise to those who came to the kirtan but who were blown back by the Frankincense. It was just the last little puff of incense which soon disappeared. We'll be more careful next time.]

Finally!

We finally solved the uploading mystery, which wasn't really such a mystery after all... so here are Ranchor's October kirtans, and some photos from the event. Sorry about the delay.

Invocation.

Chant 1:
jaya radhe jaya shri radhe, jaya radhe jaya shri radhe,
jaya krishna, jaya krishna krishna, jaya krishna jaya shri krishna.


















Chant 2:
krishna krishna krishna krishna, krishna krishna krishna he
krishna krishna krishna krishna, krishna krishna krishna he
krishna krishna krishna krishna, krishna krishna raksha mam
krishna krishna krishna krishna, krishna krishna pahi mam
rama raghava rama raghava, rama raghava raksha mam
krishna keshava krishna keshava, krishna keshava pahi mam

Chant 3:
krishna krishna hare hare
krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama
rama rama hare hare

Our next kirtan...

... is tomorrow (Sunday 18 November). This kirtan will reflect the particular mood and flavour of the Indian lunar month Damodar. It is a beautiful month, much like Lent (in that some take vows), when devotees of Krishna everywhere sing the song Damodharashtakam every day, offering little candles made out of ghee (clarified butter) to their Lord. The beat of the song is different from the usual beat, which makes it particularly meditative. We sang part of it last year, followed by the Hare Krishna mantra. Here is last years kirtan by Gopal.

October Kirtan

Our last kirtan with Ranchor Prime is not yet up on the blog due to a rebellious (or moody) podcast server. We'll post them whenever it's feeling better. Hopefully very soon.

The photo is on Ranchor's Tambura and was taken by Pavel Tomanec. He took a few more nice photos that kirtan, which we will post together with the chanting.

Next Kirtan!

To bring in some light into our autumnal lives, we've invited Ranchor Prime to lead our next chanting session. It will be on Sunday 21 October, at our usual time (4-6pm) and place (Friends Meeting House). Ranchor led sublime kirtans last time he came (which you can find here). He creates a wonderful atmosphere during kirtans, and it is pure pleasure to chant with him.

We will also have a special guest with us. Andy has kindly offered to play tablas in our kirtan and will come up all the way from Southampton for the occasion. He has much experience with kirtans in a variety of settings. We're looking forward having him with us!

We still don't know if he's the one with the turban or with the red star on his bonnet, but we have our suspicions...

A beautiful September kirtan

We assembled again for our first kirtan after the summer, as the impending autumnal equinox approached. It was a glorious sunny day, so much so that we had to close the curtains to avoid squinting throughout our session.

Gopal spoke about beauty in meditation and how this beauty is an ever-present and eternal reality which we can tap into.

Without further ado, here are the kirtans and the talks:

An invocation by Meru, and her chanting of the first mantra:

govinda jaya jaya gopala jaya jaya
radha-ramana-hari govinda jaya jaya
govinda govinda govinda govinda
gopala gopala gopala gopala



Talk 1.

Gopal chanting:

hari haraye namah krishna yadavaya namah
yadavaya madhavaaya kesavaya namah

gopala govinda rama shri-madhusudana
giridhari gopinatha madana-mohana

Talk 2.

Rasasthali chanting:

hare krishna hare krishna
krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama
rama rama hare hare

Talk 3.

In the heart is life, and you must live there

We're starting our kirtans again on Sunday (16 September) after a little summer's break. I hope you'll be able to join us!

Chanting is done in a variety of ways and spiritual traditions. I want to share with you an insight from an Orthodox monk and scholar, Theophan the Recluse (1815-94) about prayer, which I find inspirational:

"... when you descend into the heart there will be no strain at all. The head will become empty and there will be an end of thoughts. They are always in the head, chasing one another, and it is not possible to control them. But if you enter the heart, and are able to remain in it, then every time thoughts begin to confuse you, you have only to descend into the heart and the thoughts will flee. It will be a comforting and safe haven. Do not be lazy about descending. In the heart is life, and you must live there. Do not think that this is something to be attempted only by the perfect. No. It is for everyone who has begun to seek the Lord." The art of Prayer: an Orthodox Anthology, (1966) p.184.

I particularly like the sentence: "In the heart is life, and you must live there." Considering the amounts of thoughts we have everyday, it's not surprising that we get caught up, or identify ourselves, with them. But by descending to the heart, as Theophan urges the reader of his letter, we come closer to our true self, to life. We can do this by prayer, or meditation, or even by connecting to our breath. But loud chanting is even easier, particularly in kirtans where we chant melodiously in a group, and with music. It just pulls us out, and the mind with us, to a deep place of inner stillness. And this is where we 'must live', to find satisfaction, for there 'is life'.

If you come to our kirtan, you can bring this thought with you, and give yourself to the chanting while entering your heart. If you feel your heart region, and chant, it'll be sublime.

Flooded in Oxford

Last Sunday we yet again met for our monthly kirtan in Oxford, and you'd be pleased to know that the recording went well this time... You'll find them below in the highlighted links.


Ranchor Prime came all the way from London to lead us into chanting and he created such a wonderfully spiritual and relaxed atmosphere. He brought with him his Tambura (which you can see on the photo) that he bought in the 70's in Kolkata, and which he reckons must be the largest in England. It indeed had a wonderful sound. Here are our recordings:

Introduction


Chant 1:
jaya radhe, jaya radhe radhe, jaya radhe jaya shri radhe, jaya krishna, jaya krishna krishna, jaya krishna jaya shri krishna.

Chant 2:
jaya radhe, jaya krishna, jaya vrindavan shri govinda, gopinatha, madan mohan

Talk

Chant 3:
krishna krishna krishna krishna, krishna krishna krishna he krishna krishna krishna krishna, krishna krishna krishna he krishna krishna krishna krishna, krishna krishna raksha mam krishna krishna krishna krishna, krishna krishna pahi mam rama raghava rama raghava, rama raghava raksha mam krishna keshava krishna keshava, krishna keshava pahi mam

Chant 4:
hare krishna hare krishna
krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama
rama rama hare hare

As Oxford got flooded by the rising waters of the Thames, we left the kirtan flooded by the chanting (but with dry feet). I hope you'll enjoy the kirtans as much as we enjoyed them on Sunday. [The photo below is the grass meadow on the side of Magdalen Bridge, looking rather more like a lake than anything else]

Next kirtan

The next kirtan will be on Sunday (22 July) and promises to be a great experience.

Rachor Prime from London has kindly accepted our invitation to come and lead the kirtans this month. He has a deep commitment to chanting, which he has practised for over 35 years, and he has a great voice. So come along and chant!

Ranchor Prime: Director of Friends of Vrindavan, an environmental charity dedicated to supporting sustainable living in the sacred forests of Krishna in India. He helped to establish the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, and is the author of several books including Hinduism and Ecology, The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana, A Journey.

Sorry!

We somehow or other don't have the kirtan session from last time. We had the equipment et al but nothing got recorded. Sorry about that. We'll be more careful next time.

We squeezed into the library for the sake of variety (and for practical concerns), which some found great, but others too cosy (warm) for comfort. We had a great time though.

Here is at least a photo from the event, featuring Gopal playing the harmonium and Kiyo in the background.

Tune the mind into a higher vibration

On Sunday (24th June) we'll have our next kirtan, or chanting session. I'm really looking forward to it. There's (in my opinion) nothing better than chanting for re-balancing ones mind and lifting ones spirit. We all need some re-tuning sometimes.

It can be hard to keep centred in the hustle and bustle of life, and the mind gets easily filled up with all kinds of 'stuff' (plans, conflicts, anxieties - you name it). To sit down and just sing simple mantras with music, and together with a group of people (as we do in kirtans) just shifts the attention of the mind in a powerful way. It tunes the mind into a higher vibration and clears away all unnecessary thoughts and anxieties. We experience that we're the observers of our thoughts and feel more connected to our own selves - our true happy selves.

It is like cleaning a mirror. When we clear away the dust, or all that burdens our mind, we experience ourselves more clearly. This is very satisfying.

One may also chant alone, at home, or when going about ones daily activities. It is an excellent way of keeping in tune and connected.

I even used to chant between the goalposts during football matches, at the time when I was a goal-keeper. I had to keep warm and ready for the next attack, and so jumped around chanting. So there's no real limit to how you chant...

A good way though is to sit down and chant a mantra one is attracted to, either by reciting it repeatedly it or by singing it in the melody of ones choice. It is very effective. You'll notice a difference quite rapidly. Even a few minutes of chanting can lift ones day. Try it out and let me know how you get on.

Happy chanting! And see you on Sunday. (The photo is of Rasasthali during our last kirtan)

Meru

Chant in the heart of Oxford

Next chanting session will be on Sunday 20th May. All are welcome!

The April Kirtan

The April kirtan featured talks by Rembert. He has been reading poetry by Northern Indian mediaeval saints, and read a selection to help us get into the mood of chanting. These saints were engaged in constant chanting and expressed their realisations through poetry. Rembert also spoke about the seeming paradox of the 'noise' of chanting, and the internal quiet and silence that it brings. Here are his talks: welcome, talk 1, talk 2, talk3.

This time Meru chanted the invocation.

We sang two slightly difficult mantras during the April kirtan, and Gopal started with:

he govinda, he gopal, keshava madhava dina dayal (re) dina dayal prabhu dina dayal, dina dayal prabhu dina dayal
shyamasundara kanahyalal, girivara-dhari nanda-dulal (re) nanda-dulal prabhu nanda-dulal, nanda-dulal prabhu nanda-dulal

Rembert then chanted a special mantra for internal and external protection:

shri nrisimha, jaya nrisimha, jaya jaya nrisimha prahladesha jaya padma-mukha-padma bringa

In the end, Rasasthali started with what is called the pancha-tattva mantra, before leading us into a swinging Hare Krishna mantra chant:

sri-krishna-chaitanya prabhu nityananda shri-advaita gadadhara shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda

hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

See you next Sunday!

Next Kirtan in Oxford

Our next chanting session will be on the 15th April at the Friends Meeting House, 43 St Giles (4-6pm). The kirtans are on a drop-in basis, so feel free to come along and chant. No previous experience is required.

Mother's Day Kirtan

Last kirtan was on Mother's day (18th March). Jonathan Edelmann gave the talks this time, continuing on the theme of the Yoga-sutras. He explained how the eightfold process of yoga (asthanga-yoga) gradually leads the practitioner to a state of concentrated meditation. Here are his talks: Talk 1, Talk 2, Talk 3.


Claire led the invocation by reciting a mediaeval chant on the power and glories of kirtan meditation. Here is a slightly shortened version.

Meru chanted the om namo bhagavate vasudevaya mantra, which you can find in the post below.


Gopal then led two chants - one (for us) new mantra: jaya jaya shri chaitanya, jaya nityananda, jaya advaita-chandra, jaya gaura-bhakta-vrinda, which is a very sweet and joyful chant - and our special Mother's Day chant! Gopal explained to us that not only do people in India consider us to have many mothers (mother Earth etc), but also that there is a divine Mother, Radha. This mantra thus connects us to our divine mother, Radha (as well as our divine father, Krishna). It is a lovely chant:
jaya radhe, jaya radhe radhe, jaya radhe jaya shri radhe,
jaya krishna, jaya krishna krishna, jaya krishna jaya shri krishna.

Rasasthali led the finale - the hare krishna mantra:
hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya

At the last kirtan we chanted an ancient and famous mantra: om namo bhagavate vasudevaya.

One interesting story in relation to this mantra is found in the Bhagavat Purana (also known as the Shrimad Bhagavatam). Once upon a time, Druva Maharaja, a young prince of five years, got so hurt and angry that he left his father's palace to seek God. He had heard that whatever he desired could be fulfilled by worshipping God in the forest. As he went away he met a sage, Narada Muni, who instructed him in the process of meditation, giving him the mantra: om namo bhagavate vasudevaya.

After several months of practice, Druva stood steadily on only one leg during his meditation. He then finally captured the Supreme within his heart, who then revealed himself in full.

He had gone to meditate in the forest to get an even greater kingdom than his father, but realised he had received the greatest of all gifts: 'I was searching after a piece of glass, but instead I have found a most valuable jewel. Therefore I am so satisfied that I do not wish to ask any benediction from You.’

At the last kirtan, we did not stand on one leg (promise!), but we did chant this mantra. One way of approaching this chant is by viewing it as way of acknowledging a power greater than us. This simple act of acknowledgement can be a great relief, for it allows us to let go a bit of our tendency to control. This will further help us feel at peace with ourselves.

Pear shaped

The recordings at the February kirtan went a bit pear shaped... but we're still putting them up here, albeit in shorter versions. The talks though are of good quality and we hope you'll enjoy them.

The February Kirtan

Dr Kenneth Valpey (Krishna Kshetra Dasa) gave great talks during our February kirtan. He is a scholar of Vaishnava theology and a fabulous musician and kirtan chanter. He has been chanting kirtans for over 35 years and so knows the subject very well, from both experience and study. At the last kirtan he talked illustriously on the topic of yoga and bhakti, from Patanjali's Yoga Sutra and Narada Bhakti Sutra. These talks are divided into three sections: Talk 1. Talk 2. Talk 3.

Then we have the invocation by Meru, and also her kirtan: om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. This is a very old and famous mantra within the Vedic tradition.

Rasasthali chanted, Gopala Jaya Jaya, and here is also a great kirtan she sang at another instance (a little bonus since the recording didn't go that well this time).

Unfortunately though, Krishna Kshetra Dasa's kirtan had the worst sound on the recording, so we can't listen to it at all... However, we've uploaded an older recording so that you at least can hear his beautiful chanting. This kirtan is a famous chant: Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram Patita Pavana Sita Ram, Sita Rama Jaya Sita Rama, Sita Rama Jaya Sita Rama, together with the Hare Krishna mantra.

Encore

Here are two fabulous little kirtans from October:

Last kirtan

Janak (who leads jam sessions in London) came to Oxford yesterday, and led a most beautiful kirtan:

Radhe Radhe Govinda - Govinda Radhe

"Detox"

It feels right, at the beginning of a new year, to think of clearing the decks, throwing out unnecessary clutter and unwanted habits, and starting clean and fresh. However things worked out for us in the old year, whatever dissatisfactions we may have with our situation, we have the chance now to review our lives and make plans for improvement.

This 'clearing out' extends to our bodies as well. Have you noticed, at this time of year, all the talk of Detox programmes? In the media it is the topic of the moment . Having binged at Christmas, now is the time (they say) to clear the system of nasty toxins which clog it up and bog it down, and may cause future disease. We should go jogging, or do a grape fast, or book into a health spa.

But search as you might, it would be hard to find advice on how to clean the mind of the nasty things which clog it up and which fester there. As the mind is known to have a powerful effect on the body, this is surely a good place to start. Negative impressions we take into our minds stay there and become a heavy load; deep, unwanted habits affect our abilities at work and in relationships and make us dissatisfied and unhappy.

Until we begin to clean the mind, we often don't even realise how dirty it is - like cleaning our windows at home. We get used to them being dirty, but when we clean them, then we really notice how much light comes in, and how clear and bright the colours are outside.

So our advice for detoxing the mind is to take a course of kirtan - chanting! Tried and tested over thousands of years by yogis and mystics, there is no surer, nor speedier method of deep-cleaning; for the spiritual chants are not only antiseptic, but also "prophylactic" - they will protect us from getting dirty again. As we chant, our original buoyancy and joyfulness will emerge, and spread to every aspect of our lives.

And the best thing is, that unlike detox diets, kirtan is sweet, yet you can have as much of it as you like. So if you want to lose the weight of anxiety and fight the flab of dullness, come and chant at the Oxford "Health Spa" and try it out, with the rest of us!

Next Kirtan is on Sunday, 21st January @ 4pm, Friends Meeting House, 43 St. Giles. For more info, email: keshava6@hotmail.com

Removing Dust

I found this post about kirtan on a blog. It's an interesting observation on the experience of chanting by an eclectic Christian seeker.

Kirtan video!

We finally managed to get a video up on the blog! This one is from October, during the month of Damodar (Kartik) according to the Indian moon calender. Gopal has just sung the beautiful Damodarashtakam and continues with the Hare Krishna mantra. Magic!

Kula Shaker

I found this little gem by Kula Shaker - Govinda. Kirtan in a slightly different way than we do it. But only slightly different...