Kirtan is the call-and-response form of chanting – it is the congregational singing of spiritually uplifting songs, prayers, or the sacred names of the Supreme Being. It is accompanied with traditional Indian instruments such as the mrdanga (drum) and kartalas (hand cymbals). Kirtan is the most powerful means of meditation to invoke the inner beauty of one’s own identity in relation to the Supreme spirit.
The word “mantra” means to deliver (tra) the mind (mana), and it is one of the easiest methods to use. The mantra itself, depending on which one used, often incorporates a vibrational formula to call various energies or powers to oneself, or to awaken one to higher states of awareness and perception and realizations. In this way, layers of illusion and confusion are peeled away giving one clarity and focus.
There are two mantras that are especially recommended in the Vedic literature. One is omkara or the om mantra, and the other is Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, which is known as the maha or great mantra. It is explained that these two mantras can deliver one to the realm beyond material existence.
The mantra that is especially meant to be chanted in this age is easy and is actually more directly connected with the Supreme than the sound vibration of omkara because it contains the direct holy names of the Lord. So the mantra for Kali-yuga (the current age of quarrel and hypocrisy) is the maha-mantra, or great mantra for deliverance, which is Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Join us for a special Kirtan that happens at the temple every Sunday evening! Contact us if you’d like us to organize/perform a program at your residence, if you wish to engage/share this with friends & family.
For questions/comments/more information, please contact us.