INDIAN MUSIC

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti expresses the following ideas on music:

"The totality of song, instrumental play and dance (giita-va'dya'-nrtya) is called sam'giita or music.
When a song is composed only to express the laughter and tears of ordinary life, there is hardly any
difficulty in conveying this to the ears and hearts of the people: the song discharges its responsibility
well enough through the medium of ordinary language and melody. But where the feelings and
sensibilities are deep and subtle - where one has to create
vibrations in the molecules and atoms of the body, in the chords of the heart - there the music has to
follow an extraordinary path: Hence those who are incapable of ingesting the subtle feelings of the
SCIENCE OF MUSIC, the a'la'pa or introductory portion of a classical piece, will be nothing but
pra'la'pa or delirious raving.

If music must descend to the ordinary level of life to conform to the slogan of naturalness, then pre-
eminence will be given to doggerels, as the sweetness and charm of real music becomes extinct.
Indeed, the music that is in vogue in the world today in the name of "popular
music" is nothing but doggerels of this type, though expressed in a better language. Language, rhythm
and melody are the indispensible parts of a song: one cannot exclude any of them. (The difference
between song and instrumental music is that songs comprise rhythm, melody and language, but in
instrumental music, rhythm is predominant, melody is subordinate
and language absolutely nil)." (from "The Practice of Art and Literature")

He offers insight into the origin of Indian classical music and music as such:

"Shiva observed that in the days of the Rkveda, chanda (metre) was known, but ra'gas and ra'giniis
were not yet invented. Not just any composition with rhythm qualifies to be called music! Suppose
people are making dissonant sounds in a particular rhythm - that
certainly will not be considered music.
....
So the people of those days were acquainted with chanda, but not with the musical sura-saptaka (seven
notes). After close observation, Shiva concluded that the sounds produced by various birds and
animals maintain a harmonious adjustment with the undulations of the sound waves of the universe.
The eighth step, the eighth note, of this harmony comes closest of all to the first note.
Based on the sounds of the seven creatures, Shiva evolved the seven musical notes. This musical sura-
saptaka, which made the rhythm sweeter and more graceful, includes the sounds of peacock (s'ar'aja),
ox (rs'abha), goat (ga'ndha'ra), horse (madhyama), cuckoo (paincama), ass (dhaevata) and elephant
(nis'ada).

By taking the initials of the seven sounds..., Shiva made the musical octave sa-re-ga-ma-
pa-da-ni-sa. At the eighth step, the first sound is repeated, although in a different scale. In
those regions of the world where the influence of Shiva was less, the eighth note of the
musical scale is slightly different from the first.
….Thus inventing the seven musical notes, Shiva made the world of rhythms sweeter and
more delightful. This was no ordinary achievement. The music of the present day world
is entirely based on these seven musical notes. It is a matter of great regret that people
have forgotten this science of music, whose foundation was laid by the intense efforts of
Shiva. Nowadays, instead of considering music as a valuable asset to spiritual practice,
they take it as a hobby, a means of livelihood, or a mere pastime. The arduous effort by
which Shiva invented this science is conspicuously absent today." ...., but He also says:
"If the followers of Shiva make even one percent of the progress Shiva made, then India
and indeed the WORLD AND THE UNIVERSE will surely regain the melodious voice
and those charming notes... If people only develop their vigour, discipline and simplicity,
and make intense effort, then success will come automatically. The lost treasure of the
past will be fully restored to human society."

(from "Namah Shivaya Shantaya")

In ancient India the essential role of music was deemed purely ritualistic, an asset to spiritual
upliftment. Music as entertainment is supposed to have developed much later. Indian
classical music has its origins as a meditation tool for attaining self realization. The
different forms of melodic structures (Ragas) are believed to affect various "chakras"
(energy centres) in the path of the "Kundalini".

Indian classical music has one of the most complex and complete musical systems ever
developed. Like Western classical music, it divides the octave into 12 semitones of which
the 8 basic notes are Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa, in order, replacing Do Re Mi Fa Sol La
Si Do. However, it uses the just intonation tuning (unlike Western classical music which
uses the equal temperament tuning system).
Indian classical music is monophonic in nature and based around a single melody line
which is played over a fixed drone. The performance is based melodically on particular
ragas and rhythmically on talas.
Instruments typically used in Hindustani music include sitar, sarod, tambura, bansuri,
shenai, sarangi, and tabla. Instruments typically used in Carnatic music include
gottuvadyam, veena, mridangam, kanjira, and violin.

Raga, Tala and Bhava

There are three pillars which form the very basis of Indian music: Raga, Tala and Bhava.
Let us look at each one of them.

What exactly is a raga?

Raga may be roughly equated with the western term mode or scale. There is a system of
seven notes, which are arranged in a manner not unlike western scales. However, when
we look closely we see that it is quite different from what we are familiar with.
The sanskrit term "raga" means: colour, passion. Raga may be thought of as an accoustic
method of colouring the mind of the listener with an emotion. What does it mean
musically? It is not a tune, melody, scale, mode or any concept for which an English
word exists. It is a combination of different characteristics, which define a raga:

There are notes - swaras - this concept is similar to the western solfege. There must be a
modal structure - this is called THAT in North Indian classical and MELA in carnatic
music.
There is the JATI - jati is the number of notes used in the raga. There must be the
AROHANAM and AVAROHANAM, the ascending and descending structure. Unlike
the western modes, the arohanam and avarohanam can contain different notes, i.e. the
ascending scale can be different from the descending scale.

Also, in some ragas, the ascending or descending note sequence is not merely ascending
or ascending. In the middle, there may be some reverse movement, in a note or two
(Kedar, Sahana ragas for. ex.). And even though two ragas might use the same set of
notes, this difference in the way ascending and descending notes are sung would make
two ragas different.

Then, various notes do not have the same level of significance, some are more important
others less. There are often characteristic movements of the raga, called PAKAD or
SWARUP. As already mentioned, the 12-note scale is not tempered, so the intervals
between consecutive notes are not equal. They can be varied to suit the particular raga.
The same note in different ragas may have slightly different positionings.

Each raga has a name, and also a character, which can be devotional, erotic, bold and
valorous, sad, etc.

There are certain rules for the ragas:

- A raga will have 5, 6 or 7 notes, specific notes prescribed for each raga
- there is a manner in which the notes are used, i.e. specific ways of ornamenting notes or
emphasizing/de-emphasizing them
- optional or required musical phrases and the way in which to reveal the bhava of the
raga in
both the artist and listener.
- the octave or frequency range to emphasize them
- relative pacing between the notes

The observance of these rules does not aspire to be purely a technical or intellectual
exercise, but also to evoke the rasa in a particular song.

What exactly is a tala?

In Indian classical music, tala(m) (Hindi tāl, Sanskrit tāla), literally a "clap," is a rhythmic
cycle which determines the rhythmical structure of a composition. It plays a similar role
to metre in Western music, but is structurally different from the concept of metre. Each
composition is set to a tala, and as a composition is rendered by the main artist(s).The
percussion artist(s) play the pattern repeatedly, marking time as well as enhancing the
appeal of the performance. The most common instrument for keeping rhythm in
Hindustani music is the tabla. The pakhavaj is also used, especially for the Dhrupad genre
of Hindustani music. In Carnatic music, the Mridangam is a stock feature in vocal, violin,
Veena and flute concerts, with the Ghatam, the Kanjira and the Morsing also featuring at
times. In Nadhaswaram concerts, the Thavil takes the place of the Mridangam.
While Indian classical music has a complete and complex system for the execution and
transcription of rhythms and beats, a few talas are very common while most others are
rare. The most common tala in Hindustani classical music is Tintal. This tala has a cycle
of 16 beats divided in 4 bars. Bars 1, 2 and 4 are accented while bar 3 is light. Most talas
can be played at different speeds, but no tala is generally slowed down as much as Ektal,
with its 12 beats sometimes taking more than a minute.

Talam in Carnatic music

Traditionally, Carnatic music vocalists mark the talam by tapping their laps with their
palm. Instrumentalists such as violinists and flutists that use both hands mark the talam
by tapping their feet on the ground inconspicuously.

Talam varieties

In Carnatic music, each repeated cycle is called an Aavartanam, while each "tap" is called
an aksharam or a kriyā. A talam thus describes the number and arrangement of aksharams
inside an Aavartanam. Note that the intervals between the aksharams are all equally long.
The aksharams are subdivided into maatraas or svaras.
There are three patterns of beats that recur in all talams - these are the laghu, the dhrutam
and the anudhrutam.

• A dhrutam is a pattern of 2 aksharams, with the first aksharam marked with the
palm face down, and the second with the face up. This is notated 'O' (i.e., tapping
once with your palm facing down and once with it facing up.)

• An anudhrutam is a single aksharam, marked with the palm face down and
notated 'U' (i.e., tapping once with your palm facing down)

• A laghu is a pattern with the first aksharam marked with the palm face down,
followed by a variable number of aksharams marked with successive fingers
starting with the little finger. This is notated '1'.
The number of aksharams in the laghu is one of 3, 4, 5, 7 or 9, and this characterises the
variety (jaathi) of the talam. The five varieties are: Tisram (3), Chatusram (4), Khandam
(5), Misram (7), Sankeernam (9).

Nadai or gati

The duration of an aksharam, usually fixed (though there are exceptions) within a
rendition of a composition in its talam, varies across talams. The fundamental unit of time
used is called a maatraa or a svaram, and each talam is also characterised by the number
of maatraas in an aksharam. This count, which corresponds to the length of an aksharam
is called the nadai or gati of the talam. The default nadai is Chatusram, but the nadai can
be one of 3, 4, 5, 7 or 9, and these are respectively called Tisra, Chatusra, Khanda, Misra
and sankeerna, as above. This provides further variation from the 35 talams specified
above.
As in the example above, Chatusra-gati Khanda-jaati Rupaka talam has 7 aksharam, each
of which is 4 maatraas long; each Aavartanam of the talam is 4 x 7 = 28 maatraas long.
For Misra-gati Khanda-jaati Rupaka talam, it would be 7 x 7 = 49 maatraa

Eduppu or Start point

Compositions do not always start at the start of the tala. It is offset by a certain number of
maatraas or aksharas or combination of both. This is to better suit the words of the
composition in the construct of the talam. The following are some of the common
Eduppu handled in talas:

• 1 - Thalli - where 1 maatraa is ignored from the start of the talam before the
composition starts.
• 2 - Thalli - where 2 maatraas are ignored from the start of the talam before the
composition starts.
• 3 - Thalli - where 3 maatraas are ignored from the start of the talam before the
composition starts.
• 4 - Thalli (one akshara offset) - where 4 maatraas are ignored from the start of the
talam before the composition starts.
• 6 - Thalli (one akshara and 2 maatras)- where 6 maatraas are ignored from the
start of the talam before the composition starts.

There is another variation where the composition starts in the last few maatraas of the
previous Aavartanam. This is called Atheetha Eduppu. The following are the common
Atheetha eduppus

• 2 - Thalli - where 2 maatraas are carried over from the end of the previous
Aavardhanam.
• 3 - Thalli - where 3 maatraas are carried over from the end of the previous
Aavardhanam.
Tal in Hindustani music

Just as the "note" is the basis of the melodic component of music, the bol (pronounced
bowl) is the foundation for taal. Bol literally means speech or syllables. The vocal bols
sound very similar to bols played on the percussive instrument. The most common tabla
bols are Dha, Dhi/Dhin, Ti/Tin, Ra, Ki, Ta, Na, Tin, and Te. Different schools of
percussion may pronounce the same bol differently. Several bols structured in a specific
manner and arranged in sub-divisions are called thekas.
Each bol usually takes up one, half or quarter of a beat (matra) in a theka. The first beat
of a theka is called the sam (pronounced sum). It plays a crucial role in the improvisation
structure during a recital -- since it becomes a point of convergence for both the melodic
and percussive improvisation. A theka also consists of layers of accents or voids in the
first beat of a sub-division. A degree of symmetry, with an elegant manner of the theka
leading to the sam, is quite common in the arrangement of the bols in a theka.

A theka (also referred to as tool) can theoretically contain between two and 108 beats,
although in reality there is no limit. While bols have existed in the percussion repertoire
for a long time, thekas are probably a recent phenomenon (perhaps only around 600 years
old ) The commonly heard thekas are dadra (6 beats), roopak (7 beats), keherwa (8 beats),
jhaptaal (10 beats), ektaal (12 beats), chautal (12 beats), dhamar, deepchandi, jhumra (all
14 beats but with different bols and sub-divisions), and teentaal (16 beats). Although
thekas are usually standard, bols of thekas can vary slightly, depending on the musical
school or individual style of the tabla player.

What is bhava?

Bhava and rasa are closely related. Each raga is suffused with a specific mood, bhava,
and flavour, rasa. It is the bhava which causes the listener, or as in dance, the spectator, to
experience rasa. Rasa can, in a wide sense, be translated as “relish” or “flavour”, but
perhaps aesthetic experience gives a clearer idea of the meaning. Rasa is the
concentrated, knowledgeable identification of the listener/spectator with the spectacle.
According to Indian aesthetics, humanity’s 'bhava-jagat' (emotional world) emerged
through poetry, drama, sculpture, and painting. The spectator - 'rasika', as he is called -
witnesses a dramatic performance for the enjoyment of 'rasa', the word used to describe
the extract or substance of an emotion created by art. This word is derived from the
Sanskrit word meaning living liquids like juice or sap. It is the core of Indian aesthetic
thought.

It is the ultimate goal of an artistically refined music or dance presentation to cause the
experience of rasa, and this is only possible, when an emotion or bhava is successfully
communicated. When that happens, aesthetic enjoyment blossoms and one gets to „taste“
the depicted emotion.
Bharata says in the Natya Shastra, the oldest and most comprehensive scripture on
theatre, dance and music: „In the same manner in which dishes are prepared and various
ingredients create a distinct taste, so is rasa created, by the interplay of various emotions
or bhavas.“

According to Abhinavagupta (fl.c 975 – 1025 CE), a Shaivite of the Kashmiri school,
rasa is not an experience confined to the senses. It is rather a complete merger of the
subject with the object, causing a transcendental state of spiritual bliss.

As Abhinavagupta explains in his Tantraloka:

“Indeed, when he [hears] sweet songs,
Or when he touches sandal-wood,
When he is no longer [content] with staying in the middle [and being indifferent],
When a tense vibration (spandamanata) [starts] in his heart,
Then it is called the power of bliss.”
To experience rasa is to enter the domain of sahrdaya (lit. ‘same-hearted-one’, i.e. the
sensitive or emotionally open soul). To know the highest rasa is to be pierced by the
sudden recognition of the true nature of things denoted by pratibha, a ‘flash’ of
illumination. Kashmiri Saivism’s metaphysical conception of realization as the joy-
drenched emotional knowledge-feeling that characterizes the divine experience of self-
manifestation develops into a stereological ideal where the transporting intensity of
emotion accompanies the enjoyment of aesthetic experience and transforms it into
ontological passion. It is for this reason that rasa is not only a metaphor for the bliss of
liberation but the defining flavour of the liberated state.

The various moods that emerge through the savouring of the different sensory-emotive
states elicit different sentiments all of which have epistemic value. Even grief can be a
mood that provides the locus for savouring the rasa of compassion (karuna). Thus, the
very poignancy of feeling that accompanies profound sentiment, emotion, or sensual
perception can allow for the emergence of states that can transcend ordinary
consciousness.

Bharata and succeeding acharyas, scholars and masters, explained how arts universalized an
emotion and made it an instrument of universal appeal. They asserted that an actor, while
seeking to reveal the emotion of his subject, would himself become such emotion’s courier
and a powerfully revealed emotion would drag the spectator also into its periphery. Thus,
the subject’s emotion, reaching the spectator through the actor, becomes the emotion of
all; it thus gets universalized. This universality of an emotion is the essence of arts, as
individuality might interest a few, but an emotion, when universalized, becomes
everyone’s delight. Indian aestheticians perceive this transfusion of emotion as its
‘sadharanikarana’.
Sthayi and Sanchari-bhavas

Bharata’s theory explores and scientifically classifies the human mind, or psyche, at least,
its basic inherent instinctive nature, comprising emotions and sentiments. Bharata
identified this psyche as a person’s ‘bhava-jagat’ or world of emotions. Bharata
perceived it as consisting of eight ‘sthayi-bhavas’ - inherent emotions or sentiments,
thirty-three ‘sanchari-bhavas’ - temporary emotional bearings, and a number of
‘vibhavas’ and ‘anubhavas’ - emotions subordinate to ‘sthayi-bhavas’.

The following list of bhavas shows the correspondent rasas:

(Sthayi)Bhava Rasa

Rati (love) Sringara (the Erotic)

Hasa (laughter) Hasya (the Humourous)

Shoka (grief) Karuna (the Pathetic)

Krodha (anger, fury) Raudra (the Terrible)

Utsaha (enthusiasm) Vira (the Heroic)

Bhaya (fear) Bhayanaka (the Fearful)

Jugupsa (disgust) Bibhatsa (the Odious)

Vismaya (wonder) Adbhuta ( the Wondrous)

Shama (peace) Shanta (the Peaceful)

Later scholars added the last rasa on the list, so it became the ‘Nava Rasa’ (‘Nine
Emotions’), as they are commonly known today. This ninth rasa is ‘Shanta’ - peace or
calm.
One particularly developed argument for the tenth rasa starts with Rabindranath Tagore,
who added ‘Baalras’, a rasa related to the innocence and simplicity of children. A few
years later, Sukumar Ray, in his preface to Abol Tabol (1923), refined this idea, arguing
for the existence of ‘kheyaal rawsh’ or the rasa of whimsy. ‘Kheyaal’, a Bengali word,
refers in particular to a certain humorous lightness and absurdity, in addition to a state of
deep thought.

This combination Ray found particularly descriptive of his own literary nonsense writing,
and it gave authenticity and solid grounding in Indian aesthetic theory to this genre that
had not received much attention or respect in Indian literary history.
The sentiment of ‘love’ is among the most celebrated themes of the visual arts and is the
first of the nine listed sentiments of poetic compositions. The sentiment of śringara has
two subdivisions: ‘samyoga’ or ‘sambhoga’, meaning ‘love in union’ and ‘vipralambha’
or ‘viyoga’, ‘love in separation’.
Vipralambha, or ‘love in separation’ from a loved one affects both human and divine
beings. For example, in the Ramayana, or the epic story of Rāma and Sītā, after Rāvana
has abducted Sita from Panchavati, Rāma as the divine husband, experiences crushing
virāha and is depicted as utterly despondent in his search for Sītā, seeking solace from
even the forest animals.
With the emergence of the Vaishnava Bhakti cult and Sufism, there emerged a new face
of ‘Shringara’ or love. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, overwhelmed by his love for Krishna,
begins dancing and the enraptured saint weeps in bliss and sweet longing.
This is an experience of bliss and ecstacy, when ordinary love is sublimated and is
transformed into divine love or bhakti, the optimum sublimation of a ‘bhava’. Devotion
and service, a ‘bhava beyond bhava’, the former initiated with the Bhagavata cult and the
latter, with the Pushtimarga of Vallabhacharya, are two other faces of ‘rati’ or
‘shringara’.
Dance, an essential feature of samgiita, employs abhinaya as a vehicle to induce the
experience of rasa. Abhinaya is mimic dance, which employs mudras or hastas (hand
gestures) as well as the face and body in conveying emotional and mental states.
A unique aspect of dance is represented in the art of abhinaya. It is the art of
communication of a specific kind. Abhinaya literally means „to bring towards“, or to
depict a certain idea or theme (abhi - towards, in front of; naya, derived from the root
verb: ni – to carry, to bring).

Simply put, it is the outer expression of the inner self.

In Indian classical dance, poetry set to music, with its inherent emotional and mental
content, is transformed into, and expressed through dance. In this process a highly
stylized gesture language is used, whereby especially the hands, the facial expression and
the various limbs of the body play an important role.

Abhinaya is the ability of the dancer to convey the content and imagery of the poem
through her body language, the movement of the limbs, stance, gait and especially the
face.

Abhinaya is not a matter of literal meaning or description, of creating drama, of taking

roles while moving in space, nor is abhinaya a skilled action song, nor is it necessary to
relate each word with a particular gesture. Abhinaya contains a certain quality of
suggestion and creation of bhava – the mental and emotional state of the portrayed
character. The creation of bhava is successful, if it causes the audience to experience rasa.
Rasa can be translated as aesthetic pleasure, which is born at the moment when a
concentrated identification of the spectator with the spectacle ensues, a moment of
transcendence and bliss.
Indian art evolved with an emphasis on inducing certain spiritual states or philosophical
introspection in the audience, or with representing them symbolically. According to
Kapila Vatsyayan, "Classical Indian architecture, sculpture, painting, literature (kaavya),
music, and dance evolved their own rules conditioned by their respective media, but they
shared with one another not only the underlying spiritual beliefs of the Indian religio-
philosophic mind, but also the procedures by which the relationships of the symbol and
the spiritual states were worked out in detail.
PRABHATA SAMGIITA IN INDIAN MUSIC
Prabhat Samgiita, songs written and composed by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, even though
very particular in style, come within the category of devotional songs or bhajans.
The term bhajan covers a broad spectrum of musical compositions, yet the most
prominent feature of a bhajan is its devotional nature.

First of all what is a bhajan?

The bhajan has a special place in Indian society. Most bhajans were written between the
14th and 17th centuries. Complex spiritual truths are portrayed in the simple language of
the farmers, merchants and common people. The bhajan played an important role in the
bhakti revival movement in India.

The bhajan is difficult to describe musically, because it is not defined by any musical
characteristics; it is defined by a sense of devotion or bhakti. Bhajans cover a broad
spectrum of musical styles from the simple musical chant – kiirtan and dhun – to highly
developed versions comparable to thumri.

The poetic content also covers a broad spectrum. The more traditional ones by great
saints such as Miira, Surdas and Kabir are considered to be of the highest literary quality.
Many modern ones, although more easily understood by the masses, usually have a
literary value similar to a typical film song. The simplest poetic form is the dhun, which
is actually nothing more than a musical version of a chant.

Great importance is attributed to the singing of bhajans with bhakti, i.e. loving devotion:
“Rasanam Lakshanam Bhajanam”, means the act by which we feel and move closer to
our inner Self or God. Bhajans are simple songs in lyrical language expressing emotions
of love for the Divine.

History and origin

The groundwork for the bhajans was laid in the hymns found in Sama Veda, the third
among the Vedas. Bhajans are distinguished from the Sanskrit shlokas (couplets) by
virtue of their easy, lilting flow, their colloquial renderings and their profound appeal to
the masses. Bhajans were traditionally sung in a group of devotees with a designated lead
singer. Anecdotes, episodes from the lives of gods, the teachings of saints and
descriptions of God’s glories have been the subject of bhajans, besides the
straightforward expression of loving devotion for the Divine. The Dhrupad style is a
famous form of bhajan. Another well known form of bhajan is kiirtan or songs in the
Haridas (* servants of Hari, i.e. Lord Krishna) tradition.
The kiirtan genre, appears with its own specific meaning in various areas of India and has
been used in the Hindustani as well as the Carnatic style of Indian music, i.e. in the
northern as well as the southern school of music.

In the northern, north-eastern and north-western school of music, kiirtan is known among
the Hindus and Sikhs as a particular form of bhajan, expressing the many-splendoured
emotions for God and a complete submission to Him through singing.
Sikhism kiirtan is one of the pillars of Sikhism and in that context it refers to the singing
of the sacred hymn from the Guru Granth Sahib to set music in ragas.

Kiirtan has reached its highest form of expression in Bengal, located in the northeast of
India.
There are two categories:

1. Nama kiirtan, which refers to chanting the name of one’s preferred personal deity.
In Bengal, especially the names of Sita-Rama, Radha-Krishna and Gaura-Nitai are
among the most popular. Akhanda Nama Kiirtan refers to the continuous non-stop
singing of kiirtan by various groups and singers. This event may last 24, 48, 72
hours or a whole week and longer.

2. Liila kiirtan is very specific in that it refers to singing about the transcendental
pastimes of the Supreme, either in this realm, or in the eternal spiritual plane.
There are three types of liila kiirtan:

o Pala kiirtan – singing and acting out a particular pastime of one chosen
deity. One person will sing, recite and act out various pastimes, while a
group of musicians accompany him.
o Padyavali kiirtan – the singing of specific pastimes of the divine love
between Shrii Krishna and His associates, sung by one main singer and
accompanied by several musicians.
o Astakaliya kiirtan – is a 24 hour musical recitation, by one singer, of the
entire pastimes of Radha and Krishna, from 6 am till the next day 6 am. In
order to perform astakaliya kiirtan one has to know the entire content of
Krishna’s pastime by heart and be able to sing those depictions for one
entire 24 hour session.

Generally speaking, each sect has their own sets of bhajans and modes of singing. In the
northern part of India, kiirtan is a sophisticated style of music, deriving from Dhrupad.
The lyrics of the Vaeshnava poets are classified into episodes of the early life of Shrii
Krishna. Couplets of the lyrics are sung in a chaste raga in slow dhrupadic measure, by
the leader of the group of singers and their significance is elaborated in recitation or song.
The refrain is taken up by the group in quicker and quicker tempo until the chorus
finishes in a crescendo and then the next couplet is taken up by the leader. The process
goes on, until a particular episode is completed. Tampura and khol are used for
accompaniment. In recent times the harmonium and violin are also used. The kiirtan style
is distinguished by its elements of group singing and its use of complicated talas (time-
measures), belonging to the pre-Mughal school of Dhrupad.

Four sub-styles of kiirtan have developed in the course of time. These are: Manoharshahi,
Garanhati, Mandarini and Reneti schools, each with its distinctive manner of presentation
and incorporating some features of the different classical styles.

In Carnatic music, or the southern, southeastern and southwestern school of music, a

kiirtana is known by many names: Dasapada, Devaranama, Divyanama, etc… This form
was popularized by various Haridasa’s, primarily Shri Purandara Dasa, a great
Vaeshnava saint. Each kiirtana is set to a popular raga and tala. Kiirtana starts with an
opening refrain or pallavi. Then there are two more charanas. First, the pallavi is sung,
followed by charanas. After each charana, the pallavi is sung. Kiirtanas are devotional in
nature. They cover a wide range of subjects and diverse aspects of the mystical life in
colloquial language. For their simplicity and universal values espoused, the Haridasa
kiirtana have become an important and integral part of Kannada (the language spoken in
the state of Karnataka) literature.

The kiirtana form of composition evolved into the krithi and came to be fully established
by the trinity of composers: Muthuswami Dikshitar, Shyama Shastri and Thyagaraja. In
addition to pallavi and charana, a krithi also has an anupallavi, which follows the pallavi.
The lyrics of the krithi are devotional in nature and they incorporate raga, tala and bhava.

Since there is such a diverse use of the term kiirtan in various parts of India and to avoid
confusion, Baba, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti has confined the use of the terms kiirtan and
bhajan to the following: when He speaks of kiirtan he refers to Nama kiirtan, throughout
his writings. When he uses the term bhajan, it encompasses the whole gamut of
devotional songs, including Liila kiirtan, which, as exemplified earlier, is but a form of
bhajan.

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti has composed 5018 Prabhata Samgiita in a span of about eight
years. These highly lyrical and devotional songs were written mostly in Bengali, but there
are Prabhat Samgiita in English, Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, and other Indian languages as
well. The composer has used existing ragas and talas as a basis for each song and has also
weaved tunes from around the world into some of them. Most songs express various
moods and feelings of a devotee for His Beloved Lord. Other songs can be classified as
hymns, for ex. the Shiva Giiti, or as songs celebrating a particular season and joyful
human affairs, like the naming of a child, a wedding, etc.
The language and ragas have been carefully selected in an attempt to uplift the mind and
heart of the listener and spectator, in line with the tradition of how art forms were used in
India, aimed at inducing spiritual states or moods and higher states of consciousness.
Due to their simplicity and beauty they can be appreciated by one and all.

Written and compiled by Ganga Grace