10/15/13 Kirtan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirtan 1/2
A painting of Lord
SriChaitanya
Mahaprabhu andNityananda
Prabhu, shown perf orming
'kirtan' in the streets
of Nabadwip, Bengal.
Kirtan or kirtana (Bengali: ; Punjabi:; Sanskrit for "praise; eulogy";
[1]
alsosankirtan
[2]
) is call-and-response chantingperformed in India's bhakti devotional
traditions.
[3]
A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar or, colloquially, a "kirtaneer". Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment
of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed mrdanga or pakawaj drum and hand cymbals (karatalas). It is a major practice
in Vaisnava devotionalism, Sikhism, the Sant traditions and some forms ofBuddhism, as well as other religious groups.Kirtan is sometimes accompanied by story-telling
and acting. Texts typically cover religious, mythological or social subjects.
[4]
Contents [hide]
1 The bhakti movement
2 In Sikhism
3 Carnatic traditions
4 In the west
5 Given name
6 References
7 See also
8 External links
The bhakti movement [edit]
In the Bhagavad-gita (9.13-9.14) Lord Krishna states that great souls worship and glorify him single-mindedly, but the practice of kirtan
was popularized as a means to this end in the bhakti movement of the Moghul era.
[citation needed]
It is often suggested as the form of
religious activity best suited to the present age. Kirtan is often practiced as a kind of theatrical folk song with call-and-response
chanting orantiphon. Narada, the ancient sage said to have composed the Narada Bhakti Sutra, is often spoken of as the originator of
this tradition.
[5][6]
The famous story of Prahlad in theAvatar Katha mentions kirtan as one of nine forms of worship, called the nava vidha
bhakti
[7]
along withshravanam (listening), smaranam (remembrance), pad sevanam (service), archanam(offering), vandanam,
(obeisance), dasyam (servitude), sakhyam (friendship) andatmanivedanam (surrender). The so-called Naradiya Kirtan divides kirtan into
five parts;
[8]
naman (prayers),purvaranga (spiritual lesson based on old epics), chanting, katha or akhyan(exegesis) and a final prayer for
universal welfare. All in all this may last from half an hour to three hours.
The Varkari saint Namdev (c. 12701350), a Shudra tailor, used the kirtan form of singing to praise the glory of god Vithoba.
[9]
In the
early 16th century CE Chaitanya Mahaprabhutraveled throughout India popularizing Krishna sankirtan. In the second half of 16th
century
[10]
Kalachand Vidyalankar, a disciple of Mahaprabhu, made it popular in Bengal, where several schools (sampradaya) have been
practicing it for hundreds of years, including the Kartavaja(which originated at Ghoshpara near Kalyani), theBaul minstrels and
the Kalachandi(disciples of Kalachand Vidyalankar). Geetashree Chabi Bandyopadhyay and Radharani Devi are among many who achieved fame by singing kirtan.
Marathi kirtan is typically performed by one or two main performers, called Kirtankar, accompanied by harmonium and tabla. It involves singing, acting, dancing, and
story-telling.
[11]

[12]
It is usually based on poetry of the seven famous saints of Maharashtra; Nivruttinath, Dnyaneshwar, Sopandev, Muktabai, Eknath, Namdev
and Tukaram.
[13]
Jugalbandi Kirtan is performed by two persons, allowing question-answer, dialogue and debate. Performance requires skill in music, dance, comedy,
oratory, debate, memory, general knowledge and Sanskrit literature. Training takes place at the Kirtan Kul in Sangli, the Akhil Bharatiya Kirtan Sanstha
[14]
in Dadar,
Mumbai, the Narad Mandir at Sadashiv Peth, Pune and the Kalidas Mahavidyalay in Ramtek, Nagpur as well as at smaller schools in Goa, Beed and Ujjain.
Rashtriya Kirtan is a special form originated by Dattopant Patwardhan, who used the format to raise awareness of the struggle for freedom against the British regime
using mythological stories. In modern times stories of great scientists, warriors, freedom fighters and social reformers entertain and educate the masses. Another form
is named after Samarth Ramdasand based on his poetry.
In Sikhism [edit]
The Sikh tradition of kirtan or Gurmat Sangeet was started by Guru Nanak at Kartarpur in the early 16th century
[citation needed]
and was strengthened by his successors,
particularly Guru Arjan, at Amritsar.
[citation needed]
In spite of several interruptions, kirtan continues to be performed at the Golden Temple and other historical gurdwaras.
Sikhs refer to a hymn or section of the Guru Granth Sahib (GGS) as a shabad. The first shabad in the GGS is the Mool Mantar. The hymns are arranged in chapters
named after musical ragas. The shabads in any chapter is to be sung to that particular raga with due attention to tala and dhuni (melody) (See also Sikh music).
The following texts show the importance the Sikh gurus gave to kirtan;
Let your mind remain awake and aware, singing the kirtan of the Lord's praises.
Singing the kirtan of the Lord's praises, the Name abides within the mind.
Singing the kirtan of His praises, my mind has become peaceful. The sins of countless incarnations have been washed away. I have seen all treasures within my
own mind; why should I now go out searching for them?
One is saved from hell, suffering is destroyed, countless pains depart, death is overcome, and one escapes the Messenger of Death, by absorption in the kirtan of
the Lord's praises.
Carnatic traditions [edit]
In South India the compositions of Tallapaka Annamacharya, a 15th-century mystic, represent the earliest known music called sankirtan. He wrote in praise of Lord
Venkateswara, the deity of Seven Hills in Tirumala, where unbroken worship has been offered for over twelve centuries at the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple.
Annamcharya is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Venkateswara's sword.
[15]
During his long and prolific career, he reputedly composed and sang 32,000
Sankirtanas and 12 Shatakas (sets of hundred verses). His works were in Teluguand Sanskrit.
In the west [edit]
Paramhansa Yoganandawas an early proponent of kirtan in the west, chantingGuru Nanak Dev's Hey Hari Sundara ("Oh God Beautiful") with 3,000 people at Carnegie
Hall in 1923.
[17]
10/15/13 Kirtan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirtan 2/2
Annamacharya
The Hare Krishna Tree
inTompkins Square Park, New York
City under which Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada led his f irst
public chanting of the Hare Krishna
mantra in the U.S.
[16]
Kirtan became more common with the spread of Gaudiya Vaishnavism by the International Society
for Krishna Consciousness's (ISKCON) founder A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in the
1960s.
[18]
Yoga centers report an increase in attendance at kirtan; according to Pure Musics Frank
Goodman in 2009, kirtan has taken on a wider popularity.
[clarification needed][19]
Kirtan singers have
appeared in the West, such as Krishna Das, Bhagavan Das and Jai Uttal as well as Snatam
Kaur, Lokah Music,Deva Premal, Sadhu Nada, Jim Gelcer, Aindra Prabhuand Gaura Vani & As
Kindred Spirits.
In ISKCON ("Hare Krishnas"), the term sankirtan is also used to refer to preaching activities, such as
distribution of religious literature to the public.
[20]
Given name [edit]
The female given name Kirtana or Keerthana is used in South India, particularly Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It means "hymn sung in the praise of God".
References [edit]
1. ^ MacDonell, A. A. (2004). A practical Sanskrit Dictonary. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
2. ^ Nye, Malory (1995). A Place for Our Gods . Routledge. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-7007-0356-2.
3. ^ "Kirtan" . Archived from the original on 2009-10-31.
4. ^ Varadpande, Manohar Laxman (1992). History of Indian Theatre 2. Abhinav Publications. p. 95. ISBN 9788170172789.
5. ^ http://faculty.washington.edu/novetzke/Divining an Author.pdf as read online
6. ^ Hate, Narendrabuwa; Koparkar, G. N. (1982). Keertanachi Prayog Prakriya (Marathi:| 9 9H). Pune, India: Keertan Mahavidyalaya Prakashan. p. 4.|
+9+9HCategory:Articles+containing+Marathi-
language+text)&rft.date=1982&rft.genre=book&rft.pages=4&rft.place=Pune,+India&rft.pub=Keertan+Mahavidyalaya+Prakashan&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:book"
class="Z3988">
7. ^ Kelkar, M.; Mahabal, K. (2007). Keertanrang (Marathi: |). Dadar, Mumbai, India: Akhil Bharatiya Keertan Sanstha. p. 1.|Category:Articles+containing+Marathi-
language+text)&rft.date=2007&rft.genre=book&rft.pages=1&rft.place=Dadar,+Mumbai,+India&rft.pub=Akhil+Bharatiya+Keertan+Sanstha&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:book"
class="Z3988">
8. ^ Koparkar, G. N. (2000). Katha Haridasaanchi (Marathi: ). Pune, India: Keertan Mahavidyalaya Prakashan. p. 2.
+Category:Articles+containing+Marathi-
language+text)&rft.date=2000&rft.genre=book&rft.pages=2&rft.place=Pune,+India&rft.pub=Keertan+Mahavidyalaya+Prakashan&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:book"
class="Z3988">
9. ^ http://faculty.washington.edu/novetzke/Divining an Author.pdf as read online
10. ^ Caste, Protest and Identity in Colonial India: The Namasudras of Bengal, 1872-1947; By Sekhar Bandyopadhyay; Published 27th May 1997 by Routledge. ISBN
07007062671
11. ^ Dixit, Durga (2009). Diamond Maharashtra Sankritikosh (Marathi: * 1 ).Pune, India: Diamond Publications. p. 166. ISBN 978-81-8483-080-4.
+*+1 Category:Articles+containing+Marathi-language+text)&rft.date=2009&rft.genre=book&rft.isbn=978-81-8483-080-
4&rft.pages=166&rft.place=Pune,+India&rft.pub=Diamond+Publications&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:book" class="Z3988">
12. ^ Varadpande, Manohar Laxman (1992). History of Indian Theatre 2. Abhinav Publications. p. 95. ISBN 9788170172789.
13. ^ Arnett, Robert (2006). India Unveiled (Fifth ed.). Columbus, Georgia U.S A.: Atman Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-9652900-4-3.
14. ^ See Tfd(Marathi)
15. ^ SVSA -2008/07/21
16. ^ Hare Krishna Tree
17. ^ Yogananda, Paramhansa (2007). Autobiography of a Yogi . BiblioBazaar, LLC. pp. 526527. ISBN 978-1-4264-2415-1.
18. ^ Jackson, Carl T. (1994). Vedanta for the West. Indiana University Press. p. 134. ISBN 0-253-33098-X.
19. ^ Eckel, Sara (2009-03-05). "Chanting Is an Exercise in Body and Spirit - NYTimes" . www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
20. ^ Supreme Court of California, opinion in ISCKON v. City of Los Angeles, p.4. online