Welcome to our virtual kirtan gatherings of YouTube playlists featuring various artists singing (mostly) in the traditional call-and-response format. Each program plays for 45 to 75 minutes. Namaste _/\_ (Please note: We do not create the videos for the site, only collect them into playlists for your convenience and enjoyment, so we have no control over content, quality, ads, etc.)
The three types of
songs chosen for the playlist this Navratri:
Ashtakam: eight
parts (a song with eight verses)
Bija Mantra: Bija
means “seed,” Bija mantra is the single-syllable, primary sound
that represents a god/goddess; each chakra also has a seed sound.
(For example, some seed mantras are Aim (Saraswati), Shrim (Lakshmi),
Krim (Kali), Gum (Ganesha and Ganga Mata (Mother Ganges River)),
etc.)
Stotram: hymn of
praise
1 Shri Lakshmi ,.Kali ..Saraswati
..Mantra 4:48
2 Om Shreem
Mahalakshmiyei Namaha | Mahalakshmi Mantra 11:39
3 Saraswati
mantra 108 - Om Aim Saraswatei Namah 7:03
4 Saraswati, Mahalakshmi, Durga Ashtakam
dance performance by shivam school 4:52
5 Kalika Ashtakam - Kali Kali Mahakali
4:37
6 Mahalaksmi
Ashtakam 4:26
7 Nrusimha
Saraswati Astakam.wmv 4:21
8 Maa Saraswati, Maa Durga, Maa Laxmi -
Vandana Dance - Kala Ankur Ajmer 7:27
9 Kalika Ashtakam (Devi Kali Stotra) by
Shruti Vishwakarma 7:00
10 Ashtalakshmi
Stotram (with sanskrit sub titles) 5:40
11 Beautiful Maha
Saraswati Stotram with Lyrics! 5:58
12 Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundaye Vichche
|| Goddesses Durga Mantra By Suresh Wadkar 7:22
In particular, the times of sunrise and
sunset hold special significance which is why I offer the Mantra Yoga
Chanting practices at 6:30 on Thursday evenings. This time falls into
the category of Sandhi Prakash. In Sanskrit, Sandhi means “period
between day and night” and Prakash means “light” and indicated
the sunrise/sunset times of day. The hours of Sandi Prakash
are defined as 4:00 - 7:00 am and pm. However, IMO, following Nature
is the best way to go, chanting at actual sunrise/sunset.
Indeed, at the three ashrams I stayed at in the fall of 2012, Babaji in Haidakhan, Yogananda in Dakshineswar, and Sai Baba in Puttaparthi, we sang around the hours of sunrise and sunset. (See the link is the sidebar to my book Pilgrimage To India to learn more about the ashrams!)
Photo by Shellie Wood, Boise ID April 8 2014
In Classical Hindustani music, the
times of the day call for different tunes and notes to be played for
the physical, emotional, and spiritual harmony of the listeners.
(Hindustani Ragas by Vijay Banaz Razdan, 2009) In Mantra Yoga
Chanting, I play the prescribed musical notes for the sunset time of
day.
I was tickled to find the following
information on p 86-7 of The Turning Point by Gregg Braden (Hay House
Inc., 2014) which explains in detail why this time of day is
especially significant and powerful.
“In many indigenous traditions, it's
understood that the mysterious space between things holds the power
of new possibilities. In North American native traditions, for
example, it's the space between day and night that's believed to open
the door to all paths and new outcomes for our lives. …
“Two times each day, something
remarkable happens with respect to Earth's location in space and the
effect it has upon us. When the evening sun disappears from the sky
as it sets on the horizon, the doorway to a mysterious period of time
briefly appears. Although the sun is no longer visible, the sky is
still light. It's not really daytime any longer, yet it's not quite
night. It's this space between day and night that was called the
crack between the worlds. The
crack between the worlds appears again at dawn, when the sky is no
longer the darkness of the night, yet hasn't become the light of day.
“From
the description of ancient Egyptians and Peruvian shamans to those of
healers from America's Desert Southwest, the theme of these turning
points is the same. Twice each day, nature gives us a time when our
prayers may be offered with the greatest potential to shift our
lives.
“The
beauty of knowing that a turning point exists is that it holds the
opportunity for us to change before
we experience something that we don't want in our lives...”
Aarti is not necessarily a Solstice celebration; it's celebrated every evening in many temples and other sacred places around India.
What is aarti?
From the Sanskrit dictionary at http://dictionary.tamilcube.com/sanskrit-dictionary.aspx
Aarti : form of worship
Aarti : Invocation ceremony or a welcoming ceremony . Normally involves waving a lamp gently in front of the deity.
Aarti : Worship of the deity using lit lamps.
From the Ram Aarti page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNYaXQXI6nY
Aarti - A Hindu religious ritual of worship, refers to the songs sung in praise of the deity when lamps are being offered. Devotees express their complete and unflinching love towards God by singing aartis with a deep sense of reverence and adoration.
Aarti is derived from the Sanskrit word Aratrika, which means something that removes Ratri, darkness (or light waved in darkness before an icon). Another word from which Arati is thought to be derived is the Sanskrit word Aaraartikyam (Sanskrit:आरार्तिक्यं). A Marathi language reference says it is also known as Mahaneeranjana (Sanskrit:महानीराञ्जना)
Aarti is said to have descended from the Vedic concept of fire rituals, or homa. In the traditional aarti ceremony, the flower represents the earth (solidity), the water and accompanying handkerchief correspond with the water element (liquidity), the lamp or candle represents the fire component (heat), the peacock fan conveys the precious quality of air (movement), and the yak-tail fan represents the subtle form of ether (space). The incense represents a purified state of mind, and one’s "intelligence" is offered through the adherence to rules of timing and order of offerings. Thus, one’s entire existence and all facets of material creation are symbolically offered to the Lord via the aarti ceremony. The word may also refer to the traditional Hindu devotional song that is sung during the ritual.
.
.
.
Many of the aarti songs included here do follow a lyric pattern and song that seems traditional, and some do not....they may be newer songs or interpretations.
13 videos play for 75 minutes
1 - Aarti - Ganesha Aarti 7:42
2 - "Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh Deva" - Lord Ganesh Aarti 4:32
3 - Varanasi Ganga Aarti Holy River Hindu Worship Ritual *HD* 7:01
Brahma/Shiva
4 - Bhajan | Om Jai Saraswati Mata [Full Song] Aarti by Arpita Bobade 7:45
5 - Om Jai Jagdish Hare Aarti by Narendra Chanchal - Lord Vishnu Aarti 5:31
6 - Aarti - Mahalaxmi - Om Jai Laxmi Mata 4:28
7 - Om Jai Shiv Omkara full Aarti from Movie Aayee Milan Ki Raat 4:52
8 - Parvati Mataji Aarti 7:19
9 - Kali Arti 5:26
10 - Krishna Aarti (NEW) ( Beautiful Song ) 6:20
11 - Aarti Shri Raghuvar Ji Ki | Ram Aarti With Lyrics | Hindi Devotional Songs 4:00
12 - Sita Aarti With Lyrics | Sanjeevani Bhelande | Hindi Devotional Songs | Ram Navami Special 3:14
13 - Hanuman Chalisa & aarti by Ashwin Pathak 6:29
I was tickled to learn about this video today, that Isaac Tigrett was at Sathya Sai Baba's Prasanthi Nilayam Ashram in Puttaparthi, India, at the same time I was (December 17 - 26, 2012). I wish I had known, I might have tried to speak with him. This video was recorded in his rooms at the ashram in November 2012.
Four videos play for 59 minutes.
There is an additional video following the playlist, the Sai Gayatri played at Sai Kulwant Hall on Maha Samadhi of Sathya Sai Baba. I include this additional video separately for your meditation pleasure. The first evening at the ashram, I participated in the 30-minute meditation in the small hall behind the main temple and had a mystical experience while this mantra played in the background.
1 - Sathya Sai Baba chanting the Gayatri 5:10
2 - Isaac Tigrett - A Message From Prasanthi 45:14
Isaac Tigrett is well known as the Founder of both the Hard Rock Cafe and The House of Blues. He is also known around the world as a spiritual man who for many years has had personal contact with Sathya Sai Baba.
Filmed by Gene Massey in Isaac's apartment in Sathya Sai Baba's ashram (Prasanthi, in Puttaparthi, India) on November 9, 2012, Isaac directs this message to young people all over the world. He speaks for 45 minutes on some of his experiences with Sathya Sai Baba, the Five Human Values, how we must forgive ourselves as well as others, how we are all Divine beings, and how Sathya Sai Baba has not gone anywhere, and is even even more accessible now that we can find Him in our own hearts and live His Teachings daily.
T. S. Radhakrishnan (born November 5, 1957) is an Indian composer and music producer of devotional music and film music from Ernakulam, Kerala. He has composed over 150 devotional albums. His albums have been collaborations with leading Indian singers such as Dr. K J Yesudas, P. Leela, P. Susheela, S. Janaki, P Jayachandran, K.S. Chitra, Hariharan, Manjari, Unni Menon, among others.
He was trained in Carnatic music by Tripunithura K.C. Kalyanasundaram Bhagavathar, Tanjore Subramania Bhagavathar, and Dr. S. Ramanathan.
