Bhajans, Kirtans, Songs of Yoga and Worship.

[Still_Waters]

Originally Posted by Joe Mc

That looks good, the Rumi Reading Event, perhaps i'll pop in if that is ok but i most likely won't as it will be quite late here GMT. Have a good time. I struggled a bit with the Hare Krishna's idealism to be fair and found there approach a bit puritanical in the end, i learned as i got older that there was such a thing as what was called 'fundamentalism' in all religious paths etc. ? Nevertheless as you can see I'm still very attracted to their devotion and song and in general wish them well, do they wish me well, a karmi like myself ?? Maybe not. Think i recounted here my tale to the last Hare Krishna restaurant i visited in Dublin Ireland. The basis of the story was that i felt absolutely blown away with love and a deep feeling of spiritual recognition because i had this feeling that they were singing about me Maybe a jnani might understand that feeling better than a bhakta ? But isn't it strange if i had said to any of the devotees ..you're singing about me ..they would have taken offence lol so ..hmmm not sure what happened there on that day.
I became a Hare Krisha devotee for a short time and lived on an island here. We had a teacher who insisted we needed a speed boat Stuff like that and i also I felt that they kind of missed out on the opportunity to train young monks and to take it more seriously. A bit of that kind of stuff. Hey i can only imagine trying to win an argument with prabupad or his devotees. You got to be made of strong stuff to be a devotee i think. We had an ex IRA member at the time who had become a devotee in the H Blocks, a British internment camp for IRA prisoners. Quite a change of heart in some ways. He was a very nice chap...but stone mad in the sense of his zeal lets say. ok thanks for the insights and thoughts. I will think a bit more about the 3 divisions mentioned as you say in the Gita, Bhakta, Jnani and Karma yogas. All the best. Joe.

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I can understand what you mean with the Hare Krishnas under Prabhupada being a bit "puritanical" and orthodox.

Prabhupada was such a devotee that , in one part of the Gita , there is a reference to chanting OM and he translates that correctly. However, in his purport, he said that, since OM means God, and God is Krishna, the passage means to chant Hare Krishna. My position was that it mean literally to chant OM, as virtually all the purports say.

In any case, Prabhupada saw Krishna in all so I can understand how he would argue that point.

There were other issues that moved me from Prabhupada to my own teacher but I still love the ISKON bhajans and sometimes attend (ONLINE) a Krishna meeting at the storefront in NYC where Prabupada started his mission in the United States. You can join that one if you like. It is at 5:30 PM (NY time) on Saturday evenings.

[Joe Mc]

Originally Posted by Still_Waters

Prabhupada was such a devotee that , in one part of the Gita , there is a reference to chanting OM and he translates that correctly. However, in his purport, he said that, since OM means God, and God is Krishna, the passage means to chant Hare Krishna. My position was that it mean literally to chant OM, as virtually all the purports say.

That's definitely pushing it !!! But as you say it was all or nothing with Srila Prapubad, in the sense of pure devotion. So to chant Om would probably have been seen as something an Impersonalist or Mayavadi would do. One thing I read the otherday said that jnani's have to establish clarity between what is real and what is unreal and this can mean establishing that the body is not real in one sense. Well i have to say one of the glories of the Hare Krishna movement was it's straight down the line admonishment, That you were Not the Body, it was often too much for most people to take !!
You are not this Body !!! People would look with a bit of a glazed stare What ??? So they gave it to you straight !!!

Hey thanks for the link i might pop in.

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[Still_Waters]

Originally Posted by Joe Mc

That's definitely pushing it !!! But as you say it was all or nothing with Srila Prapubad, in the sense of pure devotion. So to chant Om would probably have been seen as something an Impersonalist or Mayavadi would do. One thing I read the otherday said that jnani's have to establish clarity between what is real and what is unreal and this can mean establishing that the body is not real in one sense. Well i have to say one of the glories of the Hare Krishna movement was it's straight down the line admonishment, That you were Not the Body, it was often too much for most people to take !!
You are not this Body !!! People would look with a bit of a glazed stare What ??? So they gave it to you straight !!!

Hey thanks for the link i might pop in.

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My own mantra, which I discovered in a very unusual way, contains the word "OM" so, although I understand where Prabhupada was coming from as a Krishna devotee (OM = God --> chant Hare Krishna), I still stand by my position regarding chanting OM as most Gita interpreters also do.

The "I am NOT the body" no longer gets glazed stares any longer as there are so many stories about near death experiences and out-of-body experiences nowadays that people don't dismiss that as easily as in the past. Since I personally had an out-of-body experience during my NDE many years ago, it was easy to convince me that life continues quite well without the body. We are fortunate to live in a time when "I am not the Body" is relatively easy to argue. In Tibet, the word for body is "LU", which means "that which is left behind".

[Still_Waters]

Another bhajan that I really like is the Sri Hanuman Chalisa. You probably know that Hanuman is the loyal monkey devotee of Sri Ram, so Hanuman is an ideal focus for those with either male or female humanoid issues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liKbzGXGokU

[Shivani Devi]

Originally Posted by Jainarayan

Yes, that’s the version on the Goddess of Fortune album.

I knew this track as coming from the Radha Krishna Temple Album produced by George Harrison. The singer is Yamuna Devi Dasi.

My cassette tape of this was worn out due to the number of times I listened to it as a teen (Sri Isopanishad was my favourite track). It was among a collection of cassette tapes I purchased back in the early 80's from ISKCON...the others were Benediction Moon, A Change of Heart by Michael Cassidy and a complete satire series called "Radio Ram".

Sri Isopanishad:
https://youtu.be/SGjMlZSJfrU

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पुर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

Om Puurnnam-Adah Puurnnam-Idam Puurnnaat-Purnnam-Udacyate

Puurnnasya Puurnnam-Aadaaya Puurnnam-Eva-Avashissyate ||

Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih ||



Meaning:

1: Om, That (Outer World) is Purna (Full with Divine Consciousness); This (Inner World) is also Purna (Full with Divine Consciousness); From Purna comes Purna (From the Fullness of Divine Consciousness the World is manifested) ,

2: Taking Purna from Purna, Purna Indeed Remains (Because Divine Consciousness is Non-Dual and Infinite).

3: Om Peace, Peace, Peace.


Nowdays, I am a Shaivite and into a few of the more contemporary bhajans after exhausting my supply of the traditional ones.

In particular, I like Babaji Hansraj Raguwanshi, Kailash Kher, Shahnaz Aktar and the version of Gayatri Mantra performed by Super Deluxe. Here are some of the bhajans I love.. enjoy:

https://youtu.be/2TiqBM1Ri-Y
https://youtu.be/ZueBnlFuvT4
https://youtu.be/Tn3fQz9kZzc
https://youtu.be/VKvH57WJFKo
https://youtu.be/VkOSnj23feM
https://youtu.be/_qKKexKVzh4
https://youtu.be/jDkBkst4iQs

I will post more later.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[Joe Mc]

Originally Posted by Still_Waters

My own mantra, which I discovered in a very unusual way, contains the word "OM" so, although I understand where Prabhupada was coming from as a Krishna devotee (OM = God --> chant Hare Krishna), I still stand by my position regarding chanting OM as most Gita interpreters also do.

The "I am NOT the body" no longer gets glazed stares any longer as there are so many stories about near death experiences and out-of-body experiences nowadays that people don't dismiss that as easily as in the past. Since I personally had an out-of-body experience during my NDE many years ago, it was easy to convince me that life continues quite well without the body. We are fortunate to live in a time when "I am not the Body" is relatively easy to argue. In Tibet, the word for body is "LU", which means "that which is left behind".

Yes chanting the mantra Om, which i've started to do recently, seems to me to be a complete practice. I definitely agree with you and can relate to the much more spoken about and acknowledged NDE experience in our present day and age. My own OBE/NDE experience has never tarnished or wavered, i have probably laid a few intellectual interpretations over it since ive had it but it has remained as a totally complete and at the same time totally mysterious and impenetrable experience ? Who wouldn't want that bliss and freedom all of the time ? But these experiences are sometimes like bench marks against which our 'humanoid' experience goes on. The Tibetan word 'LU' I didn't know about. Beautiful. Lovely word.

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[Joe Mc]

Originally Posted by Still_Waters

Another bhajan that I really like is the Sri Hanuman Chalisa. You probably know that Hanuman is the loyal monkey devotee of Sri Ram, so Hanuman is an ideal focus for those with either male or female humanoid issues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liKbzGXGokU

Ah yes Hanuman, really attractive and intriguing figure of the Godhead I certainly still got Humanoid issues going on ! Jai Hanuman ! I like that version of the Chalisa also Krishna Das does a version which i posted in my first post. Have you anything to say about Krishna Das ? You being a fellow New Yorker or is it as it is ? I mean its just another Gateway i suppose the whole Ram Dass and Krishna Das thing and their Guru Neem Karoli Baba ? Of course there are lots of other Gateways. Ok. thanks.

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[Still_Waters]

Originally Posted by Shivani Devi

I knew this track as coming from the Radha Krishna Temple Album produced by George Harrison. The singer is Yamuna Devi Dasi.

My cassette tape of this was worn out due to the number of times I listened to it as a teen (Sri Isopanishad was my favourite track). It was among a collection of cassette tapes I purchased back in the early 80's from ISKCON...the others were Benediction Moon, A Change of Heart by Michael Cassidy and a complete satire series called "Radio Ram".

Sri Isopanishad:
https://youtu.be/SGjMlZSJfrU

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पुर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

Om Puurnnam-Adah Puurnnam-Idam Puurnnaat-Purnnam-Udacyate

Puurnnasya Puurnnam-Aadaaya Puurnnam-Eva-Avashissyate ||

Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih ||



Meaning:

1: Om, That (Outer World) is Purna (Full with Divine Consciousness); This (Inner World) is also Purna (Full with Divine Consciousness); From Purna comes Purna (From the Fullness of Divine Consciousness the World is manifested) ,

2: Taking Purna from Purna, Purna Indeed Remains (Because Divine Consciousness is Non-Dual and Infinite).

3: Om Peace, Peace, Peace.


Nowdays, I am a Shaivite and into a few of the more contemporary bhajans after exhausting my supply of the traditional ones.

In particular, I like Babaji Hansraj Raguwanshi, Kailash Kher, Shahnaz Aktar and the version of Gayatri Mantra performed by Super Deluxe. Here are some of the bhajans I love.. enjoy:

https://youtu.be/2TiqBM1Ri-Y
https://youtu.be/ZueBnlFuvT4
https://youtu.be/Tn3fQz9kZzc
https://youtu.be/VKvH57WJFKo
https://youtu.be/VkOSnj23feM
https://youtu.be/_qKKexKVzh4
https://youtu.be/jDkBkst4iQs

I will post more later.

Aum Namah Shivaya

Aum Namah Shivaya !

I loved the Isha Upanishad hymn.

Being jnani-oriented toward yoga and meditation, my bhakta aspect is also focused on Shiva so I loved the Shiva bhajans.

The last two recommendations were particularly uplifting for me personally and I am still playing the Sarasvati Reggae video. My teacher, a devotee of Shiva/Durga, took the name "Sarasvati" so it brings back fond memories.

https://youtu.be/_qKKexKVzh4 - Sarasvati (A Reggae Tribute)
https://youtu.be/jDkBkst4iQs - Om Namah Shivaya finale

Om Namah Shivaya !

[Jainarayan]

Originally Posted by Shivani Devi

I knew this track as coming from the Radha Krishna Temple Album produced by George Harrison. The singer is Yamuna Devi Dasi.

My cassette tape of this was worn out due to the number of times I listened to it as a teen (Sri Isopanishad was my favourite track). It was among a collection of cassette tapes I purchased back in the early 80's from ISKCON...the others were Benediction Moon, A Change of Heart by Michael Cassidy and a complete satire series called "Radio Ram".

Sri Isopanishad:
https://youtu.be/SGjMlZSJfrU

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पुर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

Om Puurnnam-Adah Puurnnam-Idam Puurnnaat-Purnnam-Udacyate

Puurnnasya Puurnnam-Aadaaya Puurnnam-Eva-Avashissyate ||

Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih ||



Meaning:

1: Om, That (Outer World) is Purna (Full with Divine Consciousness); This (Inner World) is also Purna (Full with Divine Consciousness); From Purna comes Purna (From the Fullness of Divine Consciousness the World is manifested) ,

2: Taking Purna from Purna, Purna Indeed Remains (Because Divine Consciousness is Non-Dual and Infinite).

3: Om Peace, Peace, Peace.


Nowdays, I am a Shaivite and into a few of the more contemporary bhajans after exhausting my supply of the traditional ones.

In particular, I like Babaji Hansraj Raguwanshi, Kailash Kher, Shahnaz Aktar and the version of Gayatri Mantra performed by Super Deluxe. Here are some of the bhajans I love.. enjoy:

https://youtu.be/2TiqBM1Ri-Y
https://youtu.be/ZueBnlFuvT4
https://youtu.be/Tn3fQz9kZzc
https://youtu.be/VKvH57WJFKo
https://youtu.be/VkOSnj23feM
https://youtu.be/_qKKexKVzh4
https://youtu.be/jDkBkst4iQs

I will post more later.

Aum Namah Shivaya

Sri Isopanishad is also so beautiful. Have you heard this medley of the Shivopasana and mantras by Uma Mohan? It took me forever to memorize the “namaste astu bhagavan vishveshvaraya mahadevaya... “ verse. This is one of my favorite chants. I’ve been known to be stopped at a red light, windows down, chanting it.

https://youtu.be/02Insu8MHME

[Still_Waters]

I love this Sri Ram chant by Robert Gass. It starts slowly but gradually builds into an ecstatic dance of pure joy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkSMyF1Y0E4