The topic of “Sankirtan” is one of the most important concepts for spiritual seekers. In the tradition of “Bhakti” (devotion to God), sankirtan has a very significant role. In the ‘Bhakti Rasāmrita Sindhu’ written by Rupa Gosvami, one of the most revered Rasik Saints, Sankirtan is defined as –
nāmalīlāguṇādināmuchchairbhāṣha tu kirtanam
Reciting Radha Krishna’s names and singing the glories of Their forms, pastimes, qualities and abode is known as sankirtan.
The Vedas and Puranas, which are timeless scriptural texts, also highlight the significance of sankirtan and urge spiritual seekers to practice sankirtan.
Why do the Saints and scriptures place so much emphasis on Sankirtan?
The essence of devotion is to attach the mind exclusively to God. However, it is very difficult to attach the mind to God as it gets distracted easily. Sankirtan allows the spiritual aspirant to easily attach the mind to God, hence it is the foundation through which one can practice devotion. By chanting the Lord’s names, qualities and pastimes, our desires also gradually shift from the material realm to the spiritual realm.
Next, it is important to understand how to practise sankirtan.
Sankirtan can be practised either in a group setting (with other devotees) or individually. Along with the chanting of the names and pastimes of the Lord, it often helps to have other musical instruments so that the mind gets fully absorbed in the melodious kirtan chanting and does not get distracted. But the most critical element of sankirtan is Roopdhyan – the loving remembrance of God. Without the remembrance and visualisation of God, sankirtan can become a mechanical process that may not yield significant benefits. Among all the spiritual practices, Sankirtan is the most important one, and the proper way to practise Sankirtan is to attach the mind and meditate on the divine form of the Lord.
The Rāmāyaṇa says,
ehi kali kala na sadhana dūjā
joga na japa tapa vrata makha pūjā
ramahim sumiria gaia rāmahim
santata sunia rāma guna grāmahim
kaliyuga kevala nama adhārā
sumiri sumiri nara utarahim pārā
“There is no other method in Kali Yuga. Neither yoga, nor japa, nor austerity, nor abstinence, nor yajñas, nor worship will take you to your goal. Just sing the glories of the Lord, engage your mind in roopdhyan, loving remembrance and listen to His glories from the Saints. This is the only means in Kali Yuga to attain one’s ultimate goal.
How can we make chanting a part of our daily lives?
Apart from participating in sankirtan sessions in group and individual settings, one should also strive to constantly chant the names of the Lord. This may seem impractical given our busy daily schedules. However, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj has shared with us a secret that can address this dilemma.
श्वास जब खींचो तो ‘रा’ कहु, मनहिं मन महँ प्यारे।
श्वास छोड़ो तो कहहु ‘धे’, ध्यान भी करु प्यारे।
(Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj, Yugal Madhuri)
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj tells us that it is possible to constantly chant the divine name of God by connecting it with our breathing mechanism – chanting the Lord’s name with every breath that we take. By chanting the Divine Name and by visualising and meditating upon the Divine form of God with every breath, we will be able to practise chanting of the divine name constantly.
