Category: Kirtan

Among all spiritual practices, sankirtana is the best and foremost means of attaining the grace of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. Other types of sadhana, or devotional practices, are only worthy of being called sadhana if they favourably assist the performance of sankirtana; otherwise they should be known as obstructions to actual sadhana. Whether one is a child or an old or young man, male or female, learned or illiterate, rich or poor, beautiful or ugly, pious or sinful – regardless of the condition of life someone may be in – there is no spiritual practice for him other than sri Krsna nama-sankirtana.

Kirtan (Sanskrit: “to repeat”; also Sankirtan) is call-and-response chanting performed in India’s devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, the two-headed mrdanga or pakawaj drum, and karatal hand cymbals. It is a major practice in Vaisnava devotionalism, Sikhism, the Sant traditions, and some forms of Buddhism, as well as other religious groups (see religion).