His Holiness Sri Swamiji's Speech I will sing some Abhangs today. There are three types of categories in singing. Devotional, Spiritual and Atmaarpana. According to the convenience, the rhythm and tunes change. Saints in Maharashtra state sing Bhajans in temples. Many times they sing the whole night. Each Bhajan has a message which deals with different subject. Ramayana, Maha Bharata etc. With some modification, they give advise to people. How to live, how to lead family life, how to have a relation with husband and wife. Each Abhang is different. I selected some Abhangs according to my convenience. Nama Deva, Tukaram, Kabir, Tulsidas, Surdas, Ekdas, Mira Bai are some of the saints who selected singing as a path to God. Many sung in Brij language. This language communicates between God and devotee. The conversations between God and singer are very interesting. People recognized Jnana Deva as an incarnation of Vitthala. Most of His Abhangs were like Bhagavad Gita. South Indian composers like Thyagaraja, Syama Sastry, Kanaka Dasa, Purandara Dasa composed Kirtans and Krutis. Some are based on rhythm and some are based on just plain singing. At times the composer used to pluck a single string instrument called Eka nada and sang the Bhajans. But in recent times, the same compositions have been set to be sung using instruments. Indian cinema too saw this metamorphosis. Cinemas of the yesteryear had very powerful message in the songs. But in present day, the cinema songs are meaning less and have no message value. They entertain. That’s all. Some cinema songs are having harmful effects on children. The lyrics are bad. The composers have only success and fame in mind. But still the music director tries to put good music. Today’s way of communication is danger to society. In many parts of the world, people still appreciate the folk compositions which are simple both in tune and meaning. Jaya Guru Datta |