To Arjuna on Hanuman and Bhajans

[Guest guest]

Arjuna wrote:

My guru gave me my name when I went with him to India in 1987. I have

used it privately since then and have been using it more publicly for

the past several years...Arjuna is a character with whom I always

related. Recently, I began a devotion to Hanuman an learned that he

always sits on Arjuna's chariot and is on his banner!...

Dear Arjuna ~ thank you for sharing the story of getting your name. If

you are interested in bhajans ~ listening to the, or singing them ~

Krishna Das has some wonderful cds with bhajans to Hanuman, as well

as to Krishna, Devi and Durga. Krishna Das' guru was/is Ramana

Maharshi, and before that Baba Ram Das. Anyhow, his bhajans are

beautiful. I have two of his tapes. On "One Track Heart," he has two

bhajans to Hanuman: "Hanuman Chaleesa" and "Prayer to Hanuman." On

his newest cd, "Greatest Hits for the Kali Yuga," he also has two:

"Bhajalo-ji Hanuman" (which is incredibly wonderful) and Hanuman

Baba. I just checked his site, and the "Bhajalo-ji Hanuman is

included as part of the "Hanuman Chaleesa." How joyous. Here is a

link to his site, and then the words from the Chaleesa.

(Forgive me if I have made this too long, but I have come to love

Hanuman through these songs.) Site: http://www.krishnadas.com/ Song

below. Jai Sri Hanuman! ~ Linda

P.S. The song was waaaaay to long to post, so I just put in a couple of verses. : )

Shree Hanuman Chaleesa(Invocation)Shree Guru charana saroja raja nija

manu mukuru sudhariBaranaun Raghubara bimala jasu jo daayaku phala

chaariHaving polished the mirror of my heart with the dust of my

Guru's lotus feetI sing the pure fame of the best of Raghus, which

bestows the four fruits of life.Budhi heena tanu jaanike sumiraun

pawana kumaaraBala budhi vidyaa dehu mohin harahu kalesa bikaaraI

know that this body of mine has no intelligence, so I recall you, Son

of the WindGrant me strength, wit and wisdom and remove my sorrows and

shortcomings.Bhajelo Ji Hanuman! Bhajelo Ji Hanuman!Oh Friend!

Remember Hanuman!(Verses)1. Jaya Hanumaan gyaana guna saagaraJaya

Kapeesha tihun loka ujaagaraHail to Hanuman, the ocean of wisdom and

virtue,Hail Monkey Lord, illuminater of the three worlds.2. Raama

doota atulita bala dhaamaaAnjani putra Pawanasuta naamaaYou are Ram's

emissary, and the abode of matchless powerAnjani's son, named the "Son

of the Wind."

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/8/04 11:25:15 A.M. Mountain Standard Time, arjunaacharya writes:

There is a great Hanuman Temple in Taos, NM that I have visited years

ago. It was established by followers of Neem Karoli Baba.

Namaste Arjuna,

My family visits the Hanuman Temple and the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram in

Taos a couple of times a year. There are a very wonderful devotees

associated with the Temple. The links below for visits via

cyberspace.

http://www.nkbashram.org/

http://www.nkbashram.org/temple.html

With Love

Kanda

[Guest guest]

Thanks. I am familiar with Krishna Das and his recordings. We have

several Hanuman Chalisa recordings as well as other Bhajans. There

is a great Hanuman Temple in Taos, NM that I have visited years ago.

It was established by followers of Neem Karoli Baba. Ram Das was his

disciple. When I went to visit there, I was quite poor. I had a few

dolars in my jeans for gas and foood. As I sat in meditation, I heard

a voice say give me all your money. I thought it was strange since I

was the only one in the tmeple at the time. So I put part of my

money on the altar, reserving enough for what I thought my needs were

for the rest of the day. I went back and sat to meditate more and

again heard the voice say the same thing. I put a little more on the

altar. When I sat to meditate again, the vocie said, No all your

money. So I took every sent I had with me and put it on the altar.

When I sat to meditate,

the voice then said: Now have no fear all you needs will be taken care

of. I have not always had all the money I have wanted, but my needs

have always been taken care of. Often instead of money I was sent

the work by which I could earn it

Arjunanierika (AT) aol (DOT) com wrote:

Arjuna wrote:

My guru gave me my name when I went with him to India in 1987. I have

used it privately since then and have been using it more publicly for

the past several years...Arjuna is a character with whom I always

related. Recently, I began a devotion to Hanuman an learned that he

always sits on Arjuna's chariot and is on his banner!...

Dear Arjuna ~ thank you for sharing the story of getting your name. If

you are interested in bhajans ~ listening to the, or singing them ~

Krishna Das has some wonderful cds with bhajans to Hanuman, as well

as to Krishna, Devi and Durga. Krishna Das' guru was/is Ramana

Maharshi, and before that Baba Ram Das. Anyhow, his bhajans are

beautiful. I have two of his tapes. On "One Track Heart," he has two

bhajans to Hanuman: "Hanuman Chaleesa" and "Prayer to Hanuman." On

his newest cd, "Greatest Hits for the Kali Yuga," he also has two:

"Bhajalo-ji Hanuman" (which is incredibly wonderful) and Hanuman

Baba. I just checked his site, and the "Bhajalo-ji Hanuman is

included as part of the "Hanuman Chaleesa." How joyous. Here is a

link to his site, and then the words from the Chaleesa.

(Forgive me if I have made this too long, but I have come to love

Hanuman through these songs.) Site: http://www.krishnadas.com/ Song

below. Jai Sri Hanuman! ~ Linda

P.S. The song was waaaaay to long to post, so I just put in a couple of verses. : )

Shree Hanuman Chaleesa(Invocation)Shree Guru charana saroja raja nija

manu mukuru sudhariBaranaun Raghubara bimala jasu jo daayaku phala

chaariHaving polished the mirror of my heart with the dust of my

Guru's lotus feetI sing the pure fame of the best of Raghus, which

bestows the four fruits of life.Budhi heena tanu jaanike sumiraun

pawana kumaaraBala budhi vidyaa dehu mohin harahu kalesa bikaaraI

know that this body of mine has no intelligence, so I recall you, Son

of the WindGrant me strength, wit and wisdom and remove my sorrows and

shortcomings.Bhajelo Ji Hanuman! Bhajelo Ji Hanuman!Oh Friend!

Remember Hanuman!(Verses)1. Jaya Hanumaan gyaana guna saagaraJaya

Kapeesha tihun loka

ujaagaraHail to Hanuman, the ocean of wisdom and virtue,Hail Monkey

Lord, illuminater of the three worlds.2. Raama doota atulita bala

dhaamaaAnjani putra Pawanasuta naamaaYou are Ram's emissary, and the

abode of matchless powerAnjani's son, named the "Son of the Wind."

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/8/2004 9:37:48 AM Eastern Standard Time, nierika (AT) aol (DOT) com writes:

Dear Arjuna ~ thank you for sharing the story of getting your name. If

you are interested in bhajans ~ listening to the, or singing them ~

Krishna Das has some wonderful cds with bhajans to Hanuman, as well

as to Krishna, Devi and Durga. Krishna Das' guru was/is Ramana

Maharshi, and before that Baba Ram Das. Anyhow, his bhajans are

beautiful. I have two of his tapes. On "One Track Heart," he has two

bhajans to Hanuman: "Hanuman Chaleesa" and "Prayer to Hanuman." On

his newest cd, "Greatest Hits for the Kali Yuga," he also has two:

"Bhajalo-ji Hanuman" (which is incredibly wonderful) and Hanuman

Baba. I just checked his site, and the "Bhajalo-ji Hanuman is

included as part of the "Hanuman Chaleesa." How joyous. Here is a

link to his site, and then the words from the Chaleesa.

(Forgive me if I have made this too long, but I have come to love

Hanuman through these songs.) Site: http://www.krishnadas.com/ Song

below. Jai Sri Hanuman! ~ Linda

P.S. The song was waaaaay to long to post, so I just put in a couple of verses.

O Dear, there is some great misinformation in this letter! #1 KD's

One and Only and Still Guru is Neeb Karori Baba, His guru brother is

Ram Dass,

and even though these words change their meaning in different parts of

India, a good way to look at Hindu devotional music is Bhajan is a

broad category of call and response (but not always call and

response) devotional singing, which includes much music with many

nouns, verbs, and adjectives, and adhere's to the complex system of

Rag and Tal (melody and rhythm) of India.

Kirtan is an aspect of Bhajan the full name of which is actually

Namasankirtan, Nama being the names of God only (nouns only no verbs,

hardly any adjectives, maybe a jai here and there) san being group,

and kirtan being Sing, so the practice that Krishna Das uses is

Namasankirtan, or singing only the names of God in a group...call and

reponse.

OF course, he has also recorded more complex devotional music fitting

into the bhajan framework, but his main practice and main stuff on

the cd's is namasankirtan. Other great practitioners of

namasankirtan are Ma Chetan Jyoti, Bhagavan Das, Vaishnava Swami.

Please when approaching kirtan know that there are many "singer

Songwriters" who saw how popular Kirshan Das was becoming and saw

kirtan as a way to advance their careers and their spiritual life,

and many of these are too career oriented to offer the true kirtan

experience. You can only go as far as your teacher has gone.

Hollywood kirtan is best left to the pop charts, and if you want to

experience true kirtan, find the ones who are singing in the temples

and ask about their sadhana.

To hear fine bhajan, go to the centers of the gurus who use Bhajan as

part of their practice, like Satya Sai Baba, and you will find many

homegrown bhajan wallahs who will blow your socks off.

[Guest guest]

, shubal108@a... wrote:

> O Dear, there is some great misinformation in this letter! #1

KD's One and

> Only and Still Guru is Neeb Karori Baba, His guru brother is Ram

Dass,

 

or one can techically call Ram Dass as the Upaguru (one who leads

the subject to the real Guru) of Krishna Das. All fellow disciples

are Guru bhai (brothers in the Guru), as Shubal mentioned.

 

Shubal, thank you for that fantastic piece on the difference between

bhajan, kirtan and namasankirtan.

 

may we should sing together some time (as you once mentioned to

me) ... I don't know about you, but my gut tells me I will really

enjoy it!

 

Jai Ma!

[Guest guest]

Dear Shubalji,

 

thanks for your wonderful clarity here. very helpful.

I only want to add Wah's name to your list of great practitioners of

Namasankirtan - less her being left off the list might lead others

to include her in the other grouping you mentioned. I have found her

devotional energy and purity consistent at every one of the

gatherings where she participates.

Jai Maa!

jayadeva

 

, shubal108@a... wrote:

> In a message dated 12/8/2004 9:37:48 AM Eastern Standard Time,

> nierika@a... writes:

> Dear Arjuna ~ thank you for sharing the story of getting your

name. If you

> are interested in bhajans ~ listening to the, or singing them ~

Krishna Das has

> some wonderful cds with bhajans to Hanuman, as well as to Krishna,

Devi and

> Durga. Krishna Das' guru was/is Ramana Maharshi, and before that

Baba Ram Das.

> Anyhow, his bhajans are beautiful. I have two of his tapes.

On "One Track

> Heart," he has two bhajans to Hanuman: "Hanuman Chaleesa"

and "Prayer to Hanuman."

> On his newest cd, "Greatest Hits for the Kali Yuga," he also has

two:

> "Bhajalo-ji Hanuman" (which is incredibly wonderful) and Hanuman

Baba. I just checked

> his site, and the "Bhajalo-ji Hanuman is included as part of

the "Hanuman

> Chaleesa." How joyous. Here is a link to his site, and then the

words from the

> Chaleesa.

> (Forgive me if I have made this too long, but I have come to love

Hanuman

> through these songs.) Site: http://www.krishnadas.com/ Song

below. Jai Sri

> Hanuman! ~ Linda

> P.S. The song was waaaaay to long to post, so I just put in a

couple of

> verses.

> O Dear, there is some great misinformation in this letter! #1

KD's One and

> Only and Still Guru is Neeb Karori Baba, His guru brother is Ram

Dass,

>

> and even though these words change their meaning in different

parts of India,

> a good way to look at Hindu devotional music is Bhajan is a broad

category of

> call and response (but not always call and response) devotional

singing,

> which includes much music with many nouns, verbs, and adjectives,

and adhere's to

> the complex system of Rag and Tal (melody and rhythm) of India.

>

> Kirtan is an aspect of Bhajan the full name of which is actually

> Namasankirtan, Nama being the names of God only (nouns only no

verbs, hardly any

> adjectives, maybe a jai here and there) san being group, and

kirtan being Sing, so the

> practice that Krishna Das uses is Namasankirtan, or singing only

the names of

> God in a group...call and reponse.

>

> OF course, he has also recorded more complex devotional music

fitting into

> the bhajan framework, but his main practice and main stuff on the

cd's is

> namasankirtan. Other great practitioners of namasankirtan are Ma

Chetan Jyoti,

> Bhagavan Das, Vaishnava Swami.

>

> Please when approaching kirtan know that there are many "singer

Songwriters"

> who saw how popular Kirshan Das was becoming and saw kirtan as a

way to

> advance their careers and their spiritual life, and many of these

are too career

> oriented to offer the true kirtan experience. You can only go as

far as your

> teacher has gone. Hollywood kirtan is best left to the pop

charts, and if you

> want to experience true kirtan, find the ones who are singing in

the temples and

> ask about their sadhana.

>

> To hear fine bhajan, go to the centers of the gurus who use Bhajan

as part of

> their practice, like Satya Sai Baba, and you will find many

homegrown bhajan

> wallahs who will blow your socks off.