What is kirtan?

Kirtan is the sacred tradition of call-and-response chanting, brought to us from India. Kirtan is one of the principal activities of Bhakti Yoga (the path of devotion). The chants come from the Hindu tradition, but people of all faiths and cultural backgrounds participate in kirtan - it is in essence a meditation, repeating the names of God, turning inward towards ourselves. We experience the energy and vibrations of communal singing, connecting to the Divine and each other, opening our hearts and quieting our minds.

To quote Krishna Das: “When we gather together to sing like this we are helping each other find our own paths. We all must travel this path by ourselves because each of us is our own path. All these paths wander on in their own way, but in truth we are all traveling together and until the last of us arrives we will all keep traveling. So let's sing!”

Says Dadu Dayal, a 16th century mystic:
Recognize the Path to your Beloved, O travelers
and take the route of the anguished lover in separation.
Keep the Master's grace in your thoughts,
and reflect on his pure teachings.
Develop love and devotion with endearment,
and keep the thought of the Creator always before you.
Try to merge yourself into God like water in water.
Fix your mind within by following the Path of the Sound Current.
A yearning will arise; make then an intense and anguished call.
Repeat the Name of your Beloved,
day and night, again and again.
With care in thought, word and deed,
you will cross to the other shore.