Indian Culture  Discussion Forum

Yup, so when people find Himesh´ s songs irritating, it is they who are actually irritating. And when you think a rose is beautiful it´ s you who are actually beautiful. wow, check out your theory man! Couldn´ t find a better reply so you resorted to some psychological mumbo-jumbo that you know nothing about. Classical conditioning is used in learning. It involves training a person or animal to associate a feeling with a particular stimulus. If you start attributing all likes and dislikes, opinions and preferences to it, god svae you!

Your response to any form of stimulus is completely determined by your conditioning. Why blame the bahajans for your problem?

Hi,

I' ve been touring India and was recently in Delhi. I think the calming solitude is more effective to getting touch with your inner soul. This is found in the Bahai temple at Delhi. Even if you go to the Rumtek monastery in Sikkim in Gangtok you notice though there are chantings these are followed by periods of silence for meditation. Across religions there is this emphasis on silence. I think this is the most effective

Even I have been to these places...an absolutely divine experience...you lose yourself and wander off into the unknown

Do you rememer what happened to Alisha Chinai´ s pop song - ´ Om namah shivaya´ ? It got banned. Huge protests. And all when the song was so cool. The oldies and senseless politicos in India are never gonna allow it.

To each his own, I guess. I dont practice any bhajan-shajan myself. But I do find some of them soothing. I like the Sikh kirtans. I dont like it when people play it too loudly. Music shold be played softly.

Anyone know where I cn get bhajans by Jagjit Singh? I herd that he has sang some religious songs...

Anyone seen Happy Feet recently. Tis all about the song and the rhyme, the music that fills the soul. However we shouldnt be afraid of experimenting, try something new, add some more fusion into traditional bhahans etc. I´ ve heard they did that in some Christian churches in the US and as Indians we should jump on the copycat bandwagon

luv hardcore death metal music...

Pawan, u cud say dat it gives me da same hi it gives u. LOL.. No, butt seriously speakin' , n e form of music cn b used for sadhana...God must b a DJ!!! )

Slayer got the point totally! I go into another world when I listen to trance. And Green Day. Wowow. If that´ s not meditation then I don´ t know what is. It´ s definitely better than chanting stuff that you do not even understand half the times (of course you could make the effort to)

Wasss uppp Slayer, fancy seeing another slayer here. Music is our religion dudes. Long live rock & roll!!! Hey guys dont we forget the world as we´ re immersed in our favorite music ???

The article doesn' t talk about bhajans in detail. It hardly tells you anything new.
Asking a few hought-provoking questions for the rest of the people especially the regulars.
1. If a person is capable of understanding classical music, does that mean he doesn' t require bhajans?
2. How does bhajan help you earn enlightenment? So, is bhajan comparable to Yoga or meditation? Which is better?

Hi Demosthenes,

Classical (Indian) music comprises an elaborate expositions based on musical scales called ragas. A good performance is said to arouse in both, the performer and discerning listener, a state of ecstatic rapture brought about by the masterful improvisation and intricate interplay of melody ´ sur´ and rhythem ´ taal´ .

A similar state is evoked by participation in a bhajan session, but here this effect depends on a combination of the participant´ s innate devotion and the group energy formed by the singers.

Both have their own unique appeal and you need to explore both forms to find out what works for you. I personally enjoy both equally.

Meeta´ s got one crazy son maaan. Or may be he´ s the next incarnation of Krishna! (snigger, snigger)

Hey we used to do Yoga in college but there was hardly any bhajans in that. So guess its a different yoga style or just up to personal tastes. There was some music but that involved the sound of the ocean and what not to give a tranquil feel

Pawan, it is not enlightenment. But it would be getting closer. :)

Only a true devotee can know the transcedental bliss of bhajans! Forget all thought, forget all theories... Jus leav everything to God.

I think that meditation and bhajan come quite close. I have been doing yoga regularly for 6 years, and sometimes also do meditation. Similarly I have a couple of times attended bnhajan sessions. And I almost feel like I am in a differnt zone ... closer to god almost where everything else seems trivial, ceases to matter. Would you call that enlightenment?

My son who is 6 years old has shown an amazing affinity to bhajans. In fact since he if he hears a bhajan, he will turn away from cartoons to listen to it. My older daughter thoroughly enjoys music ... bollywood mainly ... has absolutely liking for bhajans. So I think it is almost a person´ s nature. He also prefers to colour god´ s pictures to cars (which come a close second)! I have never ever taken him to listen to bhajans, but I am thinking of buying a CD (don´ t want to overdo it either!)