Kiirtan
Kiirtan is the chanting of a mantra with the ideation of the Supreme Being. It conveys a feeling of bliss and prepares the mind for meditation, because by doing it we are directing all our sensory and motor organs towards the Supreme. It can be done anywhere and at any time, but it is ideal to always do it before meditating.
The mantra used for kiirtan in Ananda Marga is: “Baba Nam Kevalam“.
Baba means “My beloved”, Nam means “name” or “vibration” and Kevalam means “only”. So the literal meaning of the mantra is “all that exists is my beloved” or, more simply, “Infinite Love is all that exists“.
“In the hearts of devotees, there is already a throne for Parama Purusá (Supreme Consciousness). Whenever devotees do Kiirtan, Parama Purusá sits on the throne of their hearts. He shifts His core to that place and it becomes the divine capital of the kingdom of Parama Purusá”. Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
Kiirtan has many benefits, it purifies the mind and prepares it for meditation, accelerating our movement towards the Supreme. Thanks to the mental clarity it allows, a practitioner can easily find solutions to their problems, as well as obtain relief from physical and psychological imbalances.
“Kiirtan helps spiritual aspirants in many ways and in all circumstances. If people do Kiirtan with clear pronunciation, then their mouths and tongues become pure, their ears become pure, the whole body becomes pure. Because of the purity of all these parts of the body, the Atman (soul) also becomes pure.” Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
“When a large number of people do Kiirtan, then not only is their physical strength concentrated, but also their collective psychic power begins to flow through a single channel due to the inspiration obtained from Parama Purusa. Then there is not only a concentration of physical strength, but also of psychic strength; and this concentration of physical and psychic strength removes the miseries and sufferings accumulated in the material world.” Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
Lalita Ma’rmika
Parvati, the wife of Shiva, invented Lalita Marmika around 7000 years ago, which means: ‘voice of the inner spirit’. The dance used for kiirtan is Lalit Marmika. It represents the inner voice of the spiritual aspirant. The main thing in Lalita Marmika is the expression through mudra’ (gesture). It represents that now we are enjoying bliss; we are happy.
Its gentle movements produce sweet feelings in the human mind. It helps a lot in expanding the mind and freeing it from all negative feelings like depression, despair, pride, stress, worry, etc. The Lalita Marmika dance expresses happiness, joy and surrender. It is the best aid for spiritual meditation.
The dance step
In Lalita Marmika the arms should be raised at more than 90º from the shoulder line, with the palms facing upwards. With gentle movements from side to side, the big toe of the right foot taps the spot behind the left heel, at the same time bending the left knee slightly forward. Then the same with the left foot and so on.
It is recommended to practice Lalita Marmika for at least ten minutes, before practicing meditation.
Some of the benefits of Kiirtan and Lalita Marmika
- Loosens and prepares the knee and ankle joints for meditation posture;
- A panacea for heart problems, hypertension and high blood pressure;
- Stimulates the pineal gland and awakens a higher consciousness;
- Arouses feelings of devotion and love for all creation;
- Induces feelings of surrender to the Supreme Will;
- Produces gentle feelings of compassion, tenderness and sympathy in the mind;
- Awakens higher and subtler mental faculties;
- Prepares the mind for deeper and more concentrated meditation;
- Removes negative vibrations in the surrounding environment.
Kiirtan and Lalit Marmik are devotional practices
Devotion is love for the Supreme and has tremendous power, which neither knowledge nor action has. Instead, knowledge people have a subtle sense of vanity that ordinary people are afraid of. So, they maintain distance from them, saying: ‘Good heavens, they are such scholars, how can we go near them?’ But no one is afraid of people of devotion. Instead, they think: ‘After all, they are devotees, so let us go and sit near them for a while’.
One may not possess knowledge or intelligence, but if one has devotion, that is enough. So, devotion must be aroused. After meeting a devotional person, thousands of people may also become devotional.
Kiirtan and babies
Until the age of six months, the mother should give only milk to the baby and at the time of nursing, she should sing the kiirtan mantra Baba Nam Kevalam in a low voice so that only she and the baby can hear. If she does so, the baby will have a spiritual start, and at the time of singing kiirtan, her milk will become divine nectar.