Deity and Kirtan

Deity and Kirtan.

Table of Contents.

1. What is Deity? A Discussion

2. The Presence of Deity.
2 a.   The Spiritual Qualities, and Deity
2 b.   The Defilements, and Deity.
2 c.   Deity as Permanent, and ātmā.
2 d.    Presence (of Deity). A Discussion
2 e.   Spiritual Practice and Presence.
2 f.   The Skills or Powers of Presence, from Bhagavad Gita.
2 g. Deity as Immanent, All Pervasive.
2 h.    Deity as a Person.

3. Deity and the Christian God. A Discussion.

4. Different Names for Deity
4b. Principles of Bhakti Yoga from Kirtan.
    :   dhimahi, param eshwarāya, sametha, namah, bhakti,
        pracho dayāt.

Dear Reader. To re-connect with our spiritual essence,
it helps to slow down, let go of daily troubles, and
move towards the inner Quiet of Divinity.
So please do not be tempted nor driven
to read this treatise on Deity continuously, or hurriedly.
Be compassionate to yourself, and take breaks.
Just a few sections can be enough for today.

(Pronunciation note. When Sanskrit is written, a dot under a letter or a bar above it, called diacritics, are important, for they indicate proper pronunciation of sacred language. Please read my webpage “Pronouncing the Sanskrit.”)

Introduction to Deity.

1. What is Deity?  A discussion.

Kirtan lyrics are essentially about Deity.

Everyone has some idea of what Deity is, and some people have a deep understanding. But for Kirtan lyrics to be useful for us,    we need a useful understanding of Deity;    an understanding of Deity that will help our own spiritual practice and healing.

So let’s develop a non-sectarian understanding of Deity, that hopefully will be uniting for those of us who are interested in the wisdom of the East.

When we feel at ease and untroubled, when we can enjoy experience and appreciate the good things we have, when we are confident and competent, when we can share with others and be supportive and tolerant, when we can let go of the unhelpful and unnecessary, when these beautiful Spiritual Qualities are active, then Deity is present in our Being.

So Deity is heartfelt, and something we can cultivate. Or more precisely, we can cultivate the conditions necessary for Deity to visit and be active. This is Deity internalised. When we remind ourselves of these beautiful Qualities of Freedom, we can gain insight into how often we fall short of our true potential.

So Deity is also something much vaster than the limitations of our mortal human existence.   This is Deity externalised, such as the vastness of Mother Nature, the Source of all life, the Source of all healing.

Krishna Das puts it this way –

“People say, ‘I’m singing to the Hindu Deities,’ but what does that mean? What is Deity?

It's like an older, deeper, bigger being. It's a space, a presence, a feeling. These Names are the Names of that place inside of us that is love, pure being, pure awareness, pure joy.   Kirtan—and other forms of mantra practice, such as seated meditation—help us uncover that place inside of us that is our true nature.”

Eckhart Tolle calls it Being or Presence, something immeasurable and indestructible, our True Nature.    We cannot know it by thinking about it. No one can claim monopoly over it. The things that truly matter, beauty, love, creativity, joy, inner peace arise beyond the mind (from the first chapter of his first book;   “The Power of Now” ).

Yoga uses the word “heart” for Deity, and Kevin James favours this terminology. Kevin writes extensively about connecting with our heart, and being disconnected from our heart. He also writes of the false mind made self which Eckhart calls the ego. Thus Deity is really known by the heart or feelings, and not by thoughts and ideas. These words and thoughts about Deity are actually pointing towards that which is beyond thought, pointing to that which is known by the silent mind, free of chatter and clutter, and attained thru meditation. And singing Kirtan is a form of meditation.

Let us remember that this is a discussion about Deity. It’s not Deity itself. The discussion is like looking at a sacred place from the outside. To enter, we need to leave thinking and opinions behind. Thus Eckhart suggests that we periodically stop reading and just be silent. Allow the themes in these thoughts to take us beyond thought.

2. The Presence of Deity.
More important than understanding Deity,   is the Presence of Deity, as an experience and not as a prescribed religious belief.

2 a.   The Spiritual Qualities, and Deity.
The Presence of Deity is about the spiritual Qualities or bodhyaṅga. These spiritual Qualities, or Factors of Enlightenment are numerous and varied, and can be grouped to aid discussion and understanding -

Inner peace, - and stillness and silence, contentment, being at ease, feeling safe,
Determination – and diligence, making effort, persisting, competence and confidence, dedication, devotion,
Strength - and endurance, flexibility, stability, self discipline, being focussed, courage, energetic,
Clarity – and wisdom, diplomacy, perceptiveness, insight, good decision making, being conscious,
Friendship – and finding and sharing good things, trust, forgiveness and tolerance, good will, honesty, respect, honour,
Enjoyment – and appreciation, inspiration, reverence, wonderment, happiness,
Nurturing – and caring for, guiding, protecting, compassion, empathy, being supportive, being connected,
Healing - and release or expulsion of pain, disallowing painful thoughts, resolving problems, hopefulness, awakening, renewal, returning.

When these beautiful spiritual Qualities are present, then Deity is present and manifest = vyakta. When the Qualities are absent, then Deity is absent from our experience and daily life. It is unmanifest = a-vyakta.

This theme of Deity being either manifest and evident (vyakta) or unmanifest and not evident (a-vyakta) is one of the first topics about spiritual practice that is discussed in the Bhagavad Gita, the Song (gīta) of Deity (bhāgava). This is in chapter 2 verse 28 (BG 2. 28). I discuss this topic below in section 2 f below.

2 b. The Defilements, and Deity.
The Presence of Deity is also related to the defilements or kilesa.

Defilements or kilesa are many and diverse , and can be conveniently grouped to aid discussion and understanding –

Fear of attack or ridicule, fear of loss or failure, embarrassment, feeling uncomfortable or unsafe or awkward or vulnerable
Friction, irritation, resentment, criticisms, back stabbing, hostility, suspicion, miserliness,
Guilt, shame, feeling excluded or disempowered or useless or
Feeling hurt or disappointed or betrayed or cheated
Arrogance, manipulation, exploitation, blackmail, corruption
Malice, destructiveness, hate, vindictiveness, revenge, violence,
Grief, sense of loss, broken heart, yearning,
Exhaustion, apathy, despair, loss of purpose, dullness, impotence, hopelessness, laziness, boredom
Stupidity, ignorance, confusion, blind to the problem, delusion,
Disrespect, dishonesty, surliness, no appreciation, untrustworthy,
Indiscipline, indulgence, comfort eating, addictions and addictive behaviour,
Anger, rage, wanting to fight and destroy the restrictions,
Agitation, haste, can’t rest or sleep, compulsive thinking, impatience, feeling disturbed or frustrated.
Lust, greed, jealousy

Buddhism often uses a trio of words for defilement : lobha dosa moha. These three literally mean : greed hate delusion. But we can see that many defilements are not related to these three, so this trio lobha dosa moha is best translated with a general word : “defilement”, or “canker, impurity”. That which defiles our heart, mind and consciousness, and thereby brings suffering to us.

When the defilements are present and active in our daily life, then Deity is absent = a-vyakta from our experience,   and absent = a-vyakta from our day-to-day activity.   The defilements conceal the Presence of Deity from us. Deity remains unmanifest, unrecognised, not evident when defilements are in charge, and we are upset.

2 c.   Deity as Permanent, as ātman = Higher Self.
Alternatively, we can say that the Presence of Deity is always available to us, it never dies nor disintegrates nor fails just because we are upset by the defilements. Indeed, the main role of defilements (kilesa) is to obscure the spiritual Qualities, block our access to the Presence of Deity, and exclude them from our experience and our life.

When we can perceive the Presence of Deity, the spiritual Qualities as permanent and secure, then we can realise that Liberation is always available to us. Never permanently lost from us just because we have fallen into a little slump. Yet again. They are just temporarily obscured by negativity.

All we need to do is to let go of the defilements (kilesa), cease to identify with them, cease to fuel them, and re-commence the climb back up to the Presence of Deity. This is the heart of spiritual practice, of purification.

This is easier said than done. For the defilements (kilesa) have a sticky-ness to them, and if they were easy to let go of, then most of the troubles of the world would never have arisen. Hence my treatise on Spiritual Practice on this website.

Hinduism emphasises this permanent and abiding nature of Deity, which they call ātmā = ātman = higher self. ātman is something to move towards (Shiv-āya = śivāya where Shiva = Presence of Deity), connect with (sameta), be devoted to (namaḥ), and be guided by (pracho-dayāt). It is a recurring theme, and helps explain much of Kirtan lyrics. When we forget to do this, Hinduism calls this a-vidyā = ignorance. Ignoring our True Nature or ātman. Hindusim asserts this a-vidyā = ignorance is a major cause of suffering and the troubles that beset us in life.

However, the historical Buddha, Siddharta Gautoma, debated against this permanent and unchanging Self or ātman, for it is obviously non existent in our experience when we are upset and the defilements are in charge.   Siddharta Gautoma was from the warrior class of ancient India, not the priestly class or Brahmins. Buddha taught the an-attā vāda = teachings that body and mind are not self (attā in Pali = ātman in Sanskrit = “self” in English). Hinduism also teaches this.

But anattā is commonly believed, especially among ardent converts, to be a Buddhist doctrine (vāda) to contradict Hinduism, to set people on divergent paths. This show us how easily divisions can be caused when we get caught in our opinions.

So it’s important that the Presence of Deity be an experience and not just a prescribed religious belief.

2 d.   Presence (of Deity). A Discussion.
Thus the Presence of Deity can be understood as –

The Presence of the spiritual Qualities, in our daily life, and
the absence of defilements, or
Presence. Being connected to our own vitality, connected to other people and connected to the Source of healing and Mother Nature
Being Present, not dwelling on past pain nor worrying about the future,
Being in the Here and Now. Not wandering in endless thought, unguarded and unguided, which inevitably strays down dark paths where suffering lurks in ambush.
The healing of wounds, the release of painful feelings, the cessation of pain filled and pain driven thought.

2 d. Spiritual Practice and Presence.
We can also define spiritual practice like this -

cultivating Presence.
Cultivating and practising the spiritual Qualities, and protecting them,
Guiding and guarding the mind, disallowing pain filled and pain driven thought,
not dwelling on past pain, nor worries about the future,
allowing painful feelings to dissolve and dissipate, uncomplicated by painful thoughts, and
daily meditation practice to train the mind in these important skills.
Reconnecting to our vitality, to the Source of healing, and
nurturing, strengthening, protecting and valuing our vital energy.
Outward manifestation of the above, expressed in speech, action, livelihood and lifestyle.

Deity can also be an external spirit being that we believe in, give prayer and praise to, and rely on for salvation. Something or Someone elevated high above the people, and given miraculous powers. And largely defined by ancient religious scripture, and thus found in such writings. But this view point need not limit our understanding of Deity.

2 e. The Skills or Powers of Presence, from Bhagavad Gita.

The Presence of Deity can also be defined by idhi = the special skills or powers that we have, when Deity is Present in our experience and daily life. When Deity is manifest or evident (vyakta) in our daily meditation.

The Bhagavad Gita provides us with (one of many) lists of these idhi or special skills or spiritual powers of Presence, thus –

sākṣhī = observing : our ability to be aware of our state of mind, intentions, defilements.
prabhuḥ = directing : our ability to direct the mind away from defilements and towards something more helpful. Our ability to return to and restore the spiritual Qualities into this moment
kalyāna mitra = being friendly : our ability to be kind to ourselves, and not entertain pain
bhartā = supporting, nurturing our body, mind and spirit
śharaṇam = sheltering, protecting ourselves from the defilements
nidhānam = taking rest in these Qualities
sthānam = storing these beautiful Qualities in our place of spiritual practice
bījāt = strengthening these Qualities, from their immature or nascent form,
gatiḥ = the Goal of spiritual practice.

To these we can add also -

sthiraṃ = stabilising our thinking, and head towards refreshing and rejuvenating inner stillness and silence.

These Qualities or Powers of Presence (idhi) are all in one verse – Chapter 9 verse 18 (an interesting number.) Chapter 9 of the Bhagavad Gita is entitled rāja vidyā yoga, the Yoga of truly understanding (vidyā) Presence of Deity (rāja).

BG 9. 18 begins with the simple opening ahaṁ = ‘I am …’.

Are we indeed these important idhi or spiritual powers, during our daily activities? Upon insightful reflection, we realise we can do much to improve them, in daily life. They are important, yet perhaps they do not receive the importance they deserve in our priorities. They are more a Goal to move towards, rather than an accurate description of our daily life experience.

Our spiritual practice could be described as moving towards Qualities such as these.   Cultivating them, developing them, practising them, valuing them, and protecting them from self sabotage.

2 f. Deity as Immanent, All Pervasive.

Hinduism presents Deity as immanent and inherent. Deity dwells within each one of us, as our higher self = ātman (usually translated as ‘Self’). When we are in our higher self = ātman, then Deity is present, known and manifest in us, and Deity is evident and recognised. In our higher self or ātman, the spiritual Qualities = bodhyaṅga are strong, the defilements = kilesa are weak.

The Bhagavad Gita begins by describing in-dwelling Deity like this, in chapter 2 -

a-vyakta                   ādīni                   bhūtāni,
un-manifest       before arising        in people
not evident

vyakta               madhyāni,      a-vyakta         nidhanāni.
manifested        during,         un-manifest     when defeated.

The Deity within is un-manifested and inconceivable in us before consciousness is renewed, manifest and evident while consciousness continues, and un-manifest and un-noticed again when we are defeated by defilement and sickness (BG 2. 28). It can come (gataḥ) to all of us (sarva), and we can all (sarva) attain (gataḥ) it. (BG 2. 24)

This Deity within is also the Source our health and vitality = prāna, and our alive-ness. Also called dehin = soul or spiritual person, puruṣa = conscious being or divine guidance, īśvara = pure consciousness or inner director.   Also called vāsudeva = Deity that dwells (vās) within us, or that we dwell (vās) within, and sugandhim = spiritual fragrance or essence.

(Please note. A dot below or bar above a letter, called diacritic, is important. It indicates proper pronunciation of sacred language, which is intended to be articulated, not just read. Please read my webpage “Pronouncing the Sanskrit.”)

Deity as the Source of Life is considered to reside in all that lives : animals, birds, plants, trees; but developed in different ways to different extents. There it is called puruṣa = life giving vitality. It is what we share with all other life, human and other. When we awaken to this puruṣa inherent in all of Nature, it kindles our respect for other forms of life. It teaches us the need to not heedlessly destroy life support systems and ecosystems. Often called karuṇa = compassion.

In forest meditation, we focus on the sights and sounds of Nature, and we become receptive to the beauty of Nature, the beauty of tree trunks and foliage, the birds, the beauty of flowing water, the wind, the rocks. We can perceive that all of Nature is Divinely wrought, and Divinely coloured and shaped.   From the hand of īśvara. This connects us to the inherent sacred-ness or puruṣa of Nature, and helps draw us into meditation absorption. Then we can enjoy the stillness, contentment, appreciation, inspiration and clarity of samādhi = stability of mind. Ultimately reverence, i.e. revering Nature. This tactic helps us gain the full healing power of time spent with the Ancient Mother.

In this, we need to be open and receptive to the inherent sacred-ness of unspoiled Nature, so we may receive the healing and nurturing that is available to us. We consciously and purposefully set aside our usual busy-ness, preoccupations, worries and problems and the usual explanations and justifications for these, we set aside our opinions and judgements. We unburden ourselves, and turn towards healing, towards appreciation, inspiration, gladness, enjoyment and all those beautiful spiritual Qualities or bodhyaṇga. And we teach ourselves to value these important Qualities.

This healing is partly from without, from the beauty of the unspoiled Nature before us and around us. Yet it is also partly from within, when we re-connect with the Source of healing in the heart of our Being. Thus puruṣa is both within and without our Being.

puruṣa is also in the non-living elements of Nature : the sunshine, water, air and soil fertility, even the rocks from which soil is derived. Here the puruṣa is really the potential of the elements to support life. Again, when we awaken to this, we realise the importance of not polluting the water, soil and air. Even removing the rocks beneath the surface of the Earth has significant impact on life, especially large scale mining for export such as the new Adani coal mine.

To some extent, these Hindu expressions are describing Deity as spirit in non-material form.    In traditional times, people lived close to Nature and their contact with the “invisible world” of non-material spirits or spirit entities was real to them. They gave to these spirit beings special Names like “devas”. Unfortunately, this modern era is highly material and artificial, and now people are largely divorced from the spirit world. Contact with it has been pushed to the fringe.    We probably could make more sense and use of Hindu theology and cosmology if we could re-connect with earlier times, and more natural culture.

The first topic on spiritual practice discussed in the Bhagavad Gita describes Deity thus –

“Know that the imperishable (avyay-asya, anāśhinaḥ), the eternal (nity-asya) and immeasurable (apramey-asya) resides in all living beings.” (BG 2. 17 - 18) ( -asya = belongs to)

“This is the unborn and undying; the ageless.” (BG 2. 20)

“This is the eternal, all pervading, unalterable, immutable and primordial” (BG 2.24)

All this asserts that Deity cannot belong to only one group of people that has monopoly of rights. Rather, Deity is inherent and available to all, regardless of religious convictions or lack thereof.

However, we need to make effort, guided by our own experience of what works for us, to create the conditions needed for Deity to be available to us. All too often our attention is elsewhere, or defilements are blocking our access to the Deity that resides within. BG 2. 25 and 2. 28 describes Presence as “un-manifest, not evident” (a-vyakta) and “not known, not recognised” (acintya) when we are defeated by defilement.

In addition, Deity is something much vaster than our own higher self or ātman. puruṣa is really a universal Quality, pervading all of life and the elemental foundations of life too. puruṣa and īśvara can mean –

our inner director and consciousness, or ourselves as conscious beings, and/or
the universal Cosmic and Supreme Person, the Universal Director whom we can revere and venerate in our Bhakti Yoga, as an all-powerful and all-knowing external spirit entity. The ultimate Source of our spiritual Qualities and our consciousness. However, this external spirit Being is also named otherwise, as maha-heshvara, param-eshvara, param-ātmā, purush-otthama to distinguish it from our own personal in-dwelling Deity. This is the other way of translating these important Kirtan words.

2 g.   Deity as a Spirit Being.
.
It can be helpful to perceive Deity as a spirit Being,   that we can address our songs, hopes and aspirations to. This can help focus and direct our efforts to rise up to our higher self or ātman.   Krishna Das favours this approach, and he expresses this in a beautiful English song called “By Your Grace” on his album “Heart as Wide as the World”, 2010.   This song includes useful Hindu themes about God. You can listen to and buy this song at –

https://krishnadas.bandcamp.com/album/heart-as-wide-as-the-world track 7

“Closer than breath, you are the air
Sweeter than life itself, you are here
I am a wanderer, you are my peace
I am a prisoner, you are release

che guru dev .... che guru dev ...

I am a pilgrim, the road so long
I am the singer, you are the song
Held in the open sky, so far above
I am the lover, you are the love

che guru dev .... che guru dev ...

I follow your footsteps through the flame
All that I ever need is in your name
Carry your heart in mine, vast as space
All that I am today is by your grace
By your Grace .... by your Grace ...   ”

For chorus, Krishna Das moves into the simple mantra “che guru dev”
= “may we have success (che) in learning from (guru) the Presence of Deity (dev).

3. Deity and the Christian God.
A Discussion.

When I write of Deity, do I mean God? Is the word God suitable for us when translating Kirtan lyrics? Is the Western understanding of God appropriate to Kirtan, and our approach to spiritual practice ?

Unfortunately the West has been split into two separate camps, those who believe in God worship,     and those who do not   believe in God worship, or even in God.

This is a political split between two well established, important and influential institutions : Church and Science.   This schism greatly hampers communication and agreement over God and spiritual practice, which in turn hampers understanding of the healing process and probably aggravates the problems of the modern world.

The split might also be due to definitions. Perhaps people cannot believe in God as the Church presents God. Denied access to other definitions of Deity, the simple solution is to    ....    not believe in God. Anything to do with God then is under question, and people get on with their lives independent of that “God.”

Thus man’s opinions about “God” have become polarised and divisive in the West,   and God has ceased to be a unifying principle for all the people.   Yet the actual experience of the Presence of Deity is unifying. This is a good example of the problems that the ego causes for the healing process. But why would conscious people not believe in God as the Church presents God ? What Church beliefs might get in the way?

Perhaps people get the impression that God is only for Christians, and not for others. Or that you will not be ‘saved’ if you do not ‘believe’ in the Christian God (John 14: 6 cf John 6: 44.) Or that the ‘unbelievers’ are condemned (John 3: 18), are unrighteous and in darkness, and worship idols (2 Cor 6: 14).

People might get the following impressions about Christian beliefs –

that your problems can be solved by prayer and praise to an invisible spirit being called ‘God,’
but only if you ‘believe in’ this God.
that the horrific death of Jesus when they tortured him to death in public will somehow ‘save’ you from your own wrong-doings, and
that our own efforts to become Free count for little or nothing.
that each part of the Bible is the unquestionable and unalterable Word of God. And only the Bible.

Oxford Dictionary defines believe as – ‘put trust in the truth of a statement, or in the effectiveness of a system, or the existence of something’ or ‘be of the opinion, suppose.’ So a belief is something that is unsure and uncertain, something not proven to be true from careful and thorough examination and exploration.

Some of our Kirtan supporters will simply be unable to support such religious beliefs, perhaps many supporters. Therefore, in Kirtan we might be better off leaving the word “God” and Western ideas about God to the Christians, and use some other alternative instead. Instead, we can focus on taking personal responsibility for our troubles, and in finding effective solutions.

We can train the mind and tame the heart, so we can readily direct and protect our mind, and so avoid harmful thought, word and deed. And so avoid the inevitable consequences of such harmfulness. Regardless of other people’s religious beliefs. For if we were to rely on the Christian God, it might be unwilling or unable to provide the help that is needed when it’s needed.

Furthermore, some of our people who come to Kirtan and meditation will not be interested in God worship, especially worshipping foreign Gods. And we need a more substantial foundation for our spiritual practice than mere make-believe and indoctrination. Some other kind of terminology and definition will suit our needs better.

Thus Deity can be perceived as –

a powerful and benevolent spirit being that we can call upon for assistance, or
the result of our own efforts, guided by our own experience of what works best for us, or
the essence of healing, upliftment, and goodness in our Being, that we can return to, remember, restore and reconnect with. In daily life.

Whether you lean to one view or another,   or a bit of all three, or some other option,    the choice is yours ....    We respect people’s privacy in this matter.

In addition, I use the word Deity when presenting my understanding of spiritual practice, and the word God when referring to Hindu views (or quoting Hindus).   It is important not to alienate Westerners who are keen on Kirtan but not at all keen on the Church or the Church’s presentation of God. I prefer an eclectic approach, and I am independent of all religious traditions.

Eckhart Tolle makes bold statements about the word God. He uses the term only sparingly, and prefers to use the terms Presence and Being instead, for no one can claim monopoly over Being. He declares that the word “God” has become empty of meaning due to thousands of years of misuse.   (From the first chapter of his first book.)

4. Different Names for Deity.

Hinduism has a rich and diverse collection of different Names for Deity. Hinduism is monotheistic, polytheistic and pantheistic – all three in one.

The many different Names for Deity in Kirtan are often presented as different Gods and Goddesses worshipped by Hindus, or different aspects of the one God or the one Goddess as worshipped by Hindus. This is because Hindus themselves choose to use the words “God” and “God worship” when trying to explain their religion in the West. It’s probably the best word we have for them to use.

But the word “God” is a Western word, and therefore largely defined in Western terms.

So we might be better off with different terminology and different definitions.

These different Names can be understood to be -

different spirit beings to call on for aid, or
different aspects of Deity as we experience Deity in daily life, or
different aspects of spiritual practice,
or whatever else appeals to you!

Every Kirtan song has at least one Name or word for Deity, and many of our Kirtan lyrics are these Names for Deity – Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu, Krishna, Rama, Om, Sīta, Hanuman, Tare, Narāyana.   (I type these Names with capitals.)

Some Kirtan songs just repeat these Names.   For example   om namah Shivāya, hare Krishna hare Rama, Govinda Gopāla, jaya sita Ram, Shambho Shangkara namah Shivāya.      Krishna Das is a renowned American Kirtan singer, now in his seventies, and he favours this kind of Kirtan. Much easier to sing along to.

By Reciting the Name, we can encourage Deity to visit our hearts, and manifest in our hearts.   More precisely, we cultivate the conditions in our heart that are favourable for Deity to visit and manifest.   It’s like calling out the name of someone we see; we can approach each other and make contact. In a sense, our friend then appears before us.

These Names for Deity in mantra are often presented as names of people, who speak and act, and have adventures, wives and husbands, children and parents. They often with supernatural features. They are characters in a kind of religious theatre, in stories that are often imaginative and magical. These stories are preserved in the Puruna scriptures of Hinduism. Storey telling is an ancient tradition for humanity, and traditional stories often carried an inner message for the people.

We can glean special Qualities of Deity from these Purana stories, or from the etymological meaning of the word, and so attribute specific Qualities of Deity to specific Names for Deity in our Kirtan songs. This is my approach. A fascinating range of themes emerge. These can help broaden possibilities in our understanding what Deity might be for us.

This also helps to broaden our understanding of the meaning of key words in Bhakti Yoga.

4b. Principles of Bhakti Yoga from Kirtan.
Our sacred songs come from an important part of Hinduism, called the Bhakti movement,   where Bhakti means devotion. What is Bhakti Yoga?

Basic principles of Bhakti Yoga can be articulated by key words in our sacred songs, thus :

a. dhimahi =    focus attention on Deity.   This is a meditation where we train the mind to let go of busy-ness and return to the chosen meditation object, usually sensation, sights or sounds

b. parameshwarāya & paratatwāya = move towards Deity :   move towards (āya) fully developed (param)   Presence of Deity (eshwara, tatwa). Consciously and purposefully moving away from defilement and towards the spiritual Qualities.

c. sameta = connect with Deity. Connect with the Source of healing, with Mother Nature, with our own vitality, and with other people.

d. namah and bhakti = devotion to Deity. Dedicating our life to the spiritual Qualities, cultivating and practising them, protecting and valuing them.

e. pracho dayāt   = being guided and propelled by Deity, by the spiritual Qualities, and not by the defilements.

From here, we can now explore more about Hinduism and Hindu practices, including their devotional practises. Dr DC Rao describes best principles and practises in the religion in his excellent treatise “Understanding Hinduism”, and David Frawley explains the significance of Purusha very clearly.   I will publish these on my webpages entitled “Hindu Themes”.

Best wishes from Mike.

You might like to also explore my webpages on Deity, or on Spiritual Practice,
or my many Mantras Translations, on this website.

​Deity and Kirtan.​

Deity and Kirtan.