Glossary of Kirtan Terms

आरतीāratī

A devotional ceremony in which a lamp of ghee or camphor is offered before the deity while bells ring and devotees sing — often the joyful close of a kirtan.

अभंगabhaṅga

The "unbroken" devotional song of Maharashtra's Varkari tradition — sung to Vitthal of Pandharpur by saints like Namdev and Tukaram, and still carried by millions of pilgrims on the annual wari walk to his temple.

आचार्यācārya

A spiritual teacher who instructs not only by word but by living example, embodying the teachings within an unbroken lineage.

ਆਦਿ ਗ੍ਰੰਥādi granth

The "First Book" — the Sikh scripture compiled by Guru Arjan in 1604 from the hymns of the Gurus and of Hindu and Muslim saints, organized by raga so it would be sung rather than merely read. Expanded with Guru Tegh Bahadur's verses and enthroned by Guru Gobind Singh as the eternal Guru, it is honored today as the Guru Granth Sahib — a scripture that is also a songbook, at the heart of every gurdwara.

आलापālāpa

The slow, unmetered opening of a raga — the melody unfolds freely, without drums or pulse, settling singer and listeners into the mood before the rhythm and the chant begin.

ਅਨੰਦ ਸਾਹਿਬanand sāhib

The "Song of Bliss" — a forty-stanza composition by Guru Amar Das, the third Sikh Guru, in Raag Ramkali, sung at the conclusion of Sikh congregational services and ceremonies such as the Anand Karaj wedding.

आनन्दānanda

Spiritual bliss — the boundless joy that is said to be the very nature of the soul and of the Divine.

ਅਰਦਾਸardās

The formal standing prayer of the Sikhs, offered with palms joined at the close of worship and at every rite of passage. It recalls the Gurus and the sacrifices of the community, then gathers the congregation's gratitude and petitions before the Divine.

आश्रमāśrama

A spiritual hermitage or community — a place of retreat where practitioners live simply, study, serve, and chant under a teacher's guidance; many Western kirtan artists first met the practice in Indian ashrams.

आत्मन्ātman

The true self or soul — the eternal spark of consciousness within every being, distinct from body and mind.

भगवद्गीताbhagavadgītā

The "Song of God" — a seven-hundred-verse conversation between Krishna and the warrior Arjuna on the eve of battle, and India's most beloved spiritual text. It maps the great paths of yoga, teaching that devotion (bhakti) — remembering the Divine with love, in the middle of ordinary life — is open to everyone. It is the wellspring of the Bhakti path that kirtan sings.

भागवतपुराणbhāgavata purāṇa

The most beloved of the Puranas — the great scripture of Krishna's life, from his childhood in Vrindavan and his play with the gopis to his role as teacher and friend. Also called the Srimad Bhagavatam, it is the root text of Gaudiya Vaishnava kirtan: Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's sankirtana movement grew from its vision of loving devotion, and its stories flow through every Hare Krishna chant sung today.

भजनbhajana

A devotional song, often more melodic and personal than congregational kirtan, sharing the same root: to share in, to adore.

भक्तbhakta

A devotee — one who walks the path of bhakti, offering love and service to the Divine.

भक्तिbhakti

Loving devotion to the Divine — the heart of kirtan and the central path of the Bhakti movement, prizing love and surrender over ritual and status.

बोधिसत्त्वbodhisattva

In Mahayana Buddhism, an awakened being who vows to remain in the world until all beings are liberated from suffering. Chants such as Om Mani Padme Hum invoke Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, whose care extends to every corner of samsara.

बोलbola

The spoken syllables of Indian drumming — dha, dhin, ta, ka — by which rhythms are taught, recited, and remembered long before hands ever touch the drum.

ब्रह्मन्brahman

The ultimate, formless reality underlying all that exists — the absolute that the many names and forms of the Divine point toward.

दर्शनdarśana

Sacred seeing — the auspicious meeting of gazes between devotee and deity, image, or teacher, understood as a blessing given and received.

धर्मdharma

One's sacred duty and the righteous order that upholds life — living in harmony with truth and one's deeper purpose.

धुनdhun

A simple, endlessly repeatable devotional melody carrying a divine name — "Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram" is the most famous. Sitting between bhajan and kirtan, the dhun asks nothing of the singer but repetition: no verses to learn, just the Name riding a tune anyone can join.

दीक्षाdīkṣā

Spiritual initiation — the ceremony in which a guru formally accepts a student into a lineage, often bestowing a personal mantra to carry in practice for life.

गोपीgopī

The cowherd maidens of Vrindavan whose selfless, all-consuming love for Krishna is held up as the highest model of devotion.

ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀgurbāṇī

The Guru's Word — the compositions of the Sikh Gurus and saints enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib, organized by raga and meant to be sung as shabad kirtan.

ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾgurduārā

"The door of the Guru" — a Sikh house of worship where the Guru Granth Sahib is enthroned and its hymns are sung as kirtan, open to all and serving free community meals (langar).

ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀgurmukhī

"From the mouth of the Guru" — the script in which the Guru Granth Sahib is written and the sacred script of Sikh chant, standardized by the second Guru, Guru Angad.

गुरुguru

The spiritual teacher who dispels darkness — literally 'heavy with wisdom' — guiding the seeker from confusion toward light.

हरिनामharināma

The holy names of Hari (Krishna) — and the practice of chanting them, considered the most accessible spiritual practice of this age.

हवनhavana

The Vedic fire ceremony — offerings of ghee, grains, and herbs poured into a consecrated fire while mantras are chanted, purifying the space and carrying prayers upward with the smoke.

जपjapa

Quiet, repetitive recitation of a mantra, usually counted on a 108-bead mala — the meditative, individual counterpart to congregational kirtan.

कर्मkarma

Action and its consequences — the principle that every deed sows a seed that ripens in time.

करतालkaratāla

Hand cymbals that keep the rhythmic pulse of kirtan, ranging from small finger cymbals to larger brass pairs.

ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾkhālsā

The community of initiated Sikhs — "the pure ones" — founded by Guru Gobind Singh at Vaisakhi in 1699, when five volunteers offered their heads and rose as the Panj Piare, the Five Beloved. Binding devotion to fearless service, Khalsa congregations have carried shabad kirtan through more than three centuries of Sikh worship.

कीर्तनkīrtana

Call-and-response devotional chanting of sacred names and mantras — the communal, musical heart of the Bhakti path.

लयlaya

Tempo — the speed at which a rhythmic cycle turns, from slow and meditative to the ecstatic rush of a kirtan's peak; chants often build gradually from one laya to the next.

लीलाlīlā

The divine play — the idea that creation and the deeds of the Divine unfold as a spontaneous, joyful game rather than grim necessity.

महाभारतmahābhārata

The world's longest epic poem — the vast story of the Pandava and Kaurava cousins and the great war at Kurukshetra. Nestled at its center is the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna's teaching to Arjuna on the battlefield. For chanters, the Mahabharata is where Krishna steps into history as friend, guide, and charioteer — the same Krishna whose names fill the Maha Mantra.

मालाmālā

A garland of 108 beads used to count repetitions during japa meditation.

मन्त्रmantra

A sacred sound, word, or phrase — literally a 'tool of the mind' — repeated to focus awareness and invoke the Divine.

मायाmāyā

The veiling power of illusion that makes the temporary seem permanent and hides the unity beneath appearances.

मोक्षmokṣa

Liberation — final release from samsara, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Bhakti traditions hold that moksha is won not by austerity alone but through loving devotion to the Divine, which frees the soul (atman) from karma and the veiling illusion of maya.

मृदङ्गmṛdaṅga

A two-headed clay or wood drum central to traditional kirtan, especially in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.

मूर्तिmūrti

A consecrated image or form of the Divine, treated not as a symbol but as a living presence to be served and beheld.

ਨਾਮੁnām

The Divine Name — the vibration by which the One is known and remembered. Its loving remembrance (naam simran) is the heart of the path Guru Nanak taught.

नमस्तेnamaste

The greeting of joined palms — "I bow to you" — honoring the divine presence in the person greeted; a gesture of respect offered at the start and close of gatherings.

निर्गुणnirguṇa

"Without attributes" — the Divine as formless, imageless reality beyond every name and shape. Nirguna bhakti is the devotion of Sant poets like Kabir and Ravidas, whose songs address a Beloved who cannot be pictured, only sung to.

ॐoṃ

The primordial sound from which all creation is said to arise — the seed-syllable that opens and closes countless mantras.

पदpada

A short devotional song-verse of the bhakti poets — a refrain followed by stanzas, sealed with the poet's signature name in the final line. The padas of Surdas, Mirabai, and Narsinh Mehta gave the bhajan its classic shape.

प्रणामpraṇāma

A reverential bow — from a simple nod with folded hands to a full prostration — offered before deities, teachers, and elders as an act of humility and devotion.

प्रसादprasāda

Food or other offerings first given to the Divine and then shared among devotees, carrying grace back to all who receive it.

पूजाpūjā

Ritual worship — offering light, flowers, incense, food, and song to the Divine with loving attention.

पुराणpurāṇa

The "ancient stories" — a vast library of Sanskrit texts that carry Hindu philosophy through narrative: creation tales, genealogies of gods and sages, and above all the life stories of the deities invoked in kirtan. Where the Vedas give revelation and the Upanishads give philosophy, the Puranas give the stories — the faces and adventures behind the divine names that chanters sing.

ਰਬਾਬrabāb

A plucked stringed instrument of Central and South Asia. Bhai Mardana, Guru Nanak's lifelong companion, accompanied his hymns on the rabab — making it the first instrument of Sikh kirtan.

रागrāga

A melodic framework of Indian classical music — a palette of notes and moods that shapes how a chant is sung.

ਰਾਗੀrāgī

A trained Sikh musician who sings Gurbani in its prescribed raags at the gurdwara, traditionally in an ensemble (jatha) of three with harmonium and tabla — and historically with bowed instruments like the rabab, dilruba, and taus.

रामायणrāmāyaṇa

The great epic of Rama — Valmiki's ancient poem telling how Prince Rama, his devoted wife Sita, and the monkey-hero Hanuman triumph over the demon king Ravana. It is the story behind many of kirtan's most beloved names: every "Sita Ram" chant and every recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa sings this tale of loyalty, courage, and love. Tulsidas's Hindi retelling, the Ramcharitmanas, carried the story into the heart of North Indian devotional singing.

साधनाsādhanā

Dedicated spiritual practice — the daily, disciplined effort, such as chanting, that carries a seeker toward realization.

साधुsādhu

A wandering renunciant — one who has set aside worldly life for spiritual practice, often recognizable by simple robes; the word also serves as an exclamation of approval: "well done, holy".

सगुणsaguṇa

"With attributes" — the Divine embraced in beloved form and quality: Krishna's flute, Rama's bow, the Mother's embrace. Most bhajan and kirtan is saguna devotion, singing to a God the heart can picture, adore, and address by name.

समाधिsamādhi

Deep meditative absorption in which the sense of separation dissolves and awareness rests in unity.

सम्प्रदायsampradāya

A spiritual lineage or tradition through which teachings, mantras, and initiation are handed down from guru to disciple in an unbroken succession. Belonging to a recognized sampradaya authenticates a teacher's authority and preserves the purity of practice across generations. The major Vaishnava sampradayas each trace their line back to a founding acharya — Madhvacharya's Brahma Sampradaya and Vallabhacharya's Pushtimarg among them.

संसारsaṃsāra

The continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in which the soul (atman) migrates from one life to the next, propelled by karma and sustained by maya. Bhakti traditions teach that loving devotion to the Divine is the path to liberation (moksha) from samsara.

सङ्कीर्तनsaṅkīrtana

Congregational chanting of the holy names together — the public, communal form of kirtan championed by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

सरगमsargama

The Indian solfège — singing the note names themselves (sa, re, ga, ma...) as a melody; the word is built from its own first four syllables, and it is how singers first learn a raga's shape.

सत्सङ्गsatsaṅga

The company of truth — a gathering of seekers to chant, study, and keep one another oriented toward the Divine.

सेवाsevā

Selfless service offered without expectation of reward — devotion expressed through action.

ਸ਼ਬਦśabad

The sacred Word — a hymn of the Guru Granth Sahib sung as kirtan. In the Sikh tradition the shabad itself, not the singer, is the living vessel of the Divine.

शान्तिśānti

Peace — invoked three times at the close of prayers and chants ("om shanti shanti shanti") to ask for peace in body, speech, and mind.

श्रुतिśruti

Literally "that which is heard": in music, the fine shades of pitch between notes — and the steady drone (as from a shruti box) that grounds a chant; in scripture, the revealed texts such as the Vedas and Upanishads.

ਸਿਮਰਨsimran

Loving remembrance of the Divine — the continuous, meditative repetition of God's Name, whether whispered aloud, sung, or carried silently on the breath. Naam simran is the heart-practice of Sikh devotion, turning everyday consciousness back toward the One.

स्वरsvara

A musical note — one of the seven tones of Indian music (sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni), the building blocks from which every raga and kirtan melody is made.

तबलाtablā

A pair of hand drums — a higher-pitched right drum and a bass left drum — widely used to accompany kirtan and bhajan.

तालtāla

The rhythmic cycle underpinning Indian devotional music — a repeating pattern of beats, counted on the fingers and felt in the body, that the mridanga or tabla holds steady beneath a kirtan's melody.

ताराtārā

The beloved female bodhisattva of Tibetan Buddhism — "she who ferries across" the ocean of samsara. Green Tara is invoked for swift protection and White Tara for healing and long life, most famously through the mantra Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha.

तुलसीtulasī

Holy basil, sacred to Vishnu and Krishna; its wood is often strung into the malas used for japa.

उपनिषद्upaniṣad

The contemplative teachings that close the Vedas — intimate dialogues between teachers and students ("sitting down near" the teacher is what the word means) exploring the deepest questions: what is the self, what is the Divine, and are they one? Chants like Asato Ma Sad Gamaya ("lead me from the unreal to the real") and Om Purnamadah come directly from these texts, which is why chanters keep encountering their name.

वैष्णवvaiṣṇava

A devotee of Vishnu and his forms such as Krishna and Rama — the tradition from which much of today's kirtan flows.

वेदान्तvedānta

Literally "the end of the Vedas" — the school of thought built on the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and their vision of ultimate reality. Vedanta asks what the self (atman) truly is and answers, in its most famous form, that it is not separate from the Divine (Brahman). Swami Vivekananda carried Vedanta to the West in 1893, opening the road every later teacher of chant and yoga traveled.

वेदveda

The oldest sacred texts of India — four vast collections of hymns, chants, and ritual knowledge (Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Veda) composed over three thousand years ago and passed down by voice, syllable-perfect, for generations before being written. Many beloved chants trace straight back to them: the Gayatri Mantra comes from the Rig Veda, and Vedic verses still open and close practice around the world.

ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂvāhigurū

An exclamation of wonder at the Divine — "Wondrous is the Guru" who carries us from darkness to light. As the gurmantar it is the central mantra of Sikh remembrance, repeated in meditation and song.

योगyoga

Union — the family of practices, including the kirtan-centered path of bhakti yoga, aimed at uniting the individual with the Divine.