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Kirtan

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A form of devotional call-and-response singing or chanting, central to the Bhakti yoga tradition in Hinduism.

Detailed Definition
Kirtan involves the repetitive chanting of mantras or the names of God, often to musical accompaniment. It is not a performance but a participatory spiritual practice aimed at awakening love and devotion. In literature, kirtan represents the path of the heart, where emotion and sound are used to transcend the intellect and achieve ecstatic union. The poetry of kirtan is simple, repetitive, and hypnotic, designed to quiet the mind and open the heart to the direct experience of the divine presence.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Sikh poetry, Kirtan is devotional singing: “Raga and shabad—Kirtan lifts the soul to Akal Purakh”; In bhakti verse, Kirtan dissolves ego: “Sing Krishna’s name—Kirtan, the boat across illusion”; In diasporic communities, Kirtan preserves language and faith: “Grandfather’s harmonium—Kirtan in Brooklyn basement”; Contemporary poets frame Kirtan as resistance: “In a world of noise, Kirtan—our defiant harmony.”
Additional Notes
Kirtan blends music, mantra, and communal participation; call-and-response breaks down performer/audience roles, fostering collective ecstasy; in poetry, kirtan influences devotional lyrics that prioritize sonic resonance (alliteration, refrain) and participatory rhythm over solitary introspection.
Also Known As
Bhajan Devotional Singing
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