Upcoming Kirtans!
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Maha Shivaratri Kirtan
Maha Shivaratri celebration at Blue Lotus Temple. Free, all are welcome! Celebrate divine love (Valentine’s Day) with Lord Shiva and his consort, Parvati! With chants, readings, and ceremony we honor the personification of Aum-Divine Mother in the delusion-destroying, great yogi form of Shiva!
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Mahasamadhi Meditation and Kirtan
Blue Lotus Temple. Free, all are welcome! On this day in 1952 (and on March 9, 1936) two Self-realization avatars (Paramhansa Yogananda and his guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar, espectively) left their human forms in a super-conscious act of devotional self-offering. We celebrate not only their ascension but that of great saints of East and West, for we too are destined … Read More
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Chanting is Half the Battle
Discover the transformative power of Yogananda’s Cosmic Chants. Unlike ordinary songs that stir our emotions outwardly, these chants calm the heart, focus the mind, and gently lift our energy toward higher awareness.
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O God Beautiful Kirtan
Blue Lotus Temple. Free, all are welcome! On this in 1926 at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Paramhansa Yogananda chanted O GOD BEAUTIFUL for one hour and twenty-five minutes. Yogananda’s friends warned him that American audiences wouldn’t appreciate his chants, but Healings occurred in the audience and thousands were uplifted. Tonight and in honor also of the 13th anniversary … Read More
Ananda Music
“Music is so much more than entertainment. It doesn’t merely reflect a state of consciousness: it also generates it.”Swami Kriyananda
Ananda Music began in 1964 when Donald Walters—also known as Swami Kriyananda—was inspired to introduce a new kind of music to the world: music that expresses spiritual aspiration and a desire for a more meaningful way of life. This music is quite simple, yet beautiful.
At first, Walters wrote only songs with lyrics. Then he realized that words are not needed to express deep meaning. Thus, he has written instrumental works also: a piano sonata; a string quartet; and other, similar works. Later came a complete oratorio: Christ Lives!
Experience it on Ananda.org’s music page!
Kirtan
Kirtan is group devotional chanting to God. Kirtan usually begins with a simple prayer, followed by energetic chants that gradually become more and more inward as the kirtan progresses. There are occasional brief moments of meditation as inspiration allows. Gradually the mind and heart become calm and focused—you might be surprised how easily! Kirtans usually end with a period of silent meditation.
Free to all; no need to register. Scheduled kirtans are also live streamed.
It bypasses the intellect and goes straight to the heart. That’s why Paramhansa Yogananda said, “Chanting is half the battle”—battle, in the sense of mustering all our heart’s energies in a positive, upward direction.
You’ll hear chants by Paramhansa Yogananda and Swami Kriyananda, usually accompanied by harmonium and guitar, and sometimes other instruments. Words are simple and repeating, and easy to learn and follow. Our Temple has booklets with the words as well.
Harmoniums
We also stock harmoniums. See our Harmoniums page for more information.
Sanskrit Invocations
Listen to a Chanting of the Yoga Sutras
The Yoga Sutras, widely considered to be THE text book of Yoga, was written by Patanjali between 1800-2200 years ago. The Sutras (literally, “thread” in Sanskrit, but also “aphorisms”) are very short, only 2 standard pages when fully written out in Sanskrit. Yet, they embody a science of the mind that both refined and practical. Paramhansa Yogananda said that the meaning of each sutra becomes clear only when one meditates on it for a long time.
In this audio, Sandhya chants the first chapter of Yoga Sutras. It is called “Samadhi Pada” and has 51 Sutras. Listening to them in the original Sanskrit can awaken the heart; and through this, one feels the truth of the Sutras at a deeper level than mere understanding by the intellect.
Sandhya Bandha leads the Ananda Center in Hyderabad, India. She is a yoga and meditation teacher, and a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. Sandhya has been formally trained in Sanskrit chanting.