One day in late spring, I was sitting in my friend’s living room taking part in Kirtan. For those unfamiliar with kirtans, I’ve included a description from my friends e-mail reminders at the end of this post. Essentially, I’m cross-legged on the floor chanting devotional songs about and to various Hindu deities with a bunch of strangers. Why am I doing this? Well, it’s something to do besides watching reruns of Law and Order, it’s social, it’s spiritual, it’s fun, it feels good and I like to sing even if it’s in Sanskrit.
Anyway, in the middle of chanting, I notice a big black ant crawl out from under the upholstered armchair to my left and walk cautiously out. He sat for a bit listening to the music then walked rather aimlessly around. I watched him wondering what to do about this. And decided that unless he walked on top of me, I would do nothing. Every so often I would check on him to see what he was up to until he disappeared across the room. A little while later, another big black ant crawled out from the same spot, maybe looking for his buddy, This one crawled around in front of me and meandered toward two woman sitting further down my row. They deliberated for a bit before deciding to liberate him. They caused a bit of a distraction as they guided him up onto a piece of sheet music and carefully carried him to the front door gently placing him outside. They seemed pleased. Shortly after, a third or maybe the same ant that had been transported climbed out bravely from beneath the armchair. It paused, and then made it’s made down the row stopping this time in front of an older woman. She noticed him at once and deftly pulled a tissue out of her pocket, placed it around the ant and triumphantly crushed him. Wadding up the tissue, she set it down beside her for future disposal. She seemed pleased. Was this gross disregard of life in the middle of such a mindful practice such as kirtan? Or was it completely practical – After all, who wants a houseful of ants? I pondered for a while content that my decision had been to not make a decision as to the fate of the ant. I was pleased.
What is Kirtan? (explanation from somewhere on the web)
A jewel among the various spiritual practices associated with Hinduism is kirtan, or devotional chanting. Kirtan is one of the most beautiful and expansive forms of bhakti yoga- the path of opening the heart through devotion and surrender.
The meaning of "yoga" is "union," and the goal of yogic practices is to recognize our true Divine nature. In bhakti yoga, each deity in the Hindu pantheon is seen as a different aspect or face of the Divine Beloved, and devotional practices are used to bring one closer and closer to the Beloved, until devotee and Beloved become One. Although kirtan involves singing or chanting, it is not necessary to have any musical talent or background, or even a good singing voice. Kirtan is the music of the heart, and it is sung freely from the heart.
Traditionally, kirtan is sung in call-and-response form. A leader sings a line or two of a song, and the participants sing it back. The words to kirtan songs are often repetitions of different names of the deities, usually in the Sanskrit language, or in a language derived from Sanskrit. The focus on the deities, and the repetition of their names releases the mind from it’s usual associative patterns, which keep us caught in the cycles of pleasure and pain that come with the ups and downs of everyday life. The vibrations of the Sanskrit sounds expand our hearts and minds beyond their normal limitations, into the depths of Spirit, and the recognition that we are never away from the Beloved.
