This yearly event was a celebration of praise and an expression of knowledge through music and song. The concert consisted of chanting, singing and instrumental music. Many of the songs performed were Gurani Anjali’s. The program also included Vedic hymns, traditional devotional songs (bhajans) or chant from the Yogic and Indian spiritual traditions.
Also see:
A Prelude to Evening of Sacred Songs
by Yogi Ananda Satyam (Salvatore Familia)
An Introduction to the Sacred Songs
by William Bilodeau
Invocation
~ At the onset of any ritual or sacred event, it is traditional to invite the participation of the divinities, the powers within and without. No mere formality, the blowing of the conch is a sincere invocation proclaimed through sound.
“Mangalacaranam” by Gurani Anjali
~ This is a call to worship together. Here the highest direct knowledge is called sat-cit-ananda or existence, knowledge and bliss. It is the condition of non-duality, the goal of all spiritual practice.
“Devi Mantra”
~ In this devotional prayer, the spiritual aspirant prays with affection to the presence, the fragrance, to that activity of life that leads us on, beyond. By beholding the wonder of life, the great divine dance, the great illusion of life, we can move through all this and know, the ultimate reality of life.
“Guru Sthothram”
~ “Om, Highest Guru. You are the most divine among divine teachers. Please have compassion on me and help me cross the ocean of worldly life with ease. Help me get attuned to the universal consciousness,” the only condition wherein one can realize eternal peace.
“Someone is Calling” by Gurani Anjali
~ What is that calling that causes one to enter onto the spiritual path and keeps drawing one on? Who is it that calls and what form does the calling take? That calling is subtle; it is not announced by any ordinary means, e.g., cymbals and trumpets.
“Hari Om”
~ Hari is that which is considered the highest. It is pure consciousness which is the ground of all being, without which nothing can exist. Om is the sound form of Hari and is used to re-mind the seeker of Hari‘s eternal presence.
“Mystery” by Ernie Blethen
~ What is that mystery in each one of us? This is what the Yoga practitioner seeks to uncover.
“The Breath of Life” by Karren Doukas
~ Wherever there is air, there is creation; wherever there is breath, there is life. This intimate and inescapable connection is acknowledged consciously and greatly praised.
“The Elements” by Gurani Anjali
~ We honor the traditional elements of earth (prthivi), water (jal), fire (agni), air (vayu) and space (akasa). Like the senses, the elements are a necessary component to the experience of living. One’s body and breath are composed of the elements. We are grateful and offer our praises.
“Maha Deva” by Gurani Anjali|
~ The title translates as Great God. This song is an expression of the praise for the sacred unity of all life. It comes out of the vision of totality, non-duality, wherein all manifestations of life are seen to be expressions of the One.
“The Changes” by Gurani Anjali
~ Life is ceaseless change. We are to live in such a way as to allow life to continue moving and flowing by accepting the changes in our lives and going through them without clinging or attachment. “The promise of life is eternal. The changes tell us so.” How is that? Because the changes never cease.
“You Shine Through My Senses” by Yogi Ananda Satyam (Salvatore Familia)
~ As consciousness, the highest deity radiates from the heart and moves outward into “the world,” through the senses, illuminating our experience, “You are here, you are here, everywhere.” Without this dynamic operating everywhere, there can be no experience, no knowledge, no life.
“Each Day” by Gurani Anjali
~ By living each day, one day at a time, through the Yogic practices and vision (“Without you there is no me, without me, there is no you”) we can set ourselves free. Freedom from conditioned limitations of greed, anger, lust, etc. and entry into the experience of unity are the goals of spiritual life.
“In God There is No East or West”
~ This song from the Christian tradition is a reminder that the Highest (“God”) is beyond any limitation of time, space, and cultural differentiation. “God” resides in the heart of each and every human regardless of his/her origin or belief system and as such, we are all related.
“The Earth is Burning” by Gurani Anjali
~ This song is an expression of the suffering that relentlessly accompanies spiritual ignorance. “The Earth Is Burning” is a metaphor for this tragic universal condition which can be avoided by living in accord with the highest spiritual truths revealed by the sages.
“See the Tree” by Gurani Anjali
~ The tree withstands the changes that life brings with strength and dignity. Just so we are to stand rooted in the dharma, living the sacred life.
“Presence” by Gurani Anjali
~ Yogic practices and meditation lead to the silence which is at the core of life. That silence is not to be avoided, shunned or escaped but it is to be embraced and befriended. In that silence, resides the possibility of lasting peace and perfect realization of the highest truths.
“So Many Roads” by Gurani Anjali
~ Life offers an infinite spectrum of experience. What is the purpose of all this experience? As seen from the perspective of Yoga it is nothing less than liberation and Self-Realization (“All to show me, me”).
“Mingles in the Dust” by Gurani Anjali
~ (This is the Prologue to the Song written by Gurani Anjali) ~ This song is dedicated to the innocent victims who are used and abused, who are never given a chance to show their worth. May wisdom and understanding increase so that not ONE may suffer from injustice. May we purge ourselves every day with tapas [austerity) so that the eternal light will shine through. As we sing let us bring to mind the weak, the homeless, the abused children, disabled humans, the people in the ghettos, the battered women, and the battered men.
“Sing the Praises” by Gurani Anjali
~ The sages gave us a sacred vision of life which arose out of their experience of totality. This vision becomes a possibility for us all if it is kept alive and made known. They lived and some still live, so that we may not live in vain bereft of the possibility of direct knowledge of the unity of all life.
“Sacrifice” by Gurani Anjali
~ Through sacrifice sages create a sacred vision of life and through sacrifice they lived to sustain this vision in everyday circumstance. They sacrifice the conventional self-centered orientation to living for the sake of a universal orientation and responsibility. The places where these sages sacrifice are considered sacred.
“Raise Your Voice” by Gurani Anjali
~ The jiva is the embodiment of the divine as an individual. Through Yogic practices and Yogic living the limitations of individuality are diminished and transcended and the experience of unity is known. One is once again returned to the “embrace” of totality. In the ecstasy of that experience one must raise one’s voice to let that vision be praised and made known to others.
“Silently the Yogi Sits” by Gurani Anjali
~ The “light” upon which the Yogi “gazes” is the light of consciousness that illumines each moment of existence. “This life of past impressions” is the embodied conditioning of past actions that keeps us in a state of bondage or limitation. It is “erased with tender care” through the repeated application of Yoga practices in daily situations. In order to be successful the Yogi must be vigilant and unwearied.
“The Flame” by Gurani Anjali
~ “The flame burning bright in a windless place” is a description of purusa, the pure witnessing consciousness which is a primary constituent of our everyday experience. It is ever-present, all-pervasive and unchanging. When we realize the purusa as our essential nature, then we can also sing, “Never was there a time when I was not; never will there be a time that I will cease to be.”
“Yoga Path” by Gurani Anjali
~ Walking the Yoga path means doing the Yoga practices and living the Yogic way of life. That is the way to “rent the veil that is called maya.” Maya is the grand illusion which forgets consciousness at the heart of all experience.
“Gayatri Mantra”
~ This is an ancient and auspicious mantra Yogis and Yoginis have been chanting for thousands of years. The Gayatri Mantra honors the Sun, Savitur, as the external manifestation of the highest internal spiritual realization.
“Speak Quietly”
~ “You are the silence in me” describes purusha or pure consciousness, the silent witness to all our experience. “I am the hunger in you” represents prakriti, the power of the manifestation of life, the “hunger” for creation. The two in the one as continuous embodied interplay.
“Rig Vedic Chants”
~ very ancient hymns from the oldest of all spiritual texts, these chants acknowledge the gods and invoke their assistance for protection and happiness.
“Ishvara Chant” by Bill Bilodeau
~ These words are drawn directly out of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the great classic text on Yoga, and set to music. Ishvara describes a very high state of consciousness untouched by time and the afflictions (kleshas) of life. Ishvara is the changeless and timeless purusha.
“Sanvere Mat Ja” (Beloved, Don’t Leave Me)
~ This is a love song in which Radha, the wife of Krishna, is begging him not to travel, not to go away from her. She says that she won’t enjoy life without him and that the cows will not give good milk. All will be lifeless without him. This devotional language is a metaphor for the interplay of consciousness (Krishna) and the power of manifestation (Radha), both necessary to the experience of life.
“Touched by Love From Within “
~ Divine love is a love beyond the romantic or personal. It is absolute, demanding all of our love, all of ourselves. This love is powerful and transformative, and once touched by it, one cannot “throw it away.”
“Within / Without” by Glenn James
~ Self-realization is the highest goal of human existence. The goal is within. The goal is without. The answers are within. The answers are without. The seeking must be done within / without.
“Insaf Ka Mandir “(The Temple)
~ The temple in India is a place where devotees are reminded of the higher values of life, and where one is inspired toward a noble way of living. It is a place of highest grace, a place to connect with one’s chosen deity, and a place to be reminded of humanity’s common bond.
“What Lightening Flash“ by Paramahansa Yogananda
~ The lightning flash is the experience of a sudden manifestation of life brought into existence by the Divine Mother, the power of creation. This occurs in the clear sky of unchanging consciousness, the eternal witness of all that is.
“Great One” by Don Jeremiah
~ Every great spiritual path proclaims the existence of the One, God, the Universal Self. As the Unmanifest the Great One is nameless, but as the Manifest realm – the earth and sky, you and I – it’s names are countless.
“Why Do I Listen To All the People”
~ We find ourselves immersed in sound. From where does the sound come? Where is the sound resounding? Who hears the sound? Why do we listen to all the sounds?
“Ramachandra Chant”
~ In this Hindu Chant, the Lord is praised as hero of the people, valiant in battle, the Supreme Abode, as brother, and as the Infinite Ocean of Mercy.
“Om Hai Jivan Hamara” (This is Our Life)
~ Om is the name of God; and Om is also our life. God is everything. It is God who sustains life. God is doing everything. When we suffer, he consoles. He gives us strength. This is our life. When our mind and hearts are purified by worshipping god, our sense of duty becomes pronounced. When we become selfless, then we are free. God grants knowledge to his devotees.
“Door of My Heart”
by Paramahansa Yogananda
~ It is with great love and devotion that the sincere seeker invokes a glimpse of God. The longing and the steadfast love are like a boat which carries the seeker across the sea of mundane existence.
“Asato Ma Chant “
~ The unreal, the darkness, and death characterize a perspective of life that is absolutely and totally committed to duality wherein all things are seen as separate entities unto themselves. It leaves no room for the possibility of the experience of unity or totality, which is characterized as the real, light and immortality. The chanter is stating an intention to shift the foundational perspective from one to the other
“Listen, Listen, Listen to My Heart’s Song” by Paramahansa Yogananda
~ Constant vigil is the rule. This chant is both a testimony to the joy of knowing the Sacredness of life; and a call to remembrance.
“Aisee Lagi Lagan” (My Devotion is Forever)
~ Mirabai, born Queen of Rajasthan, gave up all material wealth and her heir to the throne because of her only love, which was, devotion to God. In this Hindi bhajan, her undying dedication is celebrated.
“I Walk This Path” by Gurani Anjali
~ This devotional song extols the presence of purusa or pure consciousness which is the necessary witness of any experience. When it’s presence is realized, there is great joy and devotion ensues quite effortlessly. “But you my love will be forever” — purusa alone never changes, all else does.
