These Hindi bhajans are songs of devotion to God reflecting India’s centuried spirit of reverence for the Divine. Recorded at Paramahansa Yogananda’s SRF/YSS Ashram in Ranchi by Brahmacharini Mirabai, a YSS nun known throughout India for her beautiful interpretations of classical Indian music. Traditional Indian instrumental accompaniment. Includes English translations.

 

About This Recording

 

Available for the first time on CD, this recording includes all compositions from two previously released audiocassettes: Shanti Mandir (selections from Paramahansa Yogananda’s Cosmic Chants) and Vandana (traditional Indian bhajans). All these musical offerings were recorded live by Brahmacharini Mirabai and musicians from the Yogoda Satsanga Sangeet Kala Bharati (Yogoda School of Indian Music). Accompanying the chants are various Indian instruments, including the harmonium, bells, conch, cymbals, duffli, flute, gongs, jaltaranga, khol, mayuri, santoor, sitar, surmandal, kartal, tablas, tablas taranga, tanpura, and vichitra veena. The recordings were made at the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS) Ashram, founded in 1917 by Paramahansa Yogananda, in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India.
Most of the chants are sung in Hindi, the official national language of India and a derivative of Sanskrit, which is often called “the language of the gods.” Devotional thoughts expressed in this medium convey this inherent harmonious communion, as is evidenced in these Hindi renditions. The original English lyrics of Paramahansaji’s chants, along with English translations of the bhajans, are provided in an accompanying booklet.
The rhythms and melodies of Paramahansa Yogananda’s English compositions have been slightly altered in some cases to accommodate differences in language.

 

About the Artist

 

Brahmacharini Mirabai (1926 – 2006) was an acclaimed devotional singer, instrumentalist, and teacher of classical and religious music. In 1966, she entered the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India ashram in Ranchi, India, with her husband, the late Sri Sachinandan Sen, to devote her life to the service of God. After Sri Sen’s passing, Brahmacharini Mirabai took formal vows as a monastic, and served and resided in the ashrams of Yogoda Satsanga Society of India until her passing, carrying on the work of Sangeet Kala Bharati which she and Sri Sen had founded.

 

Track listing:

 

Disc 1 of 2 - time: 42:31
“Suno Mere Atma-Gan” (2:56)
“Is Nind Se, Prabhu” (4:50)
“Dukha Ki Vadi Me” (5:19)
“Nitya Navin Anand” (3:49)
“Shanti Mandir Me” (6:54)
“Shyamal Krishna” (2:39)
“Niras Na Karo Mere Prem Sagar Ko” (3:31)
“Ma,Tujhe Di Atma Ki Pukar” (5:34)
“Kuan Hai Mere Mandir Me” (3:49)
“Nil Kamal Charan” (5:44)

 

Disc 2 of 2 - time: 59:50
“Guru Stuti” (Slokas) (3:31)
“He Bhagavan” (7:15)
“Dhyan Karo” (6:33)
“Bhaja Mana” (7:33)
“Sri Guru Sharanam” (8:22)
“Krishna Stuti” (Sloka) (1:28)
“Krishna Gopal Giridhari” (5:34)
“Bhajan Karungi Tumhara” (7:05)
“Hare Krishna” (6:35)
“Om Jai Jagadish Hare” (Arati) (5:49)