Anyone know of most pumping up refreshing shabads

[akjforever]

I agree 100%.

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

[ssk]

so then ur sayin u shouldn't listen to certain people from dodra who do keertan because they cut their hair even though dodra is a panthic group??

[Niranjana]

Gur Fateh!

I shall state for the record again, that I am not a member of the Naamdharis, AKJ, Nihang, Taksali or whatever other puratan Samprada, poilitcal jatha, man-made jathas or even patit jathas there maybe...

...I am simply a Sikh, if anything above that a Khalsa Singh, however I'll fully acknowledge that titles mean very little nowadays and in essence I'm far from being an ideal example of a Sikh let alone a Khalsa Singh...

...nonetheless my 'personal' views are, as per Gurbani, I do not support any 'kacchi bani' hence anything outside of the Sri Guru, Dasam Granth, Sarabloh Granth, Bhai Gurdas di Varan, Bhai Nand Lal di Ghazals....

...in addition to this, I endeavour to follow the Guru's hukam as far as possible and when Maharaj has clearly stated bani's in Raags, Ghar, Partaal, Chands etc etc...these are not there for simply tradition's sake or for embellishment, they are to be obeyed...singing Shabd to 1950's film tunes, or punjabi bhangra tunes is simply a mockery of bani and if Maharaj has explicitedly stated with a shabd (not all I agree, before any anti-raag folks give me the usual 'what raag do we sing Jap Ji sahib in?' response) the Raag it is to be sung in and in certain instances the time signature (Ghar) and structure of the composition (e.g. Chaupadey) who are 'we' to change that...what right do we have???

I mean it's amazing the extents to which people are willing to go to maintain other more 'oral' traditions outside of the Sri Guru (wearing Cholas, sarablohi Bibek, 5 shasters etc etc -which, please don't get me wrong, are inspiring and I respect those wh

o follow these in the fullest), however when it comes to simply following Maharaj's written hukam in the Sri Guru we shy away...

..."oh no, the raag is not important, only the words of the Shabd are important'...

...we should be 'simple' (yeah right!!!)

...it (kirtan) was traditionally done with very simple folk tunes (well, people, you can sing folk tunes 'in raag', it doesn't have to be complex!!!), as opposed to being done with the complex Raags...the Sangat finds that Kirtan done in such a style is very spiritually uplifting...

...we emphasise the Gurbani that is being sung, rather than the sound of the music (so the Guru Sahib's simply wasted time composing raags, compiling raags and setting Gurbani to specific raags??? I think not dear friend...)...

....whilst placing so much stress on externality (Bana, rehit, maryadas etc etc) we are quite content to let our internal disciplines slip...the Sri Guru is the ultimate Marayda, the ultimate rehit...most of the Kirtan sources mentioned in this thread sadly falls outside of Gurmat Sangeet Kirtan Maryada...I don't wish to offend anyone with my 'personal' opinions, however, it's a shame also that no-one in the world knows that Guru Tegh Bahadur composed Raag JaiJaiwanti, which is used across all music circuits, yet everyone sings the praises of Tan-Sen who composed Raag Darbari...

...also, for the record, I am not saying one needs to be an expert in Raag or that knowing Raag is enough, of course Shabd is Guru, however the Raag is also important and to ignore it, I find leads to an array of further issues down the line (please see articles by Amardeep Singh referenced below )

Even in the Shabd below, guru ji states that "So leave behind the melody and music, and serve the Lord; then, you shall obtain honor in the Court of the Lord. O Nanak, as Gurmukh, contemplate God, and rid your mind of egotistical pride." but take this comment in context wit

h everything else Guru Ji states about the benefits of singing in Raag...let us not use two lines of Gurbani to justify our thoughts...it's an entire shabd within which the context lies and then within the entire Sri Guru...

We don't need to listen to Naamdhari's, we do have some great pearls of Kirtan Maryada within the Sikh Panth and Bhai Avtar Singh and Bhai Balbir Singh are two great examples...the former is a personal favourite holding so much of the tradition and heritage it's unbelievable...from 'Dhrupad' (original Kirtan style)to 'Reets' through to 'Paartaals' which Bhai Sahib's father learnt from Udasi Bhai Rangi Ram and the former from Bhai Sarda Singh...such rare gems...sadly unappreciated by today's commercialised Ragis and Jathas...

Apologies for offending anyone's sentiments, it's just that this is a subject dear to my heart and I simply love Gurmat Sangeet!

GUR BAR AKAAAAAL!!!

Page 849

VAAR OF BILAAVAL, FOURTH MEHL:

ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU:

SHALOK, FOURTH MEHL: I sing of the sublime Lord, the Lord God, in the melody of Raag Bilaaval. Hearing the Guru's Teachings, I obey them; this is the pre-ordained destiny written upon my forehead. All day and night, I chant the Glorious Praises of the Lord, Har, Har, Har; within my heart, I am lovingly attuned to Him. My body and mind are totally rejuvenated, and the garden of my mind has blossomed forth in lush abundance. The darkness of ignorance has been dispelled, with the light of the lamp of the Guru's wisdom. Servant Nanak lives by beholding the Lord. Let me behold Your face, for a moment, even an instant! || 1 ||

THIRD MEHL: Be happy and sing in Bilaaval, when the Naam, the Name of the Lord, is in your mouth. The melody and music, and the Word of the Shabad are beautiful, when one focuses his meditation on the cel

estial Lord. So leave behind the melody and music, and serve the Lord; then, you shall obtain honor in the Court of the Lord. O Nanak, as Gurmukh, contemplate God, and rid your mind of egotistical pride. || 2 ||

PAUREE: O Lord God, You Yourself are inaccessible; You formed everything. You Yourself are totally permeating and pervading the entire universe. You Yourself are absorbed in the state of deep meditation; You Yourself sing Your Glorious Praises. Meditate on the Lord, O devotees, day and night; He shall deliver you in the end. Those who serve the Lord, find peace; they are absorbed in the Name of the Lord. || 1 ||

SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: In the love of duality, the happiness of Bilaaval does not come; the self-willed manmukh finds no place of rest. Through hypocrisy, devotional worship does not come, and the Supreme Lord God is not found. By stubborn-mindedly performing religious rituals, no one obtains the approval of the Lord. O Nanak, the Gurmukh understands himself, and eradicates self-conceit from within. He Himself is the Supreme Lord God; the Supreme Lord God comes to dwell in his mind. Birth and death are erased, and his light blends with the Light. || 1 || T

HIRD MEHL: Be happy in Bilaaval, O my beloveds, and embrace love for the One Lord. The pains of birth and death shall be eradicated, and you shall remain absorbed in the True Lord. You shall be blissful forever in Bilaaval, if you walk in harmony with the Will of the True Guru. Sitting in the Saints' Congregation, sing with love the Glorious Praises of the Lord forever. O Nanak, beautiful are those humble beings, who, as Gurmukh, are united in the Lord's Union. || 2 ||

PAUREE: The Lord Himself is within all beings. The Lord is the friend of His devotees. Everyone is under the Lord's control; in the home of the devotees there is bliss. The Lord is the friend and companion of His devotees; all His hum

ble servants stretch out and sleep in peace. The Lord is the Lord and Master of all; O humble devotee, remember Him. No one can equal You, Lord.

useful sources:

http://www.sikhe.com/gsdno/articles/keerta...62001_ghar1.htm

http://www.sikhe.com/gsdno/articles/keerta...72001_ghar2.htm

http://www.sikhe.com/gsdno/articles/keerta...lowandpause.htm

[Niranjana]

For easy reference, please see below some fine articles on Gurmat Sangeet by Amardeep Singh:-

GUR BAR AKAAAAAAALLLLL!!!

Understanding the Musical Framework of Guru

Granth Sahib

Amardeep Singh Sun Dec 09

Since the time the article 'Give The Man A Break' (Nov. 22), my mind has been posing some questions like:

"What does Guru Granth Sahib, our eternal Guru command us on the subject of Keertan?"

"Why is it that the Gurus chose raags to classify Gurbani?"

"What is the relation between Shabad and raag?"

"Do we need the aid of experimental music to propagate the message of Guru Granth Sahib?"

"Have our Keertanias experimented with the vastness of raags and taals as prescribed by Gurus?"

"What impact will experimentation have on our future generations?"

Keertan today has been commercialized to such an extent that barring a few, most Keertanias are only concerned with making quick money. Their limitations to experiment with the prescribed vastness of Guru Granth Sahib always gets camouflaged in the excuse that the Sangat does not prefer to listen to Keertan as prescribed by the Gurus.

Gurus wrote Shabads in poetical-metric forms and then associated them with raags and ghars (beats/taals). Does this mean that Gurus have left no scope for experimentation with music? The indication of raag and ghar (beat) with every Shabad implies that Gurus had a definite motive behind fixing a framework. This framework was not set to limit the ability of the human mind to experiment with music but to act as an aid in spiritual deve

lopment. A simple mathematical permutation and combination on notes of any raag will indicate that each raag offers thousands of tunes to experiment with.

Poetry (the form in which Gurbani is written) and music (raags) are two sides of the same coin. They are independent but yet complement each other. Music versifies and provides melody, uniformity and cadence to poetry. The factor that binds music and poetry is their metrical-form (ghar or beat). Music (Raag) is based on sound (swar - notes) and a combination of notes produce distinct musical effects. Poetry is determined by Word (Shabad), which communicates a message. Music (Raag) on the other hand conveys a feeling to the heart and is therefore universal. Spirituality, after all, is striking the right balance between mind and heart. Therefore, when Gurbani (poetry) is complemented with raag (music) and bound by ghar (beat), the resulting effect on mind and body can become the catalyst for change.

As explained earlier, raag conveys a feeling and Shabad a message. A raag is capable of touching the heart with feelings like joy, sorrow, detachment, etc. Upon studying the structure of Guru Granth Sahib it can be seen that Shabads relating to common themes are generally placed under each raag. When the broad themes of Shabads are overlaid with feelings conveyed by raags, there emerges a reason behind classification of Shabads under a broad classification of thirty-one raags.

Common Themes of Shabads placed under Raags of Guru Granth Sahib

1. Soohi - Being away from home. The soul being away from the House of Lord and the joy of meeting the true husband.

2. Bilaaval - beautification of soul, happiness.

3. Gaund - Separation, union, surprise.

4. Sri - Maya and detachment

5. Maajh - yearning to merge with Lord, giving up of negative values.

6. Gauri - Principles, serious, thoughtfulness, composed

7. Aasa - Hope

8. Gujri - Prayer (Pooja)

9. Devgandhari - Merging with spouse, self - realization

10. Biha

agra - Yearning due to separation of soul and happiness due to meeting the Lord.

11. Sorath - Merits of God

12. Dhanasari - Mixed theme

13. Jaitsree - Stability

14. Todi - Maya, separation

15. Bairagi - motivation to sing praises of Lord

16. Tilang - many words from the vocabulary of Islamic origins are used, sadness, beautification.

17. Raamkali - to give up the life of a wandering Jogi.

18. Nat Narayan - Joy of meeting the Lord

19. Maali Gaura - Happiness

20. Maaru - Bravery

21. Tukhari - Separation and union with Lord

22. Kedara - Love

23. Bhairav - Man's state of hell

24. Basant - Happiness

25. Sarang - Thirst to meet God

26. Malaar - State of separated and united soul

27. Jaijawanti - Vairaag (Detachment)

28. Kalyaan - Bhakti (Prayer) Ras

29. Vadhans - Vairaag (Detachment)

30. Parbhati - Bhakti (Prayer)

31. Kaanra - Bhakti (Prayer)

Feelings communicated by the music of Raags

1. Soohi - joy and separation

2. Bilaaval - happiness

3. Gaund - strangeness, surprise, beauty

4. Sri - satisfaction and balance

5. Maajh - loss, beautification

6. Gauri - seriousness

7. Aasa - making effort

8. Gujri - satisfaction, softness of heart, sadness

9. Devgandhari - no specific feeling but the Raag has a softness

10. Bihaagra - beautification

11. Sorath - motivation

12. Dhanasari - inspiration, motivation

13. Jaitsree - softness, satisfaction, sadness

14, Todi - this being a flexible Raag it is apt for communicating many feelings

15. Bhairaagi - sadness, (Gurus have, however, used it for the message of Bhakti)

16. Tilang - this is a favourite Raag of Muslims. It denotes feeling of beautification and yearning.

17. Raamkali - calmness

18. Nat Narayan - happiness

19. Maali Gaura - happiness

20. Maaru - giving up of cowardice

21. Tukhari - beautification

22. Kedara - love and beautification

23. Bhairav - seriousness, brings stability of mind

24. Basant - happiness

25. Sarang - sadness

26. Malaar - separation

27. Jaijawanti - viraag

28. Kalyaan - Bhakti Ras

29. Vadhans - vairaag, loss (that is why Alahniya is sung in this Raag when someone passes away)

30. Parbhati - Bhakti and seriousness

31. Kaanra - Bhakti and seriousness

It's clear that the Gurus used raags to increase the delivery power of shabad to our mind by invoking complementary feelings in our hearts through the usage of the prescribed raags.

Another interesting aspect of raag and Gurbani classification is understood by studying daily time-cycles. A raag has a preferred timing associated with it. There are some morning raags, evening raags, afternoon raags, etc. The human mind and heart also undergo varying degrees of mood change during a twenty-four hour time cycle.

Upon classification of thirty-one main raags used in Guru Granth Sahib based on the prescribed raag timings, we find that no raags fall under the time zone 12 AM - 3 AM. Normally one would sleep between 10PM - 4AM.

Timings of Raags

6 AM - 9AM: Bhairaagi, Devgandhari

9 AM - 12 PM: Saarang, Suhi, Bilaaval, Gujri, Gond, Todi

12 PM - 3 PM: Vadhans, Maru, Dhanasari

3 PM - 6 PM: Maanjh, Gauri, Tilang, Tukhari

6 PM - 9 PM: Sri, Basant, Maali Gaura, Jaitsree, Kedara, Kalyaan

9 PM - 12 AM: Bihaagra, Nat Narayan, Sorath, Malaar, Kaanra, Jaijawanti

12 AM - 3 AM: --------No Raags from Guru Granth Sahib---------

3AM - 6AM: Aasa, Raamkali, Bhairav, Parbhati

Some raags also have seasons associated with them as seasons also denote feelings.

Seasonality of Raags

1. Basant raag can be sung at any time in Basant season. Shabads with the theme of happiness are clustered under this raag in Guru Granth Sahib.

2. Malaar raag can be sung at any time in the rainy season. Shabads with the theme of separation are clustered under this raag in Guru Granth Sahib.

The Gurus have also indicated the beats associated with the

poetry of every Shabad. In Guru Granth Sahib seventeen ghars (taal - beat) are mentioned. These seventeen ghars denote the following beats:

GHAR 1 - DADRA TAAL (There are 1 Taalis and the Beat has 6 Maatraas)

GHAR 2 - RUPAK TAAL (There are 2 Taalis and the Beat has 7 Maatraas)

GHAR 3 - TEEN TAAL (There 3 Taalis and the Beat has 16 Maatraas)

GHAR 4 - CHAAR TAAL (There are 4 Taalis and the Beat has 12 Maatraas)

GHAR 5 - PUNJ TAAL (There are 5 Taalis and the Beat has 15 Maatraas)

GHAR 6 - KHUT TAAL (There are 6 Taalis and the Beat has 18 Maatraas)

GHAR 7 - MUT TAAL (There are 7 Taalis and the Beat has 21 Maatraas)

GHAR 8 - ASHT MANGAL TAAL (There are 8 Taalis and the Beat has 22 Maatraas)

GHAR 9 - MOHINI TAAL (There are 9 Taalis and the Beat has 23 Maatraas)

GHAR 10 - BRAHAM TAAL (There are 10 Taalis and the Beat has 28 Maatraas)

GHAR 11 - RUDRA TAAL (There are 11 Taalis and the Beat has 32 Maatraas)

GHAR 12 - VISHNU TAAL (There are 12 Taalis and the Beat has 36 Maatraas)

GHAR 13 - MUCHKUND TAAL (There are 13 Taalis and the Beat has 34 Maatraas)

GHAR 14 - MAHASHANI TAAL (There are 14 Taalis and the Beat has 42 Maatraas)

GHAR 15 - MISHR BARAN TAAL (There are 15 Taalis and the Beat has 47 Maatraas)

GHAR 16 - KUL TAAL (There are 16 Taalis and the Beat has 42 Maatraas)

GHAR 17 - CHRCHARI TAAL (There are 17 Taalis and the Beat has 40 Maatraas)

Within the rules of Indian Classical Music, uncountable raags can be created. In fact any form of music (non-Indian and non-classical) can be classified under some form of raag. Hence it is a misconception that raags are something highly classical and beyond the realm of the common man's understanding. In fact, any form of music is raag. But in Guru Granth Sahib, the Gurus have gone into depths of poetry, music and metrical forms to lay the framework that is best suited to convey the feeling and message of the Shabad simultaneously to the human mind and heart.

When each of the prescribed raags

offers uncountable permutations and combinations of musical compositions, then why is it that modern Keertanias are not experimenting within the prescribed framework of the Gurus?

Analysis follows in the sequel to this article…

Downfall in Keertan

Amardeep Singh Mon Dec 10

Gurbani says:

"Among all raags, that one is sublime, O Siblings of Destiny, by which God comes to abide in the mind." (Page 1423)

Clearly, only that raag is prescribed by which a feeling of spirituality is aroused.

The Gurus have not prescribed catchy musical tunes that dominate the Shabad. The essence of Keertan lies in effective delivery of the message of Shabad, using raag and taal as a medium. The medium must not dominate the essence.

This is where our modern day keertanias are making the mistake of experimenting beyond the prescribed framework of Guru Granth Sahib and singing shabads in catchy tunes. At the end it's the tune that remains in the mind and not the message.

Music is a double-edged sword. While it can be effectively used for constructive Keertan by operating within the prescribed framework of Guru Granth Sahib, on the other hand it can also be used for arousing destructive feelings by use of catchy tunes (as explained in 'Understanding the Musical Framework of Guru Granth Sahib', Dec. 10, any form of music can be classified into a raag).

It is interesting to note that the main object that has caused the current day deterioration in quality of Keertan is the most widely used musical instrument called 'Harmonium'.

Harmonium is not an Indian instrument. Over one hundred years ago, Europeans brought the harmonica to India. The air box of this European instrument was experimented on by Indian musicians to develop a new instrument, the harmonium. This instrument is not best suited for Indian classical music.

According to Indian classical music, the human ear can recognize t

wenty-two musical notes in an octave. The harmonium only offers twelve discreet keys in an octave. Only string instruments offer the ability to play all twenty-two notes in an octave, by pressing the string at midpoints. It is for this reason that Indian Music was always played with the accompaniment of only string instruments. In fact if one sees the old pictures of Harmandir Sahib, one only finds string instruments being used by the Keertanias.

Although the harmonium offered a compromise to Indian classical music and should never have been used in the Indian system, it gained rapid acceptance because it was very easy to learn and use. Learning a string instrument requires close to four to five years professional training but the harmonium can be learnt in less than two months.

This was a great blessing to aspiring Sikhs who also wanted to be able to do Keertan. While there is no harm in using a harmonium and we must also accept its contribution in making it easier for the masses to learn Keertan and help them start their spiritual journey, it also caused the biggest deterioration to Keertan singing.

The professional Keertanias were now finding it hard to keep pace with rapid generation of a new breed of amateur Keertanias. Materialistic desires lead them to shorten their classical training period by moving to the harmonium. Over generations, these trends lead to complete elimination of string instruments from the Gurudwaras. Lack of dedication that crept in because of the ability to learn Keertan in just two months also lead Keertanias to start doing Keertan in catchy filmy tunes.

Yes, our modern day Keertanias should be given a one hundred percent score for having the ability to experiment with music. But unfortunately, this experimentation with catchy tunes is causing more harm than good to Keertan as they have stopped experimenting within the prescribed framework of Guru Granth Sahib.

An instrument that was supposed to attract Sikhs to Gurbani has become the very reason

for the downfall in present day standards of Keertan. It would have been fine for the harmonium to be adopted but not at the expense of compromise on string instruments. The harmonium should have acted as a stepping-stone for budding Sikh Keertanias to quickly acquire musical sense and move forward to experimenting within the prescribed framework of Guru Granth Sahib. Instead they have chosen the short cut.

The reason for citing the above example is to show the long term pitfalls associated with un-checked experimentation. Modern day experimentalists like Dya Singh need to be cautious and introspect. The first question that needs to be answered is: What is attracting the youth to this new style of Keertan? In all probability, it is the music that is attracting them because Keertan is being done in a modern day, highly dramatized form.

I have heard a shabad "Mittar Pyarae Noon…" in which Thunder, Lightning and sounds of wild animals complement the shabad to project the scene of Machiwara jungle. The only reason one would get attracted to such style of Keertan is because of music. Like any MTV Top of the Charts, such music can't last long in the minds of the youth, nor the message remain in their hearts.

On the other hand, maybe the youth is getting attracted to this style of Keertan because English translations are being provided. If that is the case, then the translations can also be provided while doing Keertan in the prescribed framework of Guru Granth Sahib. After all, there are thousands of tunes that can be created from each of the prescribed raags and these tunes need not be highly classical in order to cater to popular tastes of the youth. Even the Gurus did not allow the dominance of classical music over the Shabad.

Our Gurus support forwardness but where should we draw the line? Who knows, next there could be an experiment with Jaap Sahib being sung in the Rap style! Will Jaap Sahib in Rap style lead to feelings of spirituality?

The future of Keertan lies in t

he hands of present day Keertanias. They need to definitely look at ways of improvising and attracting the youth but not at the cost of further deterioration of Keertan. Our Keertanias should first make the effort to acquire full knowledge of the musical framework of Guru Granth Sahib and then adapt from within it, to attract the youth not on a short term basis but on a long term basis.

I have full faith in the Guru and believe that if our Keertanias make an earnest effort to implement the commands of Guru Granth Sahib in their Keertan singing style, then the pied pipers will not need to walk the streets to attract the youth, they will come to the Gurudwaras by themselves.

In the sequel to this article we will examine another aspect of Keertan singing that has gone unchecked for years and is leading us on the path contrary to that of Gurmat. 'Flow and Pause in Gurbani and Keertan' follows.....

Flow and Pause in Gurbani and Keertan

Amardeep Singh Tue Dec 11

It is important to understand a few terminologies before we proceed further.

rahau - While reading through a shabad in Guru Granth Sahib, we find that one line has the word 'rahau' written at the end. Except for raag Majh, we find the mention of rahau in nearly all the other Bani.

Depending on it's type, for example, Chaupada (of 4 lines), Ashtpadi (of 8 lines), etc., a shabad has that many defined lines. Somewhere in the middle or in the beginning of the shabad one line has the word rahau mentioned with the numeral 1. Rahau means 'wait' or 'pause' in Punjabi - "Therau". The Gurus have clearly indicated that, while reading a shabad, pause on this line.

Why the pause? Because the line with rahau is the central theme of the shabad.

This is the line in which Guru is conveying the topic discussed in the shabad and it contains the Gurmat Vichar, the 'right thought'. Therefore, we are required to pause on this line and

contemplate the message. The other lines in the shabad are used to explain/extrapolate the contents of the central theme given in the line of rahau.

These other lines (the non-rahau lines) talk about prevalent practices, arguments, reasoning, intention, etc. and are used for strengthening and explaining the Central Theme.

The point to note is that the numbering of lines is meanigful: the numbering conveys a definitive message. The message here is: Wait/Pause and contemplate on the message. In this line the Guru is telling us the theme of the shabad. The number 1 of rahau indicates, read this line carefully. Now read the other (non-rahau) line, and correlate it to the message in rahau. Now proceed to the other (Non-rahau) line thereby keep proceeding with all the other lines in a sequential manner.

At times, if rarely, we find more than one rahau in a shabad. All the rahaus in that shabad (usually 2,3 or 4) convey the same central theme: reflect on truth. Gurus thought it appropriate to explain the same central theme in different combination of words and therefore gave more than one rahau.

asthai - In Keertan, or any music, we find one line keeps getting repeated time and again. This common line, which is repeated each time after a different line, is known as asthai in Indian classical music, or Chorus in the western music.

antra - In Keertan, or any music, after singing the asthai, the repetitive line, a different line is sung and upon its completion the asthai is sung again and then a second different line is sung, followed by asthai. This changing line is known as antra in Indian classical music.

The purpose of Keertan is to deliver the Gurus' message sweetly to the listener. As rahau has the central theme of the shabad and contains the spiritual message, its usage, as an asthai is repeated time and again after every antra, which helps in the message getting drilled into the listener's mind. The result is that the Guru's message gets delivered many t

imes while the shabad is being sung. This increases the probability of retention of the central theme, Gurmat Vichar, by the listener's mind.

Let us take a very popular shabad from Siri Raag, Page 44, which is sung by raagis during a happy occasion in the family. Most of the Sikhs will remember the shabad by its popularly known line:

"Lakh khushiyaan patshahiyaan

jey satgur nadar karey .........."

It's commonly found that raagis make the above line as the asthai while singing the shabad because of the word khushiyaan (happiness). This line is the second non-rahau line in the shabad and gets commonly used as the asthai while singing.

The English interpretation of the shabad is:

SRI RAAG, MEHLA V: All happiness is achieved only by Thy Grace. The precious gift of this human life becomes fruitful when one chants the True Word. One who has such destiny written on his forehead enters the Mansion of the Lord's Presence through the Guru. || 1 || O my mind, focus your consciousness on the One. Without the One, all involvlements are worthless; emotional attachment to a mirage is verily false. || 1 || Pause || Hundreds of thousands of princely pleasures are yours to enjoy if the True Guru bestows a Glance of Grace. If God bestows the Name of the Lord, even for a moment, my mind and body are soothed. Those who have such pre-ordained destiny hold tight to the Feet of the True Guru. || 2 || Blessed is that moment, and fruitful is that time, when one is in love with the True Lord. Suffering and sorrow do not touch those who have the Support of the Name of the Lord. Grasping the seeker by the arm, the Guru lifts them up and out, and carries them across to the other side. || 3 || Embellished and immaculate is that place where the Saints gather together. That person alone finds shelter who has met the Perfect Guru. Nanak builds his house upon that site where there is no death, no birth, and n

o old age. || 4 || 6 || 76 ||

If we were to sing this shabad in proper Keertan singing style by making rahau (Mere man eikas sio chit laaye/eikas bin sabh dhund hai/sabh mithiya moh maye) as asthai for repetition, then, upon reaching second antra, the message that will get repetitively delivered to the mind will be that we need to first make an effort to get our mind to focus on One God, give up attachment to maya and emotional entanglements. If we succeed in achieving this state of mind, then, as stated in the second non-rahau line, thousands of pleasures will be attained only if God's Grace falls upon us.

Note that the condition (rahau line to be used as asthai) is that we make the effort to rid our mind of attachment/maya, then the result (non-rahau line to be used as antra) is - if Satguru deems it worth then Satguru provides hundreds of pleasures to the devotee.

Unfortunately, this shabad is commonly sung by raagis by making the non-rahau Line No.2 as the asthai (Lakh khushiyan patshahiyan jey satgur nadar karey....), which gets repeated many a time during the shabad singing. Now see the change in deliverability of the message to our mind. We are seeking from our Guru thousands of pleasures by God's Grace and, upon getting them, we will then strive towards ridding our mind of attachment/maya!

Note that by using the non-rahau line as asthai, the condition has changed to: if Satguru deems it worth, then Satguru provides hundreds of pleasures to us and the result (rahau line being used as antra) is that we will make the effort to rid our mind of attachment/maya!

By using the non-rahau line in this shabad as asthai, our mind is subconsciously being told to live on HOPE, rather than make the EFFORT, which is the reverse of what the Guru is telling us in this shabad, viz.- Devotee first makes the EFFORT and then HOPE should arise for God's Grace.

Interesting, isn't it? We tend to ignore the finer details of

Gurus' message, which is so clear.

Probably that's the reason why Sikhs of today lack the spirit/spiritual discipline for which our forefathers were known. I hope people will start making the effort of getting the Sikhs in their immediate contact to understand the importance of rahau in Keertan singing and strive towards singing Keertan in the correct manner.

Those who are active in Gurudwara Management/teaching Keertan should make it a point to teach the youth only those shabads in which rahau is made the asthai. For a teacher to correct what he has already learnt in so many years is a tough proposition, but he can definitely make an effort to select those shabads from his Keertan bank for teaching the youth/children, in which the rahau is made the asthai. In this way, we may be able to slowly steer in the direction of true deliverance.

[Jkaur]

please start off a new thread if you ppl would wish to discuss about whats right and whats not.. lets just post "pumping refreshing shabads" here.. Bhul Chuk Maaf Karni

[Jkaur]

did anyone read my post ...

[simran_kaur]

i agree that we shouldnt listen to any patits or patit sangats including dodra. or follow them.

so now ur callin dodra a patit sangat??

yes

. Plsss... bainti infront of you guys.... don start this again... ... so many threads over dis... there's no use, each one of them ends up closed

[Jkaur]

exactly my point bhenjee; i dont want this thread to be closed down too, it was such a nice thread where everyone shares shabads here.. pls bring the arguements some where else ppl... bhul chuk maaf karni

[doctor_mani]

JKaur Penji I've never come accross such an ignorant bunch. I mean how many times have you told them to stop it? Waheguru Ji give them some sense.

I think ALL of the shabads can pump you up if you know the meaning of them. But one that esspecially pumps me up is the Sikh Natiational Anthem. If you know the words to it, sing it at the top of your voice with meaning and feel the pleasure take over your mind.

DEH SHIVA BAR MOHE IHA Grant me this boon, 0, God, from thy greatness

SHUBH KARMAN TEY KABHU NA TAROON May I never refrain from righteous acts,

NA DAROO AR SIYOO JAB JAH LAROO May I fight without fear all foes in life's battle,

NISCHAI KAR APNE JEET KAROO With confident courage claiming the victory'

AR SIKH HAO APNE HE MUN KO May Thy glory be gained in my mind,

EH LALACH HAU GUN TAU UCHROO And my highest ambition be singing thy praises

JAB AAV KI AUDH NIDHAAN BANAY When this mortal reaches its limits,

AUT HE RAN ME TAB JOOJH MAROO May I die fighting with limitless courage'

BOLE SO NIHAL

SAT SRI AKHAL!!!

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

Doctor_Mani

[Mkhalsa]

Niranjana Jeeo,

While I do not want to move this thread off topic again I feel that I should reply to you.

I agree 100%: raag is important.

BUT

(oh gawd another but!) I think it is not MANDATORY. Why? like you said, how would you singh japji sahib? how about bhagat kabir jee's saloks etc...

Raag is very important but not always needed, even at darbar sahib, the maryada that has been followed for centuries is that the first shabad must be in correct raag and the rest do not have to be.

Think about this, where did the tradition of putting money in front of raagis come from? (which i dont think should be done anymore) It came from the fact that very few people knew proper raag and could sing it. They were called "raagis" and because they would travel around singing in proper raag, people would give them gifts.

But what happened when there were no raagis around? do you think the average sikh sangat in a village etc would stop singing guru's praises?! no way!!! even while working, in fields or where ever gursikhs would sing bani. Most people did not have such an education in raag so they sang in simple tunes, this is where this tradition came from.

Think about when we sing "tera keeta jato nahi" in rehras sahib (some people sing it).. it is a very simple tune, which is traditionally used. or when we sing "pavan guru pani pita" that is also a traditional tune used with singing bani, another more commonly used is "satgur nanak pargatteya" commonly sang with a line in front "oochadar babae nanak da"

And saying its wrong to sing it on filmy tunes etc.. first off wehre do u think mid-1900 fimly tunes came from?

at the beginning of last century, movie producers and singers would go to darbar sahib and other gurudwaras and STEAL tunes from puratan raagis who sang with so much devotion. On top of that, I have not watched a SINGLE bollywood movie in my life and have no idea what is a filmy tune or not, all I hear is bani, I do not hear such and such tune etc. I guess thats an advantage for me. Forget where the tune came from. Secondly, asa di // is instructed to be sung on a folk tune!! guru sahib himself sang it on a folk tune, was guru sahib doing beadbi?!

anyway, raag is important but its not the be all and end all of keertan.

and balbir singh rocks