Extermination of the Bad
Miami, Florida
Heading north on South Bayshore, which turns into Miami Ave., then off from a side street I came upon Skanda Yoga Studio. I made it almost all the way on foot until one of the members of our Coconut Grove community pulled over to get me there in time. We were prepared for an evening of kirtan.
Yoga societies have discovered the magic of kirtan, a new and yet ancient sound that defies some of the current [Insert Word Here] passing as music today. That might sound harsh to say but I mean it. Perhaps kirtan, the more angelic side of music, is a response to the denigration of much of today’s popular music.
We did not waste time with the brief hour and fifteen minute session allotted to us. We got right into japa which is chanting without a melody and kirtan/bhajan, chanting with melody and instruments. Two young chaps, Dharma and Gopal, played mrdunga drums and they were fantastic. The thirty or so participants got up off their feet to sway, swing and surrender to the sound.
This practice of chanting (and to add the dancing which completes this particular from of yoga) is described as “the prime benediction for humanity at large” as quoted by Sri Chaitanya.
Chanting is that function that is supposed to address the little devils within. It is like the termites that are having their hay day in our local temple where anything made of wood is slowly dissolving. Doorframes, baseboards and any ornamental wood fixtures are going through a disappearing act. There are experts who know how to deal with them.
In the same way, the little devils of lust, greed, and anger that exist within our lives need extermination of sorts. This chanting serves the purpose to offer this benediction.
10k Km
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