Sampradaya Bhajan by Sanal Kumar Varma & Team…

Loud, high-pitched and traditional – Bhajan singing takes a different turn with the ‘three’ coming together, turning it to incitingly ecstatic. Bhajan that has been an integral part of everyday Prasanthi  sessions took a detour this evening when a group of devotional singers led by Sri Sanal Kumar Varma from Kozhikode presented a ‘traditional’ Sampradaya Bhajan at  Bhagawan’s Lotus Feet here, in Prasanthi Nilayam. The programme was organised as part of the ongoing Vishu celebrations.

Sampradaya Bhajan is a traditional art of bhajan singing, more popular in South India, a tradition, as the name suggests, is handed down by one’s ancestors and is considered to be the forerunner of modern day Carnatic music concerts.

Beginning with traditional invocation of various God forms, Sri Varma started off with a Narayana bhajan, an inciting number, flowing on to singing a collection of devotional numbers with electrifying passion, engaging Bhagawan and the audience for over forty minutes. His numbers included, alongside Krishna, Mother Divine, Ganesha, Subramania and Rama, a couple of interesting variants of Prasanthi Mandir bhajans alongside Lord Shiva as Ettumanoorappan, the presiding Deity at the temple in Ettumanoor in Kottyam district.

For the one who sang with great devotional fervour, sans any air, there was a pleasant ‘blessing’ due from the Supreme Lord. When the last number, on Lord Anjaneya…, “Veera Maruthi Gambhira Maruthi..” was on… as a sign of Divine appreciation, the garland adorning the top side of the centre frame at the Sanctum Sanctorum loosened from one end,  to turn from the centre-mark, forming a unique Vaishnavite “Namam”!!! What an apt blessing on Lord Sri Rama’s Appearance Day… Sri Rama Navami!!!

Bhagawan’s Divine discourse on the occasion of Holy Sri Rama Navami was then aired through the public address system. Touching upon the distinctive features of human and demon, Bhagawan underlined the need to be discriminative in order for man to follow his Dharma. Bhagawan’s discourse came to close with the bhajan “Govinda Krishna Jai…”.

Bhajans continued and the session ended with Mangala Arathi at 1840 hrs.

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II