Bhajan

Bhajan

“religious chant”
from skt. भज, bhaj – "honour"

The term "bhajan" is often used as a synonym for "kirtan". The practice of singing bhajans is specific to various Bhakti traditions in Hinduism, especially Vaishnavism. Bhajan is an action that helps a person to feel closer to his true spiritual essence (jiva, atman), and/or to God. As a rule, bhajans are lyrical songs expressing feelings of love and devotion to God in one of His forms or hypostases. Often bhajans describe the lilas, names and characteristics of the chosen deity.

Historically, bhajan tradition originated from the Vedic tradition of singing Samaveda hymns. Traditional forms of bhajan singing, such as Nirguni and Gorakhanathi, Vallabhapanthi, Ashtachhar and Madhura-bhakti, have been formed over the centuries. Each tradition has its own set of bhajans and its own methods of chanting them. The bhajana tradition of South India is known as Sampradya bhajan.

Bhajans are composed not only in Sanskrit, but also in other languages and, unlike the hymns of Vedas, are not rigidly fixed in language terms and performance tune.