Indian Classical Music And Sikh Kirtan by Gobind Singh Mansukhani (M.A., LL.B, Ph.D.) © 1982 Link of Shabad and Consciousness |
| Link of Shabad and Consciousness The highest benefit of kirtan is obtained by linking one’s consciousness with the meaning and significance of the contents of the hymn. It is not enough that we understand the theme of the shabad; it is equally essential that we enter into its spirit and partake of the feeling of the Guru when he sang that hymn. This will mean a recreation of the environment, milieu and ethos of the particular hymn. As soon as the corresponding emotion is realised, man loses his separateness and gets in tune with God. According to Guru Nanak, the melody produces a concentration on the Lord which results in a spiritual vision. After all, the divine light is in the mind, while the senses are the servants of the mind. All then cooperate in the spiritual experience which is a blissful state arising out of the vision of the Lord. This is called shabad-surat-da-mel or liv. One gets into a trance or state of bliss (anand). This is an indescribable moment of exaltation arising out of kirtan experience. |