Bhajan/Kirtan – Devotional song and hymns to God, a part of Hindu worship

(Pronounced bah-juhn/ker-tuhn)

To remember the meaning of the Hindu terms Bhajan and Kirtan, use the following mnemonic:

In the bar they junked (bhajan) the booze and raised the curtain (kirtan) on a hymn-singing session instead.

The term bhajan covers a wide range of Hindu devotional music, from a simple mantra (repeated words or sounds) to more complex compositions.

Bhajan literally means "singing to glorify god".

Bhajans are often lyrical (express the writer's emotions in an imaginative and beautiful way) and convey love for the Divine.

Bhajan may also refer to the inner music of the soul that yogis hear on their journey to oneness.

A kirtan is also a type of religious devotional song. What distinguishes it is that it is sung by a group of people repeating lines sung by a leader.