GiYu Music Store
Shanti
$16.99
Many
of the chants and mantras in this album are written by Guru Nanak, the
First Guru of the Sikhs who lived from 1469 to 1538. Guru Nanak
traveled on foot with his disciple, Mardana, throughout much of India
and other countries in Asia. Mardana came from a long lineage of master
musicians. Mardana played the rebeck, a simple stringed instrument of
Persian origin. Guru Nanak would settle in an area perhaps under a
tree, or by a river, and begin to sing with Mardana accompanying him.
People would come from miles away attracted by the pure sound current
and soon many people would be gathered around them in absolute rapture
and love. Guru Nanak?s songs have amazing rhythm and poetry, and his
message speaks to the Soul.
One of Guru Nanak?s most well known gifts to our planet is the sacred
composition called Japji. It is recited daily by hundreds of thousands
of Sikhs throughout the world today. Japji has forty ?pauris? or
stanzas. In the words of Yogi Bhajan, ? Each pauri addresses different
aspects of the relationship between man and God and each has a specific
power and gift that comes with it. The particular power of each pauri
in Japji lies in the combination of sounds which creates the chemical
and magnetic change in and around the being who recites it.?
The awareness imparted in these stanzas is simple, practical, and
uplifting for anyone on a spiritual path. Japji means meditation of the
Soul. It is for all people, as this was Guru Nanak?s way.
So whatever your path may be I invite you to sing these chants, feel
the sacred words in your heart, and partake of this timeless wisdom.
Snatam Kaur
Snatam Kaur was
introduced to music and spiritual practice at an early age. Schooled in
kirtan, meditation, and Gurmukhi, the Sanskrit-based language of Sikh
scriptures from Northern India, the young Snatam Kaur began to develop
the devotion and skills that have grown and blossomed into a
compelling, profound talent.
Snatam
Kaur's parents brought her up in the Sikh tradition as taught by Yogi
Bhajan. From an early age, she practiced yoga and meditation daily and
her mother taught her Gurmukhi. "My mother taught me the alphabet on my
way to school every morning," recalls Snatam. Her Sikh community
augmented these lessons with instruction in kirtan (devotional
chanting). "Through these experiences, I learned the pronunciation,"
she says, "but also I learned the passion for what I was singing
because these gatherings were so spiritual."
As a child, Snatam also had training in voice, violin, guitar, and
percussion. She obtained a solid foundation in Western classical music
while playing violin in an orchestra and giving solo performances. Her
many opportunities to use and expand her musical talent in a spiritual
setting emphasized for her the connection between her music and
spirituality. "I learned about the importance of sound currents from
Yogi Bhajan," she says, "but I also had the personal experience of how
the energy of these sacred words can have a very real, positive effect."
Snatam further explored the power of sound in India. After high school,
her love for the Indian musical tradition and for children took her to
Miri Piri Academy, a boarding school for children in India. She spent
time taking care of the young children, teaching physical education,
and providing music for the children's morning and evening chanting.
When she returned to the United States, she attended Mills College in
Oakland, California, where she obtained a degree in biochemistry,
taught yoga classes, and shared her chants with Western audiences. But
India called her back. After touring and performing Kirtan in northern
India, Snatam settled in Amritsar where she studied music with the
accomplished ragi (Indian master of Sikh-style kirtan) Bhai Hari Singh.
This was a great honor for her, and particularly meaningful because
Singh was the same teacher who had taught her mother when she was just
a little girl.
Snatam embraced everything that Singh taught her, from the technical
aspects of the notes, to the ability to sing with presence and
awareness. The lessons took place in Singh's home, where Snatam was
welcomed by the entire family--daughters, sons, and grandchildren.
While in Amritsar, Snatam lived next door to the Golden Temple,
considered the world's holiest Sikh temple. Sacred music resonates from
inside the temple from about 2:30 in the morning to midnight every
day-sounds created by world-class masters of Sikh kirtan. This enabled
Snatam to continually soak in the essence of the Sound Current.
Upon returning to the US from India, Snatam began her career as a
recording artist with a band called the Peace Family. She served as the
band's lead singer and, with two skilled and accomplished musicians -
Livtar Singh and GuruGanesha Singh, had her first opportunity to write
songs. Two years later she began to develop her own sound and style and
embarked on a very fruitful solo career.
