Last week Shashika Mooruth, a beautiful singer, and I sang Kirtan with a wonderful group of musicians in Boston. Kirtan is a Sanskrit word meaning “praising God.” It entails chanting sacred names and words called mantras. “Mantra” is a word or sound that clears the mind with repetition.

After the Kirtan, a man named Rick Stoller, who had great difficulty in walking, came to me and said that our chanting was very healing to him. He said only a couple of days prior, he was released from the hospital after lung surgery for cancer. Stoller said, “I have been only able to take short breaths after the surgery. Kirtan helped me to breathe with a longer span.” He said Kirtan lessened his intense pain as he moved his mind away from the suffering. Stoller told me that Kirtan was a moving experience and a loving gift. He found our Kirtan relaxing, peaceful and meditative.

I have often seen how the power of chanting makes people feel better, both physically and spiritually. I used to chant at a juvenile detention center with young inmates. When they saw me, they excitedly ran toward me, saying, “I want to chant.” Many people who have dealt with difficult addictions and decided to change their direction found chanting to be a very remedial practice.

In Kirtan, the leader of a group is called the Kirtan Walah. When that person sings, the audience repeats those words along with the chorus leader in a call-and-response fashion. In other chants, everyone sings together.

The repetition of sacred words takes place in all different faiths. To chant we do not have to belong to any specific faith, nor do we need to convert to a different religion. However, chanting can help us be more spiritual. My teacher Jai Uttal, who was nominated for a Grammy award, says, “Kirtan brings inspiration, feeling and devotion. This inspiration comes directly through the Divine.”

When we sing together, it creates sound vibrations. These vibrations have an energy that opens channels in our body, thus helping our life force flow easier. This energy has wonderful healing power. When our mind focuses on a specific word during chanting, we do not think about other things and as a result, we feel the blissful innate state. One can chant anywhere and at any time. Singing together as a group in a particular place creates a sanctified sacred space. The current period of time we are in is called Kali Yuga (Dark Period). It has been said that one of the easiest ways to realize God is by chanting sacred names in this period.

For example, Aum, also known as Om, is an eternally vibrating sound. When we chant this word, we reach the fourth state beyond sleeping, waking and dreaming. That state helps us realize our innate good nature. Chanting allows us to be in a meditative state. Thus, through regular chanting we could find bliss and healing from life’s challenges. If you are looking to experience local chanting events, you can find them on the “Maine Kirtan” Facebook page.

Ashok Nalamalapu is president of iCST, an IT staffing and software testing company, and a member of Swan Kirtan. He can be reached at ashok@i-cst.com or (207) 772-6898. www.i-cst.com; www.sadhaname.com