Kristen Finlayson

All devoted Hindus give a lot of importance to religious Hindu songs and poems in their everyday lives. A Lot Of of these poems are recited or sung as prayers daily or on specific occasions, while others are heard or sung as devotional pieces at any time desired by the devotee. The primary poem that strikes our mind when talking about religious Hindu poetry is "Hanuman Chalisa", which is a long poem composed by Tulsidas in praise of lord Hanuman.

Hanuman Chalisa is a well known holy poem that is frequently sung by the Hindus across the globe. A Lot Of devout Hindus recite it every week as a prayer to lord Hanuman, generally on Tuesdays.

Bhajans by Mirabai are also extremely revered in the devotional Hindu music. Dedication and devotion are visible in these bhajans which are akin to poems. These prayers in the bhakti tradition are sung in praise of Lord Krishna.

Mirabai's poetry puts love for Krishna above everything else in life. In her bhajans, she depicts Krishna as her husband and a romantic partner. Mirabai depicts her earnest desire for unison with Lord Krishna through these songs. Her poems are thus both spiritual and devotional in their lyrics and tone.

Appropriate mention must also be made of Sur Sagar or Ocean of Melody composed by Surdas. Surdas' music composed of over hundred thousand pieces of lyrical poetry has been eternally revered by Hindus. Sadly just about 8,000 of them have available documentation.

Surdas' music reflects the adventures and life of the Hindu God Krishna and is an expression of the devotion of the poet. They portray the divine union of Radha and Krishna and the Lilas performed by them, that is the holy dances of Lord Krishna and Radha. A discussion of sacred songs in Hindu religion needs a special mention of the Bijak or Seedling that was a compilation of poems by Kabir on the theme of the unity of all religions and gods.

The pieces are full of musings about brahman, atman and karma combined with a bhakti flavour. They recommend that everyone should look beyond their religious texts and scriptures so as to attain the unity or ekatwa with the God.