Bernd is chanting the mantra Asato ma sad gamaya during a saturday evening satsang at Yoga Vidya in Bad Meinberg, Germany. More mantra kirtan mp3 recordings can be listen at https://blog.yoga-vidya.de/category/podcast/mantra/ - or as videos at my.yoga-vidya.org/members/Mantras/videos

Here is the full text in simplified transcription:

Asato Ma Sad Gamaya

Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya

Mrityor Manritan Gamaya

“Asato Ma Sat Gamaya” is a mantra from the Upanishads, it is a mantra that comes from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 1.3.28, it is a mantra that also belongs to the Shanti Mantras, i.e. to the peace mantras, and it is also a prayer where we ask to be able to experience the highest.

“Asato Ma Sat Gamaya” means: ”Lead me and lead us from Asat, from untruth, to Sat, to truth.” Ma means “me”. “Guide me, Ma, from unreality to reality.”

Gamaya can be translated as “lead me to”, but you can also say “let me go there” or “let us go there”, “let us go from the unreal to the real”. “Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya. May I go and may I be guided, may you guide me, from Tamas, from darkness, to Jyoti, to light.” “Mrityor Mamritam Gamaya. And may I also go forth and may I be guided, may you lead me from mrityo, from death, to amrita, to immortality, to the nectar of immortality.”

Gauri sings the mantra Shri Ram Jaya Ram, number 202 in the Yoga Vidya Kirtan booklet. Listen to this mantra, sung by Gauri. Here is the full text in simplified transcription:

Shri Ram Jaya Ram,
Jaya Jaya Ram Om
Shri Ram Jaya Ram,
Jaya Jaya Ram
Jaya Sita Ram Jay(a) Jaya Hanuman
Sadgurudev(a) Shivananda Bhagavan

In this kirtan Rama is especially worshipped, so it is a Rama kirtan. Rama is worshipped as Ram, and Ram is on the one hand the abbreviation of Rama, as it is also in Hindi, but Ram is also the bija mantra of Rama, bija, the seed mantra. Rama is Shri, Shri means “auspicious” and “respect”. When Shri is in front of a name, it is always an expression of respect and at the same time of closeness. “Shri Ram. Oh Rama, I feel close to you and I worship you. Jaya Ram.

More mantra kirtan mp3 recordings can be listen at blog.yoga-vidya.de/category/podcast/mantra/ - or as videos at my.yoga-vidya.org/members/Mantras/videos

If you are interested in seminars with music, you can find here seminars on mantra and music. For more kirtan and Mantra vocal recordings click here. For more information on Yoga, meditation and Ayurveda can be found on the internet pages of Yoga Vidya.

Aditi sings the mantra Tumi Bhaja Re Mana, number 208 in the Yoga Vidya Kirtan booklet. Listen to this mantra, sung by Aditi. Here is the full text in simplified transcription:

Tumi Bhaja Re Mana,
Tumi Japa Re Mana
Om Shri Ram Jaya Ram,
Japa Re Mana

“Tumi Bhaja Re Mana” is a kirtan that is very popular at Yoga Vidya, also in different melodies. In the melody that was first available at Yoga Vidya, it is a dynamic kirtan, a march-like kirtan, an advancing kirtan, a kirtan that gives confidence, that gives enthusiasm. In another variation, it is a longing kirtan that goes straight to the heart and expresses the longing of the soul to really feel God.