Bhajan
A bhajan ( Hindi , m., भजन, bhajan, from Sanskrit भज, bhaj, "to worship") is a religious folk song in Hinduism , which in India forms a musical category regardless of its form.
In bhajans, believers sing about their love for God in simple words that are often repeated. Bhajans are part of the devotion called bhakti . The musical forms in which the songs of worship and adoration are performed vary widely. The form based on classical music is the kirtan .
The practice of bhajan singing is often cultivated as a worship service by a larger community, with or without a priest. The origins of these prayers in many Indian languages - since ancient times in Sanskrit, often in Hindi or other Indian languages - lie in Sama Veda and in popular piety. Well-known authors, whose songs can still be heard today, included Tulsidas , Kabir and the mystic Mira . At the beginning of the 20th century, Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande and other innovators in Indian music began to combine bhajans with the ragas of classical Indian music in order to make the ragas more popular and the bhajans more musically demanding.
Bhajan singing, whether as an individual or as a community activity, is always associated with religious or spiritual devotion ( bhakti ), and it is also a popular relaxation and meditation method .