Holy Songs: Devotional Hindu Songs

Our program today will feature Hindu songs composed and performed by Mr. Ramanathan Brahmanandam, a respected Hindu scholar and musician. He is also a compassionate vegetarian, who practices ahimsa (nonviolence) to aid his own Self-realization. Apart from being a distinguished scholar of Hinduism, Mr. Brahmanandam is also well-versed in the classical music tradition of South India. He composes and sings his own compositions in Tamil, which are steeped in philosophical content. The first song is called “kaņņirundum,” which stresses the importance of learning the scared text Ātma-bodha, or knowledge of the Self. The song initiates with a sloka, which serves as a prayer to the Divine Self, the true essence of our being. The next song is called “Thaye-en-Thuyar,”which expresses one’s longing to see the Mother Goddess Pārvatī in Hinduism and to be saved from the cycle of transmigration. “You are the illusion manifesting as reality! The Empress of the universe! Goddess of good qualities! Will You not cast Your glance at me?”