Devotional Chanting is a Sacred Ancient Art That Awakens Your Inner Self and Connects You With Divinity

Paramahansa Yogananda, hailed as the 'Father of Yoga in the West', introduced the sacred ancient art of devotional chanting to Western audiences when he came to America in the early 20th century to disseminate the teachings of Kriya Yoga. In his book Cosmic Chants Yogananda states that "sound or vibration is the most powerful force in the universe. Music is a divine art, to be used not only for pleasure but as a path to God-realization. Vibrations resulting from devotional singing lead to attunement with the Cosmic Vibration or the Word."

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The deep purpose of devotional chanting is to help the mind to become absorbed in the spiritual vibrations of the concentrated repetition of the words of the chant so that it can prepare to enter interiorized states of deep meditation. In other words, devotional chanting is a spiritual practice that is used as a preliminary meditative technique that helps us to dive deep in the stillness of meditation. As we chant with deep devotion and concentration we start to tap into the blissful nature of the soul by feeling and expanding into the Cosmic Vibration pervading the whole universe. This is also explained by Yogananda when he states that "superconscious chanting is that in which internal chanting vibrations are converted into realization and are established in the superconscious, subconscious, and conscious minds. Holding the attention unbrokenly on the real Cosmic Vibration, Aum, not on an imaginary or an outward sound, is the beginning of real superconscious chanting"

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The concentrated repetition of the seed-thoughts of the chants is a scientific technique that automatically raises our consciousness into a high plane of Spirit where we can perceive ourselves as one with the omnipresent Cosmic Vibration of God as Yogananda explains in the following words: "Gradually the subconscious repetition will change into superconscious realization, bringing the actual perception of God. One must chant deeper and deeper until the chanting changes into subconscious and then superconscious realization, bringing one into the Divine Presence."

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Devotional chanting also has the power to awaken our souls and to help us achieve the ultimate divine goal of Self-realization. All negative tendencies can be completely eradicated by the powerful spiritual force of devotional chanting as is stated in the book Cosmic Chants by Yogananda: "The importance and power of devotional chanting cannot be overestimated. To banish inertia, indifference, lack of devotion, sad moods, blind attachments, and a host of other enemies of spiritual enlightenment, 'chanting is half the battle', said the great Master, Yoganandaji. Chanting opens for the devotee a way through which the joyous presence of God can be felt".