ਕੀਰਤਨ

Meaning

Kirtan means the singing of praise. In Sikh practice it is the devotional singing of shabads — hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib — usually set to the raga (musical mode) in which the Guru composed them, and accompanied by the harmonium, tabla and sometimes the tanpura or string instruments.

Kirtan is the heart of Sikh worship. Where many traditions centre on sermons or rituals, the Sikh divan centres on the sung word: the congregation sits and listens as ragis (hymn-singers) sing the Guru's bani, often with the sangat joining in the refrains. At Sri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, kirtan flows continuously from the early morning hours until late at night.

The word also appears in compounds Sikhs use every day: shabad-kirtan (hymn singing), kirtan-darbar (a special kirtan gathering) and Nagar Kirtan — the street procession in which the sangat sings through the town behind the Guru Granth Sahib.

Origin and history

Kirtan began with Guru Nanak himself, who travelled across South Asia and beyond singing his compositions while his companion Bhai Mardana played the rabab, a stringed instrument. The Gurus who followed composed their hymns in specific ragas — the Guru Granth Sahib is organised by raga — and trained musicians to sing them.

This created the rababi tradition: hereditary Muslim musicians who sang Gurbani in the Gurus' courts and later in gurdwaras, a tradition that continued for centuries. In the twentieth century, the Akhand Kirtani movement revived congregational singing in which the whole sangat, not just the ragis, sings together.

Cultural context

Learning kirtan is a core part of growing up Sikh — children learn to play the harmonium and tabla in gurdwara classes, and skilled young ragis are prized at every gurdwara. Major kirtan samagams (festivals) draw thousands, and recorded kirtan from the Golden Temple is streamed by Sikhs worldwide every day.

Kirtan is also sung at life's milestones: at Anand Karaj (weddings), at the birth of a child, and at funerals, where Kirtan Sohila closes the service. To 'do kirtan' can mean performing it or simply attending and absorbing it — both count as worship.

ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਰਥ

ਕੀਰਤਨ ਦਾ ਅਰਥ ਹੈ ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਦਾ ਗਾਇਨ। ਸਿੱਖ ਧਰਮ ਵਿੱਚ ਕੀਰਤਨ ਉਪਾਸਨਾ ਦਾ ਕੇਂਦਰ ਹੈ। ਰਾਗੀ ਜਥੇ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ ਦੇ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਰਾਗਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਗਾਉਂਦੇ ਹਨ ਅਤੇ ਸੰਗਤ ਬੈਠ ਕੇ ਸਰਵਣ ਕਰਦੀ ਹੈ। ਹਾਰਮੋਨੀਅਮ, ਤਬਲਾ ਅਤੇ ਤਾਨਪੂਰਾ ਕੀਰਤਨ ਦੇ ਮੁੱਖ ਸਾਜ਼ ਹਨ।

ਸ੍ਰੀ ਹਰਿਮੰਦਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਵੇਰ ਤੋਂ ਰਾਤ ਤੱਕ ਕੀਰਤਨ ਦਾ ਪ੍ਰਵਾਹ ਜਾਰੀ ਰਹਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ। ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇਵ ਜੀ ਆਪ ਭਾਈ ਮਰਦਾਨੇ ਦੇ ਰਬਾਬ 'ਤੇ ਕੀਰਤਨ ਕਰਦੇ ਸਨ। ਇਸੇ ਪਰੰਪਰਾ ਨੂੰ ਰਬਾਬੀ ਕੀਰਤਨੀਏ ਸਦੀਆਂ ਤੱਕ ਨਿਭਾਉਂਦੇ ਰਹੇ।

ਅੱਜ ਹਰ ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਬੱਚੇ ਕੀਰਤਨ ਸਿੱਖਦੇ ਹਨ। ਵਿਆਹਾਂ, ਗੁਰਪੁਰਬਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਨਗਰ ਕੀਰਤਨਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਕੀਰਤਨ ਸਿੱਖ ਜੀਵਨ ਦਾ ਅਨਿੱਖੜਵਾਂ ਅੰਗ ਹੈ।