Chants Encounter, Album Download

By

Laksmi Nrsimha Dasa

About

Other worldly, meditative, ancient mantras glorifying Sri Krishna performed by seasoned artist Laksmi Nrsimha das. A unique blend of ragas, Indian village sound and western singing technique using exotic instruments such as ektar, vina, harmonium, tambura and mrdanga.

Rewind to 1968. An eighteen-year-old middle-class Jersey boy enters his first year at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania. Even in conservative Reading, the signs of the times are blossoming everywhere. Long hair, beards and mustaches, flannel shirts, blue jeans, and a burgeoning art and music scene begin to sprout up on campus and around town.

Along with the creative vibrancy of the 60's Renaissance, various melodies of spirituality float through campus. The young man gets caught up in it all.

I was a fledgling seeker. Fueled by progressive professors in English literature and art, as well as my newfound thirst for books from the East, I began my spiritual quest in earnest.

In this exciting environment, I had my first "chants" encounter. It was a typical evening of hanging out and listening to music, sometime during my junior year in 1971. The album Hair, which had been kicking around for a few years, was lying next to the record player. My friend Paul, the self-appointed DJ, put it on, and we listened to the tribal calls of the New York City wild. One cut on the album particularly grabbed my attention: "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare."

"What's that!" I yelled.

Nobody seemed to know, but in jest we spontaneously broke out into a boisterous chorus, echoing the bohemian singers. We played that hypnotic song a good part of the night.

Call it karma or good fortune, but it was exactly the right time?and the right consciousness?for me to come into contact with this modern rendition of a timeless Sanskrit hymn from India's Vedic texts. The next day, my friend Lynn and I, electrified by the previous night's chanting, skipped through campus singing the mantra at the top of our lungs.

We were a sight to behold for sure, but that innocent encounter with mantra meditation foretold my future. A year later I came in contact with the writings and pure, unique chanting of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, who soon became my lifelong spiritual mentor and endless source of inspiration.

Product Details

• Play time: 1 hour, 17 minutes
• Released: 2009
• All materials Copyright ©2009 Half-man Half-lion
• This product is also available as a CD here... 

Download Details

• Files: 8 MP3 files
• File size: One zip file (148.46 MB)
• How to download from the Krishna.com Store

Samples