Yogananda photo
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COSMIC CHANTS
AJourney Through Yogananda’s
Early Spiritualized Chants
Prayer
May the Cosmic Chants serve to unite all Yogananda’s devotees, whether they belong to SRF, to Ananda, or to any other organization. While in our minds we can be distant and hard, in our devotional hearts we are united and tender. When we chant, may all barriers break down so that only love remains. Jai Guru.
Introduction
Great soul,
You are invited on this journey through Yogananda’s early Cosmic Chants, as he first printed them in 1938. The journey highlights their inspired background, their transcendental beauty, and their spiritual power. Some of them you may not even have heard.
You are also invited to sing along: often with Swami Kriyananda, or with Durga Mata, the SRF monks, Ananda devotees, or with Yogananda himself (the source is always given, most chants can be found on YouTube).
Let us begin on this musical journey with the following prayer of Yogananda in mind:
“Teach us to chant in harmony
our love’s many expressions unto Thee,
that our melody of souls may r
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By Paramahansa Yogananda
[Chant traditions from many cultures are being recognized today not only for their intrinsic beauty but also for their spiritual power. Paramahansa Yogananda was a pioneer in introducing India's art of devotional chanting to the West. In the Preface to his book Cosmic Chants, written in the 1930s, he explains how "spiritualized" chants help to quiet and focus the mind in preparation for meditation:]
Popular songs are usually inspired through sentiment or passing interests. But a song born out of the depths of true devotion to God and continuously chanted, audibly or mentally, until response is consciously received from Him in the form of boundless joy, is a spiritualized song.
Such songs like live matches produce the fire of God-awareness whenever they are struck on the foundation stone of devotion. Ordinary songs are like wet matches that do not produce any spark of divine realization.
Each of the Cosmic Chants in this book has been spiritualized; that is, at various gatherings each song has been sung aloud and mentally until the chanters found act
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Cosmic Chants
Inspired by his own direct experience of the Divine, Paramahansa Yogananda composed many songs in the tradition of India’s devotional chanting. This book contains words and music to more than fifty of his original chants.
Excerpts From the Prelude by Paramahansa Yogananda
“Popular songs are usually inspired through sentiment or passing interests. But a song born out of the depths of true devotion to God and continuously chanted, audibly or mentally, until response is consciously received from Him in the form of boundless joy, is a spiritualized song.
“Such songs like live matches produce the fire of God-awareness whenever they are struck on the foundation stone of devotion. Ordinary songs are like wet matches that do not produce any spark of divine realization.
“Each of the Cosmic Chants in this book has been spiritualized; that is, at various gatherings each song has been sung aloud and mentally until the chanters found actual response from God. It is hoped that every reader will sing these chants, not as ordinary music to please the ear or emotions,
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