Soul Ecstasy

This lead track is a true song of the divine, honoring the different elements of Rama and Krishna. Here, I used the harmonic minor Kiravani scale, which is widely used in Spanish music. It only seemed fitting to bring in the guitar, played in both the Indian and Spanish styles, with the paso doble beat. The result is a rich layering of Eastern and Western influences with a Latin flavor.

HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA
HARE HARE RAMA RAMA
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA
HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE
HARE HARE KRISHNA

RAJEEVA LOCHANA RAMA BHI RAMA
RAMACHANDRA JAYA RAM
YASHODA BALA GOPI GOPALA
GOVARDHAN GHAN SHYAM

RAGHUPATHI RAGHAVA RAJA RAMA
JANAKI JEEVANA RAM
MUKUNDA MADHAVA MURALI GOPALA
GOVINDA RADHEY SHYAM

Call of the Divine was inspired by some of my most cherished childhood memories, waking up to the sounds of large crowds crying out “Govinda” (Protector of the Earth) as they walked the streets in the early mornings. I read the lyrics in a poetry book — that same night, this long piece composed itself. I condensed a long traditional song of 19 verses and created the tunes in a medley of 4 ragas (Bhoopali, Nat Bhairav, Brindavani, Shankara) with an 8-beat Keherwa Taal. The extraordinary percussion masters of India created multiple subdivisions of these 8-beat cycles with very complex rhythm patterns.

GOVINDA

HARI NARAYANA GOVINDA JAYA NARAYANA GOVINDA

HARI NARAYANA JAYA NARAYANA JAYA GOVINDA GOVINDA

BHAKTHA JANA PRIYA GOVINDA
PANKAJA LOCHANA GOVINDA
BHAKTHA JANA PRIYA PANKAJA LOCHANA
PARAMAANANDA GOVINDA

NARAHARI VIGRAHA GOVINDA
NAMITHA ANUGRAHA GOVINDA
NARAHARI VIGRAHA NAMITHA ANUGRAHA GOVINDA
HATHA RIPU VIGRAHA GOVINDA

KAMALA VALLABHA GOVINDA
KAMALA VILOCHANA GOVINDA
KAMALA VALLABHA KAMALA VILOCHANO
KALI MALA NASANA GOVINDA

NISCHALA NISHKALA GOVINDA
NITYA NIRAAMAYA GOVINDA
NISCHALA NISHKALA NITHYA NIRAAMAYA
NIRMALA NIRUPAMA GOVINDA

SEETHA VALLABHA GOVINDA
RADHA VALLABHA GOVINDA
SEETHA VALLABHA RADHA VALLABHA
BHAAMA VALLABHA GOVINDA

HARA ME DHURITHAM GOVINDA
KURU ME KUSALAM GOVINDA
HARA ME DHURITHAM KURU ME KUSALAM
BHAVA ME SHARANAM GOVINDA

The Beatles popularized a basic version of an iconic tune of Hare Rama, Hare Krishna. In Chorus of Joy, I took the beloved first line and moved into additional lyrics in the beautiful Yamani Bilawal raga. I joined elements from a kirtan from my childhood in yaman and a samba in bilawal with the eight-syllable protection mantra Om Na Mo Na Ra Ya Na Ya.

HARE RAMA RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA
HARE RAMA RAMA HARE
HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA
HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE

HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE

NARAYANA HARI NARAYANA HARI
NARAYANA HARI NARAYANA

NARAYANA OM HARI NARAYANA OM
PANDURANGA VITTALA HARI NARAYANA OM

In ancient days, people sang all the time, calling out to the Divine using many names. They sang while walking to work, they sang while they worked the fields, plowing, reaping, and during all their everyday tasks. Harvest Melody starts with a very traditional raga Bhairav and moves into Purya Dhanasri and Pilu. I used a non-traditional 10-beat cycle, or jhap taal, to create a hypnotic beat.

KRISHNAYA VASUDEVAYA
HARAYE PRANATHAATHMANE
PRANATHAKLESHA NAASHAAYA
GOVINDAAYA NAMO NAMAHA
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
HARE KRISHA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE

Marwa is a beautiful, yet, complex raga as it evokes restlessness before resolution. It is also difficult to sing and is traditionally part of advanced training as the microtones have to be very precise. I was inspired to infuse Hare Rama, Hare Krishna with the feel of the Sufi singers using this heavy raga, starting with the traditional 8-beat cycle. In the second section, I changed the tempo and beat to a 7-cycle tala and composed a piece in raga Bhatiyar — an allied raga. In the last section, the whole song goes into an ecstatic trance with a higher tempo as ecstasy builds.

NARAYANAAYA MAHE
VASUDEVAYA DHEEMAHI
THANNO VISHNU PRACHODAYAAT

JAGAT PATHE JAGAT SOOTHE
NAMASTHE JNAANI NAAM PATHE
NAMASTHE BHAGVAAN VISHNO
NARAYANAA NAMOSTHUTHE

JANARDHANA JAGANNATHA
VASUDEVA NAMOSTHUTHE
NAMASTHE BHAGVAN VISHNU
NARAYANAA NAMOSTHUTHE

HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
HARE KRISHA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE

Khamaj is a playful and bright raga that is common in both South and North India. This composition is intended to bring out the spirit of love for the divine — joyous, playful, sparkling love. To capture this essence, I added liberal ornamentation in the notes.

KRISHNAYA VASUDEVAYA
DEVAKI NANDA NAACHAYA
NANDA GOPA KUMARAAYA
GOVINDAAYA NAMO NAMAHA

Jogkauns is a raga that is rarely sung because it has a complex chalan, or path of the scales. Composing in this raga is especially challenging. In this track, we used a lilting 6-beat lullaby-like rhythm to guide listeners through a different dynamic and soundscape. Here, we have a live string orchestra on the recording. Hence, the play on words for the title, Heartstrings.

VINA VENKATESAM NANAATHO NANAATHA
SADA VENKATESAM SMARAAMI SMARAAMI
HARE VENKATESAM PRASEEDA PRASEEDA
PRIYAM VENKATESA PRAYASCHA PRAYASCHA

The Aarti is traditionally a prayer sung at the end of every celebration, festival or gathering. It is an offering of the light within us to a much bigger light . . . and also expresses gratitude. In Glory Rising I used a scale called Todi — with a lot of flat notes to reinterpret this traditional prayer. We also use konnakol — the spoken word of traditional Indian drums — to scat around some rhythms. This track, fittingly, closes the album as a soothing transition to everyday life after an intense emotional experience of ecstasy.

HARE RAMA RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA
HARI RAMA RAMA RAMA
HARI KRISHNA KRISHNA HARI KRISHNA KRISHNA
HARI KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA

SWAMI JAI JAGADEESH HARE
BHAKTHA JANON KE SANKAT SWAMI
DAS JANIN KE SANKAT

KSHAN ME DOOR KARE SWAMI
KSHAN ME DOOR KARE
SWAMI JAI JAGADEESH HARE
SWAMI JAI JAGADEESH HARE

TUM KARUNA KE SAGAR SWAMI
TUM PALAN KARTA
MAIN SEVAK TUM SWAMI SWAMI
KRIPA KARO BARTA

TUM POORAN PARAMATMA SWAMI
TUM ANTARYAMI
PARA BRAHMA PARAMESHAWAR EASHWAR
TUM SAB KE SWAMI

TUM HO EK AGOCHAR SWAMI
SAB KE PRAN PATHI
KIS VIDH MILOO DAYA ME NARAYAN
TUM KO ME JUMTI

SWAMI JAI JAGADEESH HARE