Customer Reviews

Chants Of India

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This CD is unlike anything you might ever hear. It is not so much the music of Shankar or Harrison or anyone else - it is the music of the Gods, manifested through Shankar and the talent surrounding him. The vocal harmonies and the music swim with each other in a sonic sea of indescribable beauty. A friend played this at work and I simply had to close my eyes and swoon a bit at the lush wash of sound. I purchase about one CD a year, if that. When I heard this for the first time, I bought it the very next day. I certainly have never written a review; I came to Amazon just for this purpose, for the privilege of telling others about it. Nearly every review here is five stars. The two disappointed reviews are from listeners who had some definite expectations about sitar or classical Indian music. I am so sorry for them being so boxed in that they did not recognize the gift that came to them despite their expectations. This music will not be boxed in, it is universal, expansive and extraodinarily appealing. It is so spiritually pure that buying it is merely incidental to the benefit it provides to all life, everytime it is played anywhere.

This collection of chants from ancient Indian scriptures is simply the best you can get of such a collection. It starts, as in traditional Indian music, with a chant for Lord Ganesh. The collection is quite varied from chantings of a specific God such as the goddess of Learning (Saraswathi); chantings from the Gita (the famous Karmanyeva adhikareste, which states that one should refrain from acting with expectations about results) and the vedas - there is the other famous Gayathri mantra. The chants are authentic in their rendering in terms of the utterences and adherence to tradition.

For the westerner, all the chants may make no sense at all. But the quality of the vocals tends to give one a feeling of sacredness and sanctity. Some of the chants are melodious; Ravi Shankar's sitar is quite evident in most of these; but it doesn't dominate as with his other renderings. The chants are the main body.

This CD is ideal if your roots are Indian, and you want your child to listen and learn from these. It is nice background music for a religious gathering or for a Yoga class. I use this for many of my Yoga classes. It is not infrequent, that some of my students request this particular CD be the background music for their Yoga class.

The point of this cd, to me, is that it is *chant.* It is primarily vocal music, rather repetitive but tuneful, and it is designed to be sung by ordinary people, not necessarily trained voices. It is not sitar or ragas. I am not Hindu or a specialist in music of any kind, but I find it pleasing to listen to--it is exotic without being overly weird, it is relaxing without being soporific, and I enjoy it while driving. I don't know that it will bring about enlightenment, but it lightens my day.

i love this cd, track 15 prabhujee is gorgeous! you can listen to it on repeat and just melt,
the translation is:
"Oh Master, show some compassion on me. Please come and dwell in my heart because without you, it is painfully lonely. Fill this empty pot with nectar of love. I do not know any Tantra, Mantra or ritualistic worship. I know and believe only in you. I have been searching for you all over the world. Please come and hold my hand now."

In Chants Ravi Shankar has attempted to put together a representative selection of chants, mantras and hymns from ancient Indian scriptures. The result is an album that is at once a journey into sublimity and a musical delight. For those of us who are already familiar with these renowned and time-tested chants and mantras, it is yet another cherished rendition. For those unfamiliar with them, the CD will still be a listening experience that is different and yet satisfying. ND

The chants sung in genuine vedic style and with the clearest, authentic sanskrit pronounciation and embellished by the masterly touch of Legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar create an atmosphere that can only be felt; can't be described. All the chants are universal in appeal. Each of them echoes the highest human thoughts and aspirations since the vedic times. A must buy for anybody intersted in Indian spiritual thought. It is for everyone, everywhere.

Ravi Shankar and George Harrison are two of this world's greatest composers and musicians, so it makes sense that a unified effort would be incredible. It is, but not just because of these two men... To backtrack a little, my Mom and Dad first bought this CD when I was about five; it had George Harrison's name under the word producer and (I think) they were beginning to be interested in the Hindu faith. In those days, and for many years, I had no idea what the words they were saying meant. I was simply captivated by the repeated, strange phrases and the beautiful music they were set to. The music is still one of my favorite parts of the CD and without it, the CD would barley be half of what it is, but now being much older I have had the opportunity to delve into the booklet inside the CD case. These words, whether traditional or written by Ravi Shankar are a beauty in and of themselves. Each one prays for spiritual enlightenment, better knowledge of a diety or knowledge and wisdom in general. The recurring theme of peace and safty/tranquility among all things is also welcome. An example of this earnest praying is "O,Lord lead me from the unreal to the real. Lead me from the darkness to the light [from ignorance to knowledge]. Lead me from death to immortality. May there be peace, peace and perfect peace" ( from track 4, Asato Maa.) Also to be carefully headed are those chants which dwell proper human action, such as "You have but the right to perform action; you have no hold on the results thereof. May you not seek the rewards of action and may you never engage in wrong action.[This is not an excuse for inaction!" ( track 9, Geetaa.) There are other varied but always interesting chants here: instructions by a guru or teacher for his students (track 3, Vedic Chanting One), chants praising certain gods, and most fascinating of all, chants wishing for peace and tranquility. These such as Mangalam (track 11) and Sarve Shaam (track 16 and a huge favorite), combined with beautiful instrumental interludes (those who have seen 'Concert for George' may be reminded of Arpan), and the exquisite instrumentation and production by George Harrison (rest in Son of Hari!) come together to make a sublime and deep, enlightening musical experience. This truly a gorgeous album, incredible to listen to (though to get it just for the beatiful instruments, or the name of the producer for that matter, would be to miss the point.) If I tried to list favorites I'd probably end up listing the whole album. Here are a few highlights: Vandanaa Trayee, the opening track and a beautiful combination of introductory music, three sepearte prayers and interludes, tracks 3 and 14, the two vedic chants, Mangalam, a prayor for peace, and the similar Sarve Shaam, Asato Maa, tracks 5, 7, and 8 (7/8 CAN get repetative after a while,12 and 13 ( atmospheric intstrumental trackss), Geetaa, and a Ravi Shankar original Prabhujee. This, track 15 of 16, is a wondefully melodic, well-produced and warming, beautiful prayer for divine enlightenment and is worth a good listen. Track 2 has an interesting concept to it as well. All in all, this album is a wonderful buy for those interested in Hindu chants, beatuiful music or just spritual enlightenment. Well produced, beautiful instruments, deep, depth-filled chants- what more can the open minded listen want!? 5/5. Om shaantih, Shaantih, Shaantih [Amen; May there be peace, peace and perfect peace.]

This is not a Sitar album, so don't expect it. It is a good introduction to many of Hindu India's most popular chants. They keep the simplicity of the original and mood of the chants, while adding enough instrumentation to make them interesting for listeners. I am less enthusiastic, however, then some of the reviewers. In some ways, the album is betwixt and between. It neither has the depth of traditional but ancient renditions of these chants, nor the creativity and interest of cutting edge world music or asian underground. In the end, Ravi Shankar is a master, so any album he produces is worth the listen.

This is one of my most cherished disks. I find the Sanskrit mantras rendered in Ravi Shankar's compositions, as well as the traditional Vedic chanting heard on this disk, definitive and powerfully moving. Additonally, the modern-style love song to God, "Prabhujee", features beautiful words and melody over George Harrison's acoustic guitar chording, evoking deep feeling, longing for the Divine.

When I bought this disk years ago, it came with a booklet featuring extensive liner notes, including the Sanskrit portions written in the Devanagari script, with transliterations and translations by Panditjee himself. This disk has thereby proven itself a great resource in my studies of Sanskrit, enabling me to read - and therefore properly pronounce - these important verses. I hope this information is still provided in the disk, as a version I bought in India omitted these extensive texts.

A string of pearls for peace and harmony. It elevates the basic principles of the religion. To enjoy this CD to the maximum, I recommend people to initially read through as they listen, the enclosed booklet which is printed in Sanskrit, English and with the meaning of each serene rhymes, slokas and hymns and the next time.... sing along with it - you will feel the difference in your inner self : Tranquility. It is a marvelous work by Shankar and Harrison.