Affirmation · “The Subconscious Says Yes”
Singing the Name
Pour devotion through singing the names of the Beloved (Krishna / Giridhar) with the whole heart — letting sung, repeated remembrance flood feeling and turn the mind wholly toward God.
In 5 lines: Take a name of the Beloved — Giridhar, Krishna, Hari — and a simple bhajan. Sing it aloud with love, not for performance; let the refrain repeat. Let the body clap, sway, or dance. Seal each song with the Name — “Mira’s Lord is Giridhar Naagar.” Carry a line through the day, so the heart stays coloured by the One you sing.
What it is
Mirabai’s practice was, above all, song. A 16th-century Rajput princess turned wandering devotee of Krishna — whom she most often names Giridhar (“mountain-holder”) — she gave her whole life to bhajan and kirtan: singing the names and praises of the Beloved with the entire heart, frequently with dance.
For Mirabai the sung Name is not performance but the act of love itself. To sing “Giridhar, Giridhar,” with longing and joy, is to keep the mind continuously turned toward God until the singer is wholly absorbed in the One she sings.
This sits in affirmation autosuggestion because its engine is repeated, feeling-saturated vocal phrasing — the loving, rhythmic re-sounding of a divine name and praise until it colours the whole inner state.
It differs from silent japa or recited mantra: Mirabai’s hallmark is sung devotion, aloud and embodied, often danced, often public, “uncontrolled” by social caution. Her every pada ends with the chhap (signature) “Mira’s Lord is Giridhar Naagar” — the Name set, again and again, as the seal of each song.
The Method
Drawn faithfully from Mirabai’s padas and the living bhajan-kirtan practice; an orientation her songs convey, not a numbered drill she set down:
- Choose the Name and a simple song. Take a name of the Beloved — Mirabai’s Giridhar / Krishna / Hari — and a short bhajan or refrain. Plainness is the point; the tune should be easy enough to disappear into.
- Sing aloud, with feeling. Let the voice carry love, not technique. Mirabai sings as one wounded by love — “It’s the name of God that has wounded me.” Bring that warmth and ache, not polished correctness.
- Let the refrain repeat. Return to the Name and refrain over and over; the repetition, sung, is what installs the devotional state. The point is constancy of feeling, not novelty of words.
- Let the body in. Clap, sway, or dance if it comes — Mirabai danced openly: “there is nothing to be ashamed of now / since I have been seen dancing openly.” Embodied rhythm deepens the absorption.
- Seal each song with the Name. As Mirabai closed every pada — “Mira’s Lord is Giridhar Naagar” — end on the Beloved’s name, letting it stamp the heart.
- Carry the singing into the day. Let a line keep turning in you between sittings, so ordinary hours stay coloured by the Name. (Sourcing note: quoted phrases — “the name of God that has wounded me,” “seen dancing openly,” “Mira’s Lord is Giridhar Naagar” — are from standard English translations of Mirabai’s padas (e.g. Nita Ramaiya; widely transmitted versions). Mirabai composed sung padas, not protocols; these steps render the bhajan-kirtan her songs convey, not instructions she dictated.)
Source & Lineage
Mirabai (traditionally c. 1498–1547) is among the most beloved voices of the North Indian bhakti movement, and the great female voice of Krishna devotion. Some 1,200–1,300 bhajans are attributed to her (the genuine core is smaller); her padas in Rajasthani and Braj are still sung across India today.
Her path was sung, public, ecstatic remembrance of Krishna as her one true Lord and husband. This entry is deliberately distinct from neighbouring Name- and chant-practices: unlike (silent, nirguna inward remembrance of the formless One) and / (counted, often silent repetition), Mirabai’s is sung, saguna, embodied bhakti — aloud, melodic, often danced, addressed to the personal Beloved Krishna.
Unlike (a fixed sacred title) it is free, lyrical song; unlike (the inner devotional mood), this entry is specifically the practice of singing the Name.
Common refinements
Singing for performance. Mirabai’s whole stress is love in the singing; aiming at a good performance misses it. Sing for the Beloved, not for ears.
- Dry, feelingless repetition. Without warmth the refrain is just noise; bring the ache and joy.
- Over-complicating the song. A simple refrain you can vanish into beats an elaborate one you must concentrate on.
- Embarrassment shutting the body down. Mirabai’s freedom — singing and dancing openly despite mockery — is part of the medicine; let the body move if it wants.
- Reserving it for sittings. Let a line keep turning through the day; constancy is the point.