The Radha-Krishna "Bhajans" of Madras City

doi:10.1086/462461

Paper

The Radha-Krishna "Bhajans" of Madras City

Published Dec 1, 1963 · M. Singer

History of Religions

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Abstract

In Madras City a form of congregational devotional worship-called bhajan-is becoming popular and seems to be developing into a Hindu cult that links the cults of temple and domestic worship. Superficially the bhajans resemble the older devotional cults (bhakti) within Hinduism, emphasizing recitation of divine names and worship of personal deities. But the contemporary bhajans show many features that are distinctive of the region within which they have developed, of the social groups that support the development, and of the problems confronting contemporary Hinduism as it tries to adapt itself to modern urban conditions. The bhajan programs followed in Madras today are probably derived from a codification and a philosophy attributed to three teachers who lived in Tanjore district near Kumbakonam in the seventeenth century. The names of these three gurus are invoked in some bhajan songs at the very beginning of a bhajan program. They are: Bodhendra, Sridhara Venkatesa (or "Ayyaval"), and Sadguru Swami. It is quite likely that the use in the bhajans of devotional songs by saints from different regions, the centrality of the Radha-Krishna story, and the general selection and sequence of songs go back to these founders. Influences from other individuals and regions, however, particularly from Bengal and Maharashtra, are also evident. In Madras City the movement is only about fifty years old and may have been

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Key takeawayinfluenced by the Radha-Krishna bhajans of the early twentieth century, but today's bhajans show unique features and characteristics of the Madras region, social groups, and modern urban Hinduism.

PopulationOlder adults (50-71 years)

Sample size24

MethodsObservational

OutcomesBody Mass Index projections

ResultsSocial networks mitigate obesity in older groups.

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The Radha-Krishna "Bhajans" of Madras City

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References

Citations

The Position of Kabir Bhajans in North Indian Music

Kabirdas' bhajans, while not focusing on Hindu deities, maintain the essence of traditional bhajans while focusing on different themes.

The Śrī Maṅkala Vināyakar Satsaṅg Group: Religious Practice and Middle-Class Status in Tamil Nadu, South India

The SMVS Group in Tamil Nadu, India, demonstrates how caste, class, and Hindu religious practice intersect, shaping middle-class women's perceptions and constructions of their identities through religious knowledge sharing and social networks.

The Powers of Polyglossia: Marathi Kīrtan, Multilingualism, and the Making of a South Indian Devotional Tradition

Marathi krtan, a South Indian devotional tradition, has been shaped by its multilingualism and polyglossia, highlighting its role as a unifying religious movement in a secular and impersonal society.

Five Factors Crucial to the Growth and Spread of a Modern Religious Movement

Modern religious movements thrive through an acephalous organizational structure, face-to-face recruitment, commitment, change-oriented ideology, and real or perceived opposition.

India's many Puritans: Connectivity and friction in the study of modern Hinduism

The global circulation of discourse surrounding puritan terms shapes scholarship on modern religious movements in South Asia, creating both enabling and exclusionary frames for understanding modern Hinduism.