To proclaim loudly the glories of Parama Purusa, the Supreme Consciousness, is ‘kirtana’. The Parama Purusa does not ask for kirtana; then why do people engage in kirtana?
There is a subtle science behind kirtana. Human beings always strive to proceed from the crude to the subtle; they always seek the subtle amidst the crude and in the subtle, they always seek the subtlest; this is how they advance towards greater and greater subtlety.
Harmonious music inspired people to dance with joy. With human evolution, music, too has evolved from the cruder to more subtle forms, giving birth to simultaneous expres-sion in dance movements, with rhythm and melody an integral part of the symbiosis.
Songs began to reflect a definite system with the introduction of the various ragas and raginis. This was largely done by Sadashiva. Later a perfect blending of song and dance through tala (metre) was developed. Shiva first introduced the dance of tandava and His cosmic partner Parvati developed another special dance known as lalita lasya. This is how, in the process of the artistic endeavour to advance from the crude to the subtle, people developed what is called aesthetic science; and as a result of this subtle development, people no longer appreciated the cruder expressions of life.
Once people had heard something rhythmic and melodious, they could no longer appreciate any crude song or music. The continuous progress from the crude to the subtle, and from the subtle to the subtlest aspects of life, comes within the scope of aesthetic science, and in this process of move- ment ultimately we reach a state in which our refined tastes, feelings and expressions transport us into the realm of Eternal Beauty.
Then those who attain such a state will no longer possess the ability or capacity to taste the beauty of anything: the beauty of music, or the beauty of dance will no longer remain an object of experience for them; because at that time they will have attained a state so intoxicated with joy that they will lose their limited identity, and thus their ability to experience anything. The exalted state beyond aesthetic science is called mohana vijinana or supra-aesthetic science.
The diverse schools of music or dance that people have developed so far, and the many more varied branches of music and dance that will be developed in future, are all meant to provide joy to people through aesthetic science. But kirtana was first created by devotees to give joy to Parama Purusa, and in the process of pleasing and delighting Parama Purusa, the devotees lost themselves. Thus kirtana belongs to the category of supra-aesthetic science.
What is supra-aesthetic science? It is the endeavour to ensconce the microcosmic entity, the individual rhythm in the eternal being, the infinite rhythm of Parama Purusa. So, among all forms of sangita or music, kirtana is the best. Sangita means dance, song and instrumental music. Kirtana is not just song; dance is also a part of it, as also instrumental music. This combination of dance, song and instrumental music creates such a pure and heavenly atmosphere that a person will forget himself. This is the charm and unique characteristic of kirtana.