<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This article looks at how the Krishna devotees in Mayapur, West Bengal, learn how to chant and listen to the sound of the holy name properly. They suggest that if one is ‘pure’ enough and knows how to listen one experiences the syneasthetic level of sound called <italic>pashyanti</italic>. At this level, one can reach beyond the duality of the ‘hidden and manifested’ worlds, the external and internal levels of sound; and one can ultimately see God face to face. This is also considered a level at which one can realise that the sound of God’s name and God himself are the same. I will focus on how the devotees learn to create this sense of intimacy with God through the sound of his holy name, and argue that listening is not merely a process connected to our auditory sense but rather a creative and engaging activity, a skill that one can develop.</p></abstract>

This article looks at how the Krishna devotees in Mayapur, West Bengal, learn how to chant and listen to the sound of the holy name properly. They suggest that if one is ‘pure’ enough and knows how to listen one experiences the syneasthetic level of sound called pashyanti. At this level, one can reach beyond the duality of the ‘hidden and manifested’ worlds, the external and internal levels of sound; and one can ultimately see God face to face. This is also considered a level at which one can realise that the sound of God’s name and God himself are the same. I will focus on how the devotees learn to create this sense of intimacy with God through the sound of his holy name, and argue that listening is not merely a process connected to our auditory sense but rather a creative and engaging activity, a skill that one can develop.

Searching for the Hidden God: The Intimacy of Sound and Listening among Krishna Devotees in Mayapur

Cultural Theory / Social and Cultural Anthropology, Tallinn University, School of Humanities, Uus-Sadama 5, Tallinn 10120

Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

This article looks at how the Krishna devotees in Mayapur, West Bengal, learn how to chant and listen to the sound of the holy name properly. They suggest that...

Searching for the Hidden God: The Intimacy of Sound and Listening among Krishna Devotees in Mayapur

Published Online: Sep 18, 2016

Page range: 3 - 24

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jef-2016-0001

Keywords
Hare Krishna devotees, religion, sound, skill, intimacy

© 2016 Marje Ermel, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Searching for the Hidden God: The Intimacy of Sound and Listening among Krishna Devotees in Mayapur

Published Online: Sep 18, 2016

Page range: 3 - 24

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jef-2016-0001

KeywordsHare Krishna devotees, religion, sound, skill, intimacy

© 2016 Marje Ermel, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Hare Krishna devotees, religion, sound, skill, intimacy