E206 - Jahnavi Harrison: Living a Life of Devotion & Embracing Your Voice

**Jahnavi Harrison** (0:00)
I was at the Grammys, you were nominated for Best New Age Album. It does contradict what the values of devotional music are.
I was like, does this fit together or should I even be here? It can create so much dissonance internally. To be accepted, to be approved of. When I was young, I struggled with that. When we're children, we usually sing quite freely, but then we learn how you're meant to be. You can't sing, be quiet. Am I acceptable? Sound can transform your consciousness, carry you somewhere, and yet you got disconnected from it. Just open your heart to it. There's immediate connection. It can hold whatever prayer or emotion that's there within the heart.
Everyone can access that. It doesn't require special skill. You're just offering your voice and helping others be lifted.

**André Duqum** (0:51)
Have there been moments where you've really lost faith in God and self?

**Jahnavi Harrison** (0:57)
This is something I haven't really articulated publicly, but...

**André Duqum** (1:01)
BAKTA YOGA Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the Know Thyself Podcast. Our guest today is a practitioner of Bhakti Yoga, a Grammy-nominated artist, musician, writer, and somebody who's world-renowned for her mantra meditation music. I've loved listening to her art over the years, and I would love to welcome Jnavi Harrison to the show.

**Jahnavi Harrison** (1:29)
JNAVI HARRISON Thank you.

**André Duqum** (1:30)
BAKTA YOGA Thank you for being here.

**Jahnavi Harrison** (1:31)
JNAVI HARRISON Very grateful to be here with you. Thank you, André.

**André Duqum** (1:34)
BAKTA YOGA The pleasure is mine.

**Jahnavi Harrison** (1:35)
I...

**André Duqum** (1:36)
There's a lot that I want to dive into today. I've, like I said, I've really loved your music over the years. And for people that aren't as familiar with Bhakti or devotional music, not just as a form of sound, but also like as a devotional way of being and prayer, could you, how do you describe the difference between like traditional music and what is devotional music?

**Jahnavi Harrison** (2:00)
Yeah, I think, you know, when it comes to kind of genres of music, we're used to defining things by the sound of the music, like do they use this kind of drums or what kind of rhythms or instrumentation.
And when it comes to devotional music, it's something deeper because it's actually, I mean, there are external aspects as well according to different traditions that might, you know, the instruments you might use, but it's really the intention of the music. So devotional music is about offering that music as prayer, as praise of higher power of God, or expressing devotion by even just speaking, singing the names of God. So specifically the tradition of Kirtan that I've grown up with is repeating beloved names of God. And yeah, it's a very joyful, joyful, and also it can hold whatever prayer or you know, emotion that's there within the heart. It's not, it's, yeah, for all times, all times and moments.

**André Duqum** (3:13)
How do you understand sound as like a technology almost to like connect with the divine as one of the most ancient forms of it? How do you see that? Because anyone who's gone to a Kirtan or practiced using their voice in that setting feels the meditative aspect of it, of connecting to a grander field or source or life, however you want to use that term, you know?

**Jahnavi Harrison** (3:36)
Yeah.
I mean, my understanding is that, you know, everything emanates from this supreme being. So he, she are the source of all sound, or every element, you know, has emanates from that source. So particularly when it comes to invoking, you know, sacred sound, whether that be prayer or actually the divine names, the idea is that there's no difference between a divine being or person and the sound. So as a vehicle for prayer and connection, it's just sort of an immediate thing. Like you just invoke that name or that prayer and there's an immediate connection, which is, it's amazing as a concept. And I think it's something that is hard to articulate and convey without having a personal experience of it. It's a very, very personal, individual experience that you have to have by kind of immersing in that.

**André Duqum** (4:49)
It feels like music is the greatest unifying force for all of humanity, you know? It crosses all borders of language and race and...
Do you think there's actually something different in the structure? Like, you listen to like an 808 versus someone singing to God. There's something in the resonance that really carries over vibrationally.

**Jahnavi Harrison** (5:08)
Definitely.

**André Duqum** (5:09)
And it sounds like you feel like when evoking these names and singing these songs, you're like actually directly connecting to that, to what you're praying to, singing to.