Night Time Prayer Meditation
Kirtan Sohila is a night time prayer in five hymns written in the sacred script of Gurmukhi by Guru Nanak, Guru Ram Das and Guru Arjan during the 16th century. It is sung or recited before going to sleep.
What we do or think just before sleeping is affecting the activity of our subsconsciousness during our sleeping and dreaming. Therefore, is it particularly important and beneficial to occupy our mind with the best possible vibration and message for it to heal and rest during night.
"Come, O Death, You Brother of Sleep"
The process of falling asleep bears some resemblance to the process of dying (“Come, o death, you brother of sleep” – Johann Franck for J.S. Bach) in the sense that we have to give up control, surrender body and mind, and wait for the grace for it to happen, but also in the sense that we can practise to stay conscious during the process. Another similarity is the trust required that we will be protected during sleep and that we will wake up again to a new morning with new light.
Apart from that, the remembrance of death and the constant awareness of the limited time of our life are important aspects of the process of “awakening” to the soul and the fulfillment of life’s destiny and meaning. This is called Rehit Maryada, the lifestyle in remembrance of death. Therefore, our death is one of the subjects in these hymns in the symbolic “great wedding” to our Origin or the Divine Universal Soul.
Light at the End of the Tunnel
Another subject is the light. Whenever it gets dark in our lives, we need strength, faith and trust that we can bear gracefully whatever may come, that we can do whatever required, and that there will always be Light at the end of the tunnel.
Read & Meditate with Kirtan Sohila
You can download the Kirtan Sohila in English and German translations in two different formats: As A4 pdf to print out or read on a computer screen, or as a mobile-friendly pdf to read on a mobile phone. (Reading time ca. 5-6 minutes)
Sleep Well !