A bhajan is a devotional song meant to be sung together rather than performed. Most are built for repetition — a short line, an even rhythm, and a melody a gathering can pick up without rehearsal.
The five below are among the most widely sung in India. They span different deities and different centuries: a Vedic mantra to Shiva, two Vaishnava dhuns of divine names, a Ramdhun that became a national song, and a pada by a sixteenth-century poet-saint. Each page explains what the words mean, who the song addresses, and when devotees traditionally sing it.