This is a simple and commonly played chant. One of its challenges is finding spaces to breathe, because the lyrics are a little dense, especially in the B section, and the second half goes relatively high in pitch. That can be mitigated by choosing a moderate tempo, and not going faster than you can handle for your breath.

Song Form

A Who tells me Thou art dark, O my Mother Divine? x2

B Thousands of suns and moons from Thy body do shine! x2

Notes

• Each line is 2 bars in 4/4, so the length of the form is 8 bars.

• The form is simple: A twice, then B twice, back and forth.

• In a kirtan context, a nice part to repeat, either as an intro or as a repeated section to end, is the second half of A: "O my Mother Divine, O my Mother Divine…", as in Br. Bhaskarananda's 2023 Convocation Monks' Kirtan.

• You can also repeat B two extra times at some point to create emphasis on that section.

• This can be a nice chant to start at a moderate pace and then get a little faster to build energy.

Listen to SRF Recordings

Videos on YouTube

• 2023 Convocation Monks' Kirtan (Br. Bhaskarananda)

• Thousands of Suns (SRF Cosmic Chant video)

• Thousands of Suns (Sankirtan led by SRF Nuns)

• 2023 Convocation Nuns' Kirtan (3-hour)

• 2026 Convocation Nuns' Kirtan (90-minute)

Audio Recordings

• Thousands of Suns (Bro. Kamalananda), from the album Thy Heart of Hearts
  Spotify · Apple Music · Tidal

• Thousands of Suns (Sr. Ishwari), from the album Light the Lamp of Thy Love
  Spotify · Apple Music · Tidal

• Thousands of Suns (instrumental), from the album The Divine Gypsy
  Spotify · Apple Music · Tidal

• Thousands of Suns (instrumental), from the album I Am the Sky
  Spotify · Apple Music · Tidal