Lead me from untruth to truth
Lead me from darkness to light
Lead me from the final death to fullness in immortality
Without you I am incomplete
Grant me the gift of seeing you

- words adapted from a Gujarati Indian prayer, which is a vernacular version of the more ancient vedic Sanskrit prayer, "Asato ma sad gamaya," from the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, section 1.iii.28.

Asato Ma is an ancient prayer from India. Aradhna used the Gujarati words to compose this song and made a refrain from the names of Jesus as spoken in different cultures; Isu, his name in Gujarat, India. Isa Alaiya Salam (Jesus may peace be upon Him) from Arabic and Urdu, Yeshua in Hebrew, Yeshu in Hindi, and as the western world knows him, Jesus. This is a song for peace.

We think of the history of the world and all the suffering that has come about because of religious differences and we use these different names as a statement and invitation for all peoples to say this prayer with India and with us.

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
--Isa Alaiya Saalam

"One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means.
--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Asato Ma

A Yeshu Bhakta (devotee of Jesus) rises every morning and pours out his prayers into a brass vessel. Carrying the vessel through the streets, he offers these prayers into the Ganges River, a symbol of his suffering Lord, a pure river, that for thousands of years has embraced life and death, and the pollution of humanity. With quiet hope, he immerses the pot, and fills it with the life of his Lord. Then he returns home to pray again for the city he loves.

Holy River

"Ultimate Reality"
We greet you
In you the whole Universe is held together
Your life fills every nucleus that has ever been created
You dwell in our flesh and bones...

The diya, or Indian oil lamp, a symbol of worship,
is floated on the Ganges river early in the morning.
The vastness and power of the swollen river
is a reflection of God who created it.

Not far from this tranquil scene,
just up from the river's edge,
there is a deep well called the Lolark Kund
whose stone steps form the shape of a cross.
It remains closed, except for one day in the year.

On this day, thousands of married couples
in their last hope to be granted a child by God,
descend the steps together
break their glass wedding bangles,
throw off all visible signs of their marriage,
and plunge five times into the claustrophobic waters.
They emerge and remove the drenched and cursed clothing,
changing into new clothes and climbing the steps with renewed hope.

This is worship.
To be content, but to also weep with longing.

God embraces us in either case

NAMASTE SATE´

Namaste Saté

Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy
Those who are poor in this world
Blessed are they, blessed are they
For the kingdom of heaven is theirs
Blessed are they, blessed are they
They who mourn in this world, will have peace
The meek in this world, will rule
Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy
Those whose hearts are pure in this world will see God
Those who make peace will be called the children of God

Mukteshwar

Dharti is the first track on Aradhna's upcoming May 18, 2012 release Sapna.  

Pre order Sapna http://aradhnamusic.storenvy.com/products/311891-sapna-prerelease-2012

Dharti

ARADHNA's performance of "Namaste Saté", recorded in Nashville, TN on August 4, with special guests Luke Skaggs and Stephen Roach from Songs of Water. 
You can find the full performance on ARADHNA's upcoming release "Live in Concert". Digital Download and Vinyl pre-releases available now. Full release is January 26, 2013.

All proceeds from this album will go directly to Freedom Firm (www.freedom.firm.in)
Go to www.aradhnamusic.storenvy.com to order pre-release packages.

Namaste Saté // LIVE

Aradhna is the spiritually charged Hindi term that means adoration. With roots that extend to decades spent in India, Nepal and America, Aradhna has powerfully melded Indian classical melody, rhythm, and devotional lyrics, with the sounds of folk music and rock.  This is an intimate, yet immense sound. Sitarist and vocalist, Chris Hale, an American, spent his childhood and adolescence in South Asia, where he gained fluency in Nepali and Hindi. It was in these formative years that Chris began to study the sitar and develop a love for Indian classical and devotional music. In 1999, Pete Hicks, who also has roots in India, joined Chris.  Aradhna was formed with the recording of their first album, Deep Jalé in 2000.  In early 2011, they released their sixth album, “Namaste Saté,” with a companion DVD, “Sau Guna,” filmed in Varanasi, India.

“Aradhna is simply glorious music. It’s quiet and contemplative at times, other times bursting with the kind of pent-up passion that Sigur Ros delivers... It’s soul music in all the best senses of the term.” Andy Whitman

“…hauntingly beautiful ... the songs stick to the soul despite language barriers…. I was caught totally off guard.” - Mark K., West Palm Beach, Florida

"Music is truly healing and the Yesu Bhakti provided by Aradhna touches the hearer at soul-level, regardless of their root spiritual tradition. Like the work of other kirtan masters, Aradhna's music, from gentle flowing to pulsing and strong, pushes the barrier to the heart aside and lets in the Light."  - Rolinda LeMay

Aradhna

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