bhajan

bhajan means A type of Indian devotional song.

Why “bhajan” is a great word

A Hindu devotional song, typically in an Indian language, expressing praise, worship, or spiritual ideas. Borrowed from Hindi भजन (bhajan), from Sanskrit भजन (bhajana, "adoration, worship, service"), from the root भज् (bhaj, "to adore, worship, serve, share"), first attested in English around 1910–15. Unlike a *kirtan*, which is a call-and-response chant with a leader and congregation, or a *hymn*, a standardized Christian song of doctrine, the bhajan is a more personal offering. It is the lone voice rising in a dim temple before dawn, the unaccompanied traveler singing on a dusty road, the simple melody murmured before a home shrine—a thread of sound winding through the ordinary world toward the vast and nameless, a private conversation with the divine.

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi भजन (bhajan).

noun

A type of Indian devotional song.“"No, there was never a school," said the child; "but the patwaris bibi lets us come to her of a morning, and teaches us bhajans and our letters, and when we learn well she sometimes gives us fruit."”

Words closest in meaning

By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.

kirtan 90% match — A call-and-response chant performed in India's devotional traditions. vs bhajan →
sangeet 84% match — A gathering for the purpose of singing songs; a musical ceremony. vs bhajan →
qawwali 83% match — A style of Muslim devotional music, especially among the South Asian Sufis, accompanied by drums and harmonium. vs bhajan →
deshbhakti 83% match — patriotism, especially to India. vs bhajan →
psalm 83% match — A sacred song; a poetical composition for use in the praise or worship of God. vs bhajan →
harikatha 82% match — A form of Hindu religious discourse in which the storyteller explores a religious theme, usually the life of a saint or a story from an Indian epic. vs bhajan →
nasheed 82% match — An Islamic musical composition, typically performed a cappella, focusing on religious, spiritual, or moral messages. vs bhajan →
hymnal 82% match — A collection of hymns; a hymn book. vs bhajan →