About the Ensemble

Raas Leela Kirtana was formed in Los Angeles in 2019 through a deep love and passion for Indian devotional Kirtan music and the spiritual teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, the beloved Indian spiritual teacher who brought the ancient science of Yoga and meditation to the West.

The members of the ensemble first came together through their shared musical and spiritual connection to Yogananda's cosmic chants. After years of singing and performing these sacred chants together at their temple, they felt inspired to explore more deeply the ancient devotional tradition of Kirtan and its powerful ability to bring people together through sacred sound.

This journey eventually led to the creation of Raas Leela Kirtana.

The ensemble's early performances quickly revealed the powerful connection that could be created between the musicians and audience through devotional music. Following a successful performance at founder Gopala Bhakta's graduation recital at the California Institute of the Arts, where the group received an enthusiastic response from a sold-out audience, the musicians were inspired to continue developing the project.

What began as a shared musical offering gradually evolved into Raas Leela Kirtana—a dedicated ensemble committed to sharing the beauty, joy, and transformative potential of Kirtan.

In April 2020, Raas Leela Kirtana released its self-titled debut album, Raas Leela Kirtana, across major digital music platforms. The album features original spiritual compositions and celestial soundscapes inspired by the group's devotional practice and musical exploration.

Today, Raas Leela Kirtana continues to create and share original devotional music while honoring the ancient traditions from which Kirtan emerged.

The Music

At the heart of Raas Leela Kirtana is Sankirtan, the collective singing and chanting of sacred names, mantras, and devotional songs.

Kirtan offers a unique musical experience in which there is no separation between performer and audience. Rather than simply listening to a concert, everyone is invited to participate through chanting, singing, meditation, and presence.

Raas Leela Kirtana's repertoire includes:

• Original devotional compositions
• Traditional Indian bhajans
• Sacred mantras
• Cosmic chants of Paramahansa Yogananda
• Meditative and uplifting devotional music

Through rhythm, melody, repetition, and sacred vibration, the music creates an atmosphere where participants can quiet the mind, open the heart, and experience a deeper sense of connection.

For Raas Leela Kirtana, Kirtan is more than music—it is a spiritual practice and an offering of devotion.

The Spiritual Experience

Raas Leela Kirtana approaches Kirtan as a pathway toward deeper states of meditation, devotion, and inner awareness.

The practice of sacred chanting can help gather the scattered attention of the mind and turn it inward toward the Divine. As the chanting deepens, the distinction between musician and listener, performer and audience, can naturally begin to dissolve, creating a shared experience of presence and spiritual connection.

Paramahansa Yogananda described superconscious chanting as a process in which the vibrations of devotional chanting become internalized and lead toward spiritual realization.

In this spirit, Raas Leela Kirtana offers its music as an invitation—not simply to hear sacred sounds, but to experience them.

Each gathering is an opportunity to enter into a shared space of devotion, meditation, joy, and remembrance of the Divine.

The Meaning of “Raas Leela”

The name Raas Leela comes from the ancient Indian tradition describing the divine dance of love between Krishna and the Gopis.

On a deeper symbolic level, the Raas Leela represents the eternal relationship between Spirit and Nature, the soul and the Divine, and consciousness and its creative expression.

The story of Krishna and the Gopis can be understood as a metaphor for the soul's longing for union with Spirit. Krishna represents the Divine Consciousness that is present throughout creation, while the Gopis symbolize individual souls drawn toward their eternal source.

In this vision, the Divine is not distant or separate. The sacred presence can be discovered within one's own consciousness and ultimately recognized in all beings.

As expressed in the Bhagavad Gita:

“He who perceives Me everywhere and beholds everything in Me never loses sight of Me, nor do I ever lose sight of him.”
— Bhagavad Gita VI:30

Paramahansa Yogananda offered a beautiful interpretation of this teaching, describing the divine relationship between God and the devotee as an experience in which the devotee perceives God throughout creation while the Divine lovingly beholds the devotee through every expression of existence.

For Raas Leela Kirtana, this dance of divine love is at the heart of the music.

Our Offering

Raas Leela Kirtana's intention is to create musical spaces where people can come together, sing together, meditate together, and experience the heart-opening power of sacred sound.

Whether experienced in an intimate yoga studio, spiritual community, concert setting, festival, retreat, or sacred gathering, Kirtan provides an opportunity to step away from the distractions of everyday life and reconnect with something deeper within.

You don't need previous experience with Kirtan or meditation to participate.

Simply come as you are, open your heart, and join the chant.

Raas Leela Kirtana welcomes everyone—from longtime practitioners of Bhakti Yoga and meditation to those encountering Kirtan for the very first time.

Our music is offered as a celebration of devotion, unity, love, and the Divine presence within us all.