''Bhakti Without Borders'' is a

Mantra A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...

Music charity album by Madi Das. It was released May 12, 2015 and nominated for a

Grammy award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

that year in the " Best New Age Album" category. At the time, this was only the third kirtan album received this honor. ''Bhakti Without Borders'' was listed as one of the "10 Best Yoga Tunes of the Year" by ''

Yoga Journal ''Yoga Journal'' is a website and digital journal, formerly a print magazine, on yoga as exercise founded in California in 1975 with the goal of combining the essence of traditional yoga with scientific understanding. It has produced live events ...

''. It also ranked third in the "Top 20 Conscious Music Albums for 2015" competition by ''Soul Traveller''. In 2017 the track "Shri Radhe" (featuring Chaytanya) was included on a compilation album called "Sri Ma: Chants of Divine Mother," released by White Swan Records and the track "Bhaja Govindam" (featuring Jahnavi Harrison) was included on an Apple Music Yoga playlist. ''Bhakti Without Borders'' blends melodies from the

East India East India is a region consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The states of Bihar and West Bengal lie on the Indo-Gangetic plain. Jharkhan ...

Bhakti ''Bhakti'' (; Pali: ''bhatti'') is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love.See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. In Indian religions, it ...

tradition with the folk, bluegrass and country elements of traditional

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

and

Irish music Irish music is music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland. The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music (or Irish folk music). It has remained vibrant through the 20th and into the 21st ...

. Madi Das sings a duet with a different female vocalist on each track. Featured singers: Acyuta Gopi, Ananda-Amrita, Carmella Gitanjali Baynie, Chaytanya Nitai, Gaura Mani, Gaurangi,

Jahnavi Harrison Jahnavi Harrison, also known by her spiritual name, Jahnavi Jivana dasi, is a British musician known for her Hindu mantra meditation music (kirtan). She regularly appears as a presenter on BBC Radio 4's '' Something Understood'' programme and BB ...

, Mallika Des Fours, Nalina Kaufman, Sudevi Devi Dasi & Tulsi Devi. Being a charity album, all profits benefit underprivileged girls at the Sandipani Muni School in

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. As of December 2017, approximately $23,000 had been contributed to assist 43 girls for one year's education.

Track listing

Personnel

* Madi Das: Lead Vocals * Acyuta Gopi, Ananda-Amrita, Carmella Gitanjali Baynie, Chaytanya Nitai, Gaura Mani, Gaurangi, Jahnavi Harrison, Mallika Des Fours, Nalina Kaufman, Sudevi Devi Dasi & Tulsi Devi: Featured singers * Dave Stringer: Guitar, Appalachian Dulcimer, Backing Vocals * Patrick Richey: Tabla, Cajon, Ghatam, Rebolo, Dumbek, Tavil, Giro, Shakers * Sheela Bringi: Harmonium, Bansuri * Shree Shyam: Bass * Matt Pszonak: Pedal Steel * Tulsi Devi: Violin Recorded, edited and mixed by Krishan. Mastered by Stefan Heger. All songs written and arranged by Madi Das and Dave Stringer. The record label is Kulimela Association. The album was produced by Dave Stringer. Album Cover Art & Design: Evan Horback & Neha Agarwal.

Reception

Grammy nominated Kirtan artist

Jai Uttal Jai Uttal (born June 12, 1951) is an American musician. He is a Grammy-nominated singer and “a pioneer in the world music community with his eclectic East-meets-West sound.” Biography Uttal grew up in New York City and lived in a home fille ...

raves about ''Bhakti Without Borders'', "I love this CD! It's so full of light! A beautiful offering of heart, love, and soul." ''The Bhakti Beat'' adds, "Pure joy on every track. Sweet, mellifluous, nectar..." ''The Indian Eagle'': "A euphoria that strikes strings of the heart and touches the depth of your soul."

Deva Premal Jolantha Fries (born 2 April 1970), known professionally as Deva Premal, is a German singer known for her performances of Sanskrit mantras. Her music is composed and produced with Prabhu Music. Her album ''Deva'' (2018) was nominated for a Gramm ...

: "Allow the beautiful voice and transcendent music of Madi Das to transport you, and support the education of young women in Vrindavan." The Namaste Counsel: "This is the

We Are The World "We Are the World" is a charity single recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones for the album '' We Are the World''. With sales in excess of 20 milli ...

for the Kirtan community and its global hues are inescapable." Madhava Smullen for

ISKCON News The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 ...

: "One of the catchiest Kirtan albums you're likely to hear. Immaculate production by Dave Stringer with some of the best musicians on the Kirtan scene."

References

{{Authority control 2015 albums