Ep. 293 – Where Souls Meet, With Kirtan by Jai Uttal

Ram Dass Here And Now

Ram Dass / Love Serve Remember

Religion & Spirituality, Ram, Spirituality, Hinduism, Wisdom, Newage, Ramdass, Ram Dass, Society & Culture

4.8 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 15 December 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this special December treat, featuring kirtan from Jai Uttal, Ram Dass speaks about opening to change and merging with the Beloved.

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This episode of Here and Now comes from an event at Spirit Rock Meditation Center on July 31, 2000.

Ram Dass begins by exploring how Shiva is the aspect of God that rules over change. He talks about changing our self-concept from identification with our egos to identification with our souls. Devotional chanting, or kirtan, is one way to work on transforming ourselves.
Speaking about merging with the Beloved, Ram Dass shares how his relationship with his guru evolved after Neem Karoli Baba left his body. He talks about the place of joy that exists inside all of us. That’s the yum-yum place.
Jai Uttal takes over and leads a rousing kirtan to connect us all to that yum-yum place. He begins by explaining the chant: “Sita Ram, Sita Ram, Sita Ram, Jai Sita Ram. Sita, the infinite Goddess. Ram, the infinite God. Jai or Jaya, praise or victory.”

About Jai Uttal:

Jai Uttal is a Grammy-nominated sacred music composer, recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, and ecstatic vocalist. Having traveled extensively in India, he met many great saints and singers, and Bhakti Yoga became his personal path. Jai has been leading, teaching, and performing kirtan around the world for nearly 50 years. He creates a safe environment for people to open their hearts and voices. Kirtan Camp with Jai Uttal starts on January 25, 2026. Nurture the seeds of love and take a journey into the healing power of sound. Sign up now.

About Ram Dass:

Ram Dass’s spirit has been a guiding light for generations, carrying millions along on the journey. Ram Dass teaches that through the Bhakti practice of unconditional love, we can all connect with our true nature. Through these teachings, Ram Dass has shared a little piece of his guru, Maharaj-ji, with all who have listened to him. Learn more at ramdass.org.

“You know those cherries, chocolate-covered cherries? They’re like hard on the outside, but they’re soft and yum, yum, yum inside. We are just chocolate-covered cherries. That’s all we are. And that yum, yum, yum, yum, that’s the joy, that’s the bhakti. Yum, yum, yum, yum. Because we meet each other in the yum-yum place.” – Ram Dass

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Transcript

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0:00.0	When you sing these Bajan, Kyrton, you will start to transform yourself.
0:23.6	It's a method for transformation.
0:29.6	It's a method working with your heart for transformation.
0:46.5	Welcome to another here and now episode with Ram Dass.
0:52.8	This is number 293 and includes Kirtan with Jai Utal.
1:02.8	So this episode was recorded at Spirit Rock Meditation Center on July 31st, 2000.
1:14.0	And this is an interesting date to note because it is a few years after Ram Dass had suffered from the stroke that dramatically altered his body and his speech. So in this talk, he speaks about change, real change, the kind that isn't cosmetic or
1:21.1	strategic, but is so fundamental. It touches how we understand who we are. It's the kind that the ego doesn't usually
1:30.5	bargain for and isn't always so excited about. But he sort of invites us to gently look at our
1:36.4	self-concept, to notice how strongly we cling to the stories of who we are and how frightening it can be to let those stories loosen.
1:48.0	And given what's going on in his life, he is doing this practice in real time.
1:54.3	This talk also might be one of my all-time favorite descriptions of Bhakti Yoga, this path of heart and devotion and
2:03.6	participation. And he talks about how devotional chanting or kirtan, it's not just beautiful
2:10.3	music, it's a method. It's a technology of the heart, a way of transforming identification through love. Instead of pushing
2:20.1	away the ego, we sing it open. And that's what we do at the end of the talk. So when Jai Uthal
2:27.3	comes on to sing, I invite you to sing aloud, even if it's your very first time, be loud. You
2:32.8	don't have to be on key.
2:41.9	Jai is a beloved musician and a longtime friend of Ram Dass and just a master a devotional chant.
2:49.6	And we just spent five days in Maui singing each night with Krishna Das at the Ram Dass,
2:52.1	Open Your Heart in Paradise Retreat.
2:54.7	And it really did deliver.
2:59.6	It really was this Bhakti devotional heart opening experience.
	...

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