As we are all aware, our beloved Bhagwan Shri Satya Sai Baba began his mission of enlightening mankind 63 years ago, by singing the bhajan, "Manas bhaj re guru charanam, dustar bhavasagar taranam," meaning, o mind, chant the name of the Lord, the Guru, as he alone can lead you across this mundane ocean of Samsara, the cycle of birth and death. Such is the importance of Namasmaran or bhajan. Let us look more deeply in to the important aspects of bhajan singing. This could be divided in to 5 basic criteria, selection of a bhajan, the shruti or the pitch, the laya or the rhythm, the bhava or expression and overall presentation. Let us briefly study each aspect individually.

1. Selection of a bhajan: It is observed many a times that a singer chooses a bhajan merely because he/she likes it and enjoys listening to it. But the singer doesn't realise if it suits his voice or temperament. So it is very essential for a singer to choose a bhajan which he can render best, rather than getting carried away by a tune of a particular bhajan.

2. Shruti, or the pitch: Once the bhajan is chosen, the singer has to identify in which pitch or shruti he wishes to sing the bhajan. For example, a singer with a strong base voice could choose a lower scale and a person with a more shrill voice could opt to sing in a higher pitch.

3. Laya, or the rhythm: Each bhajan has an inherent laya or rhythm and tempo in it. The singer, while practising a bhajan, has to take great care to see that he doesn't tamper with this basic rhythm and the speed of the bhajan and sticks to the same, both, in the firstand the second speeds. Just to make it clear, the bhajans need to be sung in 2 speeds, with the second speed distinctly faster than the first. All the intricacies in a bhajan could be reproduced in its first speed, but in the second speed, tempo has to be given more importance, so that the bhajan reaches a very good crescendo.

4. Bhava, or the expression: After taking care of the technical aspects of bhajan singing like the pitch and the rhythm, the bhava, or the feeling related to a particular bhajan needs to be paid attention at. Mere mechanical rendition, or a rendition marked by high technical provice is not enough for the bhajan to reach the lotus feet of the Lord. The singer needs to put his heart and soul in to it. For this, he must decide well in advance as to which bhajan he plans to render, so that he enters in to the mood of that bhajan and is able to catch its soul. The above mentioned technical factors are just tools for the singer to help him in this endeavour. But bhajan singing will be futile if the expression and the grip is missing.

5. Overall presentation: Finally, a few other factors like proper pronounciation of words, perfect voice modulation, singing in front of the mike, etc. all add up to make a good overall presentation of a bhajan.

To conclude, all the above aspects can be implemented in to a bhajan only with proper training and guidance of a Guru and relentless practise on the part of the singer.