A long time ago, there lived two sisters on a beautiful island. The older sister married a man, while the younger sister had a son without a husband. The two sisters were happy. One day, the younger sister went to fix a lei with the flower tree at the end of the island. After fixing the lei, she got tired and decided to sleep under the flower tree. She woke up and saw a man on the tree. The man proposed to her, and she accepted. The man asked her to leave her son with her older sister. After they left, though, the older sister started treating the boy very badly. One day, the older sister got mad and told the boy to look for his own mother. He left the house and climbed the flower tree and went to another world, where he met his mother. There, the boy met a man named Yolfat. Yolfat asked his mother if the boy could stay with him and become his son. The mother allowed her son to stay with Yolfat, who taught the boy how to navigate, sail, fight, etc. One day, the boy went to take a shower on the other side of the island and met a big, strong ghost. They started fighting until the last minute before sunrise. The ghost asked the boy who his father was and he answered it was Yolfat. Admitting defeat, the ghost named him Palulap, which means the one who has all knowledge of everything. The boy returned to Yolfat and told him what had happened. Yolfat told him to go back to the other world and spread his knowledge, so Palulap became the one who taught the knowledge of navigation to the people in this world. Note: Yolfat is used in the outer islands of Yap, whereas the Yapese main island uses Yalfath. Both Yolfat and Yalfath indicate the same god.

This is a Manqabat, a Qawwali poem in praise of great religious personages, especially Sufi saints. \n\nLyrics: Batufail-e-daman-e-Murtaza, main bataaun kyaa mujhe kyaa milaa Keh Ali mile to Nabi mile, jo Nabi mile to Khudaa milaa Tere naqsh-e-pa se qadam qadam, woh maqaam-e-sabr-o- raza milaa Kahin khak-e-ahl-e-junun mili, kahin khun-e-rang-e-wafaa milaa Tu amir ibn-e-amir hai, teraa faiz-e-azim hai Tere dar se jo bhi milaa mujhe, mere hausle se siwaa milaa Tu sharik-e-haal e butul hai, tu rafiq-e-al-e-Rasul hai Main-e-marifat kas-e-ashiqi, yeh to jam kis ko milaa milaa. \nTranslation: “How can I describe what I have gained through my attachment to Murtaza*! When I reached Ali, I reached the Prophet; when I reached the Prophet, I reached God. Following your example, step by step I have attained perseverance and submission. Somewhere, I encountered the traces of the ecstatic; somewhere, the blood in the color of faithfulness. You are a lord of lords; your beneficence is the greatest of all. The uncountable blessings I have received from your bounty have gone beyond my aspirations. You are joined with the daughter of the Prophet, you are close to the Prophet’s kin.You are the wine of cognition, the object of love; oh, to receive this goblet!” Meraj Ahmad Nizami, Bulbul-e-Chisht, normally known as Meraj is the most senior among the descendants of Tan Ras Khan, the famous nineteenth-century court singer. Nizami indicates his attachment to the saint Nizamuddin Auliya, while Bulbul-e-Chisht is his honorific title, conferred upon him by the late Khwaja Hasan Nizami, who was a famous Sufi sheikh. .

“Ba Khubi Ham Cho Mah Tabinda Baashi” is a kalam by Hazrat Amir Khusrau in praise of Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya. It is one of the many examples of praise and prayer that takes on the form of a romantic love poem, which is to be interpreted in a spiritual way. \n\nLyrics: Bakhubi hamcho meh tabinda baashi; Bamulk-e dilbari paayindah baashi. Man-e darvish ra kushti baghamzah; Karam kardi Ilahi zindah baashi. Jafaa kam kun ki farda roz-e mehshar; Baru-e aashiqan sharmindah baashi. Ze qaid-e dojahan azad baasham; Agar tu hum-nashin-e bandah baashi. Barindi-o bashokhi hamcho Khusrau; Hazaran khanuman barkandah baashi. \nTranslation: “With your amorous glance, you have killed a poor man like me; How magnanimous of you! May God give you a long life. May your charming face forever shine like the full moon; May you hold eternal sway over the domains of beauty. Pray do not be cruel lest you should feel ashamed of yourself Before your lovers on the day of judgment. I shall be set free from the bonds of the two worlds If you become my companion for a while. With your wanton playfulness, you must have destroyed Thousands of hearts of lovers like that of Khusrau.”

This lullaby playfully asks the child, “Do you resemble a lotus or a creeper? A dancing peacock, a Parijat flower, a lamp, or a bouquet of flowers? Are you as pure as milk or as fine as jasmine? Are you born with the blessings of Lakshmi Bhagavati or Lord Padmanabha?” The themes are typical and include the beauty of the child and the blessings of a god. It is sung to the rhythm of the cradle’s rock.

Grinding songs are called besuva pada in Kannada. Rural women sing various three-line songs called tripadi while they grind. The tripadi is a meter that is common in Kannada literature, and has been popular since 700AD. When singing, performers repeat the second line, making it a four-line sangathy, another popular meter in Kannada. These songs cover various themes, including god, earth, motherly love, and children.

This cradle song is sung by a Charan singer. The Charans form a community known for its prowess in recitation and singing. The lyrics describe Devki, the mother of Krishna, putting him to bed. Lullabies and cradle songs about the god Krishna are common in many parts of India. They are sung also on Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, when Krishna’s birth is celebrated. Children are often compared to Krishna and seen as forms of gods. Krishna is often represented in child form, worshipped and referred to as Bal Gopal, which is perhaps why lullabies to Krishna are so common.

This traditional folk song originated in communities living below Dhaulagiri Mountain in the Parbat district of the Dhaulagiri zone in the western region of Nepal. The lyrics express the people’s pleasure, and praise the majestic mountain and its god.\nInstruments: maadal, baansuri, saarangi

The sounds of the letters in the Shiva mantra, when chanted each day, improve spiritual life, cleanse from all wrong deeds and thoughts, and bring one closer to God.

Mo’og Magar is a traditional Yapese chant performed during girls’ standing dances in Balebat village, Rull municipality in Yap. The chant is basically intended to thank God for the lives of all grandparents in the community and for allowing their longevity to enable the little ones to spend more time with them in this life. In the dance, the girls also thank their grandparents for raising their parents as well as their parents for raising them to become who they are today.

“Swasthani Mangalacharana” is chanted in the evening before reciting each chapter of Swasthani Bratakatha to pray to ask God to listen to the chanting from this holy book, accept the worship, and give his blessing. Swastani is a Hindu legend about the goddess Swasthani and Lord Shiva.

“Madhurastakam” is also called “Madhur Vaachana.” In this chant, the singer asks the god to fill him or her with sweetness, softness, kindness, and goodness throughout life to avoid causing harm or hurting others.

The Matchmaker God makes a match for two people waiting to marry.