We Sang Kirtan With Mama Maria in Vienna: German Bhakti Hymn and Mother’s Day Love

Haribol, Namaste, and peace be with you… and upon you. Today’s story comes wrapped in sparklers, soft candlelight, and a simple German hymn that felt like a whole field of wildflowers. We were in Vienna, in Maria’s family home, with a very special guest at our side, “Mama Maria,” who brought warmth, laughter, and her mother-tongue. The plan was small, the feeling was big: sing to God, listen with our whole hearts, and make a loving offering, together. Also, Mother’s Day was on our minds, so there was a gentle sweetness in the air, like a blessing.

A Morning in Vienna, With Two Marias and One Simple Prayer

Vienna has a stately beauty, even if you aren’t a city person. Old stones, elegant statues, a sense that music still lives in the sidewalks. We were back in a place that always seems to welcome us with warm tea, bread, and the soft rumble of family stories. This time, though, we had a shared mission: sing a kirtan in German, for all the souls who pray and praise in that language, and for the joy of trying something honest and new.

We set a small altar on the table. A candle with a steady flame. A picture of Jesus, arms open, light everywhere. A few simple fruits offered with love. That was the whole temple. That was enough.

Why German, Why Now

Maria’s mom taught us the words, and the melody found us as we hummed. The language itself is strong, a bit twisty for the tongue at first, but kind to the heart once you surrender to it. Mark joked that German is great for engineering and cars (Vorsprung durch Technik, right?), but worship has a way of softening even the firmest syllables. Love will do that. It will make a word you never thought you could sing, sing you.

We wanted to honor all our German-speaking friends and family, in Austria and Germany, and farther away too. A simple chorus, a simple intention: sing and listen, listen and sing. Shravanam and kirtanam, repeating and remembering, until the mind quiets and only the Name remains.

The Hymn We Sang Together

The song is short and luminous, a kind of little lamp you can hold in your hands. It says:

• Alles, was ich habe, alles, was ich bin, alles, mein lieber Gott, leg ich vor dich hin.

In English:

• Everything that I have, and everything that I am, my dear Lord, I lay before you.

There is a kinship here with the Mahamantra’s heart request, which we hold close: Oh Lord, oh energy of the Lord, please engage me in loving service to you. The same spirit, the same surrender. Different words, same offering.

If you are new to these phrases:

• “Alles, was ich habe” means “everything I have.”
• “Alles, was ich bin” means “everything I am.”

For a feel of how these lines read and translate in German outside a devotional setting, you can peek at phrases like “Alles was ich bin” in songs and see how “everything I am” shades the meaning in everyday language. For instance, you can see the phrase’s English sense in the translation of a track titled “Alles was ich bin” by Auletta here: Alles was ich bin (English translation) – Auletta. It’s not the hymn we sang, but it shows how the German wording carries over.

Call and Response, Heart and Listening

The practice is simple:

• One voice begins, soft and clear.
• The others wait, listen, receive.
• Then they sing it back.
• Then the first voice listens.

Round and round. A little circle, like a wheel that keeps turning with love. No one is the star for long. No one is the audience for long either. We trade places. We give and we receive. At some point, the leader dissolves into the song, and the song leads. You can try this at home. You can be the one who starts, or the one who echoes. Either way, your heart knows what to do.

Here is a simple way to practice:

1. Sit together, light a candle if you like, place something beautiful and simple nearby.
2. Choose a short line that feels true. In our case: Alles, was ich habe…
3. One person sings the line. The others listen.
4. The others repeat it back. The first person listens.
5. Continue for 10 to 15 minutes. Don’t rush. Let the rhythm find you.
6. Offer the fruits of the chant to the One you love, in your own words.

A Small Altar, A Big Love

We placed our little offerings before the picture of Jesus. The candle flame became a friend. The fruits stood for the body. The song stood for the mind. The focus stood for the heart. We joked that we were like kids bringing a mud pie to a favorite teacher. Not perfect, not fancy, not gourmet. But offered with love. And because it is offered with love, it is accepted. We believe that.

The symbols that kept coming to us felt ancient and fresh at once. Vines heavy with grapes, fish in flowing water, loaves of bread set on a table. These signs have always meant abundance and mercy to us. They point to worship that is simple and clean, worship in the mode of goodness, you could say. We’ll share more on that soon, since there is a whole conversation here about how the mode we choose shapes the heart we carry.

Mother’s Day Joy, Sparklers, and a Promise

It was almost Mother’s Day, and we were on the move again soon, heading down the coast of Italy in the Juicy MagiK Mobile. So we made our own little celebration early. Three sparklers, names written in the air, giggles, a few tears at the edges of our eyes. We planned to honor our Canadian mom, Erika, the following Sunday by going into the woods and picking wildflowers. Simple, gentle, pure.

Mama Maria packed us food for the road. Fruit, a bit of honey, some cheese. The kind of love that fits in a bag and somehow feeds more than hunger. You know the kind.

Singing in German, From Our Table to Yours

We sang the hymn several times, trying different tempos, letting the room tell us when to go softer or stronger. Sometimes we added a bright “Haribol!” Other times a calm “Hallelujah.” We said Frohen Muttertag and meant it. We said Danke, Mutti, again and again, because gratitude tastes sweet when spoken out loud.

If you are curious about how these German lines land in English in other songs, you can see how “Alles was ich hab” gets translated in pop lyrics too. Again, not the same devotional text, but a window into the phrasing. Here’s an example: Fynn Kliemann – Alles was ich hab (English translation). Different context, same basic meaning of the words.

Shravanam, Kirtanam, Vishnu Smaranam

We often talk about three things working together like a braid:

• Shravanam, hearing deeply.
• Kirtanam, singing or repeating with love.
• Vishnu smaranam, remembering God’s names and presence.

When you hear, you soften. When you sing, you wake up. When you remember, you come home. That is the flow. That is the practice. And all of it can happen in German, or Sanskrit, or Arabic, or English, or the language your grandmother whispered to you when she tucked you into bed. God listens in all the tongues, and hears one heart.

For Our German-Speaking Friends

A few notes for you, from our table to yours:

• “Leg ich vor dich hin” means “I place it before you,” which is a sweet way to speak of offering.
• If your tongue stumbles, smile and keep going. The smile is part of the prayer.
• If you feel shy, try whisper-singing first, then grow as you feel ready.

We’ll share more songs in German as we go. If you want to sing with us, or if you have a hymn from your family you’d like us to learn, come say hello in our community. You can join our Agora and be part of the conversation and practice here: join the Juicy MagiK Agora community.

A Little Candle, A Little Fruit, A Lot of Peace

People sometimes ask what they need to begin. Not much. A quiet moment. A small candle if you like. A picture that moves you. A piece of fruit or a flower. Your voice. Your breath. Your attention. Offer these, and then rest inside the offering. Let the prayer do the work.

We spoke the blessing out loud in both languages, just because it felt lovely to do so:

• Peace be with you, and upon you.
• Der Friede sei mit dir, und auf dir.

That “upon you” part always feels important. Peace above like a shawl, around your shoulders, soft and warm.

On the Road Again

We packed up the van after the chant. Laughed at how much food Mama Maria tucked into the bags. Made sure the guitar was ready. Checked the candle. Said tschüss to the apartment windows that have watched over so many family meals. Vienna in the rearview mirror, but also never leaving us.

If this kind of offering moves you, and you want to support future recordings, gatherings, and simple acts of shared devotion, you can help here: support Juicy MagiK projects via BTCpay. Every bit of support keeps this little traveling temple rolling.

Try It Today: A Short Guide

Here is a quick, practical way to make this part of your day:

• Choose a line that feels true. In German, try: Alles, was ich habe…
• Sing it once with full attention, even if softly.
• Listen to yourself. Then sing it again with the same care.
• Offer the next five minutes to someone you love, or to God, or to the whole world.
• Close with a simple “Thank you.” Or “Danke.” Or “Haribol.” Your choice.

If you like seeing how certain phrases map between German and English outside a devotional setting, you can browse another example where “Alles was ich hab” appears and see how translators render it for clarity: Alles was ich hab translation into English – Fynn Kliemann. Again, different song, same phrase. It can help with pronunciation and meaning.

Thank You, Mama

We said it a few times on camera, and we’ll say it again here. Danke, Mutti. For the words, the melody, the fruit, the laughter, the packed snacks, the gentle corrections, and the love. Thank you for being with us in Vienna. Thank you for letting the prayer be small and shining.

Conclusion

What happened in that room was simple. We sang, we listened, we remembered. We offered everything we had and everything we are, in German, on a sweet Vienna morning. If that speaks to you, come closer. Share a line you love, teach us a hymn from your home, or sit with us in a few easy breaths.

To keep practicing together, join our community here: join the Juicy MagiK Agora community. If you want to help us bring more small altars and sung prayers into the world, you can support Juicy MagiK projects via BTCpay.

Peace be with you, and upon you. Haribol. Frohen Muttertag, from our table to yours.

mariakerwin

As a former serial entrepreneur, she turned from a workaholic in the business world to freedom and creativity, living now as a writer, creator and world traveller. Since an early age Maria is close to death and what exists beyond, courageously exploring the dimensions of existence. A Kundalini Awakening guided her into the abyss of fully surrendering to the life force itself, crushing all known aspects of her old life. Finally, it led her to her purpose of bridging both worlds, connecting to what goes beyond the ordinary.

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