Cream

Date: 28 June 2008 23:27:17 -0000 From: "K Lingappa" To: AM-GLOBAL Subject: Cream Baba PS Intro #4786: In this song, the bhakta has deep love for Parama Purusa and has a strong yearning to get Him, but for such a long time Parama Purusa has not come. So the sadhaka has been crying out of melancholic longing for Parama Purusa-- and accusing Him of not coming. In the worldly sphere, it is similar to one baby accusing its mother of being late or missing their time together entirely. In that case, the baby will bitterly, yet lovingly, accuse the mother of not caring about them. And the same thing-- or to an even greater degree-- occurs in devotional life, because in this song the relation between the bhakta and Parama Purusa is that of madhura bhava (lover relation). When a sadhaka feels extremely linked with Parama Purusa, then he has a deep yearning to be with Him always. And if Parama Purusa does not come very close in that most intimate way, then the bhakta will lovingly accuse Parama Purusa and shed many a tear. Wherever there is strong bond of love then this feeling is quite natural. Many sadhakas-- though not all-- have felt this in their sadhana at one time or another. So this song carries that feeling of extreme love between the devotee and the Lord. Hence those who do not have such a feeling may not understand the depth of this song. In this scene, the bhakta is crying out of a melancholic longing to embrace Baba tightly. Parama Purusa did not come for what seemed like ages and now that He has arrived, still the bhakta is not satisfied because Baba is not coming as close and as intimately as he would like. For this reason the bhakta is very upset and crying. As the song begins, Parama Purusa has just come and is standing before the bhakta and asking the devotee why he is crying. And the following purport is how the loving communication between the bhakta and Parama Purusa progresses in this song. Note: Another unique facet of this composition is that usually Prabhat Samgiita is sung for Parama Purusa, but in this song Baba is addressing the devotee. So it is a bit of an unusual song. Some people wrongly conclude that it is a third person who is talking to the bhakta-- as some Hindu bhajans accept such interpretations. But in the devotional world of Prabhat Samgiita, each and every exchange is between Baba and the devotee-- and no other person is involved. "Ka'jal meghe ka'jal cokhe, jala jhare keno balo na'..." (PS 4786) Purport: O' my close one, what is the matter, what is troubling you? What has happened? Who has turned their back on you? Who has caused you so much pain and sorrow-- in your mind and heart, which you could not tolerate? Please tell me why you are crying and shedding so many tears. Your collyrium filled eyes, which are like black rain clouds, are profusely raining down tears. What is the matter, please tell me, please tell me. Who are you crying for in this untimely way. After all, the One for whom you are crying has come, so what is the use of all these tears. [1] Now it is pre-winter season, the rainy season has ended long ago. The time of melancholic pain is over. I have now come so it is a different season. This is no longer the time to cry; this is the moment for us to renew our loving communication and closeness. Always remember that a friend is one who keeps his promises. If one breaks their promise then you cannot consider them as your friend. Likewise do not accept anyone as your friend who causes you pain and then fails to apologise. Also do not accept someone as your friend if they do not laugh by seeing your joy or if they do not weep by seeing your sorrow. I am your true Bandhu, because by seeing your pain and sorrow, I could not keep myself away from you. I have come. That is the true mark of our loving relationship-- I have come. O my close one, please tell me why are you crying... NOTE FOR PRABHAT SAMGIITA #4786 [1] This line-- 'I have come so what is the use of crying'-- is spoken indirectly by Parama Purusa. This is part of His mental communication with the devotee. The song does not literally state-- 'I have come...'-- but that is the insinuation. When one is involved in a relationship based on deep love, then things are told indirectly. To others, it may not be apparent what is going on. But, between the bhakta and his Lord, the meaning is quite clear and well understood.

== DEVOTION IS THE CREAM OF THE LIFE ==

Namaskar, The entire aim of this letter is to elaborate on the highly unique and rare nature of the above Prabhat Samgiita, #4786. Such a devotional expression is only prevalent in Ananda Marga, the path of bliss.

REACHING THE GOAL OF HUMAN LIFE

In human life, people have all kinds of options and desires, and most resort to animalistic tendencies in their pursuit of materialism and sensuality. As Ananda Margiis, we are embarking on the path of true spirituality; we are divine travelers. Our goal is to reach and attain Parama Purusa. So we are to know how this is done.

ONLY MADHURA BHAVA CAN BRING EXTREME CLOSENESS

While there are many accepted bha'vas in AM sadhana-- Father-son relation, Friend relation etc-- only madhura bha'va can bring the devotee to that pinnacled state of closeness with Parama Purusa. And that is the type of bha'va expressed in the above Prabhat Samgiita. Baba says, "Madhura bha'va is a very exalted bha'va, for this bha'va fills the mind with sweetness and bliss and leads the aspirant to the closest proximity of the Lord." (NKS, Disc: 27) This is not to say that the other bhavas have no place in the life of the sadhaka. All the bha'vas are meaningful. And in dhya'na we should always follow the one which feels most natural to us at that time. Forcing or pretending to follow a particular bha'va is meaningless. Ours is the path of naturalness. At the same time, we should always have the theoretical understanding in mind that only madhura bhava can bring us to the zenith point of divine realisation. All the other bhavas, at one point or another, must get converted into madhura bhava. This is the rule. So we should be aware about this and try it sometimes in our dhyana.

THE BEAUTY OF MADHURA BHA'VA

The inherent beauty of madhura bha'va is wonderful expressed in the above Prabhat Samgiita. In that song, the devotee does not want anything from Parama Purusa except He Himself. The bhakta does not want gold, or a job, or a girlfriend, or prestige, or any type of mundane desire. And not only that, the sadhaka is not satisfied with the mere presence of Parama Purusa, or any lower type of relation. The sadhaka only wants the extreme, intimate relation with Baba. So it is purely a personal relation. And the closer the devotee gets to Parama Purusa the more proximity he wants with Baba. That is the way madhura bhava works: There is no satiation point until one finally merges in Him. In those higher stages of madhura bha'va, the bhakta is yearning and crying to have Him still more close. That is how one ultimately reaches the goal of finally becoming one with Parama Purusa. So we should all have at least this theoretical understanding. In dhyana, we may like the Father-son relation, or we may like the Friend relation, yet we should have awareness that beyond that there is the madhura bhava. And it is that bhava which is highlighted in the above PS #4786, not any other relation.

UNIQUENESS OF AM SPIRITUALITY

This type of love relation with Parama Purusa is totally unique to AM. None of the Semitic religions-- i.e. Christianity, Judaism, & Islam-- have this type of close link with Parama Purusa. Rather they think of God being far away in the distant sky, or they think of God as being one critical judge that can put someone into hell. They have no conceptual idea of any close, personal relationship with Parama Purusa. In Buddhism also, the idea of having a loving romance with God is not at all present. They ask their Buddha for grace etc, but there is no close, intimate relationship. It does not exist. Likewise in the Hindu religion, that type of close relationship is also mostly absent. Of all their numerous gods and goddesses, there is none where there is a close, intimate link. Even those Hindus who worship Lord Shiva do not have such a connection-- because Lord Shiva did not preach or teach that idea. Only those Hindus or followers of Lord Krsna may have such a concept of love, and even then it is very rare. Only a few follow the Radha-Krsna relation. Thus it is only a couple of unusual devotees of Lord Krsna who feel are involved in a madhura bhava relation with their Lord. Even then, in their songs, they often accept a 3rd party. That means if there is a conversation going on in one of their bhajans, it is often thought of as a dialogue between two devotees who are talking about Lord Krsna, as opposed to between only Lord Krsna and the devotee. So the path of AM is totally unique. Only in AM do we openly acknowledge the practice of madhura bhava in a more common manner and only in Prabhat Samgiita are the songs exclusively between the bhakta and Parama Purusa. There never is a third person or a third entity in any song. Just it is the intimate and close communication between the bhakta and His Lord. And within that genre, a few songs like #4786, focus exclusively on the madhura bhava relation where the bhakta is crying to get Parama Purusa closer and still more close. The devotee only wants that most loving link with Baba, not any lesser relation, and certainly not any mundane gift or boon. And Baba has written Prabhat Samgiita for all Ananda Margiis. Hence, these songs of the highest devotion are for each and every Ananda Margii to explore. And by His grace and through the regular practice of kiirtan and sadhana and singing Prabhat Samgiita, we are sure to reach that stance of madhura bhava in our devotional life. This is a vast and layered topic and there is much more to be said. So others should also write in with their thoughts and experiences.

BABA'S BLESSING

By Baba's grace, we Ananda Margiis have the opportunity to get Him in a close and intimate way. That is the speciality of our path. There is nothing in between the aspirant and Parama Purusa. And as the love relation develops we are sure to attain Him, by His grace. Baba says, "Many people come to me and say, “Ba'ba', we are sinful persons, what will befall us?” Frankly speaking, I don’t feel happy at all when I hear these words. Parama Purus'a loves saints and sinners alike. He attracts all through madhura bha'va [sweetness], not kat'hor bha'va [harshness] – that is, through all kinds of inferential vibrations. So, why should anyone worry about his future? This has no proper justification. Parama Purus'a takes care of all such worries. He is always lovingly calling people very, very close to Himself. " (NKS, Disc: 27) Namaskar, Karun