Do Not Blame Prabhat Samgiita

From: Virendra Deva
To: am-global@earthlink.net
Subject: Do Not Blame Prabhat Samgiita
Date: Sat 22 Oct 2011 20:41:36 +1000

Baba

== DO NOT BLAME PRABHAT SAMGIITA ==

Namaskar,
This letter is the reply for SS Goenka Dada; by reading it will all become quite clear.

MELANCHOLIC LOVE SONGS

In common parlance, everyone is aware about love songs. Love can be directed in a worldly way (kama) or in a spiritual manner (prema). The first is worldly attachment and the second is love for God.

And when the person longs for the proximity of their lover, then that constitutes a melancholic love song. That lover could be mundane or divine. The great 16th century devotee Miira's love (prema) was directed towards Lord Krsna, whereas today's youths in materialistic societies are infatuated (kama) with the opposite sex.

I am giving this latter example only to make the point clear about melancholy. Otherwise I would not have brought this example. With worldly examples everyone can understand. Of course, Baba has written melancholic songs related with love (prema) for Parama Purusa.

Let's examine this further.

MELANCHOLIC WORLDLY LOVE SONGS

In worldly "love songs" that appear on the radio, as well as in poems, folk songs, dramas, sentient literature, and pseudo-culture parties etc, there are countless examples, where a person expresses their pain of having their lover so far away.

For example, in those worldly love (kama) songs, there are lines like: "I can't stand having you gone", "Why did you leave so soon", "I can't live without you" etc.

The aforementioned lines from popular love (kama) songs reflect a person's agony of feeling that their lover is away. They cannot stand the pain of separation. This is a very common feeling when two close persons are infatuated with one another. So those lines express worldly feelings of love and intimacy.

So how do melancholic feelings develop? Suppose someone is singing, "Why did you leave me."  Here, this expression means a person loves their dearest so much that even a short span of separation feels like an eternity. They want to be close yet due to circumstance they are not - hence their pain and misery. They want to be near their beloved and that is why they sing, "Why did you leave me?" So those lines -"Why did you leave me" - do not mean that their lover has died etc. This is just the expression of worldly love (kama) - i.e. melancholic longing for the one with whom they are infatuated.

And of course there are devotional love songs as well made famous by mystic poets like Rabindranath Tagore, Vidyapati, Surdas, Miirabai, Kabir Das and so many others who have written countless melancholic love songs about the Divine. In such compositions, they sing, "O my Dearmost, where have You gone, I am desperate and lost without You."

MELANCHOLIC SONGS IN PRABHAT SAMGIITA

Here the whole point is that when the lyrics of a song express that a lover does not feel proximity to their beloved to the extent that they desire, then that song is a melancholic love song. Again, this may occur in mundane life or spiritual life.

Certainly, melancholic songs are an important element of devotional life. In Sanskrit it is called virah, (melancholy). In Prabhat Samgiita, as we know similar lines are used to express feelings of melancholy.

Of course in Prabhat Samgiita the link between bhakta and Parama Purusa is based on devotional yearning (prema) - not superficial mundane attraction (kama).

We all understand that Baba knows the feelings of all His devotees and how they relate and express their love towards Parama Purusa. So for each and every kind of devotional expression (i.e. love or prema) Baba has uniquely composed His lyrics in Prabhat Samgiita.

If you go through the meanings and purports of those songs you will realize these are means for a devotee to express his deep love and affection for Parama Purusa That depth of communication is present.

Those who do regular sadhana - especially dhyana - sometimes feel the close proximity of Parama Purusa and sometimes devotees feel that Baba is distant and far away. At times, despite their devotional yearning, the sadhaka does not feel that He is coming in dhyana. And that gives the feeling of melancholy in the heart of any sadhaka who is trying to meditate and gain His proximity.

In that mental state, the bhakta sings songs like:

Tumi esechile ka'u ke na' bole,
Na' ja'niye gele cale (PS 2085)

"Oh my Lord, You came in my mental abode, then without telling me You went away. Now I am trying to meditate on you in dhyana but I am not getting you."

A melancholic song does not mean that Baba has gone away and left forever. It does not mean that He has died. Rather, Baba is everywhere but the sadhaka does not feel the close presence of Parama Purusa in his heart. That is why this type of emotion comes: "O Lord where have You gone, why have You left me."

A melancholic song does not mean the death of the lover - and certainly not the death of Parama Purusa.

For instance, the aforementioned song, PS #2085 "Tumi esechile...", is a melancholic song where bhakta was blessed to have the close proximity of Parama Purusa in the past but now in his meditation Parama Purusa is not coming in that very intimate way. So the sadhakha feels melancholic longing (prema) for Him. Thus this is not at all a death or so-called mahaprayan song.

LONG HISTORY OF MELANCHOLIC SONGS

So indeed there is a long tradition of melancholic songs across numerous communities and societies, spanning many languages and regions. As we see such songs are used in both mundane and spiritual life. And the essential meaning is that of yearning to be with your dearest one again.

In mundane love (kama), two young hearts fall in love, i.e. worldly attraction. In times of longing, they sing this type of song: "O' my dearest, where have you gone. I love you. I want to be with you." In this manner they express their melancholic feeling. And this line does not mean that their lover has died. It means that they yearn for closer proximity with their most intimate companion. Whatever their current situation may be - perhaps their lover has gone away on a business trip or is in a meeting across town - they desire more closeness. That is the overall spirit of worldly, melancholic songs.

And we see this expressed in so many avenues such as film, drama, dance, literature - everywhere this is going on

MELANCHOLIC SONGS IN DEVOTIONAL SPHERE

Similarly, devotees sing melancholic songs for the Lord. Those songs also do not at all imply death. It just means that such bhaktas want to be in closer proximity with their Dearest One, in a more intimate and personal way. There is no question of death of Parama Purusa. Rather to have melancholic longing, one must already feel a degree of closeness with Parama Purusa. The deep yearning for even greater intimacy is what is termed as melancholic longing in spiritual parlance.

That is what this genre of Prabhat Samgiita songs are all about: Longing for greater proximity with Baba.

WITH THAT LOGIC PRABHAT SAMGIITA BECOMES USELESS

In Prabhat Samgiita and poetry there are various moods: Melancholy, nostalgia, anger, desperation, joy, romance, and so much more.

Unfortunately some have infused the dogmatic notion that our melancholic songs of Prabhat Samgiita are about so-called mahaprayan. Of course any rational-minded margii easily understands that melancholic songs are not "MPD" songs. First of all, we do not accept the dogma of "mahaprayan" and secondly that is not the meaning of such songs.

And if we were to accept the false idea that melancholic songs means the death of Parama Purusa, then that would render all His many songs of arrival as being meaningless. For if He has gone away forever and died - as some interpret such so-called mahaprayan songs, then how could there be songs of arrival where He comes close.

For instance the song, "Tumi esecho mana je ker'echo.." (PS #200) states, "O' Baba, You have come close and stolen my mind." Yet, when Baba is gone forever never to come again, then how can one sing that "Baba, You have come and stolen my mind." One cannot. Because there is no possibility of His coming when He has died, as the so-called mahaprayan songs dictate.

Here the clear-cut answer is two-fold:
1) The deeply devotional melancholic Prabaht Samgiita do not refer to so-called mahaprayan;
2) The blissful songs of Baba's arrival in Prabhat Samgiita are not meaningless or valueless. Rather they are a reality in the life of every true sadhaka.

Unfortunately, those who invented so-called mahaprayan have flip-flopped this theorem. They have wrongly attempted to justify their dogmatic mahaprayan program by stating that this is what Baba has written in certain Prabhat Samgiita.

JUST LIKE...

But such logic is the same as those religions that argue that, "God has created goats for us to eat, after all what is the value of such goats when we cannot ride them like horses." Or it is like the pickpocket who thinks that, "God has created scissors so that I can cut the garments of others and rob them, otherwise what is the use of such scissors." In both cases in order to justify their selfish ends, they attempt to blame God.

Likewise, those who want to justify their dogmatic program of mahaprayan, they argue that Baba has created Prabhat Samgiita for this very purpose: To express the pain of "mahaprayan". Otherwise why has He created such songs.

Thus we see that those inventors of so-called mahaprayan suffer from the same defective mentality as those Islamic worshipers and pickpockets.

SOME MISGUIDED OTHERS INTO THINKING AS MPD SONGS

Even worse is that the problem does not stop here.

The inventors of so-called mahprayan have furthermore confused others by infusing the dogmatic notion that certain Prabhat Samgiita are mahaprayan songs. Indeed such persons should be brought to task. They should be publicly shamed for their selfishness and duplicity of trying to turn Baba's eternal collection of Prabhat Samgiita into something dogmatic.

Here I am specifically talking about the organisers of so-called mahaprayan and how they have led others astray.

As we all know, Shyam Sundar Goenka is himself a good man and a well-established Ananda Margii, but he became victim of their propaganda. The organisers of so-called mahaprayan are booming their false logic of how melancholic Prabhat Samgiita are so-called mahaprayan songs. As a result of this booming, even good people started thinking that must be correct. It seems SS Goenka Dada was misled in this way.

And there is a horrible precedent of such tactics. Hitler's chief of propaganda worked in the same manner. Joseph Goebbels just boomed the same Nazi propaganda of Aryan supremacy: "Our Fuhrer Hitler and Germany are unparalleled, Now, people rise up, and let the storm break loose & bring victory to Germany!” This occurred day after day until even good citizens became convinced.

Here the point is that when anything that gets repeated again and again then people started believing it.

With regards to Prabhat Samgiita, the inventors of so-called mahaprayan repeated over and over again that melancholic songs are so-called mahaprayan songs. By this way, some simple people began believing this. Along the way they even convinced respected Goenka Dada that Baba's melancholic songs are actually mahaprayan songs. In this way they befooled him and other sincere margiis. Indeed no one should think that Goenka is alone in this. Unfortunately with their propaganda machine, those inventors of so-called mahaprayan have led many astray.

Baba has composed thousands of such melancholic songs. Devious political motivations should never lead one to mislabel these songs or misguide others. I pity the fate of those doing like this.

BABA'S BLESSING

As disciples of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji it is our duty to protect His teachings and literature. We should not allow anyone to alter or mislabel His melancholic songs as so-called mahaprayan song or death song of Parama Purusa. We should not watch helplessly. We should come forward and save bhagavad dharma.

All these deeply devotional songs should remain as a melancholic songs. They should not be mislabeled and used for some other agenda like so-called Mahaprayan.

Baba says, "We will not deviate an inch from our ideology, nor will we allow others to do so...If one is not able to give the people proper guidance, then at least one should not misguide them [the common people]. One must not divert them from the proper path." (Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Disc: 14)

Baba says, "Scriptures containing spiritual injunctions must be totally flawless." (Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Disc: 14)

Namaskar,
Virendra

NOTE 1: DEVIOUS DESIGNATION AS DEATH SONG

At so-called mahaprayan, since 1990 onwards, purposely this song #2085 has been sung and mislabeled as "The MPD song". The meaning gets explained in such a way to encourage the emotion that Parama Purusa has died. They created this vibration by their tall talks and tried to permanently label PS 2085 (and other melancholic songs) as so-called mahaprayan songs. Just like a marriage song is only sung at marriage ceremonies; similarly they want this song, PS #2085 as well as other melancholic songs, to be exclusively designated as the so-called mahaprayan song. That is the sinful dealing that is going on. May we always remember that Parama Purusa is always in the heart of devotees yet this feeling of death is imposed on this sinful program of "mahaprayan".

NOTE 2: MPD: RATIONALITY GONE, DOGMA PREVAILS

Just as idol worshipers are emotionally involved in idols and they do not want to listen to the logic that idol worship crudifies them, similarly in MPD the emotion is charged and people do not want to hear that Parama Purusa, who they think died, is sitting in the heart watching them. Instead they are treating Him as an ordinary mortal who died. In this case, blind emotion gets victory over rationality & devotion, while dogma prevails.

By Baba's grace more and more margiis and wts are easily understanding this fact. Indeed the dark ways of the so-called mahaprayan program are getting exposed.

NOTE 3: IF THIS TREND CONTINUES...

If this trend of labeling melancholic songs as so-called mahaprayan songs continues, someone will certainly label Tagore's melancholic songs as the so-called mahaprayan song of Lord Krsna or the Divine Entity etc. They too are melancholic songs and in case of Prabhat Samgiita such melancholic songs got labeled as so-called MPD songs. That is the tragedy.

We must not be the party to this type of wrongdoing nor allow others.

NOTE 4: NOW READ HIS WORDS

Our esteemed and elder brother SS Goenka has shared these words on the public forum as he attempt to justify the existence of so-called mahaprayan songs in Prabhat Samgiita:

How do you justify the sorrowful and pining agony expressed in Prabhat Samgiita by the versifier (viz. Baba)?...If Baba is present all the time with us, what is necessity for the pain of separation and agony of separation? Why has Baba scripted so many verses on this subject, which are fit and advisable for the devotees to voice and sing?

(Written by SS Goenka on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:30:28 +0530)

This entire email clearly addresses the types of misunderstanding from which Goenka Dada suffers. Really all I can share is my deepest sympathy and regard for Goenkaji, only I am sorry he has been so deeply befooled by the inventors of so-called mahaprayan. When a devotee of the calibre of Goenka Dada can be led astray then really we should all be careful and request Baba to keep us on the right path.

 

PRABHAT SAMGIITA

"Toma'r a'ma'r bha'loba'sa' keu va ja'ne, keu ja'ne na'..." (P.S. 1423)

Purport:

Baba, You love me and I love You. This very fact is not commonly known. Baba, about my and Your love, a few may recognise but many not. Some believe that love between the unit and the vast is indeed possible, but some do not believe this eternal truth.

When the garland is prepared with only an insignificant thread, some think that it is just a collection of flowers. While others can understand that this garland represents the very sweet feeling and deep loving relation for Whom it is made.

Nobody cares to recognize that on even small dew drops the whole sun is reflecting. In a similar way, the unit carries a deep loving relation with Parama Purusa. And in its little heart, Parama Purusa remains close by.

How much energy one little molecule can assimilate, the ordinary intellect does not realise-- nay cannot recognise. The little flower which is dancing keeping the nectar in its heart, that is the entire sweetness of the flower and its meaningful existence. In the same way, the beauty of human beings is to carry the loving feeling for Parama Purusa in their heart. That is the Goal of life. And then life becomes successful...