To: am-global@earthlink.net
From: "Priyanath C Mittra"
Subject: Story: Sing for Baba Not for Yourself
Baba
"A'mi bhule gechi sei dine ks'an' yabe toma're dekechi anupam..." (PS 1147)
Purport:
O' Anupam, O' Incomparable One, O' my Dearmost Baba, I have forgotten the time and day when I saw You, but the sweet memory and the vibration of Your love is still resonating in my mind. Even now when I think about You, that nectar of love is ever-present. Indeed that very loving vibration and sound is emanating from and floating in the vast, blue sky. That divine love permeates my whole existence and overpowers my entire being. Baba, the love which You showered on the beings of this dusty earth, that love and sweet aroma resides eternally in the mind. And the song of Prabhat Samgiita which You have taught to the world, that tune devotees have started to sing about You. And in that way You have come within the realm of the gunas. Baba, Your greatness, Your beauty, Your sweetness can be expressed through those songs because You have revealed Yourself through the world of Prabhat Samgiita. With Your Prabhat Samgiita, that which is stained and impure became pure and blemishless. Those sadhakas who sing Your divine songs with the right melody, tune, and ideation, then by Your grace all the stains from their mind get wiped away. Their mind becomes pure and devotional. Baba, O' my Beloved, I forgot that very special moment when You blessed me with Your sweet love. But when I think about You that love becomes alive and my whole being gets vibrated; it saturates my heart. Baba You are so gracious-- Your love is unforgettable...
== STORY: SING
FOR BABA NOT FOR YOURSELF ==
Namaskar,
I remember being in Jaipur DMC in 1984. Those days our Marga was growing fast - there was excitement in the air and the whole atmosphere was devotionally charged.
When Baba would magnificently come onto the dais then thousands and thousands of Ananda Margiis - Wts and family people alike - were raising the Jai slogan. The sound was thundering and echoed all around.
Those days our Marga was a true force. Everyone was linked with Baba. Everyone was there because of Him. It was all so beautiful.
When I close my eyes then my mind easily floats in the blissful direction and automatically I feel renewed. I can feel His sweet touch, by His grace. At that DMC, something else happened that I will never forget.
DADAJI SINGING
KIIRTAN
During the Jaipur DMC program (1984), Dada Deva'tmananda was leading
the
kiirtan. This was not unusual. Many times this Dada has had this
duty.
He was also one of the small selection of Dadas who would rehearse
and
sing new Prabhat Samgiita in Baba's room along with other Dadas like
Mantreshvarananda & Cetanananda etc. Baba would compose a song
call them
to quickly record it so it would not get lost or forgotten.
Anyway, at the DMC, Devatmanandaji was leading everyone in kiirtan, but he was doing something different. Dadaji was using a famous Bollywood tune for the kiirtan and just adding the words Baba Nam Kevalam. But the whole melody and vibration of the tune was famous for being from the Indian film industry. Needless to say, Dada's singing did not last long that time.
BABA'S DIRECTIVE
AT JAIPUR DMC
Those days, Baba would also graciously sit and remain on His dais
during
the singing of kiirtan in DMC. Around 1990, Baba would leave the
dais
during kiirtan due to His poor physical health, but being the Parama
Purusa His Cosmic Mind was hearing and orchestrating the whole
scene.
Back to our Jaipur DMC story: It was 1984 and Baba was sitting on the dais, when He heard Devatmananda singing kiirtan according to some filmy, Bollywood tune. Immediately Baba stopped the kiirtan.
Then, with His sentient anger we all saw Baba harshly rebuke and scold that Dada for leading and singing kiirtan in the tune of a filmy song. Baba loudly expressed His dissatisfaction in front of one and all. Everyone heard it. The kiirtan stopped entirely and Baba was rebuking this Dada for his misdeed.
Of course this is all His liila - always Baba is loving, just He feigns anger in order to demonstrate that this is a matter we should take seriously. Then Baba changed His mood and gently guided us that kiirtan should be sung according the tunes and melodies, i.e. raga & raganiis - used in Prabhat Samgiita.
At that time, Prabhat Samgiita was still relatively new but already Baba had composed hundreds of songs and there were plenty of charming melodies to choose from.
DADAJI MENDS HIS
WAYS
From that moment on, Devatmanandaji heeded Baba's call on this point
of
kiirtan.
Throughout the rest of that 1984 DMC tour - in Daltonganj, Kota,
&
Varanasi - Dadaji always sung kiirtan using Prabhat Samgiita
melodies.
Actually, what he would do was begin the kiirtan with the same tune of the Prabhat Samgiita that was just sung. So whatever Prabhat Samgiita was performed in DMC, that same tune was used for the first kiirtan. And then Dadaji would lead the kiirtan using other melodies of Prabhat Samgiita.
By Baba's grace, everyone was enjoying this new system and we were all dancing in His bliss. And now, since Baba has given us countless ragas and raganiis - tunes and melodies - in His vast Prabhat Samgiita collection, we can all sing kiirtan according to those tunes which are most appealing and moving for us. That is also the beauty. That will keep our kiirtan practice sentient and vibrated.
WHY THIS IS SO
IMPORTANT
Singing kiirtan according to the tune of Prabhat Samgiita is not
just a
rule for rule's sake. It is not just an empty order or senseless
command. We all know Baba's directions are filled with deeper
meaning
and our welfare. So in this case also, there is a whole science of
mind
involved. And many may already be aware about this.
For instance, suppose someone saw some crude pop-culture film last month or even 20 years ago. Then if that person starts singing kiirtan according to the main theme song of that movie, then that person's mind will be totally involved in the movie itself, not Baba. Their lips will be singing kiirtan but their entire mental plate will be submerged in the crude vibration of that movie. That is the way it works.
We all know that it the nature of mind is to run hither and thither - from this place to that place. And if during kiirtan the mind is given a strong reminder about some famous movie, then it will easily run in that direction. And the whole import of kiirtan will be lost.
In contrast, if during kiirtan one is singing use the melody of Prabhat Samgiita, then even if the mind gets distracted from the kiirtan and gets lured toward the meaning of the Prabhat Samgiita song, still the mind will be Baba-centered. It will still be involved in a spiritual ideal. Whereas if the mind runs in the direction of a filmy song during kiirtan, then all kinds of crude image of females, guns, killing, kissing, or money will flash on one's mental plate. As that is the common theme of these Hollywood / Bollywood movies.
So we should be strict. The whole import of kiirtan is to sing for Baba and keep the mind linked with Him. Our kiirtan is not for selfish pleasures or thinking about worldly allurements. In that case, dragging filmy songs into our kiirtan mandal is totally against the sanctity of our kiirtan practice.
IT IS JUST
LIKE....
Using a filmy song for kiirtan is just like replacing sandalwood
incense
with marijuana smoke or the smell of alcohol. Instead of having the
fragrant smell of sandalwood all around, the crude smell of drugs
and
alcohol will be spreading all over and the mind will get negatively
affected.
Similarly, when we pollute our sentient kiirtan environment with the
crudity of filmy songs, then the mind will be adversely affected.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace He has blessed us with all kinds of teachings and
practices to goad our mind towards eternal bliss. Thus we should all
pay
heed to Baba's warning and not use filmy songs with kiirtan and
instead
sing kiirtan using the sweet melodies and tunes of Prabhat Samgiita.
Baba says, "Memory should be of the actual experience of the mind in the course of meditation (sa'dhana'), the bliss that you enjoyed during kiirtan (spiritual chanting) memory should be like this. That is, never should it be centred around yourself [or other crude ideations like pop movies]. In that case there won't be any waste of time and energy." (Thoughts of Shrii PR Sarkar)
Namaskar,
Priyanath
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The Gospel of Neo-Humanism
Baba says, "Preach the theory of one spiritual inheritance-- that every living being is the child of the Supreme Entity and that all the people of the world belong to the same family. This will have to be explained to all-- that there will be a clash between different nations so long as the feeling of nationalism exists." (PNS-4, p. 45)
***************************************
The Gospel of Neo-Humanism
Baba says, "Preach the theory of one spiritual inheritance-- that every living being is the child of the Supreme Entity and that all the people of the world belong to the same family. This will have to be explained to all-- that there will be a clash between different nations so long as the feeling of nationalism exists." (PNS-4, p. 45)
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