Global Bhajan – part 2

Sathya Sai Baba gave this discourse at the Akhanda Bhajan (a 24-hour observance with devotional song sessions worldwide). At the conclusion of the discourse, Baba stresses the importance of reciting the Lord’s name. He compares the cry thus raised to the cry of a child who compels its mother to sit up, take notice, and attend to its needs. This is part two of a two-part article.

( Part 1  |  Part 2 )

Sound and Mind

Those who rely on reason alone or on the limited laws of science argue that the repetition of the name—which is, after all, sound—cannot cleanse or correct man’s mind. But the name is not just “sound.” You are sitting there quietly, listening, but if someone says “scorpion,” you get frightened and start trying to escape. The mere sound creates so much of reaction. Or when someone says “the juice of a lemon,” your mouth starts watering. You may be sitting before a plateful of delicacies, but if someone speaks of anything dirty or disgusting, you are tempted to refuse the food. You may even vomit.

A certain officer was inspecting the work of a teacher in a school. He had a hearty contempt for mere talk, so he asked the teacher, “How can you ever transform the nature of these children by the words you utter? Show them by deeds; act, don’t speak.” The teacher protested and argued that words have a profound effect on the mind. The argument continued for some time. At last, the teacher resolved upon a plan to establish the correctness of his view and convince the officer. He told an urchin in his class, “Here, catch this officer by the neck and push him out of the room.” Hearing those words, the officer flew into a great rage and started pouring abuse on the teacher. The teacher said, “Sir, I only made some sound, shaped into a few words. No one pushed you, hit you, or touched you. It was all mere sound. But see how the sound affected you and enraged you. Words, Sir, do help in modifying character and shaping nature. Words have vast power.”

When words referring to worldly situations have such transforming effect on man’s mind, words conveying spiritual and elevating meanings, packed with significance, will certainly help in cleansing and correcting the mind. When you fill the air with harshness, you become harsh in nature; when you fill the atmosphere with hatred, you, too, have perforce to breathe that air and are hated in return. When you saturate the air with sounds full of reverence, humility, love, courage, self-confidence, and tolerance, you benefit from those qualities yourself. The heart has the film, and the mind is the lens. If you turn the lens toward the world, worldly pictures fall on the heart. But if you turn the lens toward God, divine pictures of goodness and love fall on the heart.

Prayer

So decide always to do good and be good. Do not seek to discover or discuss the evil in others, for the attempt will tarnish your own mind. When you are engaged without intermission in searching for the faults and failings of others, you are paving the way for developing those faults and failings in yourself. Dwell on the good in others, then sometime it will prove an asset to you. The goodness latent in you may be urged to sprout and bloom.

When, for example, you pray “Swami, appear in my dream this night. Let me look at you in a dream,” there is a chance that you may be lucky enough to visualize Swami in your dream. But if, turning your attention to bad things, you pray “Swami, let not a pig, let not an ass appear in my dream this night,” in all likelihood the pig and the ass will present themselves in your dream. Why pay undue attention to things you do not need and do not benefit from. Every thought leaves an impression on the mind, so be ever alert to avoid contamination with evil. Ideas that are opposed to spiritual tendencies, that narrow the limits of love, that provoke anger or greed, that cause disgust—these have to be shut out.

This discipline is very essential for the spiritual aspirant. He must sublimate such thoughts before they cause an impact on his consciousness. To do so, he should concentrate on the very source of the thinking process by practicing equanimity, unaffectedness or balance. Having such an attitude is the mark of the wise man; it is called the power of wisdom. Of course, it is not easily acquired. The path of devotion and dedication is easiest for most. It is attainable by love; love leads you quickly and speedily to the goal.

Wisdom/Devotion

Once upon a time, Namdev (noted for his mastery of the path of devotion through the constant recital of the Lord’s name) and Jnandev (noted for his mastery of the path of wisdom) were crossing a thick jungle together. They were both afflicted with severe thirst, but could not find water anywhere in spite of a tiresome search. At last they came upon a ruined well with a few feet of water far down in it. They had no means of going down the steep sides. But Jnandev used his power and transformed himself into a bird. The bird flew down and drank its fill and flew up to change itself into Jnandev again. Namdev relied upon the power of the name. He sat on the edge of the well and called Narayana in great anguish. God responded to his prayer. The water rose up to where he sat, and he could gather it in his palms and slake his thirst. He had no need to embody himself anew and disembody himself again for the satisfaction of a physical thirst.

The Heart

When God is invoked by prayer that emanates from the heart, let it be but once, He responds immediately. But now the call emanates only from the lips; it has not the ring of sincerity and faith. From the lips, it must roll back on the tongue; from the tongue, it must go deep into the throat; from the throat, it must reach down into the heart. Continuous spiritual practice, genuine yearning—these alone can grant success in this endeavor. You must become an infant, with no inhibitions and stratagems. The mother may be attending to her daily chores on the first floor of the house, leaving the infant in the cradle on the ground floor. But when a loud wail comes from the child—either through fear or hunger—she rushes down the steps to lift it, fondle it, feed it, and comfort it on her lap. She will not stay away because the wail is not musical or melodious or because the cry has no proper sense of time in its up and down notes—in its melody, beat, and tempo! She is moved by the agony the wail expresses. That is all.

So, too, the mother of the universe will not weigh the quantity of yoga that you have practiced or calculate the number of recitations of the Lord’s name you have rolled on the rosary or the time taken by you for spiritual disciplines of various kinds. She can be moved, Her grace can be won, by genuine anguish emanating from the heart. Men are finding it increasingly difficult to call upon the supreme source of power and grace with this genuineness. Their lives have become pathetically artificial.

For You, by You

Kamadhenu, the wish-fulfilling heavenly cow, can be drawn and tied to a post by means of a rope. God, too, can be drawn toward you by a rope, the name composed of love, and tied to a post, the tongue. Then His name will be dancing upon the tongue forever, conferring on you the sweetness of His majesty. The name has to be sung for your own delight, to slake your own thirst, to appease your own hunger. No one eats to appease another’s hunger, nor do they swallow drugs to alleviate another’s illness, so do not care for what others feel about your meditation or devotional singing. Do not seek the approval, appreciation or admiration of others nor refrain from meditation or devotional singing because others dislike it or ridicule you. Be self-reliant, self-confident. See through your own eyes, hear through your own ears. Most people today believe their ears and deny their eyes, or they use the eyes and ears and even the brains of others! And thus they fall into error and fear.

Food, Head, God

Consider this: Here you do devotional singing [bhajans] twice a day. But you take meals [bhojans ] four times a day. You resort to physical exercise to make the body strong and fit. Grains and cereals [dhanya] are grown and stored for use in strengthening the body. Meditation [dhyana] is equally necessary for strengthening the mind so that in its weak state it will not yield to the viruses of lust, greed, anger, hatred, pride etc. If your body is well-developed and your mind is weak, you are a fit case for the mental hospital. Food should be for both body and mind, and both these should be dedicated to the realization of the truth behind and beyond all truths: God.

Seeking good company and spending all available time in that comradeship will help the aspirant a great deal. You are shaped by the company you keep. A piece of iron turns into rust and dust if it seeks the company of the soil. It glows, it softens, and it takes on useful shapes if it enjoys the company of fire. Dust can fly if it chooses the wind as its friend; it has to end as slime in a pit if it prefers water. Though it has neither wing nor foot, it can either fly or walk, rise or fall, according to the friendship it selects.

Knowing this truth, Kabir, the great mystic-poet, sang, “Here are my prostrations to the bad. Here are my prostrations to the good.” When asked why he offered prostrations to the bad along with the good, he replied, “I prostrate before the bad so that they might leave me alone; I do the same to the good so that they might not leave me alone.”

Near and Dear

Here is a burning coal; there at some distance is a mere piece of coal. When they come near and contact each other, the heat spreads to the piece of coal and the part that is in contact is rendered hot and red. If you take hold of a fan and vigorously sway it over the contact area, soon the entire coal becomes another burning ember. The Vedas say that he who knows Brahman becomes Brahman. The coal knew fire and became fire. But just being near   was not enough. You have to make yourself dear by doing a little spiritual practice. This is the secret of the spiritual discipline by which the human becomes divine. That discipline is the cultivation of love. Be full of love; taste the exhilaration that love can confer. Man is love embodied, he thirsts for love, and he finds real joy in loving and receiving selfless love. You have forgotten your real nature—which is love—and so you exude misery, hate and jealousy. Never be morose or melancholic. Let all see you exuberant with love and light and joy. Do not entertain passion or prejudice, anger or anxiety. Take to the spiritual practice of saying the name, singing the glory of God, and the path will be smooth.

Message of Love

This 24-hour program of devotional singing continuously done all around the world has therefore spread the message of love through the names given to the embodiment of universal love. This program has saturated the atmosphere with the thought of God and the peace and joy that He showers. The devotional singing you have done here has not only affected this particular area and its environment but will transmute the entire atmosphere. Continue this attitude of devotion and humility, of service and tolerance, and the atmosphere will not be polluted by hatred. Do not contaminate the air with voices of acrimony, scandal, insult, or slander. Keep silent when you feel like expressing such ideas; that itself is service to yourself and others.

The Eternal Song

Life is a song; sing it. That is what Krishna taught throughout His life. Arjuna heard that song on the battlefield, where tensions were at their highest and when the fate of millions of people was to be decided by the sword. Krishna sang the Bhagavad Gita for Arjuna to listen to. Gita means “song.” Krishna sang because He was bliss incarnate wherever he was—in Gokula, on the banks of the Yamuna, or at Kurukshetra between the warring armies.

You, too, must pass your days in song. Let your whole life be a devotional song. Believe that God is everywhere at all times, and derive strength, comfort and joy, singing the glory of God in His presence in your heart. Let melody and harmony surge up from your heart, and let all take delight in the love that you express through that song.

Source: Sanathana Sarathi, December 1976