Dharma Vahini - Post 43

Dear All,

After being clear on our Atma-dharma related to Bhajan singing, let us look at the Para-dharma related to the aspect of Bhajan singing, in this post today.

Let us refresh our thoughts on the second and third rule related to Dharma.

All worldly activities in daily life, all duties that we   undertake in daily life have their own importance.

All such worldly duties have to be illumined by our mind / our heart / our thoughts soaked in our ONLY focus - "TO UNITE WITH GOD / TO REALIZE GOD"

How do the above rules apply to a Bhajan singer??

Well, this question has already been addressed while dealing with the first rule in Bhajan singing. 

However, the following points are of importance in the 2nd and 3rd rule in Bhajan singing, which follow from the points which we have seen in the bullet points related to 1st rule.

·        The   Bhajan must be practiced very well.

·   Only Bhajan which suits one's voice, one's capability, one's   music skill level, must be chosen.

·   The Bhajan has to be rendered with utmost Bhava so that it serves all others present there and they also are able to immerse in the Bhava (with which you are rendering the Bhajan).

·    Any communication  between the singers / others / showing signs to each other for any aspect related to the Bhajan session / getting up / moving during the bhajan session etc. to be avoided. 

·       Singer should not be disturbed with any sound / any movement going on in the hall, with any mismatch in percussion etc.

·       Etc Etc.., (You may add many more points in this list with your experience!)

While these are all important (see the second rule - All worldly activities in daily life, all duties that we undertake in daily life have their own importance, and Bhajan assumes a very important part of our spiritual life), the most important thing to be learnt and followed 100% are:-

While these Dos and Don’t Dos in Bhajan singing are important, they must spontaneously flow from / they must be illumined by THE PRIMARY FOCUS ON UNION WITH LORD AND TAKING BHAJAN SINGING AS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO MERGE WITH LORD, WEEK AFTER WEEK.

Once a singer / listener is totally focussed on Lord and has merged / is merging with Lord in Bhajan session, how can he / she look around, move, agitated by any disturbance, disturbed by any mismatch in percussion, be conscious of singing / following, clap louder than required etc.??

Where do we go wrong sometimes / many times???

Instead of the Primary focus illumining the Dos and Don’ts (you may call them as para-dharma in Bhajan singing), we end up considering all these rules / procedures / Dos and Don’ts, as if these are our Main focus, as if these are the real purpose for which we have come to attend Bhajans, and we

get too much into all these things and in the process, we stand vulnerable, as the main focus is lost, the focus of merger with Lord is not guiding / illumining these rules spontaneously!

So, we carry that little ego of our body mind all the way while entering the hall, while sitting, while adjusting mike, while being nervous as to how our bhajan would go, while fuming if the percussion is not OK and at the end, if at all, if everything has turned out well, while walking out in white and white, with all apparent humility(!!) and at the same time, with our heart silently  wanting that "Appreciation" from the fellow singers / participants!!!

Lo and Behold, the purpose of Bhajan singing  is Lost!!!

Thus, instead of raising beyond our ego through this most beautiful process of Bhajan singing, we end up breeding the same ego, week after week, year after year while gaining seniority as "accomplished Bhajan singer"!

Note: Each one of you, reading today's post  sincerely (!!), is requested to introspect truthfully sitting before Swami in your home shrine and see if  today's post applies to you or not. If it does not apply to you and you are already 100% focused on union with Lord only while singing, then you can happily skip today's post, assuming that the post is meant only for the author himself!!!

Love.

PS- After going through the previous post and this post, those who  attend bhajans as listeners and not as singers, can derive their own Atma-Dharma and Para-Dharma easily.

All the points explained in the last 2 posts apply to listeners, except the aspect of singing.

Thus, in one line, if the focus (Atma-dharma) is clear (merger with Lord), then the listeners cannot judge quality of Bhajans, cannot rank the singers as per their quality of rendering Bhajans, cannot point out any mistake of singers / Percussionists / Co-ordinator / Centre host etc. 

And as far as their para-dharma of observing silence, not moving within the hall, not causing disturbance to others, not clapping too loud to distract others, not to sing in a scale quite contrast to the lead singer's scale etc etc, if the Atma dharma of merging with Lord in the one hour opportunity given to the listener is clear to them, then all other Dos and Don'ts (para-dharma) on their part is automatically taken care of and they just fall in place!!!!

Love.

Dharma Vahini - Post 42

Dear All,

Let us continue from where we left yesterday.

ATMA DHARMA RELATED TO BHAJAN SINGING.

What is the focus/ experience as a result of the single pointed focus, of a singer in a bhajan??

·     The singer comes and occupies a place and sits in the bhajan hall, with his / her mind focused on "merger / union" with Lord during the Bhajan session.

·       Prior to the bhajan day, during the practice day or even before or after the practice day, with the single pointed focus - "Union with God", the singer utilizes the opportunity to render bhajan as a wonderful, never before and a never after golden opportunity to actually merge with the divine supreme Lord and lose his / her individual identity as a singer in totality.

·       What does the above para mean??? 

·       See, you are allowed a chance for singing and you are going to consider that chance as the ONLY and THE BEST opportunity to merge with Sai / Lord. How would you go about the whole process if your focus is genuine and total??

·       First, you would choose a bhajan which suits you, which you can sing comfortably, which does not involve too much stress / too much technical efforts, as your focus is not to render a best bhajan to be applauded by all gathered there, but the focus is to render a bhajan with ease, with comfort so that the whole focus and the attention on the bhajan day is not on "How you are going to render the bhajan at best"  but the focus is "losing your identity as a singer and merging with the Lord, which can happen only if you take a bhajan which you can sing with ease so that you are not conscious on how and why and what of the bhajan but ON THE LORD!!!

·   Also, given the single focus, if it is a chance to merge with Lord, then how many times, how much you would repeat that bhajan to actually communicate with the Lord and to ensure that the inner thoughts are focused on the D-day, when you are rendering that bhajan?? This results in you practicing the bhajan even without being aware of the same!! Is it not??

·      Now, for the actual rendering of Bhajan on the Bhajan day. The mike is placed before you. With the focus repeatedly mentioned / emphasized in the earlier para(s), can there be any one else other than the Lord and you, the one who has to merge in that Lord?

·      So, you are not actually singing but you are merging with the Lord through the madhyam of Bhajan singing.  You have already gone above your individual ego and the identity to render Bhajan very well so that you can receive few messages, hugs and praises for rendering the bhajan so well!!

·    If the focus is 100% and intense, then, when the Bhajan flows from you, neither you are there nor the Lord is there, but only THE LOVE remains, only LOVE exists.

   (If and only if you have existed as Love, poured the song  as Love, then, be sure, there is no individual ego left in you to judge and feel elated if the bhajan went well and neither there is any one in you to cry/ feel bad if the bhajan did not end up well and even if some one passes a direct/ indirect comment on your spoiling the Bhajan)

Now, all of us, after going through the above, have to introspect on how we should be approaching this most sacred sadhana of Bhajan singing in the context of the Atma Dharma or the Only Dharma viz-a-viz  how we are actually taking this sadhana of Bhajan singing!

More in next post.

Love

Dharma Vahini - Post 41

Dear All,

Let us further pick up the most important message / instruction that Swami has conveyed in Dharma Vahini.

"You must become intoxicated with the nectar of Union with Brahman; that is the ultimate goal of Dharma, and of Karma inspired by Dharma."

"The objective codes of dharma relating to worldly activities and daily life, though important in their own sphere, have to be followed with the full knowledge and consciousness of the inner basic Atma-dharma."

Some important points, following in sequence, from the above 2 quotes.

1)   Union with God is the ultimate and only Dharma.

2) All worldly activities in daily life, all duties that we undertake in daily life have their own importance.

3) All such worldly duties have to be illumined by our mind / our heart / our thoughts soaked in our ONLY focus- "TO UNITE WITH GOD / TO REALIZE GOD".

Well, theoretically the above 3 points seem to be understood well. But practically how these 3 golden rules can be implemented?

In the next posts, let us take some practical example to make things more clear, applying these golden rules in some of  our spiritual and worldly dharma so that we are absolutely clear as to what benefit we can attain by following the above rules.

1) In the context of our attending weekly Bhajans- either as singer or as participant. 

Since this activity is the most important activity taken up by most of the devotees in Sai organization or in any other spiritual organization, let us see how the 3 golden rules apply,

Atma-dharma or the primary focus while attending a Bhajan

The atma dharma or the first rule given by Lord "Union with God is the ultimate and only Dharma", remains the same not only for a singer  in bhajan but in all environment, in all pursuits, in all duties, in all situations, in all phases of life of a human being.

Let us elaborate the existence / frame of mind of a singer before he / she enters the bhajan hall or when he / she attends a bhajan or when he / she walks out of the hall upon the end of the bhajan session.

What is the focus/ experience as a result of the single pointed focus, of a singer in a bhajan??

Let us see, in the next post.

Love.