Baba
Story: Prabhat Samgiita
Namaskar,
From the very beginning in 1955, during general darshan, bhaktas would sing traditional bhajans for Baba. Within a few years, some margiis also began composing their own songs. Those bhajans were primarily written in Bengali, Hindi, Bhojpuri, English etc. And for years and years, in every area, whether north or south or anywhere else, only those Hindi and Bengali bhajans were sung, along with various religious and traditional songs, including Ravindra Samgiita. This went on for a while, but those songs were not up to the proper standard.
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For instance one such song was, "O' Lord, when You came as Ram or Narayan You graced xyz bhaktas so this time I will see if You grace sinners like me, then I will really think You are great." And in other traditional songs, the request was made for money, material wealth, and name and fame etc. So time and again, these compositions could not capture the proper expression of bhakti.
Not only that, in the common society at various religious gatherings they would sing songs about dogmatic themes like "heaven and hell", or "O' Lord I am a sinner and You are great..." etc.
And in those earlier days margiis directly came from those very religions. So they innocently brought those dogmatic bhajans and were singing those songs at Ananda Marga dharma / spiritual programs, and writing related songs based on those traditional compositions. In particular at one DMC, it may have been Patna 1st January DMC, one religious-based bhajan was going on. The song was like this:
"Majadha'r me par'a' hu'n...Koii nahiin saha'ra'".
Meaning: "Baba, I am in a wild whirlpool. And caught up in that. Huge amount of uncontrolled water. And floating away. Going to die. I do not have any hope, that anyone will save me. I am shelterless...." etc, etc.
Why Baba: "Stop the song"
When Baba heard this, then with His ever-loving kindness and grace, He pointed out that such lyrics should not be sung: "You are not shelterless! Stop this song." Immediately, the song was stopped. Baba then sweetly explained how all reside under the loving shelter of Parama Purusa. In this manner, the situation was addressed and margiis started singing a different song.
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Another incident I recall is when one margii was singing the song, "Baba toha'r chashma' kama'l karela'...".
The meaning of this Bhojpuri song is: "Your eyeglasses are wonderful; they are bringing charm on Your face...The sticks in Your hand and the white dhoti are all multiplying Your beauty..."
This song also was also far, far off the mark.
Nityasatyananda stuck his name everywhere
In those days and since coming onto the path of Ananda Marga dharma, Dada Nityasatyananda composed some Bengali songs. Unfortunately, Dadaji's songs were also not up to the proper standard. In the songs he wrote, Dada even used to include his own name into one of the lines of the song itself. That was quite negative to be so focused on his own ego.
Here is one such example: "Nityasatyananda sa'dh mane ga'he sabe Baba nam...".
So when he was leading the song, everybody was following and forced to sing and repeat the line of the song, "Nityasatyananda is singing Baba Nama Kevalam". Such songs Baba did not like. They went against the ethic of the cult of bhakti; it is not proper for bhaktas to glorify themselves in any type of bhajan. Rather those bhaktas are to praise the Lord, not themselves. Bhaktas like to sing the glories of the Lord and express their heart-felt feeling unto Him. That is their innate desire, not to glorify oneself. So the "Nityasatyananda sa'dh mane..." song was treated as very negative.
Baba ordered local songs
Then in 1980, Baba ordered that in all areas and regions, local songs should be sung. Baba instructed the various samaj leaders to ensure spiritual songs were composed and sung in one's mother tongue. Naturally, margiis began trying to fulfill that demand. Then the bhajans were no longer limited to Bengali, English, and Hindi songs; rather in every place local language songs were used for singing. This continued up to August 1982.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
At that point, all Ananda Margiis were encouraged to write and sing their own bhajans. So some sadhakas were writing songs, while others were searching for songs in various other traditions. With full sincerity, all were moving ahead in this endeavour in order to please Parama Purusa. Unfortunately, this endeavor also did not turn out well.
With His love, Baba was encouraging all, but those songs also were not up to the mark. Baba was often displeased with many of these bhajans, as they did not reflect the true expression of bhakti. Certainly, no one was singing or writing those songs to displease Him; but, often the meaning of those songs was inconsistent with our spiritual cult. They did not reflect the approach of bhakti.
All along Baba had made everyone understand that Ananda Marga teachings should be exemplified in all the ways, including in our bhajans or songs of bhakti. So with full sincerity margiis, dadas, and didis were trying to write or find songs that were properly linking with Baba's teachings. But they could not get success.
Conclusion
Bhaktas were trying hard to incorporate the spiritual bhavas of Ananda Marga sadhana into their songs. But they were unaware how they could proceed in expressing their bhakti for Baba. They were unsure how to express their feelings of closeness, affection, love, bhakti, proximity, grace, thoughts, and melancholic longing etc. They were unsure whether they should accuse Parama Purusa of being unkind - i.e. that He is not responding to their calling, or whether they should tell Him that, “O' Parama Purusa, You are so gracious and merciful.” And in so many other ways they were not sure how to proceed.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
This was going on for the months and years prior to September 1982. So Prabhat Samgiita did not just suddenly appear out of thin air. There was an ongoing period of trial and error in Ananda Marga dharma. Baba had graciously given sadhakas all sorts of opportunities until the stage was set. When the moment was right, Prabhat Samgiita compositions came into form. Finally bhaktas were ready for sublime compositions of Prabhat Samgiita.
Namaskar,
In Him,
Anand Sharan
Journey from darkness to light
The blessing of giving Prabhat Samgiita in 1982 was the start of something unparalleled. Prabhat Samgiita is a collection of 5,019 songs that expresses the true and pure approach of bhakti on the path of Ananda Marga. Prabhat Samgiita fills in all the gaps and answers all our queries. These compositions show sadhakas how to communicate with Him. We are truly blessed to have this complete and perfect collection of mystical compositions known as Prabhat Samgiita.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
The holy creation of Prabhat Samgiita leads one from darkness to refulgence: Where the bhakta says, O' Parama Purusa lead me on this very path.
Baba first explained in great detail about mysticism and the various types of relations (bhavas) that a bhakta has with the Lord in the appendix of Namami Krsna Sundaram. And then He started composing and teaching Prabhat Samgiita.
Note: Prabhat Samgita Day is 14 September, as this was the day the first song was given in 1982.
~ In-depth study ~
As every Ananda Margii knows, Prabhat Samgiita came into being on 14 September 1982 in Deoghar. That was when those songs first took expression. It marks a deeply spiritual gift for all on the path of AM sadhana and spiritual practices. Thus as sadhakas, we should take time to reflect upon and study the various aspects of Prabhat Samgiita.
Actually in 1982 a few margiis & wts asked why Prabhat Samgiita had not been given earlier. They expressed that it would have been good if Prabhat Samgiita had been given sooner. Then Baba gave His reply via analogy. He told that just as the milkman does not milch the cow prematurely, similarly Prabhat Samgiita could not be given until sadhakas were up to the proper standard. It took many years for this to occur, then Prabhat Samgiita was given. So, as soon as the moment was ripe, as soon as that auspicious time arrived, margiis were blessed with the gift of Prabhat Samgiita. Here is more about that history.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
PS Songs: Parama Purusa is intimate
The compositions of Prabhat Samgiita reflect all the deeply mystical moods such as closeness, affection, love, bhakti, proximity, grace, and all kinds of thoughts and feelings of the bhakta including melancholic longing that arise in our Ananda Marga sadhana. That is the inherent charm of Prabhat Samgiita. They purely reflect a bhakta's heartfelt feeling with Parama Purusa.
As we all know, here is the first song:
"Bandhu he niye calo..."
Meaning: O' Parama Purusa, lead me on towards the fountain of refulgence. O' my Bandhu, please grace me and take me along with You - on Your path. I want to move along with You...
As all know, the term Bandhu signifies a very close relation with Parama Purusa - where one cannot bear separation from Him. Those bhaktas who feel in their heart that Parama Purusa is their Bandhu, or intimate friend, are indeed blessed. They feel that, "Without my dear Bandhu I myself cannot exist." Such is the depth of the relation of Bandhu - one of the four main bhavas or ways of personally relating with the Lord.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
This first song is the embodiment of pure bhaktiu and uniquely shows how to relate and interact with the Lord.
Then in the second song - "E ga'n a'ma'r a'lor jharn'a' dha'ra' - the bhakta is saying that this is my song of refulgence.
And on and on they go...
Why only Parama Purusa is Bandhu (closest friend)
Ananda Marga ideology says, "What is the meaning of “bandhu”? In Saḿskrta, the meaning of the word “bandhu” is “to bind”. Bandhu indicates that person or entity who cannot stand separation. Parama Puruśa or Saguńa Brahma is closely and intimately connected with this expressed world, or jagata. He is pervasively connected with every individual entity, be it a living being or a crude object. He is also linked through and through with the universe as a whole. In other words, He is indissolubly and inextricably involved (ota prota) with everything. Therefore, He is the only bandhu of this universe. The rest of your bandhus in the physical world are not your eternal friends. Though they are with you now, a day will soon come when they will go away; they will be separated from you. When you depart from this world, these friends will accompany or carry your dead body. But how far will they accompany you? They will accompany your body up to the cremation ground or the burning ghat. Having gone so far, at the most they will return to their own dwelling places. So they are not your real bandhu. There is a shloka in Saḿskrta:"
Atyágasahano bandhu sadaevánumatah suhrd;
Eka kryam' bhavenmitram'amapráńáh sakhásmrtah.
"He who loves [[so much that]] he can never sustain the grief of separation, is known as “bandhu”. In this sense, nobody can have any bandhu in this world. Only that Jagatabandhu – that Parama Puruśa – can be your bandhu. No one else is your bandhu. Only He is your real friend." (1)
Ananda Marga ideology says, “Atyágo sahano bandhu” – the person who cannot tolerate separation is a “bandhu”. When the tie of love is so great that a person cannot tolerate any separation from you, he or she is called your bandhu. The tie is called bandhanam in Saḿskrta. It is so strong that the person cannot remain away from you, cannot tolerate separation from you.”
"In this world anybody and everybody can tolerate separation from you. When a person dies, what feelings will his mother and father, his brothers and sisters show? They will cry aloud, but after two or three days, normalcy will return. They will resume their normal mundane duties. And after a few days more or a few months they will forget the person. In societies where a widow’s marriage is accepted by people, the widow will remarry. In India, in upper-class Hindu society, a widow’s marriage is not accepted, but in a major portion of the world, even in India in some cases, a widow’s marriage is accepted by others. So you cannot say that any of your relatives is your bandhu. Nobody is your bandhu, or friend, in this respect. According to Indian custom, parents having only one son may adopt another child, who is then called bandhu. But Jagat Bandhu is the only real Bandhu. Parama Puruśa is the only real bandhu. He loved you in the past; He will love you in the future. He alone is Bandhu. His name is Jagat Bandhu." (2)
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 6, Parama Puruśa – the Only Bandhu
2. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 4, Your Real Friend
== Section: Important Teaching ==
How to know your past life
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Question: What is the scope of parapsychology?"
"Answer: Parapsychology links up the gaps between one life and another – it links up the gaps life after life. So, parapsychology is the science which links up our present life with our past lives."
"There are many instances where children remember their past lives. This is alright for children up to twelve or thirteen years of age, as their personalities are weak and still developing. After twelve or thirteen childrens' personalities become stronger, and if they still have memories of their past lives they will develop dual personalities. The mind will start to think, “Am I this person or that person?” They will fail to find the link in their lives. Their brains will not be able to adjust and they will die."
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "The field of parapsychology is still very underdeveloped. It should be developed, but it is a very difficult field to develop. Why has the field of parapsychology not developed? Because it is spiritual in nature and it cannot be developed by non-spiritualists."
"Parama Puruśa knows everything. He can see into a person’s past even ten thousand or twenty thousand years ago. For human beings to see into their past they need the help of their nerve cells and nerve fibres, but once they die their nerve cells are destroyed. So how is it possible for people to see into their past?"
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Parama Puruśa can link up all the past lives of people because He has supra-occult power. Only Parama Puruśa has this power and no one else. He does not need the help of the nerve cells or nerve fibres because everything exists in the Cosmic Mind. Therefore, Parama Puruśa does not need to link up all the individual minds – just by His will He can see all the unit minds." (1)
Reference
1. Yoga Psychology, Questions and Answers on Psychology #11
== Section 3: Links ==
Dadhiici Divas - 05 March
- #1: Our struggle
- #2: Great dadhiicis
Other topics of interest
