IMPORTANCE OF BHAVA (INNER FEELING) IN BHAJANS

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IMPORTANCE OF BHAVA (INNER FEELING) IN BHAJANS

1.Chant the lord's name with love.2. Sing with Bhava (inner feeling), else, the

whole activity of bhajans is rendered useless."Bhajans are highly sacred.

Bhajan singing makes the heart sacred. What is important is that it should

come from the heart. Bhajan is not just rhythm, tune and beat. You should sing

GOD's name with love. You will see the manifestation of divinity with your

physical eyes when you sing HIS glory with all love. Sing from HEART. This is

the only way to get HIM into your HEART.""Bhava(inner feeling) is the

quintessence (purest and most perfect form) of bhajan singing. The heart of the

lord is like "soft butter". However to melt this soft butter, we need to show

the warmth of bhakthi and devotion expressed through bhava (inner feeling).

Only a bhajan (prayer) sung with full bhava (inner feeling) can melt the heart

of the lord. It is the cry of devotee with deep yearning (compassion) for the

lord. Which makes the lord run to the rescue of HIS devotees. This is the effect

of BHAVA".Even Ice takes some time to melt but GOD's heart melts instantaneously

when you chant HIS name with love.Types of Bhava: There are six types of

Bhava:Shantha Bhava (unruffled feeling): Praising the lord undeviated by ups

and downs, bearing all the vagaries of fortune as HIS play.Sakhya Bhava

(comrade feeling): i.e Loving GOD as a friend. Example: The relationship

between Krishna and Arjuna.Dasya Bhava (servent- master attitude): Loving GOD

as one's master and dedicating oneself to HIS service. Example: The path of

Hanuman in the Ramayana. He served the lord as his faithful unquestioning

servant. He had no wish or will of his own. Vatsalya Bhava (Mother child

feeling): Loving GOD as one's child and assuming the role of a mother. Example:

Yashodha, the foster mother of Krishna can be taken as the ideal. Through she

had a series of experiences of

krishna's divinity, she preferred to serve HIM as HIS mother and to adore HIM as

her son.Anuraga Bhava (Loved-beloved feeling): Loving GOD as one's beloved.

Example: Krishna and Gopis.Madhura Bhava (Oneness with GOD): "Radha was over

powered by this Bhava. She saw, heard, tasted, sought and gained only the

sweetness at all times and at all places. She made no distinction between

nature and GOD.CULTIVATE BHAVA: Whenever a bhajan appeals to us, we usually

take the first opportunity available and proceed to sing it during a bhajan

session.IS THIS THE WAY TO SING BHAJANS?The answer is NO! The song you sing is

an offering at the lord's lotus feet and has to be prepared with due diligence

(showing care and effort) and care. How to cultivate Bhava: -1. Select a

bhajan: Choose simple bhajans, which suit your voice. It is the feeling with

which you sing that matters, not the complexity of the tune.2. Register the

lyrics: Memorize

the words of the bhajan. Under stand properly the meaning of the words or lyrics

of the song. Learn to pronounce each word the right way.3. Register the tune:

Hear the bhajan a number of times until the tune gets registered in your mind.

Learn the raga on which the bhajan is based. Understand the entire spectrum of

the associated raga. Listen to some bhajans or songs based on this raga. This

will help one to get the feel of that raga which is necessary for the proper

exposition of that raga and in turn the perfect rendering of the bhajan.4.

Learn the tala (The beat): Learn the tala or the beat to which the song has

been composed. One must pay special attention to the laya or the tempo of the

song.5. "Practice 100 times": During one of the interviews granted to the

brindavan bhajan group, swami said."Practice 100 times" Does one really need to

practice 100 times to get bhajan prefect? Why did swami say this? Let us

examine.After the first

25 times you are able to get the lyrics, tune and rhythm perfect. After the next

25 times you get the bhajan into the mind. Now you are able to sing

effortlessly.After the next 25 times you get the bhajan into your blood. You

know the meaning of each word when you sing.After the next 25 times you get the

bhajan into your heart. You are able to have a unique conversation with the lord

when you sing. 6. Arrive in time; maintain silence before bhajans: "Where ever

my glory is sung, I install myself there". Give some time to prepare yourself

mentally before bhajan, and feel the presence of swami.7. Have no ego: Sing to

express (your devotion) not impress (with your musical talent). Pray to the

lord before singing, for HIS grace, so that you can sing the song as an

offering to the lord rather than with an intention to display your musical

talent."Bhajan must be a felt experience. Do not sing with one eye on the song

that makes the effect on the

listeners, and the other, on the effect it makes on the GOD. Let your heart pant

for GOD; then, the raga (musical tune) and tala (musical beat) will

automatically be pleasant and correct. Do not allow even one vice (immoral

conduct or weakness) like the vice of conceit (personal vanity) to enter and

ensconce (establish or settle comfortably) itself in your heart. All the water

in the well becomes undrinkable even if one frog is dead and its corpse (dead

body) floats on it. Life has to be lived, through the channel marked out by

embankments (bank constructed to keep back water or carry a road, railway,etc.)

that slow the raging flood and direct it into useful fields. "NA SHREYO NIYAMAM

VINA" – "NO PROGRESS WITHOUT RULES AND RESTRICTIONS." Blessed are who obey the

commandments for, they will be rewarded."Sing for the Lord, not the Listeners".

"Bhajan done with egoistic pride is as harsh as the crow's caw (harsh cry of

crow). So, try to avoid the ego marring your sadhana

(practice), even to a small extent".EGO- Edge God Out. Do you want to drive away

GOD through your bhajan?"Some people my laugh at all this bhajan and call it

mere show and exhibition and recommend instead quiet meditation in the silent

recess of the shrine room. But coming out in company and doing bhajan like this

helps in removing egoism; one is not afraid of jeering, nor ashamed to call out

the name of the lord. One gets inspired by the devotion of others." Use bhajan

as an activity to remove ego.8. Bhajan is not the place to practice silence:

"When a man has fallen into a well and is unable to get out, he does not mutter

to himself. He shouts loudly to get men to save him! What do you do to drive

away birds sitting on a branch? You clap your hands loudly. Similarly, sing the

names "Govinda, Gopala, Narayana aloud, and clap your hands with vigour

(physical or mental strength or energy) so that the birds of evil passion,

kama, krodha (anger) and

lobha infesting your mind will fly away. When you sing without the thrill of

ecstasy (over whelming joy or rapture), I do not derive any joy. Bhajan must

spread good will, love, ecstasy it must cleanse (make clean or pure) the

polluted atmosphere; it must invite all to share in the joy and peace. Be

sincere feel in your hearts what you are singing by your voice. The motion will

express itself through the raga and tala it chooses. You need not worry about

the raga being appropriate or the tala being accurate. When Rama is prompting

you to sing, the raga and the tala can never be wrong. Rama is the pen, Rama is

the thought, Rama is the word, Rama is the style, Rama is the composition. How

then can error creep in?"Devotees who attend bhajans turn their looks this side

and that side without concentrating on bhajans. If they are not interested in

the bhajans, why should they come at all?CONCENTRATE, CONCENTRATE,..... ONLY ON

THE LORD.SAIBABA WANT'S US

TO PRACTICE THIS, WITH LOVE FROM HEART.Sairam with loveRaju."Satyanarayana Raju"

saislove >

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