NamaSamkeerthanam

[Guest guest]

Hi,

 

Here is an excerpt from a lecture by Sathya Sai Baba on the bliss of

Namasamkeerthanam.

Enjoy!

 

Embodiments of Divine Love!

" Samyak-keerthanam Sankeerthanam " (Congregational singing of

bhajans is the best of bhajans). There is a big difference between

Keerthanam and

Sankeerthanam. Keerthanam is an individual affair. It is singing by an

individual for the

fulfilment of his prayers. Sankeerthanam aims at the well-being of the

whole universe. This is

also described as Saamaajika bhajans (community singing). This method of

singing bhajans was

first initiated by Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.

 

Sankeerthana aims at demonstrating unity in diversity. When all the

participants combine to sing

in unison with one voice, it is described as Sankeerthana.

 

Four kinds of Sankeerthana

Sankeerthana is of four kinds: One is Guna Sankeerthana; two, Leela

Sankeerthana; three,

Bhaava Sankeerthana; four, Naama Sankeerthana.

Guna Sankeerthana applies to the kind of bhajan in which the devotee

recites the auspicious

qualities of the Divine, experiences oneness with the Divine, and

acquires the Godly qualities.

Thyagaraja had recourse to this type of singing. In one of his

keerthanas, he exclaimed: " Oh

Lord! You are beyond all words. Is it possible for even Brahma or other

Gods to extol your

glorious exploits? I am waiting for your grace. Hearken to my

entreaties. You restored to the

preceptor the son whom the Lord of Death had taken away. You conquered

the God of Love.

You liberated from prison Vasudheva and Devaki. You protected Draupadi

when she appealed to

you in despair. You were the guardian of the Pandavas. You relieved

Kuchela of his poverty.

You saved 16,000 damsels from subjection. " In this manner, Thyagaraja

recounted the great

qualities of God in his songs.

 

Gita Govindam is a form of Leela Sankeerthana

Leela Sankeerthana refers to the enjoyment by the devotee of the sacred

sport of the Divine in

ecstatic dancing and singing and being totally absorbed in it. This is

exemplified by the Gita

Govindam of Jayadeva.

Bhaava Sankeerthana: This is illustrated by Radha alone, who expresses

her different feelings

towards God and identifies herself with the Divine in every mood of

devotion. She expressed her

devotion in the five forms of Santha (Serenity), Sakhya (friendliness),

Vaatsalya (eternal love),

Anuraaga (affection)and Madhura (sweetness). Radha and Meera were the

exponents of Bhaava

Sankeerthana.

 

Naama Sankeerthana:

Chaithanya was the exponent of this form of Keerthana. " All names are

yours. There is nothing in this cosmos which does not bear the imprint

of your name or form " --

" Sarvaroopa Dharam Shaantham Sarvanaama-dharam Shivam Satchidaananda

roopam

Advaitham Sathyam Shivam Sundaram " (Swami sang this sloka). Chaithanya

revelled in singing

the name of the Lord as signifying all that was beautiful and glorious

in the universe.

While in each of the previous aeons the devotees adopted one or another

methods of singing the

glories, it is the supreme good fortune of the residents of Prashanthi

Nilayam to enjoy all the four

forms of Sankeerthana. The bhajans sung here are a combination of all

the four forms of

Sankeerthana.

 

The significance of Naamalikhitam

There is yet another special form of glorifying the name of the Lord.

This is Naamalikhitam

(writing the Name of the Lord). Contemplating on the name of the Lord

mentally, uttering the

name by mouth and writing the name by hand serve to perform Trikarana

Suddhi (purify the

mind, the speech and the action).

 

The name of the Lord has been glorified in different ways all over the

..world. Jayadeva was one

who enjoyed always the leelas (sport) of the Divine, experienced the

presence of the Divine

within him, devoted every one of his daily activities to enjoying the

sport of the Divine, felt that

he had no use for anything other than God's love, merged his love in

Divine Love and thereby

became the very embodiment of Divine Love. As people did not comprehend

the spiritual

significance of his keerthanas, they misunderstood and misinterpreted

the meaning of Jayadeva's

Ashtapadhis (octaves).

 

Hanuman, after the completion of his mission in Lanka, went to Sita to

receive her blessings

before returning to Rama. At that time, Mother Sita blessed Hanuman in

this manner:

" Hanuman! You are full of prowess, intelligence and fortitude. May you

never grow old. " This

did not give joy to Hanuman. Noticing his sense of disappointment, Sita

blessed him again:

" Live as an immortal. " Even this did not please Hanuman. Sita then

blessed him again:

" Hanuman! You are full of virtues! May the dwellers in the three worlds

extol your qualities. "

Hanuman felt embarrassed and bent his head as if he was ashamed to hear

her praise him.

Observing Hanuman's reactions, Sita finally blessed him thus: " May Sri

Rama always love you! "

The moment he heard these words, Hanuman was in rapture. " This was all

that I wanted, " he

declared. " I must be worthy of Rama's love. A life without Rama's love

is an utter waste. It is a

living death. The only thing I desire is Rama's love. "

 

Hanuman was proficient in music. There was none that could excel him in

singing. Even Narada

and Tumbura could not prevail against him. Such a great singer continued

always to chant the

name of Rama.

 

Devotional singing is outpouring of love to God

What then is the essence of Sankeerthana? Its essential purpose is to

earn the love of God.

Combining one's voice, tune, feeling and rhythm to the appropriate beat

of the song, the devotee

should immerse himself in the singing. Harmonising the feeling with

devotion and Love, the

sacred words of the song should be an outpouring of love towards God.

That alone is devotional

singing.

 

When the song is rendered without understanding the meaning of the words

and without any

inner feeling or genuine love for God, it is a mechanical performance.

Bhaava (feeling), Raaga

(melody) and Thaala (rhythm) are the essentials for proper singing.

Even the name Bharath signifies the combination of these three elements.

(Bha-Ra-Tha). In

every action in daily life, the combination of these three elements

should be observed. This rule

can be applied even to one's studies. Bhaava, in relation to study of a

subject, means

understanding the subject thoroughly. Raaga implies cultivating a love

for the subject and

Thaala means expressing one's knowledge coherently and clearly.