The Six Limbs of Sacred Music

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

A Discourse on Devotional Singing and Spiritual Practice

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The Six Essential Elements of Music (Ṣaḍ-aṅgas)

The six limbs or elements of sacred music are:

1. Bhāva (Expression of feeling)
2. Sāhitya (Lyrics/poetry)
3. Rāga (Melody)
4. Śruti (Pitch/voice quality)
5. Laya (Rhythm)
6. Tāla (Time measure)

Let me explain shortly what each of these is.

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1. Bhāva: The Expression of Feeling

Bhāva means the expression of feeling. Saṅgīta, or music, must be an expression of feeling.

If it is good music, then—like we say—if one instrument is tuned perfectly and it affects the other instrument also... There is a theory (I don't know whether anyone has tested it): if there are ten instruments perfectly tuned and if one instrument is played upon, then all the other nine instruments also will echo that feeling. So this is what music does to us. If we are in a receptive mood, then that music will put us into that particular mood.

The Mūḍha and the Wise

If there is no music, he who is moody is called mūḍha—a worldly person. According to us, all the moods have got only one aim.

The Nine Rasas (Nava-rasa)

That is why Indian aesthetics—the science of Indian aesthetics—divides every possible human feeling into how many categories? I want to test the musicians. How many categories?

Nine. Nava-rasa. Nine rasas.

Any experience of a human being can be classified into these nine. For example, you know:

• Romantic mood (Śṛṅgāra-rasa)
• Heroic mood (Vīra-rasa)
• Frightening mood (Bhayānaka-rasa)
• Humorous mood (Hāsya-rasa)
• And so on...

All these—even hāsya-rasa. Rasa means enjoyment.

Rasa as Brahman

Rasa is another name for Brahman. Where does it come from? Raso vai saḥ—"He is rasa." And that is why South India is so great. No less than Brahman Himself: raso vai saḥ.

So bhāva—every bhāva. After all, you know, what does Vedānta say? That the whole universe is created by Brahman. It is a manifestation of Brahman. And therefore, He is playing with Himself. Līlā—we call it līlā.

The Divine Play

With whom does He play? This līlā has got nine rasas—nava-rasa. Like, you know, you dream: you go to bed, you have a dream, and in this dream you can create all these feelings. Towards somebody you are very horrific; towards someone you are loving; you are in a romantic mood with regard to some people; you are in an angry mood with regard to some people; you are making fun of somebody else; you are trying to frighten somebody else. Like that—different moods.

When you wake up, who created all those moods and who enjoyed all those moods? Even to create the moods, you are responsible—are you not? And who is enjoying? You see, in your dream you are scolding somebody, and that somebody is feeling the pinch of it. But who is really feeling? Who is enjoying that rasa? How do you know that the other fellow is angry? Because it is you—you yourself made yourself into that form to enjoy all these things.

That is why we say Kṛṣṇa-līlā, rāsa-līlā. Rāsa-līlā is the only līlā. What about this Kurukṣetra-līlā? Between husband and wife, so many līlās go on. Kurukṣetra is a normal experience!

So bhāva—bhāva is the very heart of music, saṅgīta.

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2. Sāhitya: Appropriate Lyrics

What is the next thing? If we want to express any particular rasa, then it must be expressible, manifest in appropriate lyrics—padas. They must be absolutely wonderful padas.

An Example from Morning Worship

This morning we enjoyed "Kanakāmbara Kamalāsana." See:

Smara-śāsana, sudhā-rāsana, laghu-bhañjana, Rāma

You were not there in the morning. So this śāsana—Manmatha-śāsana. Smara means Manmatha, romantic feeling. He who controls the progenitor of this romance itself—who is it called? Śiva. Śiva, who made Kāma, Manmatha, reduced into ashes. That's why smara-śāsana.

Sudhā-rāsana—He has got that Śiva-dhanus (Śiva's bow). And who broke that dhanus? Rāma. How did he break it? Not with great effort. So avalīlā—although it is just like a small thread, he just lifted it, and his breaking itself is a play for him.

The Story of Rāma and Paraśurāma

Even Viṣṇu's dhanus also. After that, when Rāma was going, Paraśurāma confronted him: "That old Śiva's bow—old, ancient, already it was broken, rusted and broke—this is nothing. But this is the latest product, unbreakable!" So Rāma also broke it. Because who made it? He Himself made it.

Smara-śāsana, sudhā-rāsana, laghu-bhañjana, Rāma

What a beautiful composition, you know!

Kusuma-yudha-dhanus-sundara, karuṇā-rasa uru-nālaya

The Importance of Appropriate Lyrics

What am I talking about? The lyrics must be appropriate lyrics to express that particular feeling. That is called sāhitya.

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3. Rāga: The Right Melody

But then the sāhitya has to be put to the right melody. Rāga is what we call rāga. If you don't put it to the proper rāga, then it becomes roga (disease)!

Not only that—in Bengali, rāga means anger. Not in Sanskrit. In Sanskrit, rāga means love, attachment. From rāga comes anurāga. "Anurāga Śrī Hare"—we are going to take up that song.

The Three Prerequisites

So what is the first thing? First, you must decide what is the feeling you want to express. And it should not be artificial. If you are angry, express anger. If you are happy, express happiness. If you are feeling sad, express sadness.

The Concept of Kopa-gṛha (The Anger Room)

And appropriately. In the olden days, what a beautiful concept in the Rāmāyaṇa! Kaikeyī became very angry. Then what did she do? She removed all her ornaments, carefully locked them up with a password, and entered into rāga-gṛha—a separate room for expressing anger. It's called kopa-gṛha. Yes, everywhere.

If you go and want to express your anger, it won't come. So you have to have a separate house where you have built up the vibrations. The moment you enter there, automatically—even if you are not angry—you will become angry. This is the theory of vibrations.

Time-Appropriate Rāgas

So, appropriate sāhitya and appropriate rāga should be there. That is why Indian music is so fantastic. Any real musician, he wants to play the appropriate rāga at appropriate times. You know, Bhairava, Māhīravī, Mālkauns—these rāgas should not be sung at daylight.

Bhīmapalāsī used to be sung... When you sing Mālkauns, you can sing, but it will not work properly. It won't be appropriate. Then, you know, this rainy season—particular sounds, Mallār. And then Vasanta. Vasanta rāga should be sung in spring.

One fellow was asked, "Who wrote Shakespeare's works?" He said, "I don't know." Like that—Vasanta rāga: in which season should it be sung? Vasanta rāga should be sung in... Vasanta! Vedamallār should be sung only at the appropriate time.

Living According to Nature

Why? Because when we are living according to nature, nature has got certain moods. So, daytime we are in certain moods. Evening we are... Dawn and dusk, we are in certain moods. Then at deep night, at midnight, we are in certain moods.

Then what is... Nowadays, so much of disco dancing is going on when? Midnight—only at midnight. That is why people are suffering from a lot of maladies.

Music as Medicine

Saṅgīta is also... Music is also curative, provided appropriate rāga is sung at appropriate times, in the appropriate mood. It is what is called mood creation. If you are not happy, you can create happiness. If you are sad, then it can also make you sad. If you are not sad, then you should be sad.

Like that cartoon, you know, I sent you? One husband—his wife died. So he went to his neighbor and said, "I feel like crying, but tears are not coming."

Then his friend said, "What is the problem? Imagine she has come back!"

[Laughter]

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The Divine Nature of Music

So this is... Music is really divine. It becomes divine only when we know the mood. That's why all these bhajans, you know, we will take up some of the examples. The mood should be created.

The Great Saints and Their Music

So saṅgīta, or music—if we are not devotional, if we want to develop devotion, this is the method that has been adopted by saints throughout the whole world, especially in India. You know, in South India: Tyāgarāja, Purandara Dāsa, Kanaka Dāsa, Vijaya Dāsa, Muttusvāmi Dīkṣitar, Bhadrachala Rāmadāsa. In North India: Rāmprasād, Premānanda, Kamalākānta, etc. And then Tulasīdāsa, Sūradāsa, Mīrābāī, Janābāī, Kabīr Dāsa—all these innumerable saints, Guru Nānak—all these people, what did they do?

During their spiritual practice, these songs—appropriately expressing the desire, "Oh God, I want to have more devotion"—these outpourings, this is what we are all singing every day, so that we can create those feelings by singing those appropriate songs.

But after they had attained to perfection, then they used the same songs to teach others, to inspire others.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Example

For example, Ṭhākur—one part of his main spiritual practice is singing all these devotional songs that have been composed by Rāmprasād and Kamalākānta and all those people. But after he had attained perfection, he has been encouraging, he has been singing, and he would encourage others.

So he told M, "You learn singing. You buy a music book, you know, all the songs." Then next time M comes, Ṭhākur finds out and says, "You learn some of these songs and you sing. When you are not in a mood for devotion, by singing those songs, the mood will slowly come."

William James's Discovery

You know, William James—one of his greatest rediscoveries in the 19th century: feelings always follow actions. He says actions always follow feelings. You feel thirsty, you go and drink water. You feel hungry, you go and take food.

But then, you can also produce the feelings, even though the feelings are not present, but you can produce those feelings by following the appropriate actions. For example, you sing a sad song, but sincerely, and after some time the mood will follow.

So this is how we develop that feeling. But all these feelings are directed towards only God.

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4. Śruti: The Voice Quality

Now, these first three we discussed: bhāva, sāhitya, and rāga. Then what are the next? Śruti.

Śruti means each person has got his appropriate voice box, you know. Some people are low, some people are high, some people are in the middle. These are all beautiful things.

Examples from Film Music

I think we discussed it. You know, some examples I have given. Even though all the singers would sing Tyāgarāja's songs in it, but to make this point clear, I will give cinema songs.

Talat Mahmood—you heard about Talat Mahmood? You know, such a sweet, that thrilling, you know, like that it comes. So he is so sweet, but his voice capacity is very, very severely limited. He can't go down, he can't go up. If he goes up, it will break down. We also will break down. Everybody is like that.

Two Limitations of Every Singer

Every singer has got two limitations:

1. One is the voice limitation
2. Another is the limitation of the capacity to express the feelings

For example, if you ask Kishore Kumar to sing a sad song: "These tears are not coming to my eyes. What shall I do?" [Mimics] "I know, I know what you mean. Don't think I don't know." There are a few songs, but his voice is not in general suited for... For yodeling songs, it comes like that.

Whereas Lata Mangeshkar's voice—very naturally, even if it is a joyous song—it is natural. You feel that somebody has died!

Natural Voice and Expression

So you see, natural voice—somebody's voice can express a certain feeling much better than another singer's. You can notice that. So these music composers, they recognize—they have the talent to recognize—and then they put the appropriate...

So we are talking about śruti. Śruti means the voice. The song must be composed within that vocal capacity. Then only you will be able to express it. That is called... Everyone's voice differs. And with age also it differs. Usually ladies' voices will be high-pitched.

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5. Laya: The Rhythm

What is the next thing? Laya.

Laya means there is a rhythm. Rhythm is one of the most important things. Whether you sing fast or you sing slow, a rhythm must be there.

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6. Tāla: The Time Measure

And rhythm bound by certain time limit is called tāla. But the rhythm, whether it is Tīn-tāla or Ek-tāla or Rūpak-tāla or whatever tāla it is—tāla is nothing but rhythm, but bound by certain... It is bound usually by the lyrics. The lyrics are like this, you know. You can only put it in that particular... Otherwise it will be stretching a lot.

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The Perfection of All Six Limbs

So these are the six, what is called aṅgas, or limbs, that are perfect. When all these six limbs are perfect, that music becomes divine music.

But even then, the feeling must be directed towards God. That is what Tyāgarāja says. Otherwise it will be only just worldly.

The Evolution of Sacred Music

In the beginning, whether it is Gregorian music or Hindustani music or Karnataka music—everybody used to sing only about God. Later on, this Sufism has entered into it, and then this ghazal and all those things. There is also love between the devotee and God, but now we misinterpret it, you know, where it is between man and woman, like that.

So when we sing these songs, we should try to find out: what is the central mood that the person, the composer, wants us to experience?

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Two Songs by Saint Tulasīdāsa

So we will take two examples. One song we all sing; the other one I am not sure. Both were composed by Saint Tulasīdāsa.

First Song: "Itanī Vinatī Raghunandana Se"

So one is: Itanī vinatī Raghunandana se. You sing all those songs? Itanī vinatī Raghunandana se.

This much—this is an appeal to Rāma, Śrī Rāma, by me. Itanī vinatī means my appeal, my prayer to you. What is that? "You destroy my feeling of this duality."

The Problem of Duality

We are all victims of duality: happiness and unhappiness, good and evil, life and death. But all these are only what is called in the realm of duality—māyā. What is māyā? There are not two realities. Reality is only one. But when it is expressed one way, it manifests in one way. And it is the same thing after some time: sukha becomes duḥkha, duḥkha becomes sukha.

The Sun God's Perspective

That is why, you see, if you go to the sun in the evening: "Hello, my friend, how was your day?"

He says, "I am all right, but I didn't understand that word 'day.' What do you mean by day?"

He doesn't know. "Oh, don't you understand? Do you understand what is night?"

"Oh, night—I never heard this word. First time I am hearing."

The sun god, if you ask before him, if you say "day" or "night," he feels puzzled. "What are you talking about?" Because he neither knows day nor knows night. If he wants to know one, he should also know the other.

Happiness and Unhappiness

So this reality: if you don't know what is happiness, you don't know what is unhappiness. If you don't know what is unhappiness, you will not know what is happiness.

So that is why in deep sleep, which one do you know? Are you happy, or are you unhappy? He says, "I do not know anything." Why? Because it is divine māyā. This māyā is created by whom? By God. So what is created by God, you cannot destroy.

The Prayer of the Swan

Then: "I want, you know, I want to enter into the stage of your lotus feet. My mind is like a haṁsa, like a swan. And where does the swan—where should the swan remain? In a lotus—your lotus feet.

"But I cannot make it go. The whole problem is, I desire to make it go, but it won't listen to me. So I have to pray to God: now you put this swan of my mind in the cage of your lotus feet.

"When I am going—I am at the last breath—where is the energy, where is the enthusiasm in me that I can think of you at the last moment? That is why, he Kṛṣṇa, let my haṁsa of my mind enter into the cage of your lotus feet just like a swan, just now."

The Last Moment

"How can I remember you? Because I remember every other thing. This is the truth." We think that, you know, last moment we can remember. "Whatever thought—with whatever thought a man gives up his body, then his next birth is decided." This was the teaching in the Gītā.

Swami Bhagyanandaji was teaching that. And then, you know, a Sardārjī—he was one of the audience. He came and said, "Swamiji Mahārāj, suppose I enjoy my whole life, and at the last moment I know—then I will be remembering God—and then I will shoot a pistol to my brain, and I will shoot myself. Will I attain to the lotus feet of God?"

Swamiji said, "Yes, if you remember God. But suppose, before doing, 'Whether this pistol is going to blow myself off or not? Whether it will only blow half my brains—I will still be alive?' If your mind is beset by these kind of doubts, then you will attain to the other state. You have to be absolutely sure you will be lost to the thoughts of God only. And if you don't practice from the beginning, that's not going to happen."

The Conclusion of the Prayer

"With folded hands, I beg you: what did you say? Please take me to the other shore of this saṁsāra. This much is my prayer. I am not asking for money, I am not asking for anything else—I am just asking for devotion, always.

"What good is it if I have everything else, except faith in the lotus feet of the guru?"

Understanding "Lotus Feet of the Guru"

So you say, "Don't misunderstand it. Lotus feet of the guru means what?" What is guru? Guru means scripture. Forget about all this Parabrahman and all those things. How do you know his guru is Parabrahman? Who tells you? The scripture tells. The guru only confirms the scriptural teaching. He proves the scriptural teaching.

You know, that's why somebody had classified Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa as a madcap: "No, no, he is not an incarnation of God. His devotees had made him an incarnation of God."

The Law of Giving

What is the appropriate answer to you? The appropriate answer is: first of all, there is a law. What is the law? If you are a rich man, then only you can donate money. If you are a singer, then only you can sing. If you are a happy person, then you make other persons happy. Otherwise you are an unhappy person telling others, "Be happy." You are like a comedian.

The Story of the Comedian

There was a comedian. You know, once there was a man who went to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist asked him and said, "There is nothing—what is wrong with you? Why did you come?"

He said, "Doctor, I am such an unhappy man. I don't feel happiness at all. Can you cure me?"

So the doctor examined him thoroughly and said, "I don't see anything wrong. But you know, you have to make yourself happy. But how? You know, every Thursday on this BBC, this comedian comes—he makes everybody very happy by his play. You watch it; you will also become happy."

The man said, "But doctor, I am that comedian."

The Law Applied

Do you think a person who is not happy can make others happy? If we don't have happiness, what is the law? Simple law: if you don't have money, you can't give money. Similarly, if you don't have happiness, if you are not a happy person, you can never make the other person happy. It is impossible.

The same rule applies: if you are not angry, you can't make the other person angry. And that is why, when a saint scolds his devotees—because he has no anger—that is why the devotees also never get angry. Very soon they realize: "The guru is getting angry only for our good," because they know who is really angry and who is only pretending to be angry.

So that is why we have to learn so many of these things. This is the law.

Who Can Free Us?

Who can free us from the saṁsāra? Only God can do that. Guru can do that. And what is guru? He is nothing but scriptures. He proves the scriptures, because before he became a guru, what was he? He was a disciple. And he followed the scriptures, and he proved the fact that what the scriptures tell is really true.

The True Meaning of Guru-bhakti

What is guru-bhakti, then? Guru-bhakti means not becoming emotion-laden: "Oh, my guru has come, and I am a devoted disciple." That is not guru-bhakti. Guru-bhakti means to believe in the scriptures 100 percent—that satya-buddhi-avadhāraṇa śraddhā.

What is the definition of śraddhā? Guru-śāstra-vākyeṣu satya-buddhi-avadhāraṇa—"They are absolutely true." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had—every saint has—that faith in the scriptures, and they experienced the truths of the scriptures. Later on, they realized. It is called realization.

So these songs, when we listen, we have to have that faith that they are all true. Otherwise, they make no gain.

The Complete Text of the First Song

So this is one song:

Itanī vinatī Raghunandana se

Duḥkha-dvandva hamārā miṭā o jī

Apane pāda-paṅkaja-piñjara me

Cetā-haṁsa hamārā paiṭhā o jī

Tulasī prakāśa kahe kara joḍī

Bhavasāgara pāra utārā o jī

That sincere prayer.

Tulasīdāsa's Vision of Rāma

And that is why, when Tulasīdāsa prayed like this, Rāma Himself came and told him, "You want the vision of Rāma? Then go to Citrakūṭ."

You know that story? It's a beautiful story.

Tulasīdāsa's First Guru

Tulasīdāsa—his first, who was his first guru? His wife. His wife. He told him... No, she told him: "If you had one-millionth of love you have for me..." No wife will tell this to her husband, because if he really believes her and then goes after God, then she will be regretting her whole life: "Why did I tell this to him? How stupid I am," like that.

Tulasīdāsa's wife also regretted later on. In fact, then Tulasīdāsa—the transformation came, conversion came—and he left. And he was longing for the vision of God.

The Spirit in the Tree

And you see, he was living at Benares. Every day morning he would take a pot of water and go out for answering calls of nature. And then there would be some water left out, so he would pour it at the root of a tree.

So one day, when he poured the water at the root of a tree, suddenly a spirit appeared before him—a vṛkṣa (tree spirit). And it said, "I am so pleased with you. Every day you are feeding me this water. So I want to return the good act that you have been doing."

Then Tulasīdāsa said, "If you want to give me something, I have only one desire: I want to have the vision of Rāma."

Then the vṛkṣa said, "Not to speak of giving the vision of Rāma—even hearing the name of Rāma, vṛkṣas will run away! I cannot give you the vision of Rāma, but I can tell you how you can have the vision of Rāma. There is a temple here. You go there, and every day Hanumān, the devotee of Rāma, comes in the form of an old Brāhmaṇa." He would be looking like this. The vṛkṣa gave him these directions.

Meeting Hanumān

So Tulasīdāsa thanked the spirit and then was waiting in the temple. And the next morning, exactly as the vṛkṣa told—the spirit told—this one old man, a Brāhmaṇa, came there. He had just finished his devotions to Rāma, and he was returning.

And Tulasīdāsa followed him and got hold of his feet. The old man said, "What is this? Who are you? And why are you holding my feet?"

Tulasīdāsa said, "I know you are Hanumān. You are Hanumān."

Then, of course, it is all the grace of Hanumān. If he didn't want to appear, he would have changed his dress. Then he would have come in the form of a boy. But if he had taken the form of this, Tulasīdāsa would have recognized, "This is Hanumān."

So, Hanumān's grace—immediately he told him, "Okay, what do you want?"

"I want to have the darśana of Rāma."

"Okay. You go to Citrakūṭ, a place called Citrakūṭ, and there you will have the darśana of Rāma."

The Rāmalīlā at Citrakūṭ

Then Tulasīdāsa went there and was waiting. In those days, it was a very small village. So what happened? Every day Tulasīdāsa was singing Rāma's name and praying to him for his darśana.

Small village. One night, before Tulasīdāsa went to bed, suddenly he heard a lot of commotion outside. "What is this? What is happening?" He opened the door, and he saw all the villagers were running towards a spot in the forest. The whole village was surrounded by a huge forest. Even now, a big wooded area is there.

So Tulasīdāsa asked them, "Where are you all going? What is happening here?"

He said, "Don't you know? The Rāmalīlā is going to take place tonight. So we are all going to enjoy." Rāmalīlā is a kind of drama of the Rāmāyaṇa.

So Tulasīdāsa had nothing to do, you see. Rāmalīlā means Rāma's story. So he also happily, joyously went there. And the whole night it was such a marvelous drama. It was so realistic. So all the villagers returned. Tulasīdāsa also came back. And he had a nice, good night's sleep.

The Realization

And the next morning, he was in such a happy mood because he could witness such a beautiful Rāmalīlā performance. So he went to chat with his neighbors and said, "Oh, yesterday night's Rāmalīlā was fantastic."

They looked blank. "What do you mean by Rāmalīlā performance? What are you talking about?"

"Why? Yesterday night we all went."

"What do you mean by 'we'? We were all sleeping in our homes. Where did you see Rāmalīlā?"

He said, "The whole village went there. I saw the whole village going there."

He said, "None of us have ever known about Rāmalīlā. Who comes to this remote village to perform such fantastic Rāmalīlā?"

So he said, "Where did it take place?"

"Just here, outside the village."

"Where? Let us go." You know, some place would be cleared in the wood to perform that. Some place is needed.

He said, "I will show you where it happened."

So they all went and looked. What was there? Nothing was there. It was all full of jungle—trees and all those things.

Then he realized that Rāma had given him his vision in the form of Rāmalīlā.

The Command to Write

Then later on, Rāma appeared to him and said... Like this happened to Vālmīki—Nārada Mahārṣi comes and then performed the whole Rāmalīlā so that he could write the Rāmāyaṇa. This is the nāndī-mukha for Rāmacaritamānasa.

So Rāma appeared and told, "You write my story in the local dialect, Avadhi language, so that all the local people could understand you."

The Nature of Reality

He was thinking he was witnessing Rāma. What is the difference? If you have a vision, that is also Rāma. If you are having a dream, that is also Rāma. If you are thinking that I am giving a talk to you, that is also Rāma only. It is your imagination, but good imagination.

If you are thinking that I am eating nice food, that is also imagination. If you are thinking "I am happy," that is also imagination only. Everything is an imagination.

So what is the difference? Why not have good imagination? Instead of imagining "I am suffering, I am mad, I am this or that," why not have good imagination?

From the Vedāntic point of view, everything is unreality. Līlā means what? Good imagination. That is all. Simple.

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Second Song: "Kṛpā Jagavatī"

So let us very briefly take up one song. This is also composed by Tulasīdāsa himself. Very quickly we will go through it.

Verse-by-Verse Analysis

Kṛpā—grace. The grace of whom?

Kaunu bigaḍa kare nara ke re

Rāma is kind, compassionate towards you. Who can take away your happiness?

So jānā keśatī kṛpā

Only the grace of Rāma. What does it do?

Jagāvatī

It awakens you. We are all—all Indians have been awakened. By whom?

Uttiṣṭhata, jāgrata, prāpya varān nibodhata

"Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached." Swami Vivekananda aroused it.

Only Indians? What about Americans? This Parliament of Religions: "Children of immortal bliss! Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached."

That is why the effects are going on. Joseph and Linda are the proof.

Kṛpā jagāvatī

Whom? Even though these words are uttered, they would be effective only in certain souls—tuned souls. Who are those people?

Sujana jīva

Only pure people. Only those people who are really good. That's why you cultivate satsaṅga. What does satsaṅga do to you or to me? It makes us sat. Satsaṅga means that company which also makes us exactly sat. And if a company cannot make us sat or good, then that company is not a satsaṅga at all.

The Power of Influence

We are all creatures brainwashed by the whole world. We are creatures brainwashed. You know, if you go on hearing that life is meant for drinking and dancing and doing all these things, you feel it is wrong—"All of us, let us all commit suicide."

What do you think you will do? If you are brainwashed to commit suicide, then what do you do? You commit suicide. Don't you know about Jim Jones? Where hundreds of people have voluntarily taken that poison and then died? And so many other people—these fellows who know the millennium is coming to an end, and then "those people—let us go—some people from other planets are coming to take us there, and we are the only privileged social group. So by committing suicide, we will get new bodies."

You know, so many people, they committed suicide. When? Not 2,000 years back—just recently. And it is happening even now.

We are all creatures who are easily influenced by newspapers, by the TV that we watch, by the political party we believe in. None of us are completely free. So why not be washed by Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, Swami Vivekananda? That is the idea.

The Process of Awakening

Jñāna kī icchā kṛpā jagāvatī sujana jīvo

What does he do after having awakened?

Jāgī tyāgī mūḍhatā

Giving up stupidity, idiocy—giving up idiocy. That is the meaning of awakening. Otherwise there is no awakening. After getting up, from one idiocy to another idiocy? There is no grace at all.

Anurāga Śrī Hare

Develop devotion to... Anurāga means you follow. If there is no rāga, there will be no anurāga. If you don't have passion, you cannot be dispassionate. If you don't have passion, you can never have dispassion. That is why, what is the first condition? Have passion—otherwise you are dead.

The Christian School Story

In a Christian school, somebody came to preach, brainwash the children about Christianity. The teacher came from outside, and the whole day he was brainwashing the children: "Children, if you want to get rid of sins, then you become baptized. Take the name of Jesus Christ."

So at the end of the day, the teacher wanted to test whether the people understood his words properly or not. He asked, "Children, to get rid of sins, what should we do? What should you do?"

Then they all showed, "We have to take the name of Jesus Christ."

"What for?"

"To get rid of the sins."

Until one small girl—she got up and said, "No, first we have to commit sins. If you don't commit sins, then how is he going to get rid of your sins? Where is the need for Jesus Christ at all?"

The First Condition

What is the first condition? If you are evasive, then what is the proof? The proof is you love God, not otherwise. Go on discriminating, think rationally. Give up all your wrong doings, wrong thinking.

Then what should you do?

Rāma bhaje

You worship Rāma, who is the most gracious being on earth.

Then how do you know? How do I know that he is really gracious?

Bhadra-sindhu

He is an ocean of auspiciousness. Bhadra-sindhu. Sindhu means ocean. From sindhu only the word "Hindu" has come. You know that.

Dīna-bandhu

He loves helpless people.

The Source of Knowledge About God

Who says that? Vedas are telling, scriptures are telling. How do we know about God? Only from the scriptures. Otherwise we never know. Nobody speaks about scriptures? Nobody will know about God.

The whole of Russia, for some time, became so-called atheistic—brainwashed—because they stopped churches, they stopped hearing the Bible, and only day and night, your communist propaganda. They will decide which books you will read and which films you will see and all those things. The result of it is, after some time, people slowly say, "Maybe it is all fiction. Maybe these are all..." Like Buddha, he taught, "The whole Vedas are creations of your selfish priests," like that.

We are all, you know, creatures. That is why we cultivate satsaṅga. Somebody accuses you: "Why are you hearing all this blah-blah?" And you say, "What you are hearing is also blah-blah. So let us decide—let each one of us decide—which blah-blah we are going to listen to." So that will be our freedom.

Awakening from the Sleep of Delusion

Then he says:

Moha nisi bipula

The whole universe is full of nothing but moha (delusion). Whole life is nothing but delusion. Delusion is like a fog that comes in the winter season.

Soye

You slept.

Bipula

Means deep sleep. How long? How much time?

Chaurāsī koṭi

Eighty-four crores of lives—so many lives. We have been sleeping. Sleeping means? You have been thinking that you are the body, you are the mind, etc.

Like a dream, all this time, the wonderful opportunity to awaken yourself, to go to God, has been lost. Now the night is coming to an end. The morning has come; dawn has come. The sun of knowledge has risen on the eastern horizon. The whole world is being lighted up by this sun.

The Sun Destroying the Fog

The light of the sun—it is destroying. What?

Vāsanā, rāga, moha, veṣa

These are all like thick fog. They have been enveloping human beings and making them sleep. But now that the sunlight has come, it is destroying the fog like anything, and you become awake.

But only it happens to whom? Not to everybody. Not to everybody. The right time has to come.

The Thieves of Night

Then what happens? Night also is the time for people who steal—thieves, robbers. They only work at nighttime. So bhāge—they run away.

Who?

Mada-māna-cora

Cora means thieves. Mada and māna—pride and egotism. How? It is dawn. The light is coming. People will recognize me. They will never come near you.

This kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, mātsarya—all these six passions, they never come anywhere near you, because where there is light, darkness can never come.

The Heroism of Divine Grace

Raghunātha pauruṣa

Just see the heroism of Raghunātha.

Santāpa

Santāpa means guilt, regret. All these things will disappear.

Pāpa

You will never again commit any sin because the very thought itself will go away when you know the truth, when you know something is worthless. You don't feel like stealing it. Only when you think it is very valuable, then you feel like a desire for it.

Tāpa trividha

Tāpa, trividha. Every creature is subject to this trividha-tāpa—ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, ādhidaivika—three types of what are called afflictions: physical, mental, and spiritual. And all these—no creature is free. Mosquitoes also are not free. Dogs are not free. Just now we heard a dog has got cancer. Animals have cancer. Whatever human beings are afflicted with, the same thing...

We think that wild animals, in the wild, they are free from all these things. No one is free. They are all beset by fear. One animal is hunting the other animal.

The Lion and the Skunk

I still remember, you know, there is one lion who confronted a skunk. A small fellow—you know skunk? Very small animal. It was going like that, like that—small, slow, slow. This big lion, he saw, and then he said, "This is a tiny animal. I will go."

So he ran and then put his jaw to do this. So this skunk looked like this: "What is this stupid fellow doing? Does he not know me? I think first time."

So he just squirted a little bit. After that, this lion will never go near this skunk. You know, God has given that protection to him.

Freedom from Afflictions

So like that, these afflictions—they disappear. Why do they disappear? When can your headache disappear? When will you be free from any type of... So long as you have a head, there will be aches. So long as you have a mind, there will also be aches—mind-aches, you know.

So if you want permanently to get rid of them, the only way is: be free from the body and mind. They are destroyed. These three types of afflictions, they disappear forever.

How?

Prema

Prema means the love of God. Automatically it will remove, because if you are thinking of God, you will become God. Who can think of God? Only God can think of God. That's why if you are happy, you are God. If you can love, you are God. True love—I am not pretending.

Pretending Love

Pretending love, you know. One fellow was walking in New York at 6:30 in the evening. It was dark. Suddenly some fellow came, and then he took out his gun. He said, "Give me your wallet."

So this fellow had no option. He gave him his wallet. And that fellow ran away, taking the wallet. He just went running away. He shouted, "Ha, ha, ha! There is no bullet in this gun!"

And this fellow also started going back. He also started: "Ha, ha, ha! There is no money at all!"

If you pretend to love, then you will be pretended to be loved. Because this is all fake, fake love. This is all faking only. There is nobody who tries to make it. Everybody is only faking it, not making it.

Only Heroes Awaken

Śunī

I hear with my ears.

Dhīrā gambhīrā

His grave, thunderous words. After hearing, what happens? Only the heroes—not cowards—heroes, they awaken. Because this is not a work for ordinary people. Venturing into spiritual life is not an ordinary thing. Anybody can say, "I will also become a religious person."

No. Spiritual life means... It needs... That is why, what was Swamiji's teaching? "A weak person can never ever attain God."

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Strength and the Capacity to Feel

In fact, this is a wonderful truth: a weak person cannot be cheerful. A weak person cannot be happy. A weak person cannot even be sad. Do you know that?

The Nature of Sadness

A weak person, you know, to attain to sadness, it requires a heart. How long will he be sad? "I want to shed tears. My wife died. I am not coming..." You know, you think that you are sad. You are not sad. Next moment, you forget you are sad.

What is the criteria of sadness? You think you are sad. There must be a criteria. You know, somebody died. You feel sad. And you are expressing your sadness to your neighbor. What are both of you doing? You have taken a huge plate of food, and you are expressing your sadness. Is it called sadness?

You have not given up one grain of your enjoyment of eating, and you think that you are expressing... Your face is gravely expressing. When you are eating first-class idli-sambar, can you express sadness? Is it possible? What type of sadness?

If you are sad, can you eat? Can you sleep? But you are going through all these emotions. Come to think of it. Think a little bit. "Am I really sad? Can you become sad?"

Who Can Truly Feel?

Who can become sad? If Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa—if Keśab Chandra Sen died—Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa went to bed for three days. He said, "I couldn't get up." He can be sad because he can be also glad. But you can't be sad because you don't have the capacity to feel. That doesn't come to us. Strength is needed either to be happy or to be unhappy.

Can you think about it? You think that if you are incapable of being happy, you are capable of being unhappy. Is it not? Automatically you conclude that if you are not happy, you are an unhappy person.

No. Your capacity to be unhappy is equal to your capacity to be happy. Your capacity to be unhappy is equal to your capacity to be happy. Yes, it is a capacity. If you don't have that capacity, you see, it is just a very simple thing.

The Container Analogy

It is a small, you know, body. Whether you put poison or you put water or you put milk or you put ice cream or whatever it is—how much can it contain? Do you understand what I am talking about?

That's why the saints enjoy the most and suffer the most. Yes, their suffering has no equal. The more—the bigger the receptacle—the bigger is both.

Swamiji also can be so happy. Swamiji also could be profoundly unhappy because he is a bigger receptacle. We don't have both capacities. Don't you understand? You think that you can be very unhappy but only be a little bit happy. Your capacity depends...

The Story from Belur Math

How much can you eat? Our ordinary examples, you know—whether good food or bad food, how much can you eat?

Yes, it happened in Belur Math. In Belur Math, you know, there was a swami. Three-fourths of his stomach was stitched because they removed it. And then only a little bit of stomach was there. So what happened? He can't enjoy because so many rasagullās, so many mangoes, so many things are there. Even everybody is eating mango after mango, pot after pot, sweet, miṣṭi doi—he can only eat this much.

But one day, what happened? They made these curds, and that had gone bad. It had become poisonous. Everybody else had eaten—full capacity. This fellow could eat only this much. Everybody, they were running to the bathroom 25 times, etc., in one day. This fellow? Nothing was happening. Why? That day he was very happy!

The capacity both to be happy or to be unhappy—that depends upon the capacity of our mind. You see the point? Body also. How much you can eat depends upon how much you can eat. Poison also depends upon the capacity of your stomach only.

Great Souls and Their Capacity

So the great souls, they have the capacity both to enjoy and also to feel deeply. For how many people can you feel? If you are happy, how many people's happiness can you feel? A family man—how many people's happiness can he feel? Only his immediate family. Whereas a person like Swami Vivekananda, he can feel for the entire world. And he can also enjoy the happiness of... And if anybody is happy, he is happy. If anybody is sad, he is sad.

Only Heroes Can Understand

So that is what is being told here. Only when these words of the great souls arise, whom does it really affect? Only heroic souls—not these ordinary fellows. They can never understand these great words.

That's why, to understand Swami Vivekananda, what did he say? "Only another Vivekananda could understand this Vivekananda." We think we understand him. How can you understand him? With our small capacity, how can you understand such a great soul?

The Result of Awakening

So what does this man do? He awakens. Having awakened:

Vara-vairāgya

That is, he will accept vairāgya.

Vara-vairāgya toṣa sakala

He tries to please, make everybody happy.

Samatā ādare

He goes only to cultivate the company of saints.

Tulasīdāsa prabhu kṛpālu

The Lord of Tulasīdāsa is extremely compassionate. Seeing the distress of people, what does he do? What does his feeling do?

Bhaṁjo

Means destroy.

Bhava-jāla

He destroys the net of delusion. He also bestows the highest auspiciousness, or parama-puruṣārtha. What is it? Mokṣa. He gives mokṣa.

But only on those people who are ready to receive it.

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Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Grace and Our Receptivity

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's grace—it has no limitations. But how many people are ready to receive it? So it is not the fault of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa if we don't receive his grace. It is our fault. He is distributing his grace in so many ways.

If you are in difficulty, whose grace is it? Grace. He is telling through this experience: "Do not become attached to anything. This world is like that. Awake."

But we think, "Why is he giving me trouble?" He is giving you trouble because he loves you. He wants you to love him. "Don't love anybody else."

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The Importance of Understanding Before Singing

These are some of the things we have to contemplate. So before you sing, it is better to understand: what am I going to sing? What is the meaning of this song? Then only you can express your feeling. If you don't know, then how can you express your feeling? If you don't understand the meaning of a song, how are you going to bring out its feeling?

First you have to understand. Then only there is a hope that, yes, I will try to bring out that meaning.

That's why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa—one part of his sādhana is to sing songs. When he was doing sādhana, he was singing to bring out his feelings, intensify his feelings. And after the realization, he was trying to help his disciples, devotees, so that they can also have wisdom.

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The Story of Manilal Mallik

Just I will give one example and close this talk.

One day, one devotee came to him—Manilal Mallik. His face was very sad. There were so many devotees at Dakshineswar in the room of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and he was talking joyfully. Suddenly this man enters, sits in a corner. His face was very dark, full of sadness.

Naturally, all the devotees' attention was drawn. They said, "What happened? Why are you so unhappy?"

He said, "I am just returning from the crematorium. I just cremated my 25-year-old son."

Just imagine—for a father to cremate his 25-year-old son. Everybody was stunned. He was coming from the crematorium, where he thought of going back home, where he could not see his son.

Everybody was—naturally they felt sympathetic. And they were telling, "Oh, the world is like that." But these are all empty words. Nobody has any feeling. That is why he could not get any consolation. He will also give the same upadeśa to you also. He knows it himself. But he never felt it.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Response

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was sitting. The description was so beautiful. He was not saying anything. Everybody was feeling uncomfortable. "What is this? Has this man no feelings? Does he not feel for the grief of householders who lose their children like that?"

Suddenly Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa went into an ecstatic state. And he came out. And then he started singing that song:

Jīva, śrajo sāmara re

"O soul, be ready for the battle! Death has declared war upon you. It has come; it has surrounded your house. He wants to finish you off."

When this devotee heard Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa singing, he felt tremendous peace.

The Power of Grace Through Song

How did he get the peace? By hearing the song? No—the bhāva, the meaning of that song, had entered deep into... So what is this? It is not feeling. It is not emotion. It is the knowledge. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had given him that knowledge in the form of this song. He bestowed his grace. The man felt lightened—very light. His grief had vanished, at least temporarily.

Then he said, "Sir, that is why I have come running to you. I know, except you, nobody could give me peace of mind. And now I feel better. Now I can go back."

He did not say that—this description was not there. Naturally, now he can go. But forever it will remain in his mind: "Be prepared." Because this is an event which is not a one-off event. It can happen anytime.

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Practical Religion: Being Prepared

This is a song for all of us. Anything can happen. Are we prepared? Can you imagine, in your meditation, tomorrow something can happen to yourself, or to your partner, or to your children, to your parents, or to anybody whom you love. Then how are you going to deal with that? This is called practical religion.

If you cannot feel this, simply you come, you know, to satsaṅga—they all come for my talks every time. That's why I say, Joseph, don't mind, you know. My devotees, I love my devotees. You know why? They all come with fresh minds every day. Fresh minds. Means what? Clean—clean slate. They don't remember what I have spoken yesterday. What jokes I told last year. They don't remember at all. All fresh. That's why they enjoy it thoroughly!

The Test of Practical Application

So, same thing applies to good things also. Many good things we have been talking, listening—we are reading the Gospel, we are reading Complete Works, we are reading Upaniṣads, we are reading so many things—but do they come to our aid when certain events take place? That is the point.

You may even remember them, but they must be effective, like medicine, at the appropriate time. Otherwise it is like, you know, somebody was traveling on a lonely road, and suddenly the car broke down. All that he needed was one spark for this spark plug, you know, but unfortunately he never brought the... He remembered—he left the matchstick somewhere. What is he going to do? Very small thing. He remembers clearly where he kept it, but where is it?

So if we do not... Whatever we read, if it doesn't come to our aid at the appropriate time, then it is not very effective. So we have to remember and say, "Oh, I may require it at that time." Then only it is really effective.

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Two Stories of Overcoming Depression

Anyway, I am just promising, you know, I will close my talk.

Swami Turiyananda's Experience

Swami Turiyananda—he was wandering in North India, and one day he was sad, he was depressed. For some reason he was depressed. Then he was thinking, "Why did this depression come? How can I get rid of it?" He didn't find any way to get rid of the depression.

So what does this show? Even spiritual persons also, this depression can come. But then there is a difference between ordinary people and spiritual people.

He was just looking. It was night, and it was pitch dark. Then suddenly he saw that, you know, the clouds parted, and there was this full moon. Then suddenly it flashed: "The moon was there all the time. What happened? The clouds were covering it up, and as soon as the clouds got out, then the full moon was shining."

Somehow that brought a transformation, and he said, "God exists even if I don't feel Him. I don't feel Him because this ignorance has covered it up. But that doesn't mean God doesn't exist. Like this, when the clouds are removed, then clouds move away and the moon automatically reveals itself. Like that, my depression also..."

The moment he thought like that, his depression completely lifted up.

Girish Chandra Ghosh's Worry

Similarly, you know, Girish Chandra Ghosh—he was in a deeply depressed mood. So many direct disciples of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa went and wrote, "You are a great devotee of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa has taken up your responsibilities. What is there for you to worry?"

"Yes, all this is true. There is nothing for us to worry. But that creates greatest worry!"

The Old Woman's Advertisement

One old woman put up an advertisement: "If anybody can take away my worries, I will pay that fellow $50,000 per month."

So one fellow, a young man, applied for the job. So he came—the dilapidated condition of her home and other things. So he asked, "You advertised for this job?"

"Yes," she said.

"And you promised that you will pay $50,000 per month if I can get rid of your worries?"

She said, "Yes."

"But where are you going to get $50,000 from?"

She said, "That is your first worry. That is for you, to make me free from that worry."

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Making Knowledge Effective

So if we don't remember... Remembering comes intellectually. They must become effective, practical. Only this great soul—temporarily his mind was covered. Spiritual souls, they can also feel depression. It is the nature of the mind. But it won't stay a long time. That is why these are great people.

Whereas for ordinary people, to be happy is a rare event. Only occasionally they feel happy. And the rest of the time, what happens? They become accustomed. Yes, they become accustomed. This is no joy at all—true joy. How many of us have experienced true happiness? This is all imaginary happiness.

Anyway, we will slowly discuss some of these ideas.

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Summary of Key Teachings

The Six Limbs of Sacred Music

1. Bhāva: Expression of genuine feeling
2. Sāhitya: Appropriate, meaningful lyrics
3. Rāga: Correct melody for the mood
4. Śruti: Proper voice quality and pitch
5. Laya: Rhythm
6. Tāla: Time measure

Essential Principles

• Music becomes divine when all six elements are perfect and directed toward God
• Understanding the meaning of devotional songs is essential before singing them
• Saints used music both for their own sādhana and to teach others
• True capacity for feeling—whether happiness or sadness—requires inner strength
• Great souls have greater capacity for both joy and suffering
• Knowledge must be practical and come to our aid in times of need
• Even spiritual people can experience depression, but they recover through understanding
• Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's grace is unlimited, but we must be receptive to receive it

The Message of Both Songs

• Seek God's grace to overcome the duality of worldly existence
• Awaken from the sleep of delusion that has lasted countless lifetimes
• Only heroic souls can truly respond to spiritual teachings
• Spiritual life requires strength, not weakness
• True devotion means practical application, not mere intellectual understanding

Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ