Bhajan and service

BHAJAN AND SERVICE

The word Bhajan means to worship.Repetition of the name of the Lord and singing his glory is generally called Bhajan! There is a congregation of people at a particular venue, and they repeat the name of their chosen deity  with concentration for a fixed time. It can also be singing the glory of various God's and goddesses accompanied  by musical instruments to create an emotional impact on the singer as well as the audience. Bhajans have become very popular of late and there is an an increased participation of common people during the Bhajan. Bhajan is also called Namasankeertan. In these days of Kali Yuga Bhajan is the only panacea for all the ills of society. People in Kali Yuga are stained with evil thoughts, earn money through devious ways,are not bothered about the mandates of religion or the significance of rituals.For all these types of individuals, Bhajan is the only goal,that which can absolve them of their sins and misdeeds! The name of God is so powerful that it transforms a person from being a sinner to a holy person! The robber became sage Valmiki by repeating the name'mara’ that became ‘Rama’ on repetition!

A robber chief ordered his gangsters, “ vane charamo vasucha haramo ndistaramo vachanam smaramaha “--Go to the forest;plunder wealth; cross the river; remember the words.--It is said that the robber chief attained salvation as he uttered the name ‘ Rama’ four times,though inadvertently! The spiritual ambience in Bhajan turns the person to the path of spirituality slowly but steadily. The melody of the Bhajan induces a sense of bliss where he forgets himself in the bhava. Bhajan purifies the heart of the singer. For an hour or so, people forget themselves and do not think of their families and entanglements. Not only this, the reverberating name of the Lord purifies the entire atmosphere. In short, attending a Bhajan session is a wonderful spiritual experience that has to be replenished again and again.

On the other hand service is a source of everlasting pleasure! ‘ service to man is service to God'. “ The satisfaction that you get by participating in bhajan is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction.”remarks Bhagawan Sri Says SAI BABA! This body of ours is expected to serve and help others. “ Paropakarartha midam sareeram” says the sasthras.Serving others gives us a mental satisfaction. We are seeing the Divine in the other person! The feeling that we have after helping or serving others is indescribable!Service is a kind of sadhana by itself! We increase our spiritual plane by serving others. We lose our ego and selfishness by serving others.Service has to be rendered without expectation of any reward! Otherwise it cannot be called service. As the Lord says, “ karmanye vadhkarastthu ma phaleshu kadachana”---You have the authority to perform karma, not to expect any reward!

Performing bhajans is also a kind of service to society. It allows people to hear the songs and the name of the Lord though they do not attend the bhajans. Later they may be drawn to these congregations slowly.  But serving others selflessly is far more important and better than merely repeating the name of the Lord! “ The hands that serve are better than the lips that pray” The ideal of service has been propagated by various great souls like Sri Ramakrishna paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda who established Sri Ramakrishna Mutt in India and all over the world!Yeoman service is being rendered by this organization to the poor, downtrodden and the dalit community.During floods, earthquakes, and in other calamities they plunge into action and save many precious lives. Various service organizations have sprung up in India and they are involved in  different types of service  to the needy and helpless.

So let us not be selfish but look into the needs and necessities of the poor and downtrodden! Most of the poor and manual labourers cannot afford a meal a day! We live in comfort and luxury and do not think of the travails of the less fortunate. We should remember that there is a pleasure in giving than in receiving!  The more fortunate have to show concern for the less fortunate and involve themselves in charitable activities and derive soul satisfaction as well as the Grace of the Lord. “ He lives who lives for others!”