Itani Binati Raghunandan Se - Daniel Maharaj - 2018
July 24, 2018
We first heard this beautiful bhajan by Tulasidas sung by Revd. Swami Dayatmanandaji Maharaj when he visited us in Dallas in the late 1998s. Subsequently we heard Daniel Maharaj sing this in the UK Vedanta centre shrine. After many years, we had had the great opportunity to hear Daniel Maharaj singing this again with his own beautiful twist in tune.
The famous ardent devotee of Lord Rama, Sant Tulsidas, here is beseeching (Binati) his beloved Lord, Sri Rama (Raghunandan) to
- eradicate (mitana) all his suffering and doubts (Dukha-dwanda).
- capture and seat the swan (hamsa) , which is the heart (chita) of Tulsidas, into the cage (pinjara) of lotus (pankaja) feet (pada) of Lord and
- with folded hands Tulsi prays "please ferry-across (para) the ocean (sagara) of this world (bhava)"!
Make Me a Channel of Thy Peace - Swami Nirakarananda
July 24, 2018
This hymn is also popularly known as The Prayer of St. Francis though there is dispute on the authorship. Nevertheless, it is a heart touching peace prayer.
Found this beautiful image of St Francis preaching to the birds and another with his friend, brother wolf from Google search.
The lyrics followed by Swami Nirakarananda ji is as follows:
Make me a channel of Thy Peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring Your love;
Where there is injury Your pardon Lord;
And where there is doubt, true faith in You.
Chorus:
Oh Master, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console -
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved, as to love with all my soul.
Make me a channel of Thy peace.
Where there is despair in Life, let me bring hope;
Where there is darkness, only light;
And where there is sadness, ever joy.
Chorus:
Make me a channel of Thy peace.
It is in the pardoning that we are pardoned;
In giving to all men that we receive,
And in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Chorus:
Shankari Charane Mono Magno Hoye Rao Re - Sw. Nirakarananda
July 14, 2018
Shankari
is another name of consort of Lord Shiva (Shankar) also known as Parvati,
Durga, etc. Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi (consort of Sri Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa) is Divine Mother incarnate as perceived by others on numerous
occasion, as declared by Sri Ramakrishna Himself, as vouchsafed by none other
than Swami Vivekananda and His brother disciples and of course by Herself on a
few occasion.
After Sri Ramakrishna’s passing away, Holy Mother Sri Sarada
Devi, went on pilgrimages a number of times and visited Benaras. In Benaras,
She stayed at Lakshmi Nivas while some of the direct disciples stayed at the
current Ramakrishna Advaita Ashram. During Her stay, one incident is outlined
below.
Swami
Brahmananda (Rakhal or Raja Maharaj), in the course of his morning strolls, used to visit the Lakshmi-Nivasand inquire about the Mother's health from Golap-Ma. Sometimes he made fun also.
One morning, as he arrived there, Master Mahashaya (M) came out of his room
from the ground floor and from the upper verandah Golap-Ma said, "Rakhal,
Mother is asking you: 'why Shakti (Divine Energy conceived as a woman) is
worshipped first (before the male aspect)?'"
Swami Brahmananda immediately replied: "It is
because Mother has in her keeping the key to knowledge of Brahman. There is no
other way unless Mother, out of compassion, unlocks the door with the key.”
With this reply he burst put into a song in the
Baul (Bengal folk) tune – ‘ Shankari Charane Mon Magno Hoye Rao Re’ meaning:
O
mind, remain immersed in meditating the feet of Shiva's wife;
Be immersed and avoid all misery.
All these three worlds (Jagrat-Waking world, Swapna-Dream World and Sushupti-Deep Sleep World) -are vain, and in vain you
roam about.
Meditate within you the Coiled Energy (Kula-Kundalini)
that's none other than Brahman.
This is Kamalakanta's (poet's) message,
'Sing the glory of Mother Kali.
This indeed is a stream of bliss; and paddle on
slowly.'
As
the song proceeded, he fell into the grip of a divine ecstasy and danced
merrily. At the end he cried out, "Ho, ho, ho!" and dashed out of the place.
The Mother enjoyed his dance and singing from above, and below were Master Mahashaya
and a few other devotees who also felt stirred to their depths by it all. (Ref: Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, Swami
Gambhirananda, p.268,269)
Mother ShyamaKali dancing in the battlefield of Life
Naba Sajala Jaladhara Kaay is a famous Kali-Kirtan (Hymn to Divine Mother in form of Kali) in bengali language authored by the famous poet, Kamalakanta Chakravorti. In this hymn, the poet describes the beautiful form of Mother. Mother Kali (the black one), also known as Mother Shyama (the dark one) has complexion is that of heavy water-laden raincloud perceiving which one gets mesmerized. She sports sindoor (vermillion mark) on her forehead, on Her waist is tinkling girdle, Her feet is decorated in precious gem-encrusted anklets. Laughingly, in sport, She is destroying the demons, spurts of blood covers Her body. Her both feet resembling happily blooming lotus is very cooling and soothing. Hence the poet's (Kamalakanta) mind wants to be forever the bee at Her lotus feet.
Swami Nirakarananda
The spirited singing of Naba Sajala Jaladhara Kaay by Swami Nirakaranandaji of Vedanta Society of St Louis occured on May 21, 2018 in cedar Rapids, IA when he drove to bid goodbye to revd. Swami Dayatmanandaji Maharaj of UK.
Swami Nirakaranandaji aka Daniel Maharaj is a very gifted singer. when he was in his twenties he self-taught himself into a deft keyboard player. Coupled with his deep sonorous voice, the shrine of Ramakrishna Vedanta Center of UK used to reverberate with hymns to Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, Mother Kali etc.
I was fortunate enough to record his songs this time finally.
