Akhanda Bhajans The joy we get from singing bhajans and by performing worship is temporary. But by experiencing the essence of “Soham” Mantra, you will get eternal joy. This soham is also known by the name “Hamsa Gayatri”. “So” means “that”, “Ham” means “I am”. “I am that” is the meaning of Soham. You should chant Soham with every breath. When you breathe, you are inhaling “So” and you are exhaling “Ham”. If we repeat Soham Mantra with every inhalation and exhalation of breath, it will do a lot of good to you. Repeat “Soham” with every breath and watch your breath carefully. When you sing Bhajans, take care that the words you utter do not convey negative meanings. Here is an example. Our boys sing many Hindi Bhajans, in which they often use the word ‘Thu’ meaning ‘you’. They sing ‘Thu Rama’, ‘Thu Krishna’, ‘Thu Sai’. (You are Rama, you are Krishna, you are Sai, etc.) But in Telugu, the letter ‘Thu’ conveys a derogatory meaning. You may use ‘Thu Hai’ instead of ‘Thu’. The Bhajans you sing must convey sacred meanings. You should not give scope for disrespectful words. While doing Bhajans, you may sing various songs with different tunes and beats but your mind should be constantly fixed on the Atma. All your actions must be done with the sole purpose to please God. Arjuna asked Lord Krishna as to how he can fight in the war if he has to constantly think of God. Krishna replied, “O simpleton, it is your body and the senses which are involved in the warfare. Such being the case, you can always focus the mind on God.” You should sanctify yourself and the atmosphere around by chanting the divine name. What is the purpose of doing Bhajans? Chanting of the divine name purifies the atmosphere by sending sacred vibrations in to it. These vibrations, set off by the chanting of the divine name, destroy evil and impure feelings deeply ingrained in man. People do Bhajans without understanding their significance. Instead of focusing their attention on God, they are bothered too much about the tune and the rhythm. No doubt, tune and rhythm are also essential in Bhajans, but once you fill your heart with Divine love, the tune and the rhythm will automatically be taken care of. If you concentrate too much on the tune and the rhythm, you will not be able to think of God. Just as the iron ball cast in fire becomes one with it, your mind should become one with God. Water cannot be separated from milk; likewise, your mind should get merged in God. You should not think that you are separate from God. The role of bhajans in purifying the atmosphere should be recognized. In this context, the role of community singing should be understood. Singing bhajans in your home, you may indulge in your fancies and derive whatever joy you get thereof. “Sankirtan” (community singing) calls for whole headed, soulful singing, which moves the hearts of the listeners. Bhajans should not be a routine ritual. You must put your heart and soul into the singing. In reciting the names of the Lord you have to bear in mind another fact. When you recite the names thousands of devotees are listening. You must chant names which are familiar to all of them. You should not expect people to follow whatever you sing. You should see that they can easily respond to your song. The names you chant should be short and sweet. If you use big words and complicated terms, the devotees will not be able to follow you. In that situation they may get depressed. What can they do when they do not hear you properly and cannot respond in chorus? They get disgusted. Therefore, in your bhajans use short names like Rama, Krishna, Allah, Yesu and so on. Then all would be able to follow you with ease. If you use high sounding words, few can follow you. Eschew any aversion to any faith or nation. Have no ill will towards any one. Do not cause hurt to anyone. Look upon all alike. This feeling of oneness should spread all over the world. Realize that there is nothing greater than bhajan. What bliss is there in bhajans! What a demonstration of oneness is it when a myriad throats join in uttering the name of God! The vibrations emanating from them make the heart vibrant. If you sing alone in your shrine, the vibrations return to you as reaction. But in community singing, what you have is not a reaction but a wave of vibrations. They enter into the atmosphere and purify the polluted air. The atmosphere today is polluted by bad thoughts and feelings. When you sing the glory of God, the bad germs in the air are destroyed and the air gets purified by a treatment with antibiotics as it were. Bhajans are therefore supremely valuable. It has been said that in the Kali Age there is no greater spiritual practice than chanting the name of the Lord. Let one remember the name of Raama at the time of passing, whether he is a millionaire or a pauper, whether he is a scholar or an illiterate. Sing the name of the Lord and redeem your lives! Today we are having the Akhanda Bhajan (nonstop twenty-four-hour global bhajan by Sai devotees all over the world). This is being done not for the sake of one individual, one nation or one community. It is for the welfare of humanity as a whole. The bhajans that are sung permeate the ether in the form of sound waves and fill the entire atmosphere. Thereby the whole environment gets purified. Breathing in this purified atmosphere, our hearts get purified. Reciting the Lord’s name is a process of give and take. Singing the Lord’s name should become an exercise in mutual sharing of joy and holiness. It should be remembered that the sounds we produce reverberate in the atmosphere. They remain permanently in the ether as waves and outlast the individual uttering the sounds. Community bhajans should not be treated as a pastime. When thousands of persons join in singing bhajans, they should be fully absorbed in the devotional