“To realise the Supreme, the path of devotion is the only royal road. It is the panacea for all worldly ailments and for the diseases of birth and death. Devotion is the most effective means of awakening the spiritual impulse.”
-Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
The Spiritual Wing facilitates spiritual activities such as devotional songs, weekly readings of Sai literature, study and reflection circles, meditation and workshops on spiritual topics, all in the spirit of equality and unity of all religions known to humanity.
Benefits of devotional chants and mantras:
Spiritual Upliftment: Devotional chants and mantras are expressions of love and devotion towards the divine, uplifting the spirit and fostering connection with the sacred.
Positive Vibrations: Repetition of mantras and chants creates sound vibrations that can harmonize and balance internal energies and the environment.
Mental Calm: Repetitive chanting of mantras can induce a meditative state of calm and mental focus.
Unity and Community: Participating in group devotional chants fosters a sense of community and unity among participants.
Emotional Expression: Chanting allows for the expression of deep emotions of love, gratitude and devotion, releasing emotional tensions.
Practice
Mantras: Choose a mantra that resonates with you. It can be a traditional mantra such as “Om” or “Om Sai Ram.”
Sit in a quiet place.
Repeat the mantra out loud, in a whisper, or internally.
Focus on the sound and vibration of the mantra.
Devotional Songs (Bhajans): Participate in group bhajan sessions or listen to bhajan recordings.
Sing with devotion and feeling.
Allow the music and lyrics to fill you with joy and peace.
Both meditation on light and singing devotional songs and mantras are powerful practices that can transform your spiritual and emotional life. These practices promote inner peace, mental clarity, spiritual connection, and a deep sense of well-being. Integrating them into your daily routine can lead to a more balanced, harmonious, and purposeful life.
Spiritual Wing Activities in Sri Sathya Sai centres
- DEVOTIONAL MEETINGS
The devotional department, together with the president, organizes the devotional meetings in the Sai Centres and Groups. This is the most important activity for many members of the Organization, as its objective is to help members in their spiritual journey. It is a balanced meeting, representative of the country’s culture, universal in nature and not oriented towards any particular religion. These meetings include devotional songs, meditation, prayers and study circles, among others. - STUDY CIRCLES
“The aim of a study circle should not be information but transformation; not instruction but construction. Theoretical knowledge is a burden unless it is put into practice, for then it can be converted into wisdom and assimilated into daily life. Knowledge that does not give harmony and fulfillment to the process of living is not worth acquiring.”
Divine Discourse Sri Sathya Sai Baba, 3rd March 1974
- OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES OF THE DEVOTION AREA:
DEVOTIONAL SONGS
LIGHT MEDITATION
VEDAM CHANTING
PRAYERS AND MANTRA
REPETITION OF THE NAME (NAMASMARANAM)
STUDY CIRCLES
SATSANGA AND LILAS
Guidelines for singing bhajans (devotional songs)
‘BHAJAN’ or ‘NAAMSAMARNA’ means group devotional singing of the glory of God. Whenever and wherever His glory is sung, He is always there. Unless you sing bhajans for your own ecstasy, you will not be able to bring joy to others, thus preventing them from sharing ‘ANANDA’ i.e. bliss. With each bhajan sung the mind should become purer, free from passion and stronger in faith.
In this ‘KaliYuga’ the remembrance of the name of the Lord is enough to earn His grace and attain liberation from the cycle of life and death.
- Everyone should be seated a few minutes before the start of the bhajan.
- Men should sit on one side of the prayer hall and women on the other.
- The bhajan leader and the instrumentalists should sit in the front rows.
- Late-arriving devotees should not disturb those already seated. They should sit quietly behind the devotees already seated.
- Do not look around in greeting or talk during the bhajan.
- Maintain perfect silence and restrict your movements to a minimum while seated in the prayer hall.
- Sing sweet, familiar, devotional bhajans in any language that other devotees can understand and sing.
- Musical instruments used during bhajans should not drown out the voices of the singers and those following them, thus maintaining a balance between the instruments and the singing.
- Do not clap out of rhythm.
- Do not monopolize the time in bhajans by singing a bhajan for six or ten minutes repeating the same lines over and over again.
- Bhajans should be sung at two speeds: slow and fast. At slow speed, sing each line twice, and at fast speed, only once, except for the last line which should be sung twice to mark the conclusion of the bhajan.
- If your voice is not sweet and pleasant, it is best to remain silent; that is the best service you can do.
“Devotional songs should be kept as simple as possible, without competitive pomp and show. When singing devotional songs, meditate on the meaning of the songs and the message of each name and form of God, and roll their sweetness on your tongue.
Let those with good voice and musical talent lead; devotional singing should be pleasant and should not be bothersome to the ear. If your voice grates or is out of tune, repeat the words in your mind.
Bhajans are best held on Thursday evenings and Sunday nights, but that is not an unbreakable rule, for it is not the day that counts. It is the heart that must be ready and eager to sing the joy and share it.
Share the glory of God aloud and charge the atmosphere with divine worship. Think of it as part of the spiritual training you must take seriously to reduce attachments to fleeting objects, to purify yourself and free yourself from the circle of birth, death and the ensuing misery.”
Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Bhajans (devotional songs/hymns) in sanskrit / hindi at SSS Media Centre’s YouTube Channel
