Cosmic Chants
Cosmic
Chants – Spiritualized Songs
Note: This interesting and helpful introduction to the early editions of Cosmic
Chants has been removed in later editions. Here we find Yogananda’s suggestions
for how to use the chants specifically to receive certain spiritual benefits.]
Songs or
chants are usually inspired through sentiment or passing interests. But a song
which is born out of the depths of true devotion to God and which is
continuously chanted, audibly or mentally, with ever-increasing deep devotion
until response is consciously received from Him in the form of communion,
ecstasy and boundless joy, is a spiritualized song.
Such songs
like live matches produce the fire of God-contact whenever they are struck on
the foundation-stone of devotion. Ordinary songs are like wet matches which do
not produce any spark of God-contact.
Each of the
Cosmic Chants in this book has been spiritualized, that is, each song has been
sung aloud and mentally until it has found actual response from God. It is
hoped that each reader will take these chants, not as ordinary music to please
the ear or the emotions, but as soul-saturated chants to be used to produce the
divine contact.
Sound Is
the Most Powerful Force in Universe
Sound or
vibration is the most powerful force in the universe, and music is a divine
art, to be used not for pleasure but as a path to God-realization. Vibrations
resulting from devotional singing lead to the contact of the Cosmic Vibration
or the Word. “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God.” – John 1:1. God is the Word or the Cosmic Vibration.
Singers of
these songs who want the best results should chant them alone or with true
devotees of God, with ever-increasing devotion and fervor. After the notes are
learned, one’s undivided attention should be given to repeating them with
deeper and deeper devotion, striving to fully understand the meaning of the
words in the chant, until one is immersed in the joy of singing. This joyous
feeling is the first perception of God.
Words that are
saturated with sincerity, conviction, faith and intuition are like highly
explosive vibration bombs which have power to explode the rocks of difficulties
and create the change desired.
The five
states in chanting are conscious chanting aloud – whisper chanting – mental
chanting – subconscious chanting — superconscious chanting. Subconscious
chanting becomes automatic with internal consciousness only, when the mind
automatically repeats a chant in the background of thought and activity.
Superconscious
Chanting Leads to Contact of AUM
Superconscious
chanting is when the deep internal chanting vibrations are converted into
realization and are established in the superconscious, subconscious and
conscious minds. Holding the attention unbrokenly on the real Cosmic Vibration,
AUM, not on any imaginary sound, is the beginning of real superconscious
chanting.
One of the Ten
Commandments in the Bible is : “ Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vain.” Whenever one repeats a chant or prayer absentmindedly, without
complete attention on the Lord, one has taken the divine name in vain, that is,
without result, without utilizing the omnipresent power of that name and
without receiving God-contact.57
To repeat the name of God while thinking of other things is
vain, for He does not answer such parrot-prayers. To repeat a prayer or chant
with ever-increasing understanding and devotion is taking the name of God not
in vain, but effectively. The mechanical or thoughtless repetition of God’s
name is what the prophets warned us against. To sing sacred songs or to pray
mechanically or absentmindedly in church or anywhere is taking the name of God
in vain.
One who
repeats these Spiritualized Songs or Cosmic Chants with ever-increasing
devotion will find a more direct way to contact God than by the repetition of
songs which are the outcome of blind sentiment and not of God-communion. These
chants properly repeated will bring God-communion and ecstatic joy, and through
these the healing of body, mind and soul.
Joy is the
Proof that God Has Answered the Devotee
Each of these
chants should be sung not once but many times, utilizing the cumulative power
of repetition, until the singer feels a great joy break through the radio of
his heart. When this joy is felt it is a proof that God has answered the
devotee, and that his devotion has been properly tuned and the broadcasting of
his ardor in chants has been true and deep.
When these
chants are repeated in solitude or in congregational singing, with great
devotion, it will be found that the songs subconsciously repeat themselves in
the background of the mind bringing great joy even when one is in the thick of
the battle of activity.
Gradually the
subconscious repetition will change into superconscious realization, bringing
the actual perception of God. One must chant deeper and deeper until all
chanting changes into subconscious and then superconscious chanting which
brings one into the divine Presence.
Each devotee
should set aside a regular time for singing these songs. Chant first aloud,
then whisperingly, then mentally. A group, gathered together in the name of God
can take one of these chants, singing it together loudly, with piano or organ
accompaniment, then more slowly, then singing in a whisper without any
accompaniment, and finally mentally only, In this way deep God-perception can
be reached singly or together.
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