Sri Chinmoy Comments

Sri Chinmoy: I am happy that a musician of the highest order has enjoyed our songs, music, recitations and everything that we have done. He enjoyed it very, very much, so I am very happy that we have got blessingful encouragement from such a great musician.

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He wants my esraj to be called “Chinmoy Vina.” Two days ago I got my esraj from Sumadhur as his birthday present to me. Now Ravi Shankar’s wife, Sukanya, would like Sumadhur to make a sitar for her husband.

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After the singers performed the arrangement of the song dedicated to his daughter, Anoushka, he used the Bengali word Abhutapurba, which means unprecedented.

He told me twice: “How hard you have worked with your disciples!”

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Comment about writing songs in English and Bengali, after speaking about songs he had composed for Ravi Shankar in both English and Bengali:

I know the meaning of the English words. But somehow I cannot identify myself with the music that is inherent in the English words. In Bengali immediately I dive deep into the meaning of the word. But with English, I know the meaning well, I know what the words signify, but sometimes I cannot enter into them. Sometimes the melody I am getting, but from the words I am not getting the joy that I should get. If I take the melody separately, I will get joy. But with the words I find it very, very difficult.

Even the words, in English, “Supreme, I bow to Thee, I bow,” ⁸ when I say ‘bow’, the word ‘bow’ is so devotional. It is so full of devotion. But when I say the word namo, I derive much more joy from the word namo than the word ‘bow’. ‘Bow’ is part of our mantra: “I bow to Thee, I bow.” But when the Bengali word comes, I get more joy, more feeling, more feeling of oneness with namo than with ‘bow’. Namo is such a sweet word. I do not get the same joy from ‘bow’.

But again, ‘Supreme’ is my life-breath. That is why when I say ‘Supreme’, I get such joy and such height. There are so many Bengali words – Ishwara, Parama, Bhagaban, Prabhu and others – that mean ‘Supreme’. How soulfully you sing Bhulite diyona Prabhu, but I do not get the same joy when you say Prabhu as I get from ‘Supreme’ because ‘Supreme’ is my life-breath. That is why when you say ‘Supreme’, no matter how casually you say it, I get joy. I have established my inseparable oneness with the word ‘Supreme’. When you say ‘Supreme’, when you sing ‘Supreme’ soulfully, I feel that I have got everything and I have given everything. But with other words, I do not have this feeling. With ‘bow’ I do not get this feeling. With Ishwara, Parama, Prabhu and Parameshwar and all these, I do not get it. Even the word Bhagaban – which is in the heart, the life-breath of Indians – does not give me the same satisfaction as ‘the Supreme’. That is our mantra. This mantra has to be dearer than life itself.