Who Is The Greatest?

During a visit to Ooty in April 1984, Bhagawan related the following story about Sage Narada’s encounter with Lord Narayana to the small group of devotees accompanying him:

On one occasion Narada went to the Lord. In the course of their conversation, Narayana asked Narada: “You are moving around three worlds, what news have you brought for Me from your wanderings? Have you seen anything great in my creation?” “What is greater than Yourself in the world?”, said Narada. “I am asking you about my creation and not about Myself”, said Narayana. Narada said, “I do not understand the question.” “There are the pancha bhutas (five basic elements). Which is the greatest among them?” Narayana asked. Narada said: “The earth is the biggest.” Narayana said: “In the earth three-fourths are occupied by water.”

Narada agreed that water is greater than the earth. But Narayana observed: “All the oceans were drunk by the sage Agastya in one gulp. Therefore, who is greater, water or Agastya?” Narada agreed that Agastya is remaining as a star in the sky. “In the vast firmament, Agastya is merely twinkling as a small star; is not the firmament greater than the star?” Narada said that the firmament is greater than Agastya. Then Narayana said, “In my avatar as Vamana I covered the entire earth and sky with one foot of mine. So is the firmament greater or my foot?” Then Narada said: “Your foot.”

Lord’s Devotees Are Greater Than The Lord

“If my foot itself is so great, am I not greater than My foot?” Narayana asked. Narada agreed. Then Narayana said: “Although I am great, I am confined in the hearts of My devotees. So the devotees are greater than Myself. And therefore, wherever My devotees sing My name I am there.”

Hence, everyone must cultivate a broad mind, a large-hearted outlook. Broad mindedness is expansion, narrow-mindedness is contraction. Devotees should also cultivate broad mindedness. It is to broaden the heart that the name of the Lord should be chanted. Instead of singing by oneself, when devotees sing in groups, a sense of unity develops. By all people singing in unison and all hands clapping together, all hearts become one. This unity is proclaimed by the Vedas by describing the different organs of the Lord as the source of the power in the different sense organs of a human being.

(On another evening at Ooty, Bhagawan explained on how devotional songs should be sung.)

Narada once asked Sriman Narayana what His permanent address was. Narayana replied: “Wherever my bhakta (devotee) sings My name, I am present there.” Then Narada asked: “There are innumerable places in which the devotees sing your name; how can you be present in all those places at the same time?” (Bhagawan explained that it was not any kind of singing that appealed to the Lord.) In singing, there are some who indulge in gymnastics and do not reveal genuine devotional feeling. When songs are sung in that manner, how can the Lord be present there? (Bhagawan illustrated it by reciting merely the musical notation Sa, Ri, Ga).

Devotional Singing Which Attracts The Lord

Where the singers merely emphasise the ragam and the talam (tune and rhythm), He will not be present. It is only when the song is melodious, combining ragam, talam, and bhavam (the tune, the rhythm, and the feeling), only there will He be present. The singing must be full of feeling. The Lord is moved only by the feeling that is expressed, not by musical talent as such. It does not matter if the ragam is not perfect and the talam is not perfect. Those appeal only at the worldly level. The Lord loves only the sincerity of feeling.

There was a great musician in Akbar’s Court known as Tansen. He used to sing night and day, and the music was mellifluous. It was perfect music, but there was no deep feeling in his singing.

One day Akbar and Tansen were going round the city. Akbar found an old man singing to himself songs in praise of God. Akbar stopped his chariot and went on listening to the song of the devotee, and even without his knowing it, tears started flowing from his eyes. His heart was deeply moved. He went some distance and told Tansen: “You have been singing for a long time before me and I have always found your music very sweet to the ears, but it has never moved my heart. But the music of this devotee has melted my heart. I wish to know the difference between your singing and the singing of this devotee!” Tansen replied: “Maharaja! I have been singing to please you, but this devotee is singing to please God, that is the difference.”

So something which is sung to please a man cannot move the heart. Only that which is addressed to God can have the effect. What pleases the Lord alone can change the mind of man. Both the devotee and the great musician Tansen were singing well, but only the song filled with devotional feeling could appeal to God.

Ooty, South India, April 1984