કીર્તન મુક્તાવલી
Foreword
The Swābhāvik Cheshtā
The Swābhāvik Cheshtā has been composed into kirtans dedicated to describing Shrījī Mahārāj’s divine actions, physical features, and unique characteristics. In all of the Swāminārāyan Sampradāy, the cheshtā is sung after the evening ārti and considered as important to a satsangi’s daily devotional routine as the morning pujā and ārti. Just like any other form of devotion, the cheshtā is an opportunity to detach oneself from worldly matters, allowing the day to end by reminiscing upon Mahārāj’s glory.
The cheshtā comprises of 23 pads with two major sections: The ‘Līlā Chintāmani’ contains 10 pads detailing Mahārāj’s daily routine, unique tendencies and His interactions with devotees. The ‘Dhyān Chintāmani’ vividly illustrates Mahārāj’s divine form, ranging from the clothes he wore to the various beauty marks He had on His body. Both of these ‘Chintāmanis’, a word meaning wish-fulfilling gems, were composed by Sadguru Paramhansa Premānand Swāmi, a skilled poet, singer and composer.The remaining five pads include similar Līlā and glory of Shrījī Mahārāj.
The History behind Singing the Cheshtā
The practice of reciting the cheshtā originated just after Mahārāj reverted to Akshardhām. For the devotees who were left behind, the pain of separation were unbearable. Leading sadhus and devotees went to Sadguru Gopālānand Swāmi looking for a remedy to cure their feelings of grief. Gopālānand Swāmi provided a remedy by asking the devotees to meditate daily on their memories of and experiences with Shrījī Mahārāj. He instructed Premānand Swāmi to compose verses depicting Mahārāj’s life based upon what he experienced firsthand. These verses would help others in their efforts to keep Mahārāj’s image and actions constantly within their thoughts. At that time, he composed the ‘Līlā Chintāmani’. By singing these verses, devotees felt the inherent joy and satisfaction found by recollecting the moments Mahārāj spent with them. Thus, the ritual of singing the cheshtā began. As the years went by, the original ten verses were then augmented by the ‘Dhyān Chintāmani’ and the middle 5 verses, which were all previously written in Mahārāj’s presence. This addition made the cheshtā into a complete experience of Mahārāj’s daily life, beauty, and glory.
The Glory of Mahārāj’s Līlā and the Importance of Reflecting on it
The singing of cheshtā as a daily ritual started after Mahārāj returned to Akshardhām. One of the lessons He taught while on Earth, however, included explaining the inherent nature of fulfilment found in remembering God’s actions. When His guru Rāmānand Swāmi passed away, a fellow disciple senior to Him, Muktānand Swāmi, could not bear the departure of their guru. Looking for relief, he went to Mahārāj. To console his anguish, Mahārāj narrated the various events of His childhood in Chhapaiyā and Ayodhyā. Muktānand Swāmi listened but felt confused due to the irrelevancy of the reply. The next day, Muktānand Swāmi brought forward the same dilemma of how to console the pain of Rāmānand Swāmi’s departure. Again Mahārāj commenced the narration of His own life experiences, but this time as Nilkanth Varni on His journey through India.
Muktānand Swāmi listened, yet was not relieved. He came back once more and Mahārāj offered the same answer in the form of events in His life as Sahajānand Swāmi. Still he could not find solace. And so Mahārāj instructed him to go on a satsang tour of the villages. While leaving, he encountered Nityānand Swāmi on the outskirts of the village, who inferred as to why Muktānand Swāmi was leaving. After hearing the incident of the previous three days, Nityānand Swāmi was able to decipher the message Mahārāj intended for Muktānand Swāmi. Mahārāj recited the events and incidents of His life because by remembering them, one finds inner peace. Muktānand Swāmi then toured the villages sharing these incidents with other devotees and slowly found the cure to his anguish.
As told by Shrījī Mahārāj…
Mahārāj and the Guru Paramparā have repeatedly stressed the importance of the recollection of and reflection on Shrījī Mahārāj’s Līlā. In the Vachanāmrut, Mahārāj has said that one who remembers the divine actions of God “attains an elevated spiritual status and benefits tremendously” (Gadh I-3). Mahārāj also states that one’s “mind should be entangled in a web in the form of these divine actions” by which one’s pursuit of worldly desires subsides (Gadh I-38). In fact, Mahārāj has expounded the glory of the Dhyān Chintāmani (‘Vandu’ verses) in Vachanāmrut Gadh II-48. In that Vachanāmrut, Mahārāj expresses His desire to bow before a sadhu who sings the ‘Vandu’ verses because He is pleased by the singer’s ability to contemplate on God’s form. Mahārāj has also said that “one who is able to contemplate upon God’s form has become fulfilled and has nothing more left to do.”(Gad II-48).
As told by Shāstrījī Mahārāj…
Brahmswarup Shāstrījī Mahārāj often said that if one were to recite the verses of the ‘Līlā Chintāmani’ and the ‘Dhyān Chintāmani’ while meditating on God’s form, one would earn the same merit as reciting all of Mahārāj’s Līlā as written in the Bhaktachintāmani scripture.
Insistence on reciting the cheshtā according to Pramukh Swāmi Mahārāj
1980, Boston. Following his cataract operation, Pramukh Swāmi Mahārāj was recovering in a room at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. His eyes were bandaged shut and so he called out and asked as to who was present. A local youth was sitting in the room and asked Swāmi what he needed. Since it was the evening, Swāmi asked him to recite the cheshtā. The youth replied, “I don’t know the cheshtā.” So Swāmi instructed him to read it from a kirtan book, which he did not have. At this point, Swāmi instructed the youth to open his own (Swāmi’s) pujā, take out the ‘Nityavidhi’ and had him recite the cheshtā from the book. Despite physical ailment, Swāmi’s desire to hear the cheshtā did not waver.
1984. Flight from Nairobi to London. After going through the typical difficulties and waiting before boarding an international flight, Swāmi finally settled into his seat at 1am. The attendant sadhus requested Swāmi to take some rest. Instead Swāmi ignored them and commenced singing the cheshtā! Then only, after fulfilling this last bit of his daily ritual, did he take his night’s rest.
Making the most of the Cheshtā
Many devotees may find it difficult to visualize the various Līlās of Mahārāj in the cheshtā. If we learn to make that visual connection, cheshtā becomes a more fulfilling experience and thus our satsang develops further. A few practices both in action and thought, can assist us in making our daily recitation of the cheshtā more fruitful.
Faithful regularity, singing in a group, singing aloud, or even singing along with a recorded version will greatly assist in memorizing the words, familiarizing yourself with the various Līlās and learning the tune of singing the cheshtā. Also, selecting a proper environment (ghar mandir, quiet room, etc.) is equally essential.
There are two main ways to involve oneself while singing the cheshtā. First, while singing the Līlās or descriptions of Mahārāj, try to create mental images of the lyrics you are singing. Many find it easy to do this by meditating on murtis installed in one of our mandirs or paintings of Mahārāj’s Līlā found in books, exhibitions, and calendars. Another way to enrich one’s cheshtā experience is by recollecting various photos, video images, and actual darshan one may have had of Pramukh Swāmi Mahārāj or any of the guru paramparā performing similar Līlās.
How to use this Translation Guide
By the grace of Shrījī Mahārāj and the inspiration of Pramukh Swāmi Mahārāj, this cheshtā translation booklet has been made as a guide for English-speaking youths wanting to enrich their satsang by not only singing the cheshtā, but more so by fully understanding and studying its lyrics. It is strongly recommended that as one works through the guide verse by verse, one should make the utmost effort to memorize the cheshtā as well, for as a part of a satsangi’s daily ritual, relying on a book does not suffice.
The guide includes definitions word-by-word as well as a similar English sentence for each stanza to assist in creating a clearer image out of the definition words. Learning the definitions word by word, however, is essential for both enhancing the users Gujarāti vocabulary as well as creating the pool of words necessary to contemplate upon while singing. Also, each stanza is purposely written in both Gujarāti and English transliteration so that matching words can also assist the user in learning to read and write Gujarāti as well.
With patience and persistence one can learn the cheshtā – an opportunity to experience a spiritual gain only found by diving deep into the rich illustration of Mahārāj’s life written in these 23 verses.