Bhava and Bhajans
Shivabalayogi's public programs consisted of meditation and bhajans (spiritual song). He asked for the bhajans to be played well, the musicians keeping time together, and the tempo shifting from slow to fast to very fast. He wanted the bhajans to be good so people could experience bhava.
“After meditation and before bhajans you should pray to Swamiji and bow to him, then perform an arthi [worship with light] to Swamiji’s photograph, and then you can start the bhajans.”
“If the energy is to rise, you have to go through steps. You have three steps: one slow, one medium fast, and then faster. That is how the energy increases. You should play at the different speeds, slow, fast, then very fast. As the tempo increases and the pitch goes up, so does the energy increase.”
“The bhajans should be good once Swamiji starts giving bhava. If something goes wrong with the bhajans then the energy will be lost. You must play together and have control.”
“Energies from meditation and from bhajans are the same. You will have good meditation.”
Shivabalayogi emphasized the practice of meditation so often that we tend to forget about the need for devotion and the power of ecstatic music. Devotion means a sense of humility. Swamiji's written meditation instructions include the line, "Practicing meditation regularly and with devotion helps fulfill your wishes in course of time." (emphasis added) Ecstatic music is integral to the path of bhakti, devotion.
Some argue that bhava was never a significant part of Swamiji's mission. If one knows about Swamiji and the importance he placed on playing bhajans well at his public programs, that's a tough argument to make. If you read about what Swamiji said about bhava samadhi, the argument about the insignificance of bhava gets tougher. If you speak with people who have experienced bhava, the argument should fail completely. So if there are devotees who ought to know better but still suggest that Swamiji's use of bhava samadhi was not integral to his mission, then one has to wonder why they are making the argument.
“Swamiji has done tapas for twelve years. He understands this subject. If you want to know this subject, come to Swamiji, sit down for twelve years and do tapas. Then you can understand, but not otherwise.”