Paramahansa Yogananda was born in Gorakhpur, India, on January 5, 1893.
From Songs of the Soul, “The Screen of Life” features five free verse paragraphs. The drama emphasizes the vital importance of understanding the delusive nature of the natural world and realizing the reality of the life behind the screen.
First Verse Paragraph: “When dawn breaks the spell of darkness”
The speaker catalogues items and events that occur after “dawn breaks the spell of darkness.” In the light of day, the individual observes beauty when “roses bloom.” People experience “little pleasures” that “dance . . . around [them].” He remarks that “fickle festivity sings / Of babes newborn.” The celebratory atmosphere is “fickle” because that newborn is “sure to die,” even if the death may occur far “in future.”
But individuals will go on experiencing praise from others and “fortune” will “laugh.” This teeming life full of gifts comes to the devotees from the Divine, Who quietly operates the cosmic projector that throws all the images upon the screen of life, and those who look will “see His hands showering blessings.”
Second Verse Paragraph: “Yet in the limbs of the rosebush, leafless o’er the snow”
Even in seasons when life is dormant, when the rose is without its beautiful blossoms and lush green leaves, even in the midst of snow, the essence of “budding joy” exists “in every twig.”
While joy exists in the activity of experiencing the dawn, it also exists “in waiting” for that “streak of dawn in the dark.” Each pair of opposites contains within it equal joy before the Lord.
Third Verse Paragraph: Persecution sweetens oft-tasted praise”
The speaker then examines the nature and the need for the pairs of opposite in the physical world of maya. Without “persecution,” one would not be able to realize the joy of praise. Without having to go through a period of expectancy, the achievement of a goal would be less joyous. It is the “uncertain darkness” that causes “each little flame of joy” to “burn[ ] brighter.”
While it is human nature to disdain one state and exalt another, the ability to transcend human nature requires a new way of understanding the purpose of unwelcome things and acts.
Fourth Verse Paragraph: “The shifting scenes of life screen the true Life”
Above all, it is important to understand and realize that the images projected upon this screen of earth life demonstrate delusion not “true Life”: “Behind the unreal motion pictures of things seen / Unfolds the real drama.” Using the metaphor of the motion picture, the speaker reveals that the sense-experienced existence consists of mere “shadows” “lined with light.”
But instead of sinking into melancholy with the news that sense experience is delusion, the speaker helps his listeners understand that “Sorrows bulge with joy. / Failures are potent with determination for success, / Cruelties urge the instinct to be kind.” The bad is not meant to cause harm but to encourage good.
Fifth Verse Paragraph: “Passing mirth, fame, wealth”
The speaker reveals that when the human mind is occupied with the things of this world, especially those that are deemed pleasant and desirable, these things “hide His presence.” But when those things “all are gone,” and the devotee’s mind observes “solitude,” and there is no one left “shaking hands with you,” then “He comes to take your hand.”
Source
- Paramahansa Yogananda, “The Screen of Life,” Songs of the Soul, Self-Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles, 1983.
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Linda Sue Grimes - As a writer, researcher, and SRF devotee, Linda Sue Grimes has studied poetry and practiced Kriya Yoga for over thirty years..
