Yogananda says in his Autobiography of a Yogi that this Cosmic Chant is an “old Bengali song”. He himself recorded it and it can be found on Songs of My Heart. He sings it first in Bengali and then in English. In introducing the chant he points out (very typical of him) that we can pray God as Mother, for “Mother is closer than the Father”.
Swami Kriyananda recounts the blissful moment of the recording of this chant in his book, The New Path:
I remember the evening that he recorded some of his chants for public release. Partway through that recording session I was obliged to leave for a class I was giving at the Hollywood Church.
On my return, I found Master standing outside on the lawn, listening to one of the chants being played back to him: “What lightning flash glimmers in Thy face, Mother! Seeing Thee I am thrilled through and through.” Again and again he had the recording played over. Presently he began almost to dance, swaying to and fro ecstatically, his arms stretched sidewise, waving to the rhythm of the music. He was blissfully engrossed in the beauty of Divine Mother, whom he perceived as wondrous Light spreading out to infinity. I was deeply moved.
Afterwards, as he was taking leave of our little group, he said quietly, “I see all of you as images of light. Everything—these trees, bushes, the grass you are standing on—all are made of that light. You have no idea how beautiful everything is!”
In his Inner Culture magazine (Nov. 1936), Yogananda refers to these lyrics in a prayer:
“Bless us, that hand-clasped, hearts interwoven,
we may walk the path of Self-realization
until we reach Thee.
Teach us to see the lightning flash
which glimmers in Thy Face of Omnipresence.”
LYRICS:
What lightning flash glimmers in Thy Face
What lightning flash glimmers in Thy Face
Seeing Thee I am thrilled through and through.
What lightning flash glimmers in Thy Face
What lightning flash glimmers in Thy Face
Seeing Thee I am thrilled through and through.
WHEN TO USE THIS SONG:
Use to visualize God as Cosmic Light.
SING ALONG:
This is Yogananda’s recording of What Lightning Flash in Bengali and English. The complete album can be purchased here.