Of art and music: Music can permeate every aspect of your life

We are aware our ancient seers living in communion with nature, must have seen and heard the music in ‘myriad’ ways, and forms. In the rising sun, in the light of stars, in the height of the snow clad Himalayas, in the thick forests, in the thundering clouds, in the gurgling Ganga, in the cries of birds and animals, in the blooming flowers, dropping of petals, sweetening of fruits, in birth grow and decay of created beings, anywhere and everywhere, they would have felt the resonance of one ‘nada’, capturing this music in nature. They must have felt, their souls ringing in harmony with them, and instinctively realised ‘nada’ vibrating within them.

With joy and thrill, they must have picked up the basic notes and built around them, their grand repertoire. They would have got “SA” from the cry of peacock, with its two sounds of lower and higher pitches, “RE” from the cry of the bull, “GA” from that of the goat, “MA” from the cry of Kravuncha bird, “PA” from the voice of the Koel in spring, “DHA” from the neighing of the horse and “NE” from the cry of the elephant.

It is said that Lord Siva, in his cosmic dance produced from ‘damaru’, various types of sounds, is the origin of the seven basic notes (SA-RI-GA-MA-PA-DA-NE), can be traced back to Lord Siva. According to some others the seven key notes, which form the units of music, all over the world, personify seven levels  of ‘human consciousness revealing, human aspirations to reach that sanctum of happiness, bliss and fulfillment within.  In a particular direction it is called ‘music, in another ‘dance’, in a third ‘painting’, in a fourth ‘poetry’. But amongst all four arts, the finest is music.

In childhood, learning music helps one to develop a rhythm and order in his daily activities. Through Upasana of nada one catches the glimpses of the unity in diversity. In the second stage by enriching the bhavam in the music, one can control and sublimate the emotions of the mind. As the evening of life approaches, music changes into a source of peace and joy.

It is true that the music can form the vehicle to take man from the gross to subtle, from the finite to infinite. There is no aspect of life where music cannot play its role. No doubt today Indian music has caught the attention of musicologists, scientists and other learned men and with more and more research in the field of musicology, more and more hidden treasures are surfacing.

All of us know, that music is considered as a subtle divine thread, linking up the jevatma’with the paramatma, a concept originating in the Tantric idea of Sabdabrahmam, the primeval source of creation. This idea also finds expression in the eloquent words of the renowned violinist Yehudi Menuhin who said “Indian music reflects Indian life no pre-determined beginning or end (Sanadhana), though the fingers of the composer, performer”. To fully understand the beauty, depth and elevating qualities of Indian music needless to mention that one must understand if not experience the concepts at least to some extent.