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This is followed by the Pancha Geetam

The Venu Gitam which precedes the above Vrata in X.21.7-19.

The Pranaya Gitam29.31-41 & X.30.5-34 before Rasalila.

The Gopika Gitam31.1-19 before Rasalila effacing their ego & leading to Rasalila

The Yugala Gitam35.2-25 after Rasalila during day time.

The Bramara Gitam47.12-21

          Therefore,  Krishna’s  Rasalila with the Gopis takes place only after they have completely rid themselves of their sense of ego and self importance.  Patanjali describes yoga as : citta vritti nirodaha,  and what Krishna does in the Rasalila is calming the Gopis mind of Kama and Sushupti i.e. desire and sleep which are two modes of the mind which people without devotion and Sadhana cannot overcome.  Thus, Krishna makes the Gopis yogis through the Rasalila. 

1.  Thus, we find that the Gopis did not have any noble lineage (Janma), they did not have any yogic prowess (Aishwarya), they did not have any knowledge (Sruti), they did not have any wealth (Shree), like Narada and others but yet, they attained the Lord within a short period of 11 years.III.2.26..  Sri Krishna Himself  praises the Gopis in X.32:

“ 21. O Gopis!  It was only to strengthen the longing for me in you, who have left your name, prospects and position in this world – left what the Vedas promise as reward in the hereafter for following their dictates, and left also your home and relatives for my sake – that I disappeared from your vision.  It was only to serve you invisibly by hearing your prayer and seeing your actions.  O dear ones! Do not make it a ground of complaint against me, who am all love for you.

22. Even by service for countless divine years I cannot pay back to you anything equal to your glorious act of self-surrender, prompted by love untarnished by any blemish of selfishness and breaking the ever powerful chain of attachment for home and worldly concerns.  As I cannot pay back the debt, may your generous act be its own reward.”

         After the destruction of Kamsa at Mathura, Krishna sends Uddhava to comfort the Gopis.  He is astounded at the Gopis devotion and says in X.47.:

58. “These Gopis are indeed the only people who have attained the real purpose of a human birth in this world. For, in them is present that deep-rooted anguish of love (Mahabhava) for Govinda, the soul of all that exists.  This attainment is the aspiration of us all – the liberation-seekers afraid of Samsara, the sages of spiritual attainment , and we devotees.  We only aspire for it, but never attain it.  Of what consequence is birth is high social ranks?  It is only the intense feeling for the Infinite Being that matters.
59. Where are these women, mere nomads of the forest, belonging to a promiscuous society? And where is this anguish of love (Mahabhava) for Krishna, the Supreme Spirit? It seems to be true that He bestows the Supreme God on one who resorts to Him wholly, in truth and in spirit, although he is without any understanding of Him based on learning.  Like a medicine, taken knowingly or unknowingly, love of God does produce its result irrespective of one’s learning or social status.
60. Neither the lotus-perfumed beauties of heaven nor even Sri Devi, who is always engrossed in His love and service, ever got that degree of His grace which was the lot of these beauties of Vraja, who had the great blessing of being clasped by the neck by Him in the Rasa Dance, and being conferred the highest fulfillment of their life.
61. May I be born even as a bower or creeper or blasé of grass in blessed Vrindavana (pullai piravi thara venum – Utthukadu Venkatasubbayar) where I shall be covered with the dust of the feet of these Gopis who abandoned the unbreakable bondage of love of their own near and dear ones and of adherence to the paths of virtue approved by society, and preferred to follow the way of Divine service, which remains only as an aspiration and a quest even for the Vedas and its followers.
62. those feet of Bhagavan Krishna which are worshipped in their hearts by Sri Devi and by Brahma and great Yogis who have no desire yet to be fulfilled – those very feet of the Bhagavan were in the Rasa-meet applied to their breasts and embraced by these Gopis who had thereby all their sufferings assuaged.
63. I salute again and again even the dust of the feet of the women of Nanda’s  cowherd settlement, whose loud praise of Hari’s  glories in songs in purifying all the three worlds.”

 

2. The Gopis thus clearly illustrate the saying in I.3.38 :

 

38. “It is only the man who is without duplicity and who serves the Lord of limitless might continuously in love and submission (bhajeta tatpaadasarojagandham), that comes to realize Him in truth and in reality.”

And  Narada’s upadesa to Veda Vyasa in I.6.22 :

22. “Great men have established that the supreme, imperishable consummation of all spiritual disciplines – be it austerities, scriptural study, sacrifices, Japa, gifts or discrimination – consists in the development of keen interest in contemplation and exposition of the glories and attributes of the most Exalted Being.” (Yad uttamasloka guna anuvarnanam)
23. On the eve of the Krishna avatara, Brahma commands all the devas to be born on earth to be His helpers X.1.22..  The devas are born as Yadus with desire for enjoyment and so did not realize the divinity of Krishna even though in constant association with Him.  The Yadus took Krishna for granted to gain Janma, Aishwarya, Sruti and Shree that only made them arrogant and a burden to the earth.  In view of their minds being addicted to enjoyment and being votaries of pleasure and power,  wisdom could not be generated in them (Bhagavat Gita II.44) and so they were destroyed by Sri Krishna Himself.   The Pandavas were also devas who incarnated in Hastinapura.  They realized Krishna’s divinity and associated themselves with Him for material gain of their paternal kingdom and to rule the earth by performance of the Rajasuya Sacrifice.  They therefore had to suffer very much, witness hell and then go to heaven without liberation.  But Drona, the leader of the Vasus,  and his wife  Dhara, who were asked by Brahma to be born on earth as cowherds maintaining cattle, prayed X.8.49 :
24.                 “May we have, in our embodiment on earth, that kind of supreme devotion to Sri Hari, the Lord of all, by means of which people easily overcome this misery of Samsara!”

And they became Jivanmuktas.

Therefore, the lesson to be learnt from Sahitya is that Manobhava with which actions are done is what determines the result of the actions.  The devas with a preponderance of sattva guna met with diverse ends based on their Manobhava.  In kaliyuga, the Upasana is His Kirtana without desires or eshanas for progeny, wealth and fame besides position or power.  That is why, all the Bhaktas incarnate as Vaggeyakaras and Saints and sing the glory of the Lord for Haritoshanam or His pleasure and not for any personal benefit.   Readers may refer to MahaBhakta Vijayam for further details.

 

20.It is therefore my humble supplication to all students, performing artists

and lovers of music to approach the subject with the following sankalpa :

        Haritoshana preeti siddhyartham sangeetham samarpayam

so that the Lord is pleased with them as He was with the Gopis to receive His grace and not suffer like Narada for over a thousand years with the entry of personal gain and glory in his heart as a performing artist.   It is my prayer that all Schools of Indian Classical Music include the Pancha Gitam of the Gopis in their syallabus for the spiritual upliftment of all students.

• DR. V.MEENAKSHI JAYAKUMAR

Remove all weaknesses:

No matter what the present state is, we can change for the better through self-control, disciplines.

Why do we think we cannot change?

MENTAL LAZINESS is the secret cause of all weaknesses.  The mentally lazy man is the most hopeless.  He does  not even want to make an effort to build his character.

1. Narada then proceeds to learn the intricate skills of singing from the Owl Ganabadhu. The knowledge of music and the art of singing called “Gana Vidya” cannot be acquired by doing Tapa because it requires practical training and practice, besides the involvement of the emotions of the heart and memorizing of the verses needed for singing a song. One must learn the skills of music and singing from the Guru with due diligence and sincerity. Narada  prostrates before his music Guru in the form of an owl, Ganabandhu and before Vasudeva without any feeling of egoity, followed the instructions given, and began to systematically learn music and singing.

Ganabadhu advised Narada that :

2. One should not be shy and feel hesitant or reluctant while singing.
3. One should not sing in a coarse or blunt voice, or in a deep grunt like an inaudible, murmuring and conspiratorial voice, or in a place that is small, dense and thickly covered (because the sound will be muffled and suppressed) or with hand spread out and mouth wide open, or with a protruding tongue which is held outside the month or dangling from it.
4. One should not sing while looking attentively at the part of one’s own body or at the body of someone who is very near and dear and loving to the singer.
5. One should also not sing with a raised hand or while looking upwards.
6. Similarly, singing is to be avoided while shaking with laughter or trembling with fear and hunger, while one is under mental distress and is feeling sorrowful, while one is thinking of someone else or when his mind and attention is focused in the memory of someone who is dear to him, and also while one is thirsty (because all these distract him).
7. It is also not advisable to sing while keeping the beat of the rhythm with only one hand (i.e. both the hands are needed to keep the beat of the rhythm, e.g. clapping of the cymbal).
8. One who is distressed or tormented by hunger, fear and/or thirst (including for wealth, name & fame, position & power) is never advised to sing.
9. Similarly, one should never sing in the darkness.

This is how a singer should carefully discriminate between the proper and improper method, circumstance and environment necessary for good singing.

3. Under his tutelage, advice and guidance, Narada studied, learnt and practiced the art and skill of singing along with the intricacies and finer nuances of music systematically for a thousand glorious years (divyavarsha sahasrakam). With this rigorous training, he became will versed with all the aspects of singing, including the initial warm-up phases, besides learning all the notes of the Indian lute.   He learnt well all the forty six thousand one hundred (ayutani ca sattrimsatsahasrani satani ca) fine shades of the notes, modes and tunes of Indian classical music tradition.  The throng of celestial musicians and singers, such as Gandharvas and Kinnaras respectively, lived happily with the sage (Narada) and enjoyed his company.  Narada and Ganabandhu bless each other on conclusion of their tutelage.  After the expiry of one kalpa,  Ganabandhu the owl, would be transformed into Garuda and attain Sayujya.  Thus, teaching music to a true devotee has Sat Sangha and Sayujya as its fruit.
4. Narada with the arrogance born of knowledge of music goes to challenge Tumburu to challenge him in a competition and defeat him.  When he came to Tumburu’s place, he saw numerous people, both men and women, with deformed, disfigured, mutilated and dismembered bodies. Some had their hands, legs, thighs, noses, breasts and heads cut off, others have their fingers and other parts of the body either severed or deformed and disfigured.  Dazed, surprised and mystified, Narada asks them who has rendered your bodies to such a horrible condition?  All replied together that Narada is responsible, they being the personifications of various tunes and modes of music. When you sing out of tune and beat we are symbolically reduced to this horrible state.  When the master Tumburu sings, our decrepit bodies are restored back to their former selves.  This shows that when one sings with arrogance and ego the swara devatas get deformed whereas they regain their original form when arrogance and ego are absent while singing.

Narada then went to see Janardhana in Swetadeepa.  The Lord said to Narada : you have not still become fully enlightened and haven’t reached the zenith or pinnacle of singing and music even after learning it from Ganabandhu for such a long time.  You have not reached the same high standard and stature achieved by Tumburu.  He asks Narada to meet him in Krishna Avatara and remind him of this incident so that Krishna can bless him with the best knowledge pertaining to music and song.

 

6. Narada sang the glories of Vishnu wandering through all the worlds including the cities of the dikpalas and Brahma.  At the appointed time he met Krishna and reminded him of the incident.  Krishna asked Jambhavati to teach Narada the proper and perfect way to sing the devotional songs.  After a year, Krishna asks Narada to go to Satya and learn further from her.  She also taught him for a year.  Thereafter, Krishna sent Narada to Rukmini.  When she taught music, Narada could not gather or understand and learn the different notes, modes and tunes of music having  the fine shades of differences and variations that she taught.  Nevertheless, Rukmini persisted in teaching Narada for another two years.   Narada at last began to sing better but he still could not master the art and skill of playing the stringed musical instruments as they ought to be played with perfection.  Then, Lord Krishna called Narada and began to teach him personally the best form of devotional music and song. When Krishna taught him personally, then all the arts and skills pertaining to the realm of music and song came there in a personified but subtle form and were made available to Narada who was finally able to grasp and learn the finer nuances of classical music.  At this success Narada’s mind was ecstatic with joy and he felt exhilarated and fulfilled.

 

7. From these incidents we learn that when the mind is immersed in Bhakti without desire, the son of a maid servant can become a son of  Brahma, an Avatara Purusha in his own right and the Guru of an Avatar of God.  But, when such a person seeks to sing for personal glory as opposed to pleasing the Lord, he has to study and practice for more than a thousand years, wait for the Krishna Avatara, learn from the servitors of Krishna for five years and only then learn from the Lord Himself to master music.    Only a person who has the perseverance of Narada can learn music from Guru Krishna Himself.  It is hoped that musicians learn a lesson in humility and devotion from Canto 7 of the Adbhuta Ramayana.

 

8. It is natural for one to ask whether it is possible to attain God through music without undergoing such rigorous training and practice as Narada did.  The answer is given by Krishna Himself in Chapter X of the Bhagavat Gita :

“ 9. With their citta engrossed and their vital energies deeply involved in Me, they are ever contented and delighted by mutually conversing about Me and My doings and enlightening each other thereby.

10. To those who serve Me with delight (bhajataam preeti poorvakam) and are ever steadfast in spiritual communion, I bestow intuitive understanding by means of which they come to Me.”

 

9. After the Govinda Pattabhishekam of the purvabhaga of the Dasamaskandha of the Srimad Bhagavatham,  we find the Gopas attaining and communing with Brahman without any knowledge of music and only through their boyish play with Krishna :

 

“ 11. O King The Gopas now took Krishna to be Iswara Himself, and began to think longingly why how would not absorb them into his subtle being.

 

12.   Coming to know by himself of this innermost aspiration of his devotees, Krishna, out of mercy towards them, thought of a way of fulfilling their aspiration.
13.   In this world, due to ignorance and its offspring, desire and actions based on it, men are born in situations high and low and fail to realize their real nature.

14-15.  Thinking thus, the worshipful Lord revealed to the Gopas his transcendent realm untouched by Tamas, which the sages, shaking off the hold of  Prakriti, experience with concentrated mind – Brahman, the absolute Truth, infinite Consciousness, the eternal Being, the pure light of Self-consciousness that illumines everything .(Nirvikalpa Samadhi & Jivan Mukti)

16. They are led to the Pool of Brahman (Brahmahradam) and submerged in it, after which Krishna lifted them up and revealed to them the transcendent realm of Vaikuntha, which was revealed to Akrura earlier (i.e. prior to the time of the Suka-Parikshit conversation).
17.   Nanda and others, who were saturated with Bliss by the experience, were astonished to find Krishna being extolled by the Vedas themselves.”

 

10. The entire society of Gopas having become Jivan Muktas what is the fate of the Gopis?  In Chapter I sloka 22 of the Bhagavat Gita Sri Krishna tells Arjuna : “ Just as a man gives up old garments and puts on new ones, so the embodied self abandons decrepit bodies and assumes new ones.”

In Skanda I Chapter 3 Sloka 34 of the Srimad Bhagavata it is said :

“34. It is when Maya, the power of the Lord, (which functions as both Avidya and Vidya for binging and liberating) is pleased to function as Vidya that the Jiva attains to Supreme Enrichment, which is nothing but abiding in his own glory as the Spirit, the Pure Being-Consciousness-Bliss.”

It is for this reason that the Gopis worshipped Mahamaya with the following Mantra, X.22.4 :

“O Devi Katyayani, Thou mighty cosmic power and mistress of all, Deign to make Nanda’s son my husband.  My salutations to Thee.  Repeating this Mantra, these maidens of Vraja worshipped the Devi.”

 

The result was that Krishna stole their clothes i.e. Krishna removed the Gopis’ consciousness that they are the body and made them spiritually elevated souls fit to commune with the Lord. 

— to be continued.

— Dr.V.Meenakshi Jayakumar.

 

Divine love is Her Command. The Vedas have enunciated to the diverse duties of everyone.  All these prescribed duties should be adhered to .  By such adherence to one’s prescribed duty one comes to know about the true state of Sakti as Parasakti.  This profound trust  has been stated clearly in the Gita.

A mind gives to fulfilling the duty fickle by its nature falls a prey to vices like hatred and anger.  These vices are to be remedied by cultivation of happiness or contentment and love.

By eschewing such noble virtues one falls a prey to vices.  But cultivation of virtues and giving up vices should be adhered to.  To accomplish this, fulfillment of prescribed duties and dedicating them to the goddess is the way.  This makes it very easy.

By such ardent dedication one gets a strong hold, a rapport to live in this world.  Also one should adore that deity who is one’s Isa with faith.

United with Sakti, Siva is endowed with the power to create the Universe.  Otherwise He is incapable even of movement.

Our duty is to worship Parasakti by someway without any desire or hankering.

Contented with what we get we should endeavour to serve Her.  This by itself is worship of a very high order.

—   Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati – MahaPeriyava of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.

The very conception of the name Durga, the Mother in Her apparently terrible and destructive aspect, is a significant thing to be understood.  In the Saptasati, the origin of the name Durga has been given in one verse where we have is described that She, who saves us from all that is calamitous,  She who saves us from danger and trouble, is known as Durga.  Because She saves Her devotees from all sorrows, dangers and calamities.  She is called Devi Durga.  She being conceived of in this peculiar aspect of an all-destroying power is not only capable of being esoterically interpreted and explained that She destroys all that is undesirable but also it is based upon universal experience.

—   to be continued.

 

Salutation again and again to the blessed Divine Mother who abides in the heart of all creatures as Sakti – the power incarnate.

The ancient seers of India wholeheartedly took to the pursuit to unravel the mystery behind this universe.  As a result they found this universe to be a conglomeration of Energy of diverse levels that appears to us as material objects.  Further the same Sakti as assumed the form of sentinent entities – the embodies souls.

This Sakti has two states i.e. two aspects 1. Nirguna (formless unconditioned state) and 2. Saguna (conditioned state).  In the formless aspect, She abides as the ever Perfect Consciousness which Itself is a reservoir of Grace.  From this vast reservoir of Consciousness and grace, a tine speck gives rise to our consciousness.  Therefore each embodied soul is a treasure of Consciousness.

— Dr.V.Meenakshi Jayakumar

— to be continued.

 

Thus, music has been considered to be a form of Yoga. From this we understand that the purpose of Indian Classical Music is Upasana only and not entertainment or for the purpose of seeking prosperity, fame and positions of power and authority. That is why Tyagaraja sang the Kritis “SANGEETHA GNANAMU BHAKTI VINA” “KANA KANA RUCHIRA” “NIDHI CHAALA SUKHAMA” etc..  and lived the life he did dedicating his mind, speech and body to the  musical service of the Lord alone and none else.

 Another name for the divine Owl Uluka is Ganabandhu who asks Narada what he can do for him? Narada complains that he was relegated to the sidelines and Tumburu was felicitated in public by Visnu and Lakshmi and that no such honour was shown to him even though Narada constantly sings the name of the Lord. Thus, Narada became a victim of Ego and disobeys the concluding instructions of Krishna to Uddhava in the Uddhava Gita XI. 29:

       09. Always remembering Me, having one’s mind both conscious and sub-conscious resigned to Me, and having full conviction in, and acceptance of, My Bhagavata Dharma, an aspirant should do all actions deliberately as offerings unto Me.

The pure-minded devotee should recognize Me, the Lord of all, in the spirit pervading within and without every object including himself, like the Akasa pervading everything unobstructed by any barriers.

13&14.  O Uddhava of mighty intelligence, know him to be a man of true illumination (Pandita) who, with the help of the insight born of knowledge, could have evenness of outlook and perceive and honour all beings as My manifestations be they holy men or outcastes, persecutors or adorers of holy men, the sun or a spark of fire, tranquil personage or a ferocious and cruel man.

15. In those who constantly seek to find My presence in all human beings, there will no longer be any competitiveness with equals, jealousy towards superiors, contempt for inferiors, and too much self-consciousness with regard to oneself

16.Overlooking the ridicule of friends and relatives, casting aside the sense of high and low on mere physical considerations, and throwing away all shyness and shame based on such ideas, one should fall down in prostration like a stick before all beings – dogs, outcastes, cattle, assess, etc., seeing all of them as manifestations of the Supreme Being. ( Readers may kindly note the similarity with Adi Sankara’s Manisha Panchakam)

Until the consciousness that all these beings are My manifestations has been established in the mind, one should commune with Me through external worship and the practice of My presence in all through thought, word and action.By virtue of practicing the presence of the Atman everywhere, a devotee gains that knowledge by which he perceives everything as Brahman. He becomes free from all doubts and he can abandon all Karmas.

Of all means of spiritual discipline, the best according to Me is to practice My presence in everything through the functioning of the three instruments – mind, speech and action.

O Uddhava, when the Dharma propounded by Me (Bhagavata Dharma), in which all actions are done in dedication to Me without an eye on the fruits of action, is accepted and practiced, there is no wastage in all one’s efforts from the beginning. For, unlike in rites done with desires for fruits, which  would end in total failure if done improperly, here in this path whatever is done helps one’s spiritual evolution in this birth or in another, and one can continue form where one has left.  Its basis is spiritual and not material, and so its effects are imperishable.   This is, as I, the Supreme One, has ordained.

O noble one, even ordinary vain  worldly actions like running away and crying due to fear and sorrow if done in dedication to me, even that comes to have spiritual potency.   There is no need then to speak about the high spiritual efficacy of Bhagavata Dharma consciously practiced.

The attainment of Me, the True, the immortal, with the help of even this insignificant mortal body, is the real wisdom of the wise and the skill of the skillful.”

 

Narayana then advises Narada who has become the victim of Maya, to meet Uluka. Ganabandhu tells Narada the story of his previous birth as King Bhuvanesa. Thus, an Acharya in music discloses his own wretched past to a true student so that the same mistakes can be avoided by the student in future.  King Bhuvanesa was a vedic ritualistic who had performed innumerable sacrifices accompanied by gifts with faith and devotion. But the King prohibited the singing of the glories of Kesava in his kingdom.  A devotee named Hari Mitra disobeyed the King’s order and was punished by the King by forfeiture of all his wealth and exile from the kingdom.  The King died and became an owl in his next birth.  He questions Yama about the reason for the same.  Yama tells him  that the punishment of Hari Mitra was a great sin that negated the merits of all the vedic sacrifices and gifts made by the King.  Yama adds that a Brahmin should not sing the eulogies of anyone except the glories of Hari.   So punishing Hari Mitra for singing the praises of Lord Hari or Vasudeva, was an unpardonable offence and a great sin.  As a punishment you should go to the cave of the mountain where a dead body of your erstwhile form as a king is lying. You should feed upon it on a daily basis for a period of one Manvantra.  After that you will become a dog on earth.  After a long time there, you will get a human body once again. I am the king who has become an owl.  When  I was overcome by hunger and about to take my first pick at the dead body, the most compassionate and merciful Hari Mitra came there aboard a plane and heard the story of my punishment for my offence against him.  Hari Mitra forgave me  and blessed me not to become a dog.   He further granted me the skills of singing in a clear and articulate manner the glories and praises of Lord Visnu, to be honoured by being acclaimed as a patron teacher of singers & an expert in the finer intricacies and nuances of music and singing, to be a music teacher for Gods, Vidyadharas, Gandharvas and Apsaras and,  blessed me to have different varieties of food to eat.  He then said that after some time everything will become alright and my sufferings would end.  It must be noted that a musician who is a true devotee of the Lord forgives a person who has done him a wrong and blesses him with musical excellences besides removing the punishment of Yama and providing good food to eat.  All these incidents are narrated in Canto 6 of the Adbhuta Ramayana.

—- Dr.V.Meenakshi Jayakumar

— to be continued.

1. The story of Narada is summarized in the Srimad Bhagavata Mahapuranam. Skandha VII Chapter 15 Slokas 69-73 tell us how blessings come disguised as a curse.  In the past kalpa Narada was a Gandharva named Upabarhana endowed with a charming form, sweet speech and fragrant odour; who led a live of drunkenness and pleasure seeking; and was dear to women.  When summoned by the Prajapatis to sing about the Lord at a sacrificial festival of the Devas, Upabarhana went there surrounded by women singing love songs.  Noting his insolent conduct, the Prajapatis cursed him to immediately become a low born one deprived of all power and beauty.  After that Narada was born as the son of a main-servant serving holy men established in Brahman.

1. Narada’s story is continued in Skandha I Chapters 5 and 6 of the Bhagavatham. By listening continuously all through the spring and rainy season, at the three Sandhyas of the day (udayamasthanam), to the recitals of the Lord’s sanctifying glory by holy men (Munis and Mahatmas) there sprang up in Narada born as the son of a maid servant that powerful devotion,  which obliterates all traces of Rajas and Tamas, that makes one loving, humble, sinless, attentive, self-controlled & obedient; making him a fit recipient of the transcendent knowledge of the Supreme Divine  (Jnanam Guhyatamam).  The holy men imparted this knowledge to the maid servant’s son Narada who sat under a banyan tree and began to meditate on the Supreme Being immanent in oneself as instructed by his teachers and thus attained Nirvikalpa Samadhi.  The Lord tells Narada that he cannot be seen by Yogis who are not completely free from all passions of the heart.  Narada as the maid servants son then eschews pride, jealously, other passions of the heart and engages himself in loudly proclaiming the names of the Infinite Being without any sense of shame, in constantly remembering the sanctifying and mysterious doing of the Lord, and in wandering from place to place free from sorrow and joy in all situations of life, steeped in the contemplation of Krishna, excluding all worldly desires.  Thus the Bhagavati-tanu, divine body of Suddha Sattva fit for the service of the Lord, was generated and the boy’s mortal remains fall after the exhaustion of his prarabdha.  Narada is later born as Brahma’s son as an Avatara Purusha who is the Acharya of Veda Vyasa Dwaipayana in the present Kalpa.

 

3. Thus, Sravanam, Keerthanam and Smaranam forms of Bhakthi makes a maid servant’s son, a son of Brahma, an Avatar of God (I.3.8) and the Guru of Veda Vyasa Dwaipayana another Avatar of God. To such a personality, Lord Narayana in the 6^th Canto of the Adbhuta Ramayana says:

“27.   I am not pleased as much by charities, Tapa (doing austerity, penance and keeping of stern religious vows) honour and praise as well as by going on pilgrimage, as I am by singing or chanting my name individually or in chorus in a group (i.e. doing Kirtana).

28.    Those who sing my holy name and divine glories are able to find an abode in my heaven near me.  Kausika is a living example of this; he has attained my abode by singing my name with great devotion.

Those who sing the glories of my divine name using all the 7 modes and notes (murcchanaadiyutam) of Indian classical music are very endearing to me. That is the reason, that Tumburu is dearer to me as compared to you.

29. You should also sing similarly employing all the modes and notes of classical music (melakarta) besides using precise beats and rhythm (tala) to sing, and attain the same stature as attained by Tumburu (murcchanaatalayogena gaanena). If you have an inclination to sing and learn more above devotional music, go and see “Uluka” the divine Owl.”

— Dr.V.Meenakshi Jayakumar

—- to be continued.

MUSIC AND NARADA

Brahma the creator, indulges in the art for relaxation.  Saraswathi, the Goddess of learning and music, invented the exquisite Veena, which bears her name.

Narada is a brilliant figure among the divine beings,  in the musical world.

Narada means one who gives and spreads the name of the The God Narayana.  Narada is a vedic sage who plays a prominent role in a number of Hindu Ithihasa puranas.  He is depicted carrying Veena named Mahathi and a khartal and is generally regarded as one of the great masters of the ancient musical instrument Veena.  Narada uses the Mahathi veena to accompany his singing of songs, prayers, hymns and mantras as an act of devotion to Lord Narayana.  Narada represents Bhakti Yoga.  The Narada Bhakti Sutra is attributed to him.

The great Ithihasa Mahabharata explains Narada’s qualifications and experience in detail.  All celestial beings worshiped Narada for his knowledge. He was capable of arriving at definite knowledge about religion, wealth, salvation.  Narada was a complete master of every branch of learning.

Karnataka Sangeetha Pitamaha, Sri Purandaradasa is said to  be the incarnation of the sage Narada.

—– to be continued.

– Dr.V.Meenakshi Jayakumar

Music  was regarded as scared.  There were professional celestial beings such as the Gandharvas and Apsaras who performed before the Devas.
“The musicians in the upper planetary systems are called Gandharvas, and the dancing girls are called Apsaras. After being attacked by the demons and evolving a form of a beautiful woman in the twilight, Brahma next created Gandharvas and Apsaras.” – Srimad-Bhagavatam 3:20:38.

                      

Gandharva (right) with an Apsara, 10th century,  Vietnam

                Gandharvas are considered as the celestial singers. They were the descendants of Kashyapa and his wife Arishta. In many occasions, the Gandharvas have been depicted as leading a more open life, especially with the Apsaras, who were their wives or mistresses. In Mahabharata, Arjuna has been depicted as a close friend of Gandharvaraj Angarparna (also known as Chitrasena), who taught him the art of music and dance.

Ramayana talks about a Gandharva named Danu, who is cursed to become Rakshasha Kabandha, but ultimately freed upon his death at the hands of Lord Rama.

                 Apsaras were originally thought of as female celestial being representing the spirit of the clouds and water (Ap means water in Sanskrit). The Bhagavata Purana also states that the Apsaras were born from Kashyap and Muni.

Apsaras are beautiful, supernatural female beings. They are youthful and elegant, and superb in the art of dancing. They are often wives of the Gandharvas, the court musicians of Indra. They dance to the music made by the Gandharvas, usually in the palaces of the gods to entertain them. Apsaras are said to be able to change their shape at will, and rule over the fortunes of gaming and gambling.

Urvasi, Menaka, Rambha, Tillottama and Ghritachi are the most famous among them. They are the courtesans at the palace of the Gods who were repeatedly sent to disrupt the austerities of different sages.

 

 

Many of the important characters in the epics have been born of Apsaras, such as Drona from Apsara Gritachi, Kripa from Apsara Janapadi and Shakuntala from Apsara Menaka. These women were infamous for abandoning their children upon birth and returning to their heavenly abodes. Arjuna becomes a eunuch on being cursed by Apsara Urvashi.

• to be continued
• Dr.V.Meenakshi Jayakumar.

                                     STORY OF MUSIKAR OR DIPAK LATA

        Indian classical music is believed to be a divine art which originated from Hindu Gods and Goddesses and is known as Naada Brahman.

The traditions most often referred as music is descended from Brahma, brought into vogue by Mahadev and Narada and performed by the great Naiks from time to time.  Naiks are Masters of Music.

* It is also quoted that a strange bird called Musikar or Dipak Lata inhabited the Caucasus mountains and its beak and seven apertures through each of these opening he was able to blow a different note, and at different seasons of the year he combined these notes into harmony and produced Ragas congenial to that particular hour of the day and season of the year.

His age was a thousand years and when death drew near he fell into a state of ecstasy, and accumulated a pile of combustibles from his environs, and danced around it in a state of absolute frenzy, playing the various notes and tunes from his beak for a length of time, in harmony with the seasons.  When, however, he touched upon the notes of the Raag Deepak+, fire was at once ignited, the pile burnt up, and ultimately he himself plunged into it, and became sati.

After a time an egg was created out of the warm ashes which in due course became a Deepak -Lata.

Therefore, from times immemorial, one bird was born, lives its weird life and in the end turned to ashes; then another and another.  The bird is supposed to be extinct now.

This is the strange and fanciful story, handed down to posterity, and which every musician of repute is fond of repeating.

* Reference:  Atiya Begum Fyzee Rahaman – History of Indian Music

+ Hindustani Raga.

– Dr.V.Meenakshi Jayakumar

—– to be continued.