MargazhiSangeetham

 

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.

   INTRODUCTION TO CARNATIC MUSIC.

  The South Indian Classical music or Carnatic music often called as Karnataka Sangeetham can be dated back to the age of Vedas.  This tradition has a rich heritage and is perfectly suited to the Hindu religion and culture.  Music is an integral part of India’s culture.  It is the one art which is in evidence in all the stratum of society.

Carnatic Music is typical example of the living systems of music in the world.  Indian music is so very ancient that it would not be exaggeration to credit its origin to the primitive Gods.  It is a Hindu Tradition to attribute all ancient Hindu works to mythological personages.

According to modern European method of calculation, History of the old Sanskrit literature must be divided into four periods:

1. The Mantra Period from 2000 to 1500 BC
2. The Chhand Period from 1000 to 800 BC
3. from 800 to 600 BC
4. from 600 to 200 BC.

 

This takes us back to a time which, though it may seem lost in the mists of antiquity, clearly shows that in all these ages music not only existed but had attained a very high degree of perfection and that the musical scale, the fundamental basis of the science, and the result of music activities of ages past was practised by the Vedic Rishis.

Our Music is three thousand years old.  It is considered to be of Divine Origin.  It is by far the most complicated and intricate system of music among the musical systems of all nations, and a science hardly to be excelled by any creation of the human mind.

And of course, it has a highly coloured and fascinating history to be found in the ancient texts, preserved and handed down to us, surviving cycles of ages and the ravages of time.

It is interesting to note that like all old branches of learning, it is also based upon the religious faiths, legends, observances and traditions of the Country, depicting the social manners and customs of the people, in the history of the tunes and words of the song.

-Dr.V.Meenakshi Jayakumar

—– to be continued.