Svara to Isvara SWAMI TEJOMAYANANDA, the global head of the Chinmaya Mission, is also a connoisseur of music and a prolific composer of poems and devotional lyrics in Sanskrit, Hindi and Marathi. He envisioned the Chinmaya Naada Bindu Gurukul for Performing Arts with a view to promote Vedic heritage through the performing arts

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ound (sabda) is the quality of space (akasa). Space, the subtlest of all elements comes from the Lord. Therefore sound or music associated with Space, is the closest to God. When Lord Siva danced, certain sounds like aiun, rlk and so on emerged from his damaru as fourteen sutras. Grammar emerged from those sutras. Musical notes (svara) and rhythms (tala), also came from them. So the source of both literature (sahitya) and music (sangita) is the same. Sound waves or vibrations pervade the whole universe but we do not hear all of them. We are able to hear only the sound when it is of a certain frequency. Such sounds that are constantly present are called sruti. When that sruti becomes ‘sthita’ (steady), and we are able to hear them, then it is called svara (musical note). Swami Chinmayananda described music beautifully as the ‘ornamentation of silence with svaras’. What is a “svara’? Svayam rajate iti svarah. Svara is self-shining and does not need anybody’s help to shine. So, those melodious sounds, which ornament silence, shine by themselves and enchant everyone, are called svara. In Indian music we have seven svaras – sa re ga ma pa dha ni. It is actually interesting that these seven notes can be looked at as a special symbolism for life. Sa – Saguna Brahman: The first note ‘sa’ is present in all ragas. Therefore sa can be said to represent the eternal, omnipresent God. Without Him nothing exists. ‘Sa’ is Saguna Brahma

Music & Spirituality or Isvara, the Lord with attributes. Re – Rishi: It is to the Rishis (sages) that God revealed the Vedas and all knowledge including fine arts. The scriptures say that the Sapta Rishis (seven sages) are the mind-born sons (manasa putra) of Brahma, the Creator. Ga – Gandharva: Thereafter, music was given to gandharvas – the celestial musicians. That is why, when somebody sings beautifully, he is given the title of ‘gandharva’, like Bala Gandharva. Thus, music flowed from God, to the Rishis and then to the gandharvas. Then it came to this world. ‘Ma’ - Mahipala or kings: In the past, music was mainly patronized by the kings. In their courts many a great singer like Tansen prospered. Pa – Praja: When kings were not interested in music, his people (praja) also never got to learn or listen to great music. Aurangzeb’s story is

A view of the Chinmaya Naada Bindu Gurukul-Ashram

most famous. He hated music and stopped all music performances in his kingdom. The musicians took out a funeral procession. When Aurangzeb asked who had died, they said, “Music.” He said, “Very good. Bury it in such a way that it does not come back.” Luckily, he died and music revived. Music is nada svaroopa of the Lord. How can it die? Dha – Dharma: When people live together in love, understanding, peace and harmony, they prosper. What brings that harmony? It is dharma.

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Bindu Gurukul-Ashram from the hilltop Ganesh temple | Pics courtesy: Chinmaya Naada Bindu

Ni – Nirguna Brahma: By following dharma we can reach Nirguna Brahma or the all-pervading Divine Consciousness. In this way, our journey through the musical notes leads us from the manifest (sakara) to the unmanifest (nirakara). When any Art is pursued with devotion and dedication, it will lead the artiste to God. Lord Krishna says, “Those who worship me in whatever way, I give them that knowledge by which they come to me”. So,

Bhagavan takes the responsibility of revealing Himself, and our effort should be in worshipping Him with whatever art and talent we have. The Chinmaya Naada Bindu Gurukul is an initiative devoted to helping students experience music and dance as a means of inner purification and self-realization, because when students are guided by a focus on spiritual upliftment, they become the finest ambassadors of our cultural heritage. May our kala sadhana lead us to

Isvara and may His nature of Truth, Auspiciousness and Beauty pervade our life. Located in the Chinmaya Vibhooti Ashram in the village of Kolwan near Pune, Chinmaya Naada Bindu offers professional level training in Hindustani music (Vocal, Bansuri and Tabla) and Bharatanatyam via residential training intensives and workshops. These are open to students from all over the world. For information: www.chinmayanaadabindu.org Saamagaana The First Melody May 2015 | 25

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