Thus Spake the Divine - Music Brings Mental Peace

Thus Spake the Divine

Music Brings Mental Peace

In this and next chapter, Poojyasri Maha Periyava dwells on the magnificence of music in an enchanting manner, quoting the 69 th verse of Bhagavadpada’s Saundarya Lahari.

Appar Swamigal, a Shaiva Tamil poet-saint, one of the most prominent of the Sixty-Three Nayanmars, has listed what all bring happiness and peace to one’s mind. Though this list might appear as an image of short-lived worldly pleasures, everything that appears on the list is divine in nature. What is there on this list? First comes the impeccable musical sound of Veena; then comes the milky-white full moon; then it is the gentle breeze; following that is the blooming spring season and, lastly, the pond filled with fragrant lotus flowers.

Among the above, Appar Swamigal gives prominence to the musical sound of Veena as one that takes us closer to Ishvar’s Lotus Feet. Our ancestors dedicated their music to the Lotus Feet of Ishvara. The Veena engrosses not only its players but also its listeners so much that they surrender themselves at the Lotus Feet of Ishvara. Sage Yajnyavalkya , who gave Dharma Shastras to us, says, “If one can play the Veena without any deviation in ragam and thalam (beats), then, there is no need for any meditation, no need for penance, no need for pooja and no need for any other exertion on any religious practices! The musical sound of Veena itself will pave way for moksha!”

Sarasvati, the Goddess for Wisdom, holds the Veena in her hands and sings about the magnitude and magnanimity of Omnipresent Parameshvara. Acharya describes the incomparable musical proficiency of the Goddess in Saundarya Lahari (Means “The Wave of Beauty”, is a famous literary work in Sanskrit believed to have been written by Sage Pushpadanta and Adi Shankara). Acharya asserts that the entire gamut of music emanates from Her throat. The 69 th verse of the Saundarya Lahari reads as:

“Gale Rekhas Tisro Gatigamaka Fitaika Nipune.

The above line speaks of the three lines seen on the neck of Goddess Sarasvati. These three lines signify the swaras in music with three scales viz. Shadjamam, Madhyamam and Gandharam. The exotic ragas emanate only from these three scales. Acharya says, “You (Goddess) are an expert in Gathi (metre), Gamaka (undulations) and Geetha (song); the three major components of music. Only to signify that, there are three lines on your neck, which exhibit the boundaries of the respective scale; from where it starts and where it ends.”

The Shiva and Shakti factors, which are respectively manifest in the male and the female, are most explicitly manifest in the bulge of Adam’s apple of man and the three lines on the neck of woman. This also unravels the adroitness of Advaita philosophy in blending within music. The very music of Veena is one that dissolves us in the doctrine of Advaita. Kalidasa, one of the greatest poets and dramatists in Sanskrit, in his Navaratnamala, says, “When the Goddess sings, Her Compassion and Calmness (Peace) within Her Heart bloom.” What is clear from this is that whatever the magnitude of immense joy and excitement triggered by music, the end result is only serenity and peace. With the aid of music, our heart is filled with love.

Muthu Swami Dikshitar, with his Veena on hand, completely dissolved himself into Goddess Meenakshi with love and serenity. He has composed the keerthana, Shanthamuledhu, Soukyamuledhu (which means in Tamil “No peace, no happiness”) that can be understood by even those who do not understand the language. The same serenity and peace is what Appar also refers to as “Maasil Veenai” (Flawless Veena), the immaculate musical instrument.

This article is a snippet from the Book Thus Spake the Divine, is available online at www.giri.in and across Giri Trading Agency Private Limited, A chain of Speciality Stores dealing in all kinds of products needed in Indian Culture and Tradition.

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