Inauguration of Nada Mantapa Raga Ragini Samudaya Bhavan ADDRESS OF THE HONORABLE VICE-PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SRI KRISHAN KANT, AT THE INAUGURATION OF THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTED "RAGA RAGINI NADA MANTAPA" AUDITORIUM ON 31st MAY, 1998 AT AVADHOOTA DATTA PEETHAM, MYSORE
It is with a great sense of pleasure and satisfaction that I inaugurate this imposing auditorium- "Raga Ragini Nada Mantapa" inspired by His Holiness Jagadguru Datta Peethadhipati Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji. This concert hall- the Mantapa, will long serve the cause of music and remain a monument to Swamiji's untiring efforts to make the people of the world aware of the grandeur of Indian music and its many less- known uses. I have had the good fortune of observing Swamiji's musical genius and power to inspire and command the adherence both of the musically gifted and the lay. The residents of Mysore are exceptionally lucky to receive this gift of love from Swamiji. To Swamiji goes the singular credit of distilling from music, its therapeutic uses which lay buried in the accumulating sands of time. There are many who have benefited from his blessings and many more are waiting to receive them. Dhyana Sangeeta is one of the several inherent attributes of music. Only through painstaking research and insightful analysis has Swamiji succeeded in rediscovering the "dhyana" aspect of our music. We all owe to him a great debt of gratitude. The musical traditions of India are our culture's enduring legacies. Our music is one of the oldest in the world, going back to the Vedic times. It is essentially melodic and has retained that character till this day. The two great systems of Indian music, Hindustani and Carnatic, have the same basis and common roots. They are melodic and are governed by the rules of Raga and Tala structures. Coming down to the present from the ancient times, the common roots of our apparently different systems of music, tell the story of a cultural synthesis which distinguishes our civilization. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, the people of India, regardless of caste, creed or region, understand, appreciate and instinctively relate to Indian musical traditions. Whether it is simple folk music or the sophisticated classical form, the music of India unites us all in a subconscious oneness. In our philosophical traditions music is one of the path ways to the Brahma. It is an aspect of the supreme reality. In Vedic literature, one comes across the concept of Nada Brahma, the absolute sound-principle. The Vedas say:- CHAITANYA SARVA BUTHANAM VIVRUTHAM JAGADATHMANA NADA BRAHMA THADANANDAM ADHVITIYA MRUPASAYE "We worship Nada Brahma, that incomparable bliss which is immanent in all the creatures as intelligence and is manifest in the phenomenon of this universe". "Sangeet Ratnakar" also uses the Vedic idiom to describe Nada Brahma as the ultimate principle of sound, the source of the delight of music. It is remarkable how the "aesthetic" and the "spiritual" are synthesized and find a common expression in the ancient music of India. Given this spiritual origin of our music, it is nothing surprising if this medium was used by Saints to reach out to the hearts and the minds of the people. Be it Kabir, Mira, Purandardas, Jaidev, Ameer Khusro or Tansen, they all found in music a powerful means of communication of subtle thoughts and ideas to the people. To many, music became both a medium and an object of worship and benediction. Through simple bhajans, abhangas and Kirtans, the most profound mystic truths and socially reformative ideas were conveyed to the society. Indian life is filled with music. It is many-hued spectrum ranging from the simple to the sophisticated, encompassing the grunts and the shrieks of the Nagas and the Todas, to the uncommn sophistication of concert music. Indian music has this unique power to elicit, not only physical and cerebral, but also the spiritual response from the people. There is ecstasy in Shri Chaitanya's chant of "Hari Hari Bol" and the Sufi's plaintive cry for his beloved. All reveal the integrity of the spiritual personality of man. Music is the way to spiritual wisdom, beyond faith, belief and religions. The Vedas say:- YEK MAPIHI BRAHMA VIMUTHI MEDE ANEK THA VUPASPATHE YITHI STHITHI "Brahma, although one, owing to the plurality of its powers is meditated upon in more than one ways". Rumi- the Sufi Mystic, echoes the same thought when he says"- "By loving (spiritual) wisdom doth the soul know life. What has it got to do with senseless strife of Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Arab, Turk?" The Greek Philosopher Plato described Music as the "harmony of the soul." Musical learning was the highest form of education and enabled the seeker to transcend the limits both of the body and the intellect. In all philosophic traditions, the world over, the transcendental aspect of music has been recognized. Some of India's finest music has been very closely linked with religious or spiritual practice or mystic experiences. No other culture in the world so clearly recognizes the value, not just of the written word but also of the sound associated with it. Thus, it is the simple process of musical rendering which distinguishes "Sama Veda" from "Rig Veda". What is known as the Mantra Shakti is not just language and text but also specificity of sound and rendering. Nada B rahma permeates all. The Indian philosophy does not ignore the body even when dwelling upon the illusory nature of the extant world. Yogasutra specifically states:- "ANANDAM BRAHAMANO RUPAM SACHHA DEHEY VYAVASTHITHAM " "The manifest form of Brahma is bliss, and that again has its steady abode in the body" In the Siva sutra, human body is described as the house of the divine:- "tvam deya saha deha deva sadane devacharye aharnisham" Hatha Yoga also ordains perfection of body in order to enable the seeker to discover his true self. The body is described as the receptacle of the soul's experiences. THASYA BHOGAYATANAM SHARIRUM In the Vaishnava tradition too careful upkeep of the body is obtained: SHARIRUM DHARMA SUMYUKTHAM RAKSHANIYAM PRAYATNAHA (The Body which is associated with Dharma must be maintained carefully). the body is the main instrument of music. All sounds , and musical instruments are its extensions. Swamiji's efforts to make music the instrument of cue of the body is essentially directed at the deeper, metaphysical aspects of human existence. It is his way to establish Dharma by alleviating and removing pain. Khwaja Muinuddin Chisiti of Ajmir onc e said that his mission was - "To redress the misery of those in distress....." Swamiji's music therapy promises to do just and even more. This concert hall which Swamiji has established here is equipped with the most sophisticated instruments. It enhances the reach and intensity of music and, in that sense, is a very potent demonstration of its power. But we should not forget that Indian music has been created from the simplest of instruments. A little bamboo became a flute, the earthen pot a drum,little ceramic pots with different levels of water become jalatharung, a dried up vegetable became the Been. The examples are infinite. These instruments enhanced the quality and the variety of Indian music, and they also extended its reach to the common men. These instruments could be easily made with locally available materials and played by the local musicians with growing perfection. Vocal music also had a very wide reach in our country. Legend has it that Tansen, whose body was experiencing a burning sensation because he sang the Deepak Raga, was cured by two simple village girls who sang for him the Raga Megh-Malhar. This is one of the many stories of the curative power of music which has come down to us. I shall be very happy if Swamiji and his disciples use his enormous knowledge of "raga" and "raginis" to create standardized treatment for physical and mental ailments. Many among us falter in our spiritual pursuits because of weak and sickly bodies. Perhaps Swamiji can show us the way how to get over those weakness in order to find the path- way to the supreme. I once again thank all those present here and specially Swamiji for this grand effort. SRI KRISHAN KANT http://www.dattapeetham.com/india/NadaMantapa/31stMay/VicePresidentSpeech.html In Datta seva Jaya Guru Datta Hanuman ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Dying to be thin? Anorexia. Narrated by Julianne Moore. http://us.click.yahoo.com/abEMxA/sbOLAA/d1hLAA/0NYolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! 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