Part 29 (2/2)
Master was soon in ourthe details of the feast
Busy everystudent
A SANKIRTAN (group chanting), accompanied by the harress on the second floor Sri Yukteswar listened appreciatively; his musical sense was acutely perfect
”They are off key!” Master left the cooks and joined the artists
The ain, this time correctly rendered
In India,and the drama is considered a divine art Brahma, Vishnu, and shi+va-the Eternal Trinity-were the first musicians The Divine Dancer shi+va is scripturally represented as having worked out the infinite modes of rhythm in His cosmic dance of universal creation, preservation, and dissolution, while Brah cymbals, and Vishnu sounded the holy MRIDANGA or drum Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, is always shown in Hindu art with a flute, on which he plays the enrapturing song that recalls to their true ho in MAYA-delusion Saraswati, Goddess of wisdo on the VINA, ed instruments The SAMA VEDA of India contains the world's earliest writings on musical science
The foundation stone of Hindu music is the RAGAS or fixed melodic scales The six basic RAGAS branch out into 126 derivative RAGINIS (wives) and PUTRAS (sons) Each RAGA has a ), a secondary note (SAMAVADI or pri notes (ANUVADI, attendants), and a dissonant note (VIVADI, the enemy)
Each one of the six basic RAGAS has a natural correspondence with a certain hour of the day, season of the year, and a presiding deity who bestows a particular potency Thus, (1) the HINDOLE RAGA is heard only at dawn in the spring, to evoke thethe evening in summer, to arouse compassion; (3) MEGHA RAGA is a e; (4) BHAIRAVA RAGA is played in the ust, September, October, to achieve tranquillity; (5) SRI RAGA is reserved for autuhts, to attain pure love; (6) MALKOUNSA RAGA is heard at hts in winter, for valor
The ancient rishi+s discovered these laws of sound alliance between nature and man Because nature is an objectification of AUM, the Primal Sound or Vibratory Word, h the use of certain MANTRAS or chants {FN15-7} Historical documents tell of the remarkable powers possessed by Miyan Tan Sen, sixteenth century courta night RAGA while the sun was overhead, Tan Sen intoned a MANTRA which instantly caused the whole palace precincts to become enveloped in darkness
Indian music divides the octave into 22 SRUTIS or demi-semitones
These microtonal intervals permit fine shades of musical expression unattainable by the Western chromatic scale of 12 semitones Each one of the seven basic notes of the octave is associated in Hindu y with a color, and the natural cry of a bird or beast-DO with green, and the peacock; RE with red, and the skylark; MI with golden, and the goat; FA with yellohite, and the heron; SOL with black, and the nightingale; LA with yellow, and the horse; SI with a combination of all colors, and the elephant
Three scales-major, harmonic minor, melodic minor-are the only ones which Occidental music employs, but Indian music outlines 72 THATAS or scales The musician has a creative scope for endless improvisation around the fixed traditional melody or RAGA; he concentrates on the sentiment or definitive mood of the structural theinality
The Hindu musician does not read set notes; he clothes anew at each playing the bare skeleton of the RAGA, often confining hi by repetition all its subtleWestern co of the charhtly differentiated in a hundred complex ways
Ancient Sanskrit literature describes 120 TALAS or time-measures
The traditional founder of Hindu music, Bharata, is said to have isolated 32 kinds of TALA in the song of a lark The origin of TALA or rhyth, and the triple tith of exhalation India has always recognized the human voice as the ely confines itself to the voice range of three octaves For the same reason, melody (relation of successive notes) is stressed, rather than harmony (relation of simultaneous notes)
The deeper aier with the Cos of man's occult spinal centers Indian music is a subjective, spiritual, and individualistic art, ai not at symphonic brilliance but at personal harmony with the Oversoul The Sanskrit word for s the praises of God” The SANKIRTANS or a or spiritual discipline, necessitating deep concentration, intense absorption in the seed thought and sound Because man himself is an expression of the Creative Word, sound has thea way to re fro roo to the cooks a pots My brother disciples and I joyously sang the refrains, beating time with our hands
By sunset we had served our hundreds of visitors with KHICHURI (rice and lentils), vegetable curry, and rice pudding We laid cotton blankets over the courtyard; soon the asse under the starry vault, quietly attentive to the wisdo from Sri Yukteswar's lips His public speeches emphasized the value of KRIYA YOGA, and a life of self-respect, calular exercise
A group of very young disciples then chanted a few sacred hy concluded with SANKIRTAN Froht, the ashram residents washed pots and pans, and cleared the courtyard
My guru called me to his side
”I a the past week of preparations I want you with ht”
This was a privilege I had never thought would fall to my lot We sat awhile in a state of intense divine tranquillity Hardly ten an to dress
”What is the e of unreality in the unexpected joy of sleeping beside uru
”I think that a few students who missed their proper train connections will be here soon Let us have some food ready”
”Guruji, no one would co!”