Yoga for Musicians
Sangeet - Yoga - Marathi
Version
Introduction
to Yoga
Yoga is derived from the
sanskrit root �Yuj� meaning to join. Yoga means a joining or a
union of any 2 separate objects. Conventionally, Yoga is associated with
meaning of joining of the jeevatma with the parmatma.
There are many
branches and sub-branches of Yoga eg: Rajayoga, Mantrayoga, Kriyayog,
Naadyoda, Bhaktiyoga, Dnyanayoga, etc. Here the prefix
of the word Yoga talks about the type of sadhana selected, to achieve the
goal of Yoga.
As a convention,
when we speak of Yoga alone we talk about Hathayoga and Rajayoga,
explaining the eight fold path i.e. Ashtangayoga. When we talk about
other Yoga practices we will mention the prefix term along with the term
Yoga.
All these
branches of Yoga are not watertight compartments. They merge with each other
now and then, but the main theme of the sadhana, their identity
remains unaltered.
When we talk about
Yoga and Music we will deal mostly with Ashtangayoga, Hathayoga, Mantrayoga
and Naadyoga, though other yoga paths will also be mentioned where needed.
Relation of
Yoga with Music
Yoga and music are prevalent
in India since the Vedic Culture. In fact, seers and rishis, in their quest
for a blissful living, discovered Yoga and Music. Yoga and Music had
simultaneously been developed as an art of living and of spiritualism i.e.
to know and realize the �Ultimate Truth�
Both, Yoga and Music
developed hand in hand as art, science and philosophies. Exclusive texts for
these subjects were written quite later, approximately at the same time.
Maharshi Patanjali�s �Yogasutras�, 2nd century B.C, is the
first text with deals exclusively with Yoga. In the same period, 2nd
century B.C., Bharat Muni�s �Bharat Natya Shastra� was written, which
is the first known text including special chapters on Music. (Whereas
�Sangeet Makaranda� by Narada, 8th century A.D., and
�Sangeet Ratnakar� of Sharang Dev, 13th century A.D., are separate texts
on music and are foundations of today�s Indian music). Till then, Yoga and
Music had traveled simultaneously, supplementing each other. In history we
can see, that after the acceptance of these texts as foundations of Yoga and
Music, they started emerging as two different paths � Yoga as a Philosophy
and Music as an art. Now, though music started gaining its values as a
performing art, it started loosing its spiritual values and living
moralities. Similarly, Yoga started loosing its values as art of living for
man as a social being. It started becoming solely a philosophical and
spiritual path.
I intend to search for the
initial link of Yoga and Music as supplementary to each other.
In their search for
self-realization, sages worked on their own body and mind. Instead of
experimenting in outside laboratories and working on guinea pigs, they used
their own selves as laboratories. This was a subjective approach chosen by
them. Sages worked on their inner wisdom. In their search for happiness and
bliss, they worked a lot on their minds. They found that mind is the bridge
between body and soul. Also, that every individual soul is a part of the
cosmic soul. They discovered that unless the two souls merge with each
other, happiness could never become everlasting. They found that mind is the
main cause of unhappiness and the duality. So, initially it is the mind,
which has to be tamed. While revealing the depths and layers of the mind,
many facts concerning sound and music were realized.
Rishis have known since
beginning that the state of the Cosmic Soul is �sound�. They have called
this sound as naad brahma. So that the results of the
mantra chanting are
gained faster they started applying musical notes in the chanting. This
added value to the chanting process, by making it happy and easy. The
results were sought at a faster rate with musical application. This musical
addition to the chanting also made it aesthetically valuable and lively.
Boredom and dryness of the path was replaced by happiness and enthusiasm.
Now, Yoga is the joining of
the jeevatma with the parmatma i.e. the individual soul with
the cosmic soul. As we saw earlier the state of this Cosmic soul is Sound.
This cosmic sound is an unmanifested form of sound. This is called as
�Naad Brahma� where naad means sound and brahma means the
cosmos, the divine and universal soul.
So that the �body� of
the human being hears this sound, it has to travel a long way from
unmanifested to subtle, and subtle to gross. It is broadly divided into 4
categories. The cosmic sound is called as �Paraa Naad�. Then the
subtlest form of sound is called as � Pashyanti�. This form is so subtle
that it can be understood by a human body, not in the form of sound, but as
light energy. The 3rd form is called �Madhyama�. This sound
can be understood and heard by a human body but not through the outer ears.
Only the middle and inner ear is needed to hear these sounds. The grossest
form of sound is called as �Vaikhari�. This is the sound which all of us
normally hears and understands as sound. It is heard by the outer ear. This
is the only sound, which can be experimented in the laboratories.
When we talk about music, it is initially this
�vaikhari� sound we talk about. This sound is the basis of all the forms
of music of the world.
Sangeet - Yoga - Marathi Version
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