Consciously or unconsciously, everybody responds to music. The lilt, rhythm, gait or speed in music has the power to waft away our sorrow, disappointments or depressions. Hegel, the German philosopher, had once observed that music alone is capable of expressing many nuances of emotion, and hence it is more useful than any language invented so far by mankind. Yet another German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer found music stronger, quicker and infallible than any language invented by man, as it restores all emotions of our innermost nature far removed from their pain.
Music Hugs
Be it folk or classical, eastern or western it is a plain fact that music affects our moods. It also promises an unfailing companionship to those among us greying, gnarling and getting marginalized with age. It can work as an anodyne for those who have undergone trauma and emotional upheavals in life by way of accidents, ageing, losses of near and dear ones etc. Music helps them so beautifully to get rid of their miseries and surroundings and hugs them very much like a mother, caring for her new-born.
Music and Biology
All biological activities involve patterns of rhythms similar to what we find in music. Breathing, snoring, walking, jumping, jogging, eating, nay, all the body processes such as metabolism, respiration, circulation etc. follow a definite pattern of timing and cycles. When this pattern or cycle gets badly affected, we term it as an ailment and seek for its restoration.
Perceiving its importance in restoration and renewal of life-rhythms, the ancient communities across the globe had incorporated music and rhythm in their everyday living. Rhythms and tunes have been used in acknowledgement of the power of Nature e.g., Prayer and iterative chants in celebrating the change of seasons, in expressing the joy or sorrow and in expressing the inexpressible. Very ordinary human activities such as pounding the grains, putting the babies to sleep, rowing a boat, doing the manual labor, cooking the game etc., – all assumed a touch of glory or grandeur, thanks to the addition of certain rhythms and tunes in them.
Music Eliminates Negative Emotion
Not only physiologically, but also emotionally, music works wonders. In a recent demonstration (August 2003) of ragas affecting the moods, conducted before the senior citizens of Visakhapatnam, it was demonstrated by this author how a musical form representing certain emotions could help destroy the very same emotion. Thus, a raga known for its melancholy – Subhapantuvarali – could per se act in melting the trauma or tragedy of a listener. Are you short tempered and prone to bouts of anger? Then try, any of these ragas: Atana, Deepak, Gauri Manohari, Hamsadhwani, Hari Khamboji, Nagawara Vali, Sankarabharanam, Shanmukha Priya, Simhendra Madhyamam, Sunada Vinodini, Todi or Vasantha. A fiery composition of Vivaldi and the carnatic raga Atana both forms of music equally representing the moods of anger or rage, were demonstrated to explain how the accumulation of anger and frustration over the years in an individual could be melted away again with their very inclusion! Sensual elements found in music also came up for review during the demo and the ragas Behag and Khamas were found to exude shringara rasa in abundance! Other erotic ragas, identified are Abheri, Behag, Brindavana-Saranga, Hamir Kalyani, Karaharapriya, Kiravani, Khamas, Sri, Kalyani, Suddha Saveri, Tillang and Todi.
During the Iec-dem, fear and disillusionment popped out of veena, when the raga Revati was played. Participants felt the same, when Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E Minor emerged through the loudspeakers. Though these musical forms came from the two different systems of music, both reflected fear of uncertainties. It is interesting that none of the participants ever felt any adverse emotional impact on these negative emotions. On the contrary, they started enjoying them in a positive manner! One witnessed, on this occasion, the significance of saakshi bhaava, the great Indian thinking that teaches us to react to all events in our lives – both favorable and adverse – as if we were a witness! A case of transcendence was thus possible with music.
Music Enhances Positive Emotion
It was quite interesting to watch the participants – smiling naturally and unconsciously as ragas depicting joy (Kathanakuthuhalam), wonder (Sudha Saveri), compassion (NattaKurinji) and peace (Sama) were demonstrated in veena.
The same was the case, when a selection in Western Classical composition of Bach, Mozart and Strauss, in audio cassettes were played.
In the Wonderland of Juniors…
We all know that it is the freshness of the child’s mind that wonders at everything around. It is a pity that as the child grows in adulthood, the freshness of mind along with its capacity to wonder gets slowly replaced by indifference, sloth or cynicism. As we grow older, it is necessary that we retain the mind of a child so that we could watch with wonder the rollercoaster path that our life may take as a witness, without getting seeped into them. Here melodies and rhythms can come handy, as they are capable of re-injecting in us the patterns of freshness that can keep us child like once again as we age. The participants during the demo wondered how the raga Suddha Saveri enabled those wonders as it meandered in veena!
On Compassion, the Ultimate Virtue
There is an ancient saying in the Sanskrit language that there is no dharma (virtue) in heaven or earth, which can equal karuna or compassion, shown to one’s fellow-being. The great saints and savants such as Gautama Buddha, Manimekalai, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa and others have all demonstrated by their life-styles, how compassion could erase human miseries and sufferings. The participants of the lec-dem could feel the pulsation of compassion hidden in the raga Nattai Kurinji, a nascent raga, born out of an ancient melakarta (parent) scale, Hari Khamboji. The wide-ranging moments of the raga (it is a non-standardized raga), played in slow tempo enhanced the feelings of compassion.
Musical peace
Shanti or peace is the ultimate goal sought by all religious groups. According to Saint Thyagaraja, no well-being could be possible, without peace! The participants found peace and harmony in the vibration emanating from the raga Sama, when played in veena. A piece from Blue Danube composed by Strauss also sounded peaceful and majestic. DO you want to immerse yourself in peace and harmony? Try any of these ragas that can impart them in abundance: Desh, Hamsamanjari, Kaanada, Nilambari, Sri, or Yadukula Kamboji. Observe how your anger and inner frustrations melt away over a period of time, leading you towards a state of bliss, causeless but conductive to universal harmony.
This article was published in Indian Customs and Excise – 2003 – Pages 28, 29
Edited by Geeta Shreedar, Feb 25, 2021