Yoga and music are the two beautiful things that could have ever happened to mankind. “Without music”, insists Friedrich Nietzsche, ‘life would have been a mistake’. Any sadhaka would agree with me that without them, the human being would have remained yet another animal on this planet!
The reason behind this is the human brain with its superiority in conceiving, thinking, planning, visualizing, imagining, auditing and memorizing traits, which could be regarded as far superior to other animals roaming on the earth’s surface. Born out of the mind, yoga and music have used the mind as their substratum for their very existence. The mind is, indeed, a play-field par excellence. Without the mind, there is no music; there’s no question of any yoga too!
The mind plays a crucial role in forming and building up both these systems. It is the mind that initially pitches a note or swara and recognizes the association between the 22 shrutis and 7 notes or swaras found in a musical scale (octave). It is the mind which helps in the elaboration of these notes or swaras through ascendance(aroha) or descendance (avaroha) into a raga form.
The same is the case with yoga. While performing pranayama, one applies one’s awareness on the whole process of breathing-in, retention of breath, breathing out and holding the breath outside the body, with the mind minutely engaged in the whole process.
The Marriage of Music and Yoga
When each of the seven musical swaras ( Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni) or for that matter, the seven Western notes (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti) stand consciously ear-marked to each of the seven subtle energy-centers in the body chakras (viz, the crown, eyebrow, throat, heart, navel, gonads and root chakras), it is the mind that, based on the movements (ascents and descents) of these notes sounded, moves the sadhaka’s awareness into his appropriate into his appropriate chakra; thus causing over a period, the upward and downward movement of streams of consciousness through the seven chakras in the body, in the same way swaras are played.
The Veena, one of the most ancient string instruments of India and which is associated with Saraswati, the consort of the Creator, Brahma, is often employed by the yogis to achieve this synchronization. Human body is likened to veena, when fully “tuned” and, the spinal cord on which the seven chakras are located(chakrasthanas) are likened to the frets or swarasthanas. Virtually, the seven chakrasthanas get identified with the swarasthanas, as the yogi touches a particular fret or swarasthana. As he plays an ascending or descending note, his mind is virtually travelling up and down through the appropriate chakras. His consciousness level also goes upward and downward, thus cleansing the subtle channels of energy and bringing out a deep sense of relaxation associated with the alpha, theta and delta forms of brainwaves.
Similarly, when a singer can stay on in a pure pitch, it shows that his or her mind is deeply engrossed in the tonality and shruti-discipline. Thus, there is hardly any difference between a dedicated singer and a yogi as both of them tame the mind and use it to produce the desired vibrations.
Yoga and Music: ‘Frankenstein’s Monsters’?
Mind is a peculiar phenomenon. Kabir, in one of his songs, has observed this strange quality of mind with which we identify ourselves. Referring to his experience with divinity, Kabir says,
“When I was there, the divinity was nowhere.
And when the divinity was there, I was nowhere.
The lane of love is too narrow,
There’s room only for one!”
In both the systems of yoga and music, the mind initiates and participates in the process. In fact, without its involvement, it is next to impossible to experience the fruits of either yoga or music. But, the peculiarity is that as one progresses after initiation, the mind (along with its associated ego) is exterminated automatically. It’s like burning off the ladder after one has used it for climbing!
This happens in both the systems. The musician, while singing, finds himself merging into those musical vibrations, alapanas, alankaras, kalpana swaras etc, which emanate from him automatically and involuntarily! As far as the yogi is concerned, he’s virtually off his head, as he merges into his consciousness in such a way that he doesn’t know whether he is inside it or outside, as thanks to yoga, inside becomes outside and outside, inside!
In a way, the mind, which has created the systems of music and yoga, eventually gets destroyed – a destiny almost similar to that of Frankenstein! No doubt, the destruction of mind is a cause to celebrate for the sadhakas as shedding off his ego, he starts basking in vibrations that re-energize him, elevating his consciousness to the highest levels possible, where bliss is inseparably fused with reality and consciousness (Sat-Chit-Ananda).
Nada Yoga
Nada, the resonance or the pulsating energy found everywhere in the universe, is considered in Nada Yoga, the most ancient system of yoga, not as a mere vibration, but is visualized as a ‘personality’ with its own ‘form’ and qualities. Moreover, it is the vibration that is considered to be the very basic substratum or the building block, forming each and everything in the universe. In other words, it is the permutation and combination of vibrations that lays down the pattern for the universe, and not the matter of particles or quark as believed by the Western science until recently! The current development in physics and cosmological research seem to emphatically endorse the path trodden by Nada Yoga.
Nada Yoga divides the sound vibrations into two categories ahata(struck) and anahata(unstruck). The former refers to the sensory sounds heard by the ears, in which mechanical energy gets transformed into electro-chemical energy to be transferred to the brain. The latter refers to the ‘inner’ sounds heard not by the ears, but by the subtle energy-centre within the body, called the heart-chakra or anahata chakra. The anahata vibrations are, strictly speaking sui generis and often part and parcel of one’s own being and hence not objective.
The Therapeutic Music
Nada yoga, like acoustics, acknowledges the existence of sympathetic vibrations. Perceiving external vibrations and ‘internalizing’ them to reach higher levels of consciousness, has been one of the many techniques expounded in this system. With this synchronization, the identity of the sound and the self are lost and what was an object has become part and parcel of one’s own self.
Further works such as Raga Chikitsa, have envisaged the application of music as a ready remedy for several ailments. It is capable of speeding up the healing process in injuries and also as post-surgery prescriptions. It is found to recreate the pattern of lost motor skills. It is also prescribed for conditions of stress, trauma, depression and pain. Any ardent admirer of music would agree that it is capable of lifting one’s moods. While doing so, it also helps in boosting up the immune mechanism in the body.
This concept has been of use in modern research as well with encouraging results. Psychosomatic issues such as behavior problems, pain management, performance in sports, regulation of body rhythms, speech therapy etc. are reported to be responding well with appropriate musical doses. Though the Indian system has long recognized the role of ragas in prevention and cure of several ailments, it is only of late, some interest has been shown to these aspects of music.
Though these practices are time-tested or rather, time-honored and they have no adverse effects, there is a need, as in other forms of medicine, for scientific evaluation and prescription of the right raga for the right ailment. The therapeutic application of some ragas – both in Hindustani and Carnatic schools are given in Table l and Table ll. The readers of this article can, at their leisure, try an appropriate raga, and listen to it repeatedly at a fixed time, for a fixed period (say, 40 minutes) everyday, for say, one month continuously to test whether such beliefs hold good. Such self-experiments and conclusions are necessary as music is highly personal and subjective too.
Some Common beliefs about Therapeutic Ragas
Table – 1 HINDUSTANI RAGAS
| Raga | Therapeutic Application |
| Ahir Bhairav | Arthritis, Hypertension, Indigestion |
| Basant Bahar | Gallstones |
| Bhairavi | Arthritis and Rheumatism |
| Chandrakauns | Anorexia |
| Darbari-Kalyan | Asthma |
| Darbari Kanhara | Headache, Stress |
| Deepak | Anorexia, Gallstones, Hyperactivity, Indigestion |
| Gujari Todi | Cough |
| Gunakali | Arthritis, Constipation, Headache, Piles |
| Jayjaywanti | Arthritis, Headache |
| Jaunpuri | Constipation, Intestinal Gas |
| Khamaj | Stress |
| Malkuans | Intestinal Gas |
| Puriya | Hypertension |
| Sohani | Headache |
| Todi | Hypertension |
| Yaman | Stress |
Table II CARNATIC RAGAS
| Raga | Therapeutic Application |
| Bhupalam | Depression, Bad Moods, Lethargy, Sleepiness |
| Bilahari | Depression, Bad Moods |
| Dvajavanti | Paralysis |
| Kedaaram | Depression, Bad Moods |
| Khamas | Frustration in life, mental discord |
| Malayamarutham | Sleepiness |
| Nadanamakriya | Mental Disturbance, Suppression of Criminal Behavior or Violence |
| Nilambari | Insomnia |
| Punnagavarali | Anger, Violence |
| Saama | Mental Disturbances |
| Sahana | Anger, Violence |
| Sri | Indigestion |
The article was published in Heritage Healing – May 2002 – Pages 30 to 32
*Edited by Geeta Shreedar(Feb 17, 2021)