Deivathin Kural Series - 81

Om Namah Sivaya.
Deivathin Kural # 81 of 05 Oct Oct 2006.
(Continued from yester day - 80)
1. Appar Swamigal has given a list of things most pleasing, in this world. Though they seem to be pleasing for the senses, actually they are capable of giving us permanent devine happiness. What are they? First, faultless Veena music; next is the milky light of the resplendent full moon; southerly breeze with aroma of spring flowers; then a lotus pond with buzzing bees:-
'Masil veenaiyum, malai madiyamum,
Veesu thenralum, veengilavenilum,
Moosu vandarai poigiyum ponrade,
Eesan endai inai adi neezhale.'
2. While comparing sensual pleasures to the bliss of God's feets, the poet first mentions, 'masil Veenai'. (Veenai is a stringed instrument of India, especially South India. Goddess Saraswathi is depicted holding Veena in her lap. Ravana was supposed to have appeased Siva by his Veena Ganam. Its music is very soft while simultaneously being majestic and dignified. But even a minute aberrant note could spoil the effect. Hence the phrase, 'Masil Veenai', for error free rendering.) Coming back to the poem, note that the poet gives importance to music, as the first of sensual pleasures. Good music, especially Veena Ganam, most suited for Carnatic Music, will take us to God's lotus feets.
3. Our forefathers surrendered their music as an offering to God's feets. Music took them and the listeners to that very destination. Maharishi Yagnyavalkya who gave us the Dharma Sastras, said, 'playing the Veena in perfect Sruthi (pitch), without breaking the Laya (beat), when you do Nadopasana, ( ie., Nada Upasana, adoring of music); that is enough to show you the heavenly path; You do not have to do any other effort of, Yoga or Pooja or Tapas!':- "Veena vadana tatvagnaha sruthi jaathi visaradah; Talagnanaha aprayatnena moktcha maargas sa gatchathi." The additional advantage is that, not only the musician, but all the listeners too will reap all the benefits, of experiencing the bliss of oneness with God, by his this rendering.
4. Goddess Saraswathi is always playing on the Veena. No wordly secular, irrelegious singing. Singing and music should ever be about divinity. A sloka in, 'Soundarya Lahiri', describes the beauty of Mother's neck, starting with, 'kale rekha tisro'. She is said to have three wrinkles in her neck. That is the 'lakshana' or indicator of noble womanhood. Like the Adam's apple, in men's necks. Lord Parameswara swallowed the Alahala Poison. He was stopped from gulping it, lest the entire universe in his stomach be destroyed. It remained in the throat, colouring his neck a brilliant blue, that He got the name, 'Neelakant'. So nobility in men is indicated by Adam's Apple. Similarly, women have three lines in the neck, as all women are replicas of Mother's form only. When 'Acharyal', (that is Adi Sankara), describes it, He says, 'as there are three octaves in music namely, lower, middle and higher; the three lines in Your neck are the jadaja, madyama, gandhara gramams. All the sonorous ragas have emerged from these three lines only. After all, You are an expert in all the intricate nuances of music that, the three lines are clearly delineating the origin of the three levels of music.' This above description is also indicative of the Adwaita Parama Acharyal's musical expertise.
5. Music itself is capable of dissolving our seperateness into oneness! Mahakavi Kalidasa, describes Goddess Parvathi holding a Veena in her lap as Syamala, in 'Navaratna Malika', and says, 'sa ri ga ma pa da niratham'. He says, that her delicate softness of heart and the inner quietness of her being are revealed by her music. 'Shantam, mrudula swantam,' he says. This shows that however much music may titillate the senses, end effect of music should be peace and quititude. More over, by music, hearts could be softened into experiencing the delicate feeling of true unconditional Love.
6. Muthuswamy Deekshitar, one of the Musical Trinity, singing devotional music, dissolved himself in Love and Peace of Mother Syamala, (who is also Meenakshi), who excels in ten different types of 'gamaka' or 'rolling of the voice'. Thyagaraja Swamigal, another of the Musical Trinity, sang in Sama Raga, 'Santamu lekha sowkyamu ledu', saying that, without inner quietness, you cannot have peace. His message can be understood, simply by listening to the song, even if you do not know the language. It is this peacefulness in which Appar melted his seperate identity, in comparing the ambrosial shadow of our Father's twin lotus feet, to the music of 'masil veenai'.
(To be continued)
Sambhomahadeva.