Musical Instruments in Sanskrit Literature
by S. Karthick Raj KMoundinya | 2008 | 66,229 words
The essay studies the Musical Instruments in Sanskrit Literature and its relationship with the South Indian musical tradition. The study emphasizes the universal appeal of music and documents how it pervades various aspects of life, art, literature, painting, and sculpture. The thesis further examines the evolution of musical instruments from ancie...
Music and Yoga
All the systems of Indian philosophy revolve around the concept of the soul (referred to as Atman or Brahman). It is the soul remaining within the body, which is responsible for all the actions of the living beings. Just as the soul enlivens the human body, what gives life to this audible sound is the natural sound and rhythm of the human body. This is called Anahata Nada (unstuck sound) and as a Musical Instrument is also made to sing, so to speak, only by the power of conscious activity, it is the Anahata Nada that is behind the sound produced by instruments also. Music has an intrinsic power that enables one to explore the inexhaustible depths of Yoga and scale the successive planes of Yogic experience. Not only is music closely related to general spirituality and to Yoga, but also the aesthetic experience is also closely related to Vedanta, the central philosophy of India.