In conversation : The Musical Instruments

[Guest guest]

N : I have often wondered as to why Saraswati is associated with the

Veena. Krishna = flute, Ganesha = drums. There should be an

association between Saraswati and the Veena. I am just trying to

figure out why Saraswati not playing the flute or the drums. There

got something to do with the instrument itself and the sound they

emitted with coincide with the particular goddess

 

DB: The veena is the vibration of existence

 

N : It is said this Mother [Mahasaraswati] is a cosmic musician, a

supernal musician. She plays on the veena and, while playing, she

offers transcendental Delight. To invoke Saraswati. Her seed-sound is

Ohing. Ohing = sound of veena? or the type of sound that veena

emitted

 

DB: The great venna maestro e. gayathri said that any veena aspirant

must devote her/himself to Rajamatangi, just as indian classical

music is always played against a drone.

 

N : Is it one of the first few instrument invented in ancient India?

I was told the Veena is known as the Queen of the Musical Instrument.

 

DB: The drone is the cosmic energy -- the eternal sound without

beginning or end. The melody is played against this droning backdrop.

It begins and ends, but the drone is eternal

 

N: Like drums = heart beat = life force itself

 

DB: Our lives are also melodies with beginning and end, played out

against the Eternal Cosmic Energy, i.e. Shakti, ie.the Divine

Mother. They say every song is born and dies with each performance.

Some are about Saraswati, some about Lakshmi. or Tripurasundari or

ParaShakti, and each human life, at a certain level finds the

God/dess that s/he is playing for.

 

N : The Veena is one of the few self-contained musical instruments

that has both melodic (i.e. the fret-board) and rhythmic aspects

(i.e. talam strings). It shows remarkable ablity to reproduce the

intricacies of the human voice in all its subtleties.The shape of the

Veena has been interpreted thus - the danda represents The Divine

Destroyer, Shiva; the strings represent His Consort, Parvathi; the

yazhi represents the Divine Protector, Vishnu; the bridge represents

His Consort, Lakshmi; the balancing gourd represents the Divine

Creator, Brahma; and the connecting metal cone represents His

Consort, Saraswathi.

 

DB : Yes, well that's typical stuff -- we can draw our own parallels.

I've heard that theory.

 

N: The voice is called Sareera Veena and Gatra Veena. During the

vedic times, the veena was played by a pluctrum (vadana) during the

sacrifices by the wives of the priests when they recited the Vedas.

 

DB : Personally I think it simply represents music and the arts --

creative artistic endeavor. Everything about Saraswati is most pure --

and veena is the purest instrumentas as you said, the most able to

do what the human voice can do. But it is not human -- it is pure

sound, the human player can make this sound without the limitations

of the individual human voice

 

N : Siva is also said to have played the Rudra Veena and is called

Pinakapani, as he also plays on the veena pinaki. This is new to me,

I dont know Shiva plays the veena.

 

DB: I've seen picturess of him playing and Ganesh too

 

N : I know Ganesha more of drums, and several others instruments.

Durga is often associated with Drums.

 

DB : Yes, and Shiva is obviously known more for drums too, the veena

association brings out their more esoteric aspects.

 

N : Veena is more refine like a human voice. Soothing and comforting

unlike drums which is fast moving. "soothing and comforting" like

the

moving waters/rivers, Drums == increases.

 

DB: Only for Saraswati is Veena primary. Tthe drum is associated with

destruction, the veena with creation.

 

 

Om ParaShaktiye Namaha