What to do if upasana is broken? -Karnatic Music -NMadasamy

[Guest guest]

JAI MA! for me there is nothing more powerful than music. a few

years ago i had no formal sadhana at all, the only thing i would do is

chant. i'd get a rhythm in my head, play it on the kartels and chant

OM NAMAH SIVAYA or JAI KALI MA, for hours on end over and over. then

i would stop and try to absorb the vibe. and whenever i started to

think again i would start chanting again. and i had just met Ammachi

and received a mantra from Her. when i wasn't chanting i would repeat

the mantra non-stop, whenever i became distracted and aware that i

stopped repeating the mantra a would simply start again. those two

together after a couple of years had a profound effect on me. i didn't

work much during that time but it was worth it. now even with adding

things like the LSN to my practice nothing can dissolve the world for

me like singing the Name of God. so i second your motion on the

effect of singing and music it is so awesome. it is really magical.

 

, " NMadasamy " <nmadasamy wrote:

>

> , " ecjensen_us "

> <ecjensen_us@> wrote:

> >

> > could anyone here explain a little about Karnatic music and its

> use?

>

>

>

> I have not read what others been writting about this topic. Just an

> experience to share.

>

> It's been almost a year now since I started my Karnatic classes. My

> karnatic teacher hails from a family of musician in India. It all

> begin with my daughter. I used to send her for her classes, sat

> there quietly listening to them sing, and for a moment I thought it

> would be easy. Singing the Sa Pa Sa etc and the various composition

> by St Shree Thyagaraja. Muthuswamy Dikshithar, Shyaama Shaashtree

> and the great likes of them would be simple.

>

> I used to sing along with my daughter hyms of Ganesha in our pooja

> room etc. Then one day I told the teacher of my desire to learn

> karnatic too, and she accepts me. She agrees to give me private

> lesson. On my first day, she gave me the same Ganesha song i've been

> singing with my daughter, but somehow I cant even pronounce it.

> Suddenly my tongue just went stiff. My teacher smile, and she said ;

> that is why you need to begin from the basic. And so it all

> started : The Sa Ri Ga Ma etc.. She said, for children she does not

> explain the significance of all these notes, but since I'm an adult

> and I'm familiar with the cakras etc, she explains that each note

> represents the cakras of our body.

>

> S = Muladhara

> R = Swadhisthana

> G = Manipuraka

> M = Anahata

> P = Vishaddha

> D = Agjnana

> N = Sahasra

>

> and the last S is the highest note is above all the other cakras ;

> as I understand it represent the space above the head.

>

> So when we sing these notes, it is also the sound travels up and

> down the cakras, fine tuning our senses and the body. Each note has

> a specific sound, and one needs to sing it in a proper note. You can

> only learn this from a teacher. As she sings, you follow along. She

> will be able to tell you weather you're pronounciation is correct.

>

>

> I'm being told to memorise all these [ the basic she says] : theres

> about 15 groups of combined of them and another 9 groups. Once you

> are able to memorise all these and able to sing them into first,

> second or third speed at ease, only then you are ready. And so I

> did, everyday.

>

> Few months ago she gave me the same Ganesha song, and suddenly I am

> able to sing them at ease. Not only that, other beautiful pieces

> like the Tulasi Dala, compose by St Sri Thiagarajar comes easy for

> me. As you sing all these, they bring forth feeling of goodness and

> comfort. You need to experience it to understand what I'm talking

> about. Karnatic music I believe has such healing effect on a

> person.

>

> As I'm being told: Music is the language of emotion. It is one of

> the fine arts and is the finest of the fine arts. It is concern with

> sounds which are calculated to excite pleasant feelings of us. In

> the case of fine arts like Painting, Sculpute and Architecture,

> Nature provide manwith plentiful ideas. The profuse variety of

> colours in the plant, animal and mineral kingdom, the rising sun and

> the setting sun, the azure sky, the inspiring colours of the

> rainbow, the dark, deep blue waters of the ocean, the natural

> formatio nand the numerous landscapes of architectural beauty on th

> ehillsides and the fascinating shapes of crystals gave him the

> necessary materials to develop and work upon. But the system of

> music was developed by the genius of man himself. And for this

> reason among other, music is entitled to be ranked as the greatest

> of the fine arts.

>