Guest guest Posted October 18, 2001 Report Share Posted October 18, 2001 suneeta sathye [suneeta58] Thursday, 18 October 2001 3:53 PM MilindS Re: FW: [sri Ramakrishna] a question My interpretation of the musical metaphor is as follows: The whole of Indian music is based on the Swar Saptak (Octave). Sa is the first Swar (Note) of the octave and in that sense a starting point of the octave. The frequency of Sa is 240 Hz. One goes on ascending the octave by taking the notes of rising frequencies like Re (270Hz), Ga (300Hz), Ma (320Hz), Pa(360Hz), Dh(405Hz), Ni(450Hz). After Ni one touches Sa of the higher octave (frequency 480Hz) and then descends again in the same way like Ni, Dh, Pa, Ma, Ga, Re and again Sa (240Hz). Then only the circle is complete. The Indian music is always sung in this circular pattern. (A lot of variety is created by skipping a note or repeating a note and the like, however, the order is always ascending-descending, known as Aroh and Avroh in Hindi meaning ascending and descending. However, the circle must be completed). If you go upto Ni and stop singing there, it will seem like breaking a sentence in the middle abruptly. Therefore, the circle must be completed. I am not a proper person to say anything about philosophy, but I remember a common example about musical metaphor. When you sit in a Giant Wheel, you want to go up, however, if the wheel stops endlessly when you have reached the top, you start feeling restless. You feel like completing the circle and going back to the starting point i.e. the ground. > " Sathye, Milind " <MilindS > " 'suneeta58' " <suneeta58 >FW: [sri Ramakrishna] a question >Thu, 18 Oct 2001 10:55:05 +1000 > >Question on music > > >Kendra Crossen Burroughs [kcburroughs] >Thursday, 18 October 2001 6:04 AM >Ramakrishna >[sri Ramakrishna] a question > > >Hello, my name is Kendra. I am a professional book editor and writer living >in >South Carolina. I was the managing editor at Shambhala Publications (a >publisher >of books on Buddhism and other Asian studies) in Boston for 11 years before >I >moved out of Massachusetts. While at Shambhala I was editor of Great Swan >by >Lex >Hixon and of Living at the Source: Yoga Teachings of Swami Vivekananda. >You >can >see my profile at http://profiles./kcburroughs > I recently published a book about the Bhagavad Gita (I compiled >annotations >to accompany the translation by Shri Purohit Swami, using quotes from many >of >the great commentators). Now the publisher has asked me to do the same with >the >Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. I am choosing selections and will write up the >commentary meant to help those who are reading a sample of Sri Ramakrishna >for >the first time. I am neither an academic scholar nor a Hindu, but a good >researcher and a lover of God. I have been reading the Gospel of RK for >years. >Swami Adiswarananda of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York is an >advisor on the project. I am using Swami Nikhilananda's abridged version of >the >Gospel because that is the one the Swami wanted me to use. > As I reread the familiar text, some questions arise. My question >today >concerns the following passage: > > " A man cannot live on the roof a long time. He comes down again. Those who >realize Brahman in samadhi come down also and find that it is Brahman that >has >become the universe and its living beings. In the musical scale there are >the >notes sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, and ni; but one cannot keep one's voice on >ni >a >long time. The ego does not vanish altogether. The man coming down from >samadhi >perceives that it is Brahman that has become the ego, the universe, and all >its >living beings. This is known as vijnana. " > >What I interpret from my limited knowledge of Indian music is that ni >represents >an incomplete state. It is a note with a sense of tension that longs for >resolution in sa, which represents the undifferentiated oneness of Brahman >toward which ni longs. > Now, assuming this is correct, how is this like person in samadhi who >comes >down to consciousness of the world? Can someone spell out exactly what this >musical metaphor is intended to imply? > > > > > > > >_______ > >Get your free @ address at > > > > >Sri Ramakrishnaye Namah >Vivekananda Centre London >http://www.vivekananda.co.uk > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.