Page 1 - June 2025

Music That Merges All

n the film August Rush, the 11-year-old musical prodigy
Iexperienced the world as a symphony. August heard music in
the wind rustling through trees, in raindrops tapping rooftops,
in the rhythm of footsteps and in the distant chime of church bells.
For him, every sound became a note, a rhythm, a melody.

Music, in its truest form, is exactly that – everywhere and in
everything. Beyond tradition or culture, it is a communion, a
spiritual language where artists speak directly to the Creator through
their creativity. In India, we invoke the Divine through sound —
in japa, in stotrams, in the mystic dohas of Kabir, in the heartfelt
bhajans of Tulasidas, Mirabai, and Tyagaraja, in haunting Sufi
songs, and in the rhythmic language of classical instruments.
At the heart of all devotional music lies a spirit of inclusivity,
dedication to the Higher, praise, and surrender – to dissolve
all constructs of caste, race, and religion, to dissolve one’s
individuality. Consider the tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, who
said, “Every day I grew up studying the Quran, singing Christian
hymns, and playing Hindu devotional music… It was all one to
me, it was all music, all devotion.” He asserted that his tabla was
1
not just an instrument; it was a medium of prayer.
The ultimate aim of the artist is to unite with the Lord, to
become one with the divine sound, to carry the audience to heights
of bliss – to Beatitude. As Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayanandaji
says, “Svara should lead you to Éçvara; nartana should elevate
you to Paramätmä.”
In the silence between the notes, we hear the Lord. Then, the
Cosmic Musician sings through us. We become His instrument –
we become Shri Krishna’s flute, Devi Saraswatiji’s vina,
and Lord Siva’s damaru,

Editorial
1 https://www.wfmt.com/2016/03/18/rhythm-is-universal-
tabla-player-zakir-hussain-on-music-politics-cross-cultural-
collaboration/

Tapovan Prasad 7 June 2025