What is music therapy and where did it originate?
Each individual has his or her own vibration or beat, and it is different in everyone. And it is the same with music or raga. The right raga can stimulate and facilitate an individual’s physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual well-being.If someone is suffering from an ailment, the music therapist has to assess that and carry out specific musical strategies to address his/her goals and objectives. The success of the music therapist lies in how he/she identifies the right raga for a particular individual. A music therapist can never prescribe a raga just like an ordinary doctor who prescribes pills for his patients. A music therapist has to understand the whole gamut of problems the individual has and then becomes his spiritual guide. “Raga chikilsa” (treatment) or music therapy was known to rishis and gurus from ancient times. This form of treatment was done by gurus and they are mentioned in the Vedas. Sabdikabheshajam (sabdika means voice and bheshaja means medicine) was one of the methods of treatment used by the aswinikumaaraas, the ancient vedic doctors. Based on the ancient literature the six charkas (chakras mean the nerve plexuses, which in yogic literature are called mooladhara, swadhishtaana, manipoora, anahatha, visudhi and agna) and the birth star of the patient are taken into account whil selecting the raga. There are 72 melakartharaagaas, which are basically related to the charkas and the birth stars.
.What does music therapy do?
It helps to alleviate pain, releases stress and tension, provides the feel good factor to lead a happy life, softens you up and brings you closer to spirituality, enhances your capabilities to understand another person, increase communication skills, improve self respect, confidence and helps you to become an ideal individual.
Who can benefit from music therapy?
People with health issues such as high blood pressure, cancer, substance abuse, visual impairments, Aids, Alzheimer’s, dementia, autism and pervasive development disorders, eating disorders, emotional trauma, learning disabilities, mental illness, insomnia, mental retardation, pain control, palliative care, physical disabilities, speech and language impairments.
Can conventional medicine be replaced with music?
Conventional medicine cannot be replaced immediately when you start music therapy. The music therapist will take many sessions to find out which raga or musical strategy would suit the individual. Once the therapy starts to show signs of improvement on an individual then gradually he can do without medicine.
The Holistic Health Village to be set up by the Kerala government and Mata Amritanandamayi is said to promote a vast array of spiritual and physical therapies.How will ordinary people of Kerala benefit from this?
I am not aware of this, but I have heard that there are moves to promote music therapy by the government. Amrita Institute has already started work on this and the response from ordinary people is overwhelming. I am trying to spread awareness about music therapy by giving invited lectures and talks on these subjects on Sundays and holidays all over Kerala.
Is there a particular energy current emanating from the cosmos that affects the life of an individual? Is an individual not in control of himself?
Yes. An individual has both cosmic energy and human energy but the success lies in harnessing these two energies in a way that he leads a purified life.
What do you see as the most significant achievements of your rather distinguished career?
I think the most significant achievement in my career is that I am a happy, free person, leading a contended life with whatever I have and that people love me as their own family member wherever I go.
Can you share with us an astonishing cure you have witnessed with the help of music therapy in Kerala?
I must say that music therapy is not a miracle or a supernatural cure. It is the most natural way of curing one’s own illnesses, physical, mental, spiritual and intellectual. It is a scientific way of life as well. Hypertensive patients on treatment who has not been able to bring down their BP with usual medicines have been able to bring down the BP with music therapy. I have also seen cancer patients with anxiety, insomnia and other associated symptoms of terminal illness been cured of such symptoms. I have a 29-year old patient who has undergone maxillectomy. She and her caretakers tell me that after music therapy her quality of life has improved.
Based on music therapy do you have any advise for young parents?
Young parents have to make sure that their children listen to music that is harmonious to their ears. For example, a music that will release in them an all-pervading ‘feel good’ sense.
Friday, July 13, 2007
How a pathologist uses the Indian Darsana in everyday life
There are 6 darsanaas (perceptions)in India.The first is the chaarvaaka or lokayatha which is a naasthik one and says one can believe only those which one see directly.(direct perception alone is the pramaana for science).The others believe that the direct sensory perception alone is not enough and anumaana and aagama are also taken as scientific proofs(especially the nyaya schools of Bengal,assam and kerala)and this is the darsana of akshapaada and of Gouthama.
Anumaana are of 3 types.
1.poorvavath.(as observed before.)one has observed that if raincloud comes there will be rain .because of the previous experience one guess the presence of rain.If we follow only the sensory perception we can never predict a tsunami or a disease epidemic etc.so anumaana is important and thus the nyaya school refuted the lokayatha /charvaka view and thus the naasthik was converted to the aasthic /nyaya side.
2.Sheshavath.There is flood in a river.The inmference is either there is rain in the hills,or there is melting of a glazier or there must be a dam opened.Here also we don’t see the event with our eyes but we infer.
3.Saamaanyatho drishtam.When we see change in position of the planets ,we infer that it must be due to the fact that there is gathi(movement )to them.This is a general theory.All the 3 were accepted because the nyaya school gave adequate illustrations and argued their case logically.This method is used in all the other darsanaas and one can find this type of logical argument at its zenith in sankaraa’s commentaries.That is why all the other darsanaas were pushed to the background.Not that sankara was a autocrat who destroyed anything,he was a scientists who argued logically on his viewpoint and all others accepted his views because they were flawless (.If one can call this conversion,we can call it so. )Conversion on any other background(political,for money,power etc)cannot be called a free conversion by will.It is here that we have to consider the facts very critically.
The science of Pathology (which I follow ,)still uses the 5 steps which Nyaya school used.I will illustrate it thus:
Step 1:Prathigna .In this I state what I am going to prove,in front of a group of people who know the scientific language I speak(fellow doctors/pathologists).I just say that the diagnosis I have made is so and so.
2.Hethu:What are the reasons I have to prove my side/diagnosis.I have to be very thourough in my saubject and should have excellent communication skills to discuss this.
3.3.Udaaharanam:There are some lakshana(linga)for a disease and I should be able to state the relation between these and this comes from my previous experience with similar cases,(case studies)called swaanubhava and the references from others(paraanubhava)
The references are of 2 types.As you know even now in evidence based medicine and other modern sciences ,to be acceptable in a journal we have to cite the thought processes and experiences of other scientists .These may may be people who are still in the human memory with a specified time,space,specified book/journal etc called pourusheya(traceable to a thinker/reformer/scientist in timespace)or may be prehistoric people who have left their ideologies and thoughts for posterity ,but have disappeared from the memory of mankind and hence called apourusheya.(veda/scriptures/cave writings etc)and these are the precious things that we have to preserve for posterity without change.Whereas ,the scientific/logical thoughts and sciences are naturally changed with time and are dynamic(called smrithy )and in memory of man.For a proof ,these two types of references are used and since smrithy /science is dynamic and changes from time to time there is always scope for new discoveries and these has to be substantiated by every scientist.The sruthy(apourusheya)is to be kept for posterity as common heritage of mankind.
4.Upanaya is the 4th step.How I can apply the above said points into the specific case study of my patient(the present case)This is a discussion of the present case
5.Nethy nethy is a deduction/induction process or an exclusion diagnosis in which you exclude the other possibilities by negative findings
It is after these steps that we proceed to the final diagnosis or nirnaya(nigamana)and Akshapaada calls this thought process as Aanweekshiki (tharka/vaada)
Charaka is ver y specific about the two types of assemblies(parishads)and about the two types of discussions or conversations we make.I will briefly state his view thus.
The two types of sambhaasha (conversations)according to Charaka.
Sandhaaya sambhaasha
Vigrahyasambhaasha
Conversation with people who are learned in the particular subject,and are eager to know about the subject more.
Benefit of this:1.Increase of knowledge by 3 means.knowledge of things we have not known before,clearing of doubts,increasing the previous knowledge.
2.Lokakalyana.Benefit to the entire world and the human race.
Conversation with people who don’t know the subject and do not want to know at all.Such conversation is mere jalpa/vithanda.
Prayojana :nil.Just killing time .
Charaka asks to avoid such conversations and to conserve our bioenergy for better things.(this is one of the essential prerequisites of health)
The two types of assemblies(parishads)each consists of mithra(friend),sathru(enemy)and sannigda(neutral)
Agna(ignorant)
Vigna(learned)
The mithra among agna can be slowly and steadily lead to knowledge ,but not through gnaanamaarga .By bhakthymarga or karmamaarga.(This is probably a type of conversion)
The other two(sathru and neutral)among agna has to be ignored and do not waste time in talking to them.
The mithra among vigna are the real rasika,sahridaya ,sishya,etc and they are the real valuable friends and a man with intelligence will not loose a chance to have contacts with them(sadsanga).
The enemy among the vigna just try to win you over and they make mere jalpa just for that purpose,not for increasing knowledge or for lokakalyana.therefore do not have contacts with them.
The neutrals among vignaas have doubts to be cleared.It is the duty of the learned scientist to clear their doubts with logic and intelligence.These clearing of doubts form treatises on each subjects and are known as the commentaries or saasthragranthaas etc used by posterity.
Here,you can see a change in your sentence” Every religion originates as an ideology, rather a Dharsana to uplift mankind both spiritually and materially, but in the course of time degenerates into an institutionalized hierarchy. This hierarchy then overpowers the ideology. Religion then becomes a tool of the hierarchy and the clergy. Religion looses its essence and becomes an institution wielding enormous powers. “
According to Indian darsana and science of Charaka,every science originate in this way,as a darsana for lokakalyana(upliftment of society)for perfect physical,mental,intellectual and spiritual health but after sometime degenerates due to various reasons ,one of them being institutionalized hierarchy.These various reasons include increase in the number of agnaas(ignorant people)and the vignas who are selfish ,and the lack of genuinely interested unselfish people who are ready to do the saadhana for aquiring knowledge and to seek truth.(genuine scientists are less in kaliyuga).
Rather ,it would be correct in the Indian sense,that darsana is a perception only in the primary sense and it is science in the secondary sense.Only when a darsana is tested for a very long time ,Indians accepted it as a science.Long discussions and verifications (documented as treatises)can be sen before a darsana is accepted as a science by the assembly of learned people from Kashmir to Kerala.A scripture(A agama) is thus a darsana+saasthra,accepted by the learned parishads,verified over a long period of time by generations of people and for the sake of the god of society.(the world).
Individual preferences are what we call an opinion(in Sanskrit a matham which is translated as religion in English)and it can change ,since it is subjective to each person’s level of grasping and intelligence.But ,the values and the scientific methods accepted by generations of human beings (ancient and modern)makes what you really call as spirituality and in that realm whatever change is made has to come from prolonged discussions over the subject,by learned people ,and then verified and proven that it is for the good of society.Such a democratic scientific thinking is good for society but it doesn’t happen often .
In spirituality of India there are two sides to the coin.(it should be there in spirituality of any country or of any individual since these are general things)
1.The logic and scientific methods of the darsanaas verified in the crucible of time by generations of scholars and documented as scriptures for future references.
2.The empathy or compassion originating in an individual mind which thinks about the world’s miseries and tries to find out a solution for alleviation of miseries and pain of the entire world(lokakalyana is a word originated in such a compassionate mind)
If there is only the first(logic )it is science or saasthra.If the second alone is there it becomes a dream or a mirage which we may not be able to put into practice.
But if we combine both,it is the real spirituality and Indians used this as a way of life.Hence,many of their scriptures does not even mention the name of the rishi who formulated a darsana or spiritual path.such selflessness was considered the hallmark of spirituality..The Indian culture and civilizations had this character ,and it was more individualistic and social and for the community and the world as such ,and not for a few people in an institution(institutionalised religion was not there).
Spirituality is always within an individual consciousness.It can never be institutionalized.The personal qualities and charisma of a spiritual person attracts similarminded and learned people.and a sadsangha like that flourish as a gurukula and their ideas spread far and wide.When this is taken up by selfish groups of people to weild power over society ,religions form and they are actually political institutions and may have nothing in common with the idea spread by the spiritual Guru .To know Christ, or Krishna one has to go deep into one’s own consciousness.Not into religious rites.For this the scriptures may help .But the best help comes from within your heart and from God’s grace.I just voiced the views of the Indian masters of darsana in brief.I think this is what every ideology will agree to,since human brain and its lateralisation has started during the prehistoric times and so far our brain structure and our hormones and our thinking prowess has not undergone any radical change.As a group human beings(homosapiens)are one race sharing the same characteristics of neuropsychoimmunology and nervous structures and gestalt neuronal assemblies.
For me,the best language which we can share with everyone in the world is musical language because music is universal and speaks the language of the heart and hence of compassion and everyone understands its universal language.That is why saamaveda and Raagachikitsa (music therapy)has healing effects on human species through neuropsychoimmunological effects.
Since I am at present involved with raagachikitsa,I find it a useful tool for generating a global awareness of peace and harmony,a new Mahaa advaitha for the present century.
Anumaana are of 3 types.
1.poorvavath.(as observed before.)one has observed that if raincloud comes there will be rain .because of the previous experience one guess the presence of rain.If we follow only the sensory perception we can never predict a tsunami or a disease epidemic etc.so anumaana is important and thus the nyaya school refuted the lokayatha /charvaka view and thus the naasthik was converted to the aasthic /nyaya side.
2.Sheshavath.There is flood in a river.The inmference is either there is rain in the hills,or there is melting of a glazier or there must be a dam opened.Here also we don’t see the event with our eyes but we infer.
3.Saamaanyatho drishtam.When we see change in position of the planets ,we infer that it must be due to the fact that there is gathi(movement )to them.This is a general theory.All the 3 were accepted because the nyaya school gave adequate illustrations and argued their case logically.This method is used in all the other darsanaas and one can find this type of logical argument at its zenith in sankaraa’s commentaries.That is why all the other darsanaas were pushed to the background.Not that sankara was a autocrat who destroyed anything,he was a scientists who argued logically on his viewpoint and all others accepted his views because they were flawless (.If one can call this conversion,we can call it so. )Conversion on any other background(political,for money,power etc)cannot be called a free conversion by will.It is here that we have to consider the facts very critically.
The science of Pathology (which I follow ,)still uses the 5 steps which Nyaya school used.I will illustrate it thus:
Step 1:Prathigna .In this I state what I am going to prove,in front of a group of people who know the scientific language I speak(fellow doctors/pathologists).I just say that the diagnosis I have made is so and so.
2.Hethu:What are the reasons I have to prove my side/diagnosis.I have to be very thourough in my saubject and should have excellent communication skills to discuss this.
3.3.Udaaharanam:There are some lakshana(linga)for a disease and I should be able to state the relation between these and this comes from my previous experience with similar cases,(case studies)called swaanubhava and the references from others(paraanubhava)
The references are of 2 types.As you know even now in evidence based medicine and other modern sciences ,to be acceptable in a journal we have to cite the thought processes and experiences of other scientists .These may may be people who are still in the human memory with a specified time,space,specified book/journal etc called pourusheya(traceable to a thinker/reformer/scientist in timespace)or may be prehistoric people who have left their ideologies and thoughts for posterity ,but have disappeared from the memory of mankind and hence called apourusheya.(veda/scriptures/cave writings etc)and these are the precious things that we have to preserve for posterity without change.Whereas ,the scientific/logical thoughts and sciences are naturally changed with time and are dynamic(called smrithy )and in memory of man.For a proof ,these two types of references are used and since smrithy /science is dynamic and changes from time to time there is always scope for new discoveries and these has to be substantiated by every scientist.The sruthy(apourusheya)is to be kept for posterity as common heritage of mankind.
4.Upanaya is the 4th step.How I can apply the above said points into the specific case study of my patient(the present case)This is a discussion of the present case
5.Nethy nethy is a deduction/induction process or an exclusion diagnosis in which you exclude the other possibilities by negative findings
It is after these steps that we proceed to the final diagnosis or nirnaya(nigamana)and Akshapaada calls this thought process as Aanweekshiki (tharka/vaada)
Charaka is ver y specific about the two types of assemblies(parishads)and about the two types of discussions or conversations we make.I will briefly state his view thus.
The two types of sambhaasha (conversations)according to Charaka.
Sandhaaya sambhaasha
Vigrahyasambhaasha
Conversation with people who are learned in the particular subject,and are eager to know about the subject more.
Benefit of this:1.Increase of knowledge by 3 means.knowledge of things we have not known before,clearing of doubts,increasing the previous knowledge.
2.Lokakalyana.Benefit to the entire world and the human race.
Conversation with people who don’t know the subject and do not want to know at all.Such conversation is mere jalpa/vithanda.
Prayojana :nil.Just killing time .
Charaka asks to avoid such conversations and to conserve our bioenergy for better things.(this is one of the essential prerequisites of health)
The two types of assemblies(parishads)each consists of mithra(friend),sathru(enemy)and sannigda(neutral)
Agna(ignorant)
Vigna(learned)
The mithra among agna can be slowly and steadily lead to knowledge ,but not through gnaanamaarga .By bhakthymarga or karmamaarga.(This is probably a type of conversion)
The other two(sathru and neutral)among agna has to be ignored and do not waste time in talking to them.
The mithra among vigna are the real rasika,sahridaya ,sishya,etc and they are the real valuable friends and a man with intelligence will not loose a chance to have contacts with them(sadsanga).
The enemy among the vigna just try to win you over and they make mere jalpa just for that purpose,not for increasing knowledge or for lokakalyana.therefore do not have contacts with them.
The neutrals among vignaas have doubts to be cleared.It is the duty of the learned scientist to clear their doubts with logic and intelligence.These clearing of doubts form treatises on each subjects and are known as the commentaries or saasthragranthaas etc used by posterity.
Here,you can see a change in your sentence” Every religion originates as an ideology, rather a Dharsana to uplift mankind both spiritually and materially, but in the course of time degenerates into an institutionalized hierarchy. This hierarchy then overpowers the ideology. Religion then becomes a tool of the hierarchy and the clergy. Religion looses its essence and becomes an institution wielding enormous powers. “
According to Indian darsana and science of Charaka,every science originate in this way,as a darsana for lokakalyana(upliftment of society)for perfect physical,mental,intellectual and spiritual health but after sometime degenerates due to various reasons ,one of them being institutionalized hierarchy.These various reasons include increase in the number of agnaas(ignorant people)and the vignas who are selfish ,and the lack of genuinely interested unselfish people who are ready to do the saadhana for aquiring knowledge and to seek truth.(genuine scientists are less in kaliyuga).
Rather ,it would be correct in the Indian sense,that darsana is a perception only in the primary sense and it is science in the secondary sense.Only when a darsana is tested for a very long time ,Indians accepted it as a science.Long discussions and verifications (documented as treatises)can be sen before a darsana is accepted as a science by the assembly of learned people from Kashmir to Kerala.A scripture(A agama) is thus a darsana+saasthra,accepted by the learned parishads,verified over a long period of time by generations of people and for the sake of the god of society.(the world).
Individual preferences are what we call an opinion(in Sanskrit a matham which is translated as religion in English)and it can change ,since it is subjective to each person’s level of grasping and intelligence.But ,the values and the scientific methods accepted by generations of human beings (ancient and modern)makes what you really call as spirituality and in that realm whatever change is made has to come from prolonged discussions over the subject,by learned people ,and then verified and proven that it is for the good of society.Such a democratic scientific thinking is good for society but it doesn’t happen often .
In spirituality of India there are two sides to the coin.(it should be there in spirituality of any country or of any individual since these are general things)
1.The logic and scientific methods of the darsanaas verified in the crucible of time by generations of scholars and documented as scriptures for future references.
2.The empathy or compassion originating in an individual mind which thinks about the world’s miseries and tries to find out a solution for alleviation of miseries and pain of the entire world(lokakalyana is a word originated in such a compassionate mind)
If there is only the first(logic )it is science or saasthra.If the second alone is there it becomes a dream or a mirage which we may not be able to put into practice.
But if we combine both,it is the real spirituality and Indians used this as a way of life.Hence,many of their scriptures does not even mention the name of the rishi who formulated a darsana or spiritual path.such selflessness was considered the hallmark of spirituality..The Indian culture and civilizations had this character ,and it was more individualistic and social and for the community and the world as such ,and not for a few people in an institution(institutionalised religion was not there).
Spirituality is always within an individual consciousness.It can never be institutionalized.The personal qualities and charisma of a spiritual person attracts similarminded and learned people.and a sadsangha like that flourish as a gurukula and their ideas spread far and wide.When this is taken up by selfish groups of people to weild power over society ,religions form and they are actually political institutions and may have nothing in common with the idea spread by the spiritual Guru .To know Christ, or Krishna one has to go deep into one’s own consciousness.Not into religious rites.For this the scriptures may help .But the best help comes from within your heart and from God’s grace.I just voiced the views of the Indian masters of darsana in brief.I think this is what every ideology will agree to,since human brain and its lateralisation has started during the prehistoric times and so far our brain structure and our hormones and our thinking prowess has not undergone any radical change.As a group human beings(homosapiens)are one race sharing the same characteristics of neuropsychoimmunology and nervous structures and gestalt neuronal assemblies.
For me,the best language which we can share with everyone in the world is musical language because music is universal and speaks the language of the heart and hence of compassion and everyone understands its universal language.That is why saamaveda and Raagachikitsa (music therapy)has healing effects on human species through neuropsychoimmunological effects.
Since I am at present involved with raagachikitsa,I find it a useful tool for generating a global awareness of peace and harmony,a new Mahaa advaitha for the present century.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Brahmasindhu
BRAHMASINDHU
COMMENTARY ON BRAHMASOOTHRAM
Suvarna Nalapat
Brahmasoothra is the least understood and the most important philosophical text of India discussing aspects of Naadabrahma as supreme absolute truth in four chapters and 192 parts called adhikaranam.Adhikaranam is the basic part which discusses the meaning as five separate headings.
I The subject discussed:Brahma.
2.The doubts prevalent about subject before the discussion
3.views of others on it.(poorvapaksham)
4.The views of the present commentator(sidhanthapaksham)
5.The relation between the present discussion and the upanishadic vakya.
For this ,the sidhanthapaksha uses very scientific and scholarly views .
Brahmasoothra is part of Prasthaanathraya(The other two being Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads)and the present commentary is the first of its kind by a householder woman in the history of the world.All others have been by ascetic males.
The essence of the discussion is not only theoretical but also the practical side of life where one has to follow strict and rigourous selfcontrol The theme of realizing Brahma by a householder is the practical side of yoga and naadalayayoga and Indian classical music and the saamaveda were formed for this purpose.All the rishis who formulated the prasthaanathraya were householders like vasishta,yagnavalkya,etc.
The concept of human bioenergy as the jeevathma and the cosmic energy as paramathma ,the perfect blend of these as jeevathmaparamathmalayanam has to be achieved,not merely talked about.Since energy has no sex,creed,cast ,or any other differences Brahmasoothra does not find any difference or dwaitha in existence.Because of this,anyone who has an aptitude to learn,the intelligence to understand,and the courage to withstand the trials of sense desires can practice advaitha .This practice is in Bhaava (emotions and thoughts)and not in kriya(action).It means ,One can love the entire creation alike in advaitha,but one can have physical relationship with only one man/woman.This rigourous practice and the ability to love all children as one’s own (the children who come to learn to a gurukula-the shishya)helped the guru and gurupathni to have an ideal gurukula,in India.
The concept of Nada and Prakaasha(sound and light)as the same finds its major role in the discussion of naadabrahma.Sound and light travel together from the same source but reach human ear and eyes at different times.The only difference is in the timings and in the manifest form due to difference in the receiving end.This concept of oneness of energy as manifested world of names and forms is understood only with advaitha.Brahmasoothra deals with these in detail.The present study is a wholistic approach to the subject which draws examples from music,music therapy as practiced in India,the yoga,thanthra,and manthrasaasthra,and medical knowledge of the past and wherever needed explanations from the modern views on the subject also given so that the modern western reader also can be benefited.
COMMENTARY ON BRAHMASOOTHRAM
Suvarna Nalapat
Brahmasoothra is the least understood and the most important philosophical text of India discussing aspects of Naadabrahma as supreme absolute truth in four chapters and 192 parts called adhikaranam.Adhikaranam is the basic part which discusses the meaning as five separate headings.
I The subject discussed:Brahma.
2.The doubts prevalent about subject before the discussion
3.views of others on it.(poorvapaksham)
4.The views of the present commentator(sidhanthapaksham)
5.The relation between the present discussion and the upanishadic vakya.
For this ,the sidhanthapaksha uses very scientific and scholarly views .
Brahmasoothra is part of Prasthaanathraya(The other two being Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads)and the present commentary is the first of its kind by a householder woman in the history of the world.All others have been by ascetic males.
The essence of the discussion is not only theoretical but also the practical side of life where one has to follow strict and rigourous selfcontrol The theme of realizing Brahma by a householder is the practical side of yoga and naadalayayoga and Indian classical music and the saamaveda were formed for this purpose.All the rishis who formulated the prasthaanathraya were householders like vasishta,yagnavalkya,etc.
The concept of human bioenergy as the jeevathma and the cosmic energy as paramathma ,the perfect blend of these as jeevathmaparamathmalayanam has to be achieved,not merely talked about.Since energy has no sex,creed,cast ,or any other differences Brahmasoothra does not find any difference or dwaitha in existence.Because of this,anyone who has an aptitude to learn,the intelligence to understand,and the courage to withstand the trials of sense desires can practice advaitha .This practice is in Bhaava (emotions and thoughts)and not in kriya(action).It means ,One can love the entire creation alike in advaitha,but one can have physical relationship with only one man/woman.This rigourous practice and the ability to love all children as one’s own (the children who come to learn to a gurukula-the shishya)helped the guru and gurupathni to have an ideal gurukula,in India.
The concept of Nada and Prakaasha(sound and light)as the same finds its major role in the discussion of naadabrahma.Sound and light travel together from the same source but reach human ear and eyes at different times.The only difference is in the timings and in the manifest form due to difference in the receiving end.This concept of oneness of energy as manifested world of names and forms is understood only with advaitha.Brahmasoothra deals with these in detail.The present study is a wholistic approach to the subject which draws examples from music,music therapy as practiced in India,the yoga,thanthra,and manthrasaasthra,and medical knowledge of the past and wherever needed explanations from the modern views on the subject also given so that the modern western reader also can be benefited.
Brahmasindu
BRAHMASINDHU
COMMENTARY ON BRAHMASOOTHRAM
Suvarna Nalapat
Brahmasoothra is the least understood and the most important philosophical text of India discussing aspects of Naadabrahma as supreme absolute truth in four chapters and 192 parts called adhikaranam.Adhikaranam is the basic part which discusses the meaning as five separate headings.
I The subject discussed:Brahma.
2.The doubts prevalent about subject before the discussion
3.views of others on it.(poorvapaksham)
4.The views of the present commentator(sidhanthapaksham)
5.The relation between the present discussion and the upanishadic vakya.
For this ,the sidhanthapaksha uses very scientific and scholarly views .
Brahmasoothra is part of Prasthaanathraya(The other two being Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads)and the present commentary is the first of its kind by a householder woman in the history of the world.All others have been by ascetic males.
The essence of the discussion is not only theoretical but also the practical side of life where one has to follow strict and rigourous selfcontrol The theme of realizing Brahma by a householder is the practical side of yoga and naadalayayoga and Indian classical music and the saamaveda were formed for this purpose.All the rishis who formulated the prasthaanathraya were householders like vasishta,yagnavalkya,etc.
The concept of human bioenergy as the jeevathma and the cosmic energy as paramathma ,the perfect blend of these as jeevathmaparamathmalayanam has to be achieved,not merely talked about.Since energy has no sex,creed,cast ,or any other differences Brahmasoothra does not find any difference or dwaitha in existence.Because of this,anyone who has an aptitude to learn,the intelligence to understand,and the courage to withstand the trials of sense desires can practice advaitha .This practice is in Bhaava (emotions and thoughts)and not in kriya(action).It means ,One can love the entire creation alike in advaitha,but one can have physical relationship with only one man/woman.This rigourous practice and the ability to love all children as one’s own (the children who come to learn to a gurukula-the shishya)helped the guru and gurupathni to have an ideal gurukula,in India.
The concept of Nada and Prakaasha(sound and light)as the same finds its major role in the discussion of naadabrahma.Sound and light travel together from the same source but reach human ear and eyes at different times.The only difference is in the timings and in the manifest form due to difference in the receiving end.This concept of oneness of energy as manifested world of names and forms is understood only with advaitha.Brahmasoothra deals with these in detail.The present study is a wholistic approach to the subject which draws examples from music,music therapy as practiced in India,the yoga,thanthra,and manthrasaasthra,and medical knowledge of the past and wherever needed explanations from the modern views on the subject also given so that the modern western reader also can be benefited.
COMMENTARY ON BRAHMASOOTHRAM
Suvarna Nalapat
Brahmasoothra is the least understood and the most important philosophical text of India discussing aspects of Naadabrahma as supreme absolute truth in four chapters and 192 parts called adhikaranam.Adhikaranam is the basic part which discusses the meaning as five separate headings.
I The subject discussed:Brahma.
2.The doubts prevalent about subject before the discussion
3.views of others on it.(poorvapaksham)
4.The views of the present commentator(sidhanthapaksham)
5.The relation between the present discussion and the upanishadic vakya.
For this ,the sidhanthapaksha uses very scientific and scholarly views .
Brahmasoothra is part of Prasthaanathraya(The other two being Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads)and the present commentary is the first of its kind by a householder woman in the history of the world.All others have been by ascetic males.
The essence of the discussion is not only theoretical but also the practical side of life where one has to follow strict and rigourous selfcontrol The theme of realizing Brahma by a householder is the practical side of yoga and naadalayayoga and Indian classical music and the saamaveda were formed for this purpose.All the rishis who formulated the prasthaanathraya were householders like vasishta,yagnavalkya,etc.
The concept of human bioenergy as the jeevathma and the cosmic energy as paramathma ,the perfect blend of these as jeevathmaparamathmalayanam has to be achieved,not merely talked about.Since energy has no sex,creed,cast ,or any other differences Brahmasoothra does not find any difference or dwaitha in existence.Because of this,anyone who has an aptitude to learn,the intelligence to understand,and the courage to withstand the trials of sense desires can practice advaitha .This practice is in Bhaava (emotions and thoughts)and not in kriya(action).It means ,One can love the entire creation alike in advaitha,but one can have physical relationship with only one man/woman.This rigourous practice and the ability to love all children as one’s own (the children who come to learn to a gurukula-the shishya)helped the guru and gurupathni to have an ideal gurukula,in India.
The concept of Nada and Prakaasha(sound and light)as the same finds its major role in the discussion of naadabrahma.Sound and light travel together from the same source but reach human ear and eyes at different times.The only difference is in the timings and in the manifest form due to difference in the receiving end.This concept of oneness of energy as manifested world of names and forms is understood only with advaitha.Brahmasoothra deals with these in detail.The present study is a wholistic approach to the subject which draws examples from music,music therapy as practiced in India,the yoga,thanthra,and manthrasaasthra,and medical knowledge of the past and wherever needed explanations from the modern views on the subject also given so that the modern western reader also can be benefited.
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