John Keats has written one of the 'love'liest of poems, "The Eve of St. Agnes." The title of our blog today is a quote from this 'romantic' poem.
Music indeed has a golden tongue. It is priceless. It elevates the very beauty of existence. In each of its form, the raw folk form or the embellished classical mould, it voices abundance.
When it is associated with the divine, a unique grandeur adorns it. So many of our gods and goddesses, too, love a musical instrument. The great God Shankara has the "damru", one of the most primal sources of rhythm, while the goddess of knowledge and wisdom is associated with the "veena."
It is Shrikrishna's "bansuri", the flute, which all find spellbinding. It is ever present in folk literature, in Bhakti poetry, even in the modern most texts. Often, like the peacock feather, it is used symbolically to depict Shrikrishna, the God who delights in all that is 'love'ly.
The flute is deeply symbolic, too. The holes in the sacred flute, the bansuri, symbolize deep philosophical, psychological and spiritual truths. A standard bamboo flute typically features seven main holes, which correspond to the seven primary energy centers (chakras), it seems.
To create divine music, one must skillfully open and close six holes while the seventh receives the breath. This represents superb mastery over the mind, and the six inner enemies (desire, anger, greed, attachment, delusion, and pride).
The much explored allegory does not end there. The holes in the flute are not flaws, but the result of piercing and hollowing. This signifies the pain, sacrifices, and discipline a devotee endures to become a pure instrument for the Divine, they say. Being completely hollow with no inner blockage, the flute teaches that only an ego-free soul can let the breath of life (prana) and divine wisdom flow through it as pure harmony.
No, these lovely ideas and interpretations of the flute are not mere abstract reflections on the occasion of Krishna Janma Ashtmi alone. The real reason behind them is rather personal. This evening, my brother, Sanju, participated in a flute recital programme. The initial 'sur' that he played for the rendition of the Tulsidas Bhajan "Shri Ram Chandra kripalu" was so soft, gentle, mellow that the 'golden tongue' metaphor by Keats literally came alive. Wonderful was the recital of "abir gulal udhlit rang." His 'class'-mates, too, presented their versions of the flute-y melodies. A memorable evening indeed!
Pratima@ Sanju arrived at flute a little late in life. Yet his constant and sincere practice seems to fill in the gap of that delay. His doggie, the cutest beagle, Tashu is forever listening to it with the devoted zeal of the HMV dog.
Quote of the day: "Playing a flute is like writing a book. You’re telling what’s in your heart," asserts Eddie Cahill.
Word of the day: symbolic This word means something used or seen to represent something which may not be directly related to what it stands for. An example can be the red rose symbolising love.
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