|
|
|
|
|
|
From Disciple to Performer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The guru (teacher)-disciple relationship is extraordinarily personal; where the disciple learns more than the mastery of a particular instrument, including the voice. Because each raga has a personality and mood, the disciple must meditate deeply on these dimensions to get inside the raga and discover its essence. It takes years, even decades, to arrive at this point and an equal amount of concentrated devotion and dedication. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The disciple who becomes a performer and then possibly a great performer, usually called a pandit or ustad, has matured and become so spiritually and musically attuned to the essence of the ragaits connection to the Divinethat his or her face and body are a reflection of the raga's beauty. We witness the effect of the raga on the performer's inner self. Just as in vastu where the home should be a reflection of the self, the maestro of the raga presents the self through the music. This is what is so unique about the concept of swaraand why a raga is not just a collection of notes that we hear. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By the time the disciple becomes a performer, the structure of the music and the mood that it releases has caused a personal transformation. The artist is not using his or her body to annunciate the music; the music is using the artist as the messenger. The raga is in control; and the objective of the music is to make us, the listener, aware of its essence. The raga becomes a powerful spiritual tool that helps us along the path to enlightenment. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The raga is so carefully constructed through guidelines, which still allow tremendous artistic freedom, that we don't need to understand the words of the vocalist (if there is a vocalist) to be able to receive the message of the Truth contained within the raga. The spirit of the music sweeps through us as we listen; we surrender to it and let it inside our inner self. The raga's unusual power deserves to be heard, and this is the reason for listing the names of a few of the great Indian pandits and ustads who are masters of their |
|
|
|
|
|