Krishna: The Divine Musician

Dhyana is the process of listening to the song celestial, the flute of Krishna, with the mental ears alert on the melody. Yoga is the merging of the mind in the bliss of self-forgetfulness when the music fills the consciousness”…Sathya Sai Baba

According to Hindu spirituality, our intellectual mind is often a hindrance rather than a help in attempting to fathom the mysteries that underlie reality.

All philosophising is limited by the insufficiencies of the human mind, which is like a salt doll trying to fathom the mysteries of the ocean, but getting dissolved on the very first dip.

By contrast, sound and music in their highest forms can actually help the seeker transcend the current limits of the human consciousness and connect with the unfathomable truth behind the cosmos. In the mystic spiritual traditions of the East, AUM is the most frequent word or sound in songs, prayers and ritual.

AUM is held to be the word of the Absolute, because when pronounced correctly it covers the entire spectrum of human sound, requiring the action of all our apparatus of speech from the diaphragm to the tip of the lips. Therefore it is the sound which encompasses all other sounds which in turn make up our music and speech. Aum is the symbolic word for the perfect, the infinite and the eternal, as well as the origin of all creation.

This artistic expression and elevating of the human consciousness through music is symbolised in the figure of Sri Krishna playing the transcendental flute and stirring the Universal Consciousness.

Krishna is perhaps the most revered Hindu deity, and is revered as an ‘Avatar’ (Divine incarnation) by Hindus throughout the world. Krishna’s earthly sojourn was marked by huge turmoil, which was reflected in Krishna’s own life.

Despite being born in prison, and facing numerous attempts on his life, and later on many battles as the ruler of a kingdom, more than anything he is remembered as a melodious musician playing the flute and captivating the hearts and minds of the village folk with his divine melodies. He was totally unaffected by the madness around him and totally calm, poised and playful at all times.

Through his music was able to transfer this calm bliss onto all those around him. Today, music is what enables millions of people from all nations, cultures and creeds to face the challenges of everyday life when they become overbearing; allowing us to smile in our hardest moments…