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The Mother in her conversation dated October 27, 1962 speaks at length about the origin of music, in fact all arts, to be the same as the plane of the gods. We also find Sri Aurobindo attributing the origin of all Music to the laughter of the Divine.
All music is only the sound of His laughter
All beauty the smile of His passionate bliss;
(Sri Aurobindo, in the poem
Who)
The Divine Laughter expresses the Divine Delight,
Ananda; in fact all Beauty, says Sri Aurobindo is an expression of
Ananda on the physical plane. Speaking of the origin of Art in India, E. B. Havell writes that India had conceived the whole philosophy of her art, early on in the Vedic period itself.
How was Art conceived? We may say that it happened when that wonderful intuition flashed upon the Indian mind that the soul of man is eternal and one with the Supreme Soul, the Lord and Cause of all things. The Rishis who expressed their spiritual realisations and experiences through the mantra-s and sang of the Spirit behind Nature in beautiful imagery were great artists. They gave to India monuments more durable than bronze.
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Editor's Note: In the Book of the Month feature, read an excerpt from a writing by Stella Kramrisch on the sacred art of
dhūlichitra. The art of
dhūlichitra finds a mention in several ancient Indian treatises on art. These include
Vishnudharmottara,
Silparatna of
Srikumara, and
Abhilashitartha Chintamani of King
Someswara III.
Dhūlichitra are images or paintings or drawings executed with dry and wet powders or paste on floors, known by many names such as
kolam,
rangoli,
alpona,
mandana, etc.
Kramrisch speaks of these as 'magic diagrams'. |
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Editor's Note: Sri Aurobindo writes in
The Human Cycle,
"The art, music and literature of the world, always a sure index of the vital tendencies of the age, have also undergone a profound revolution in the direction of an ever-deepening subjectivism. The great objective art and literature of the past no longer commands the mind of the new age." (CWSA, Vol. 25, p. 30)
Sudha Prabhu offers for our readers two beautiful examples of such art and literature which speak of her inner experiences. The focus is on connecting at a deeper level with the colours, the meanings hidden in the subtle vibrations of the different colours, all emerging from a subjective perspective
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Editor's Note: We continue with Part 2 of V.K. Gokak's essay on
Rasa: Its Meaning and Scope. Here he delves into the questions -- is there a primary
rasa from which other
rasa-s originate? In what way is
rasa an attribute of the soul? If you missed part 1, read here. |
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Part 2 highlights the legend behind the sacred origin of NÄtya or drama in Indian cultural tradition. The focus of drama in India was almost always along the lines of the Indian view of life. This view emphasised continuity and renewal of life, cyclical nature of life, as well as the human urge to create an ideal life. |
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Editor's Note: The author summarizes the essential element of what distinguishes the highest Indian art from that of the West. It is the artist's insistence on expressing the Infinite in a finite form. To quote from Sri Aurobindo, it is to "disclose something of the Self, the Infinite, the Divine to the regard of the soul, the Self through its expressions, the Infinite through its living finite symbols, the Divine through his powers" (CWSA, Vol. 20, p. 267). |
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The BhÄratShakti team will be conducting a two-day immersive retreat on the theme ā Yoga in Everyday Life. The residential retreat will be hosted by Sri Aurobindo Dhama located in the serene and beautiful natural surroundings at the banks of Kaveri river in Sangama-Mekedatu in Kanakpura, Karnataka.
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