The violin concert by Dr. L Subramaniam was so beautiful! It was pleasing to the ear. It was so soothing that it could lull us to sleep. So many people were sleeping to this soothing music. I am very happy about this music. It is said that there is no liberation for one who has no knowledge of music.

The body is filled with Nāda. Without Nada, there is no breath. Our breathing itself is Nada. Before going to bed, listen to the Nada (sound) of your breath without thinking about your problems. Just sleep peacefully. Listen to your inhalation and exhalation for a few minutes.

There are different sounds in the body. The sound of the heartbeat is like our father, Lord Siva. Lord Siva is always dancing in our body. That is why Siva is our Guru. Today, on Guru Purnima, we give respect to Lord Siva and meditate on him with devotion. Lord Siva is our first Guru. Mother Goddess Parvati Devi asked Lord Siva about Guru. He explained the greatness of Guru in Guru Gita and also mentioned about Nada. Without Nada (sound, music), there is no human being.

You can listen to soothing music everyday. There are three types of sounds that you can hear in the body. This is the Anahata Nada (unstruck sound). Starting at the base of the spine, at Mooladhara Chakra, traveling to Sahasrara Chakra, stopping briefly at Svadhishthana Chakra, the Anahata Nada sounds wonderful.

There are six chakras that Nada travels through (from Mooladhara to Sahasrara). There are different sounds in our plexuses (chakras or energy centers). That is why music is important for our backbone. Our backbone is like the Veena. You have seen the Veena. Our head is like the main sound box of the Veena.

There are four main Nadis (subtle astral nerves) – Ida, Pingala, Lower Brahma Nadi and Higher Brahma Nadi. The four Nadis are like the four strings of Tambura. So it is like the Tambura sound in our body. If you play the Tambura, you will see that it is very close to your body’s sound. It is the same sound as our breath.

You must clean your nose first with lukewarm water mixed with salt. The cleaning process is different. Clean your nose before going to bed. The sound of breath gives Anandam (great joy).

Each instrument gives a different sound (nāda). There is no age limit to learn playing a musical instrument. Adults as well as children can learn. You can learn the Mridangam, Tabla, Violin, Flute or Harmonium. It is easy to learn the Casio keyboard. Music is your direct and personal friend. Nada or Music is our life partner. Do not think that your spouse is your life partner. Nada is our only life partner.

It is said that without knowledge of music, there is no liberation. Every one must sit and listen to music. You must not offer excuses for not listening to music. Do not walk away when the Tani Avartanam (extended solo by percussionists) starts. Tani Avartanam is also Nada.

Tani Avartanam is Lord Siva. Heart problems can disappear with such music. The rhythm of the heart is Lord Siva. The Shruti/key is Mother Goddess Parvati. We must listen to both father and mother. That is why running away during Tani Avartanam and coming back later is not good. The body of Lord Siva is full of Nada. Our body too is full of Nada.

Different kinds of sounds come from the 72,000 different Nadis. Those are very important Nadis in our Vagus-nerve system. There are 12 different parts in this system. If you calculate, you will see that it aligns with our music system. There are different kinds of music that are produced with the 7 notes and 12 sounds.

Anyway, music is a vast subject. Sri Swamiji wrote about this in the Raga Ragini book already. If you read the book, you will understand. It is a big book. There are different charts in the book too, making it easy to understand the subject. Study the charts and you will feel like reading the book.

Therefore, today, on Guru Purnima day, what does the Guru like? Nada. Nada is very important. After worship and study of Upanishads and observing Karma, they finally talk about “Gaanam” (song). In the nine kinds of devotion mentioned in the Narada Bhakti Sootras, the last kind of worship is with Nada. It concludes with music.

In Maharashtra, to this day, they pick up the cymbals at the end of the worship and sing rapturous songs in praise of Lord Vithala. They will put the Lord to bed with music and again wake the Lord up with Suprabhatam in the morning.

It is not even necessary to have idols and Puja materials to do all this. Think about the body itself as Lord Krishna. Think of the body as Lord Siva, as Lord Brahma, as Mother Goddess. Wake up to Suprabhatam yourself. Lord Narayana is always sleeping in our heart. God is in our heart. Whatever Naivedyam (offering of food to God) you are offering, you eat that Sattvic food. In the night you can do Pavalimpu Seva (cradling the Lord to bed). There is a song for all situations – for sleeping, bathing, waking up, eating, traveling etc. There is a song for all situations. You must use those songs. Only then, you can inculcate true devotion. Your memory will improve. You will get Asana Siddhi (being able to sit in one position for prayer/yoga for extended periods of time). All this can be achieved with practice of Nada.

- Guru Purnima, Dallas, July 2016