Talk about Shri Saraswati and the Veena, 1983, Kolhapur, India

The gentleman who accompanies, his name is Mr. Chatterjee but I have never seen anyone so far, playing those talas [rhythms] on tabla so well. It’s alright to play all North Indian talas on tabla, but to mix up both and to manage the South Indian talas on tabla is the first time I am seeing. Otherwise they normally use mrudungum.

It is a very, very unique combination of things we have worked out and, if you have time, do come some time to our centre and we’ll explain to you what is the naada [sound] and what does it mean and what is this great instrument which is called as veena, which is the Primordial Instrument. All the instruments are variations and manifestations of this instrument, which is the first, the primordial, conceived first, in the awareness of human beings and that’s why it is regarded as a holy instrument.

It is in the hand of the Goddess Saraswati, who is the Goddess of Learning and of Lalitakala, meaning the five arts. According to the great seers, the Goddess of Learning suggests or symbolises a personality which must know music; means if a person, if he is learned, then he must know what is music. If he doesn’t understand music, then he’s not yet a perfect, learned man. Everybody who is a learned man, must know music. That is indicated by this instrument in the hands of Saraswati.
And there are two other things She has: one hand has got books in the hands, that she should really know the real Scriptures, or the person who is a learned man must know real Scriptures, the truths about the real Scriptures. They should be able to discriminate which is real and which is unreal.

Then another is, in the hand, is a rosary, means a person who is learned must be a detached person. If you do not play veena with a detached mind the spontaneity gets controlled by your conditioning. That’s why it is important that a person should be a Realised soul and, when you are a Realised soul, the spontaneity flows absolutely unhindered, unobstructed by your conditionings, by your biased temperaments, by your misidentifications.

And that is why, after Self-realisation only, I find, that Mr. Rayat has suddenly started manifesting it so beautifully and the whole thing is blossoming so good. I’m sorry that people from London could not come over here to listen to him because we have specially arranged this program in such a manner that it makes [it] interesting and understandable for all of you. Doesn’t matter, next time, again, we are going to try this. But I am really very happy to see him working out the inner being within you – the inner force of Kundalini, the force of your residual consciousness which gives you Realisation – beautifully on veena, which is a very, very rare thing; seldom people can do it, and I could see that and I congratulate him. And may God give him more and more of this art so that he puts spirituality into an awakening state into many people who are seeking it.
May God bless you all!