Arun Apte (and students). Ganapatipule, Maharashtra, India. December 1998.

the transcription for the first 12 minutes of the talk:

It is very difficult to describe this inner joy. You can only enjoy it. You can only feel it. It’s something so innate, to see that so many of you have learnt this difficult music. And all of you have been enjoying it.I went to various places in the West, and I felt that, why, even small little children, boys and girls, take to something which is self destructive? Why? Why do they take to drugs? Why do they take to all these sins which are self destructive?I mean we could blame the parents to some extend, but on the all, there was something them, which was troubling them, which was trying to say that it’s not true, this’ not the thing, this is not the thing that you want. And that’s what made them go into all kinds of various types of rebellion, I should say, against all the accepted truth or accepted goodness or value system. And I just thought that, of course in India the parents are rather strict, I must say, like - but there is one more thing in India, there’s a big outlet for them. And I found that outlet was the talent that they had. They had lots of talents, all of them I felt, when I talk to them, and this and that, I felt that they have lots of talents, but there is no way to express it. Crain people have been doing some sort of an harp hazard expression I should say, [Shri Mataji smiles] and they could not understand themselves why they were doing it. And this was the main thing that was lacking, I think, in the West, that the children had no way of expressing themselves, of expressing their talent. And this talent was making them mad, I think, that was making them absolutely rebellious. It was not their mistake by any chance, it was an energy within, which was bubbling and had no outlet. And whatever outlet they had was not recognized, was not appreciated.And this made me feel that if the children are given an outlet, a means of expressing themselves, I’m sure they’ll take to it, they’ll forget all these things, they’ll never take to all self destructive ideas. Because they were angry with them I think. And it worked. It worked in the sense that first I wanted Yogis to start a school for small children. And I was surprised how these children took to another kind of life style, very disciplined style. It’s very different children.Like in the West I found a child, supposing you take him to the shop, he’ll make you mad because he’ll say buy me this and buy me that, not understanding that one cannot afford it. And left to himself, I would say that he would go on buying the whole of the market. He’s so mad about it. But I thought that there was some sort of a thing that’s lacking in him, in satisfaction.On the contrary in India, if you take one boy or a girl to the market, they’ll say: “bas, bas [enough, enough], only one, one will do.”Big, very big problem. I had my own granddaughters I took them once to Delhi because they had broken their chapels, you know, and they had only one pair, the parents are well to do, no problem, but one chapel with them had broken, I said : “All right, you come along, now in Delhi you can get good ones, we’ll back from now.” So they came and I bought for them They said : “Nany, at any cost we’ll not take the second one, We’ll just take one. “ But I said : “Supposing this brakes, then what will happen?”“Then you’ll come back again to Delhi to buy chapels.” “Have one spare at least.” They wouldn’t listen and they run away into the car. I went there I said : “What are you doing? Why don’t you buy chapels for yourself? “ Why do you want to waste your money? Nany, you can use it for something else.”Now I was surprised the way they were so satisfied, of course they are born realized, no doubt, but also the all atmosphere. I felt that this atmosphere, if the children from the West can get , they will definitely prosper, they’ll definitely express themselves, and they’ll become excellent people. But I did not know the energy was so much, you see.

After my brother your Babamama, I asked him why not start an academy of music - and when they came to music I was surprised. I was really surprised, when we had been expecting anything from them, within 3 months, within 4 months, they picked up such a difficult music style. It’s impossible, it’s impossible for Indians to do that. They can never do in 4 months time. Oh Baba, I’ve seen in my own family, they were musicians, and my sisters, my brothers, for hours together, every morning they used to get up at 5 o’clock and start their music. Every day rias [training] for 3, 4 hours. Every day! I used to think now when will this end, I mean after all, if somebody has to sleep after 5, you can just not sleep. But that’s a custom in India to get up very early in the morning.

But, the way this people are learning it so fast, it is because that urge to express themselves was inside very, very strong, much stronger than Indians. That’s true; I can tell you very clearly, I have never heard of anybody learning this difficult music in 3 months and 4 months. For years together they would not learn. Same about you people, how you have started appreciating it. I just don’t know. I mean it’s a different atmosphere that has started, so full of hope and joy.8;35You see now, there was one fellow who went to Belgium. He was an Italian, Italian Sahaja Yogi. He said : “Mother, I was surprised, there was a nice program with the Indians, and the Indians consulted and arrange so I went to the program. And they ware talking to each other and some of them went out and some of them came in, these Indians. They never understood that it was Pilu rag [Shri Mataji speaks in another language] Even an ordinary Pilu raag they cannot recognize!I was surprised that this Italian that he - what he sings he really, I’ve seen it. The Indians, when they go for this kind of a very deep type of music, after 15 minutes they start sleeping out. Also they told me that in England, they went to a music center, otherwise we can say for buying the records or something, so all the boys who were there, who were Indians, were buying pop music, that music, and they looked at that Sahaja Yogis and said : “Are you stupid fools? Why are you buying this music, this Indian music? What is there in this Indian music?” They said : “It’s better not to talk to you because you are gone case.”Now, you see, because, some or other, this is a sahaj trick idea, that your energy’s tuned up to a very subtle and deep understanding of the music. Otherwise, it would never have worked like this. I mean it’s the Kundalini, of course, no doubt, but the way she has nourished you to absorb, to understand, to enjoy, this is very subtle music. And it has happened more with the western people than with the Indians. I’m sorry [Shri Mataji talks to someone in paticular]But Indian don’t have that much of understanding nor that much of enjoyment. Westerners may not enjoy, euh- may not understand, but they enjoy!Indians feel- those who are, I mean, a little bit educated in music, will start finding out faults, finding out ragas, this was not good, that. No, but not Westerners. Western people are so humble about it. Isn’t it remarkable how is it they have picked up so quickly and have understood? Because, they have become subtler. This is the only thing I can say that they become subtler and their energies are flowing through the subtler level. It’s surprising for Babamama, also for me, for everyone that in 3, 4 months, how can you play Malkans rag?First time I heard, I started wondering [Shri Mataji laughs], how can that be? And that is such a hope to save this music. It may be that In India, it may be declining, but in the West, it’s rising.