Art, Thought Consonance

 Thakur Jaidev Singh enriched and interpreted philosophy, literature and musicology through his discourses and writings. Speaking about the non-dualistic Shaiva philosophy of Kashmir, he said, “It contains in itself the transcendentalism and the immanate nature of the Upanishads, the cosmic power of Tantra, and the activism of the Bhagwad Gita. It is a beautiful synthesis of all that is best in Indian thought.” For Thakur Jaidev Singh, music was mental tonic. He said, “Music reduces the tension of mind. It allows you to sing to yourself. If the listener has absolutely no ear for music, nothing will happen. He is unfortunate.” Once when he was asked to prioritise between sahitya and sangita, Thakurji replied, “In art, there is no question of priority. The poet has every kind of art in him. He has his own talent and every kind of art has its own images. All kinds of art represent something beyond themselves. Literature represents life, story and much more. But music is the only art that is autonomous. It represents nothing beyond itself.” He said that in instrumental music, there is only the play of svara (notes) and tala (rhythm), while in the vocal, there is the breathing of the poet as well. Instrumental music is something like nirguna Brahmn, formless universal consciousness, and vocal is like saguna Brahmn, with form. He also said that a person with a musical heart, having samvada (consonanc

Source: Economic Times, 19/09/2019