"Melody for Celebration" Chaudhuri/Lal, Sitar & Shehnai Vol.12 no.1

Prof. Devabrata Chaudhuri is one of the greatest Maharishi Gandharva Veda performers. In his ragas the purity and tradition of the age-old Gandharva Veda music is fully preserved. The sitar is the best-known instrument in Gandharva Veda music and popular not only among connoisseurs of music.

Shehnai master Pandit Anant Lal and his son Daya Shankar have achieved great recognition in India and abroad for their outstanding performances. The Shehnai has been played in their family for over 250 years. This wind instrument consists of a conical wooden tube with an attached metal trumpet.

Music that Connects You with Nature A breath-taking sunset, a panoramic mountain view or a waterfall in the woods can fill you with wonder and joy. The melodies of Gandharva Veda mirror this experience. If you could hear the frequencies of Nature, you would hear the sounds of Gandharva Veda music. Each of these melodies (Ragas) traces the vibrations and pattern of a particular time of day. When you play a melody during the specified time period, it creates a natural balance and harmony in your awareness and in the environment, and through the particular quality (Rasa) of each Raga, characteristics such as greater courage, self-confidence, wisdom, and happiness are enlivened.

The History of this Music Thousands of years ago in India, great Rishis or sages cognized within their own consciousness the subtle rhythms and enlightening melodies of the Veda, which is pure knowledge at the basis of Nature. As a part of the Veda, Gandharva Veda is the tradition of musical performance that replicates the vibrations of Nature at different times of day and night. Now, Maharishi has revived this eternal music of Nature and inspired the most renowned musicians of India to bless the world with Maharishi Gandharva Veda music. By playing this music you join in creating greater peace, harmony and joy for yourself, your dear ones and the world.

About Raga Melodies Gandharva Veda is based on melodies called Ragas. Each Raga has a unique structure which combines both fixed elements and infinite possibilities of variation, allowing the musician to bring out all the subtle values of the frequencies present at that time of the day. Each Raga is based on one of the ten basic scales called Thaat, which determine the notes that are permitted in the Raga.

How to Listen to this music The knowledge of when to play each Raga comes from the time theory of Maharishi Gandharva Veda. This theory is based on three-hour periods called Praharas which correspond to the changing frequencies of Nature throughout the day. It is best to listen to Maharishi Gandharva Veda in a comfortable position-sitting or lying down-with the eyes closed. Even when no one is present to listen, playing the music 24 hours a day in your home or workplace generates a peaceful, soothing atmosphere that uplifts the whole environment.



Gandarva Veda Music "Gandharva music is universal. It is at home with every land, with every man, with every society. It is the language of bliss, the science and art of bliss, the song of Nature" - Maharishi

Gandharva music is the expression of the eternal music of Nature. It is the music that is in alliance with Natural Law. If you can hear the music of Nature as the sun rises, as it shines in the fullness of the midday, as the soft shadows of late afternoon spread across the land, if you can hear the sun set, the deep silence of midnight, the stillness of early morning and the first awakening of the dawn, these are the melodies and rhythms of gandharva music. They match perfectly with the cycles of Nature and the changing rhythms of Nature that govern the evolution of all levels of creation, from the minute to the ever-expanding universe.

It is the rhythms and melodies of Nature which were cognized by Vedic sages or rishis thousands of years ago and were put into sound. Gandharva music has its source in the timeless Vedic Tradition of India. It is the classical music of the ancient Vedic Civilization which enjoyed Heaven on Earth.

According to these ancient sages or rishis and at present Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, properly performing these melodies or ragas at the proper times of the day and night neutralizes stress in the atmosphere and creates a harmonizing and balancing influence for the individual and peace for the world family.

For centuries the magical and sublime melodies of gandharva music have been lost to the West, but now many of India's most famous and beloved musicians are touring the world performing these ancient melodies and demonstrating its powerful healing influence to audiences young and old. The revival of this music in its full dignity is Maharishi Gandharva Veda music.

Maharishi Gandharva Veda music transcends categories. It speaks to all audiences in the universal language of harmony, beauty and peace.