45 minute read
Editorial
Know It to Be Your Foe
It was a very still, late night on the banks of Ganga where Swami Turiyananda, one of the directdisciples of Sri Ramakrishna, was sitting in meditation. Matching the outer peace was the silence in his mind. In that perfectly calm moment, Turiyanandaji heard a voice telling him, ‘Enough, get up. Let us go home.’ The startled swami looked around to see who was disturbing him. But there was none around. Then like a thunderbolt, the truth hit him: it was his own mind that had tempted him to stop his sadhana!
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There is a similar incident from the life of Swami Adbhutananda, another direct-disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. For some time Adbhutanandaji stayed at the Basumati Press of Upendra Nath Mukhopadhyay, a householder devotee of Sri Ramakrishna. Once at midnight he was heard shouting at the top of his voice, ‘Shut up, devil; you to threaten me, who am a child of Sri Ramakrishna; all your tricks and threats would be of no avail. Know it for certain.’ Hearing his thundering voice, the people in the press who were sleeping and working in the adjacent rooms ran up and saw Adbhutanandaji sitting in virasana ‘with his eyes fixed in front and blazing like fire-balls.’
Truly, every sincere sadhaka has to, at some stage in his spiritual journey, face and overcome an anti-spiritual force which seeks to bind him/her down to the sensory world and thus to the cycle of repeated birth and death. To help us identify and confront this force, which appears in various forms, it is sometimes personified and given a clear profile as the evil
tempter. Buddhism calls it Mara, and Christianity and Islam identify it as Satan.
There are a number of stories which narrate how Buddha and Christ faced this ‘destroyer of spiritual life’. These narratives help devotees to make sense of their own temptations and it also awakens faith to overcome them.
Both Buddha and Christ faced strong temptations before achieving enlightenment. They were tempted to experience physical enjoyments, to fear death, and to desire power. Siddhartha Gautama sat under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya with the firm determination: ‘Let this body dry up; let the skin, bones, and flesh of the body fall apart; but I will not leave this seat until I attain that supreme knowledge.’ Mara then appeared on the scene to break this resolve. At first he sent beautiful women to tempt Siddhartha with their charms. When this weapon of lust failed, he tried to frighten Siddhartha with torrential rains, thunder, and hordes of demons attacking him. But Siddhartha remained immersed in deep meditation unmoved by the idea of death. As a last resort, Mara tempted Siddhartha with power over men. He pointed out that being a kshatriya, Siddhartha’s dharma was to rule a kingdom and not to renounce and seek nirvana. He offered him the sovereignty of the whole world. But Siddhartha remained firm in his resolve, and rose up only after attaining Buddhahood.
Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights in the Judean desert, seeking to draw nearer to God. By giving up food and water he sought to
reinforce his faith in the truth that true nourishment comes from God. Satan then appeared to tempt Jesus into preserving his body. He asked him to transform a stone into bread and nourish himself. When Jesus quoted the scriptural words: ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’, Satan had to withdraw. Satan then tried to frighten Jesus with death. He lifted Jesus to the top of a temple and challenged him to throw himself down to prove the truthfulness of scriptures which assure that God’s angels will protect man from injury. Again, Jesus rejected Satan by quoting the scripture: ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’ Finally, Satan tried to tempt Jesus with power and luxury. He took Jesus to the top of a very high mountain from where all the kingdoms of the world could be seen. He offered them to Jesus, if only he would accept and worship Satan. Jesus rejected it by once again quoting the scripture: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and only Him shall you serve.’
Young Nachiketa, who sought the knowledge of the Self, also had to face similar temptations dangled before him by Yama, the Lord of Death. As the Kathopanishad describes it, Yama offered Nachiketa long life, a vast kingdom, immense wealth, damsels, progeny who would be centenarians, and all kinds of other sense pleasures. But there was a difference in this temptation; Yama tempted only to ascertain if Nachiketa deserved the highest knowledge and he was immensely happy when Nachiketa overcame all temptations.
Interestingly, Sri Ramakrishna speaks of a Papa-purusha who is similar to Mara or Satan. Only, in this case it is the tempter who is tortured by the austerities practised by Sri Ramakrishna! As part of his daily Sandhya and ritualistic worship, Sri Ramakrishna would imagine according to scriptural prescription, that the Papa-purusha within had been burnt up. Sri Ramakrishna often narrated to his disciples the outcome of this intense sadhana. He told them: ‘A burning sensation came on the body from the beginning of the Sadhana. I thought, “What is this disease?” It increased by degrees and became unbearable. Various kinds of oils prescribed by physicians were used; but it could by no means be alleviated. One day, while I was sitting under the Panchavati, I saw that a jet-black person with red eyes and a hideous appearance came reeling, as if drunk, out of this (showing his own body) and walked before me. I saw again another person of placid mien, in ochre-coloured dress with a trident in his hand similarly come out from the body, vehemently attack the other and kill him. The burning sensation in the body decreased for a short time after I had that vision. I suffered from that burning sensation continually for six months before the Papa-purusha was burnt up.’
E x p l a i n i n g S r i R a m a k r i s h n a ’ s confrontation with Papa-purusha, Swami Tapasyananda writes: ‘All the forces of the instinctive life of man dominated by the lower brain constitute the Papa-purusha, of whom the Bhagavad Gita says: “It is desire (काम), it is anger (क्राेध) born of Rajas — insatiable in its demands, utterly evil in its working. Know it to be your foe.”
The conflict between the devatas and the asuras is indeed the conflict between our own higher spiritual nature and our animal nature. Mahishasura represents this animal nature in us. This month when we celebrate Mother Durga’s victory over Mahishasura, let us remind ourselves that the battlefield is our own mind and heart, and our victory depends upon recognising the foe in all his forms, continuing our sadhana with great tenacity, and surrendering at the lotus feet of the Divine Mother.
Singing to the Divine: The Sopana Sangeetham of Kerala
SULINI V. NAIR
of the unique tastes and preferences of people in different regions. These two arts are different from each other in tone and structure, use and effect, but never mutually hostile. In fact, a continuous give and take of values between margi and desi has been the norm. As early as the 9 th century the Brhaddesi of Matanga dealt This article throws light on the indigenous Sopana music offered as part of ritual tantric pooja in the temples of Kerala and how art has been considered a path to the Divine in the Indian tradition. J ust as Vedanta accepts Brahman as the upadana or proximate cause of creation, Sarngadeva, the author of the 13 th century treatise Sangitaratnakara, for the first time declared that nadabrahma was the upadana of music. Sangita has been accepted as the means of the four purusharthas and also as an end in itself. Tyagaraja, the great musiciansaint of 18 th century, sings, ‘Knowing the musical sound born from the muladhara – that is ecstatic liberation! To distinguish the proper home of the seven notes amidst the great tumult – listen, O mind, that is moksha! Devotion steeped in the nectar of melodious tones and modes, that is the final beatitude, O mind!’ (Svara raga sudharasa). His life was an illustration of how musical knowledge coupled with devotion enables one to experience the bliss of spirituality amidst the disonance of the illusory world, culminating finally in moksha — the ultimate goal of life. Such has been the status accorded to music and the arts in India — as paths to divine realisations.
In India we have both the margi and desi arts. Margi arts are the classical forms based on specific rules and structures laid down in the Natyasastra (200 BCE-200 CE) of Bharatamuni. Desi arts are regional creative expressions born
Sulini V Nair is a Mohiniyattam performer, writer & researcher in the performing arts, idioms, and narratives. She is also a keen student of Indian art, tradition & thought. Cover Page artist: Shwetha Chandrasekhar, Chennai.
with the music of the various regions of the Indian subcontinent.
In South India, a narrow strip of land lying sandwiched between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats remained fairly insulated from the rest of the region. It was thus able to develop an art, culture and way of life distinct from the traditions of its neighbouring regions. This strip of land, which came to be called Kerala, witnessed the evolution of an indigenous style of music evocative of its unique culture. This desi style came to be known as Sopana Sangeetham.
Sopana Sangeetham is rendered as ritual musical offering in the temples of Kerala and is called Kottippaadiseva. It is performed at the Sopana, steps leading to the garbhamandir or s a n c t u m s a n c t o r u m . S u n g t o t h e accompaniment of the small hourglass shaped ethnic percussion called idakka by the musician himself and the metallic gong chengila, the rendition is uncomplicated and full of feeling. For the same reason it is also called bhakti sangeetham or bhava sangeetham.
The idakka is similar to a damaru but is played with a stick. It is considered to be deva vaadyam, instrument of the gods, most auspicious and revered, and is never kept on the floor. Its two faces are said to represent the sun and the moon, the four sticks or jeevakkols between the trunk and thee strings stand for the four Vedas, the six holes for the six sastras, and the 64 woolen balls for the 64 arts. Early origins – aboriginal, folk, Vedic influences
In the times when the region that is now Kerala was part of a larger Tamil region, society was organized into thinas or geographical units. There were five thinas: kurinchi (mountainous region), mullai (forest), marutham (farmland), neythal (coastal region) and palai (desert). Castes were formed based on the lifestyle in each thina and there was no intermarriage between different thinas. However there was no classification of castes as superior or inferior. The inhabitants of the thinas worshipped nature and lived in harmony with it. Ayyan of the mountains and Amman of the coastal regions were worshipped as the masculine and feminine aspects of nature. Thus their spiritual thought was one that was intimately connected with mother earth. Nature that was worshipped was also their means of livelihood and thus an agrarian society came into being. When the caste system of the thinas later gave way to the occupation-based caste system, the close connection between man and nature began to dwindle. Those who undertook occupations crucial in a civilizing society formed a different caste group. Gradually society started d e m a r c a t i n g s p e c i f i c s p o t s o r sreemoolasthanam under trees for worship. The society being predominantly agrarian, it is in the songs and rhythms of Kerala’s humble farmers of yore that we can trace the earliest origins of its indigenous style of music. These songs of the farmers woven in Kerala’s glorious ancestry, socially relevant themes, myths, legends and early cultural recollections, thus become a rich repository of the cultural history of this land.
Early aboriginal songs had an organic connection to life and a high degree of emotionality. They were enthusiastic expressions of unstructured, spontaneous response to surrounding stimuli. The experience of amazement, ecstasy, or fear The rendition is simple and full of feeling. For the same reason it is also called bhakti or bhava sangeetham.
arising from the wonders of nature was the aboriginal man’s inspiration to sing. As human society progressed, people moved away from nature. A direct result of this limited contact with nature was a gradual waning of intensity of feeling in folk music. Folk music was further transformed when the early aboriginal music joined hands with nuanced language.
With the spreading influence of Sanskrit and the establishment of temples following the influence of Buddhism, the position of the sreemoolasthanam changed from groves, or under trees, to temples. This brought about farreaching changes in society. Caste rituals gained importance and castes were delineated in connection with occupations within the temple. Lower castes banned from the temple premises were caught between the environment created by the caste system and those who controlled that environment. The social structure of Kerala came to be divided by a strong wall of untouchability. Idols thus became emblematic of man’s distance from nature. A hierarchical structure came into being and castes were arranged in strata, classified into superior and inferior. It was similar to the structure of the flight of stairs, or the Sopanam, l e a d i n g t o t h e garbhamandir of the temple. Thus the Sopanam is also indicative of the nature of the Kerala society at that historical juncture. It was probably with the advent of the temples in the form in which we see them today, with the Sopanam leading to the garbhamandir, that
Late Njeralath Rama Poduval, a legendary Sopana Sangeetham exponent
Sopana music captures the essence of Kerala culture like no other art or philosophy. October 2019 music called Sopana Sangeetham too came into being.
Thus Sopana music has a history of organic evolution from aboriginal through folk music to the refined, structured classical form. For the same reason it captures the e s s e n c e o f Ke ra l a culture like no other art or philosophy. It was nurtured in connection with folk arts like Kalam Paattu, Ayyappan Paattu, and Saastham Paattu, before it firmly established itself as ritualistic musical offering in temples. It has also been influenced by Vedic chanting unique to this region. Thus the aboriginal, folk and Vedic characteristics have lent a clear desi character to this style of music.
Characteristics and rendition
Sopana Sangeetham has an introductory alapana segment based solely on ‘akaaram’ or the use of the sound ‘Aa’ unlike ta, da, ri, or na that are used in Carnatic music. Unlike in Carnatic music the akaar alapana is controlled by rhythm. Singing akaara to rhythm is called aanandam vaykkuka. The akaara or the sound ‘Aa’ is the first alphabet of the word aanandam and the singer concludes the akaaralapana with … ‘aa – aanandam’. Probably this is why it is called aanandam vaykkuka to imply spiritual exhilarataion. The next stage is that of singing kattala swaras or swara frames. A technique called jeevaswara prayoga is used which is a method of clarifying the fundamental notes of a raga without elaborating it through microtonal notes. The accompaniment of the idakka kooru, a long rhythmic phrase played on the idakka, which provides a conclusion to one segment, is a crucial element that brings out the essence of the style.
After the akaaralapana, idakka kooru and kattalaswara alapana, the next item in the Kottippadiseva is the rendering of the tyaani. The tyaani is a paean in the couplet structure, a legacy of the Buddhist culture. The term could well be linked to ‘dhyaani’ whose meaning in Monier Williams’ dictionary is in connection to Buddha and Bodhisatva. There are several tyaanis sung by temple musicians, in accordance with the system of singing particular ragas during particular hours of day and night, before the shrine on the occassion of various pujas. The style has its own unique ragas like Aahiri, Paadi, Indisha, Puraneer, Indalam, Mukhari and Samantamalahari to name a few. In addition, it also uses many ragas that are commonly used in Carnatic music. The raga in which the akaara and tyaani are sung is called the samaya raga. It is determined according to and in tune with the hour of each puja. The Kottippadiseva ritual takes place during the Usha Puja at sunrise, Ethiratte Puja in the early morning, Pantheeradi Puja when the sun rises to a certain height and our shadows are of a certain measurement, Ucha Puja in the afternoon, Deeparadhana during dusk and Athazha Puja at night. The raga Puraneer is the one rendered during the Usha Puja. The nine ragas Desakshi, Sreekanthi, Nalatta, Bhoopali, Malahari, Aahari, Samantamalahari, Bhowli and Antari are called Nitya ragas. Desakshi and Sreekanthi are sung during the morning puja, Nalatta during the Pantheeradi Puja, Malahari and Bhoopali during the Ucha Puja, Aahari in the afternoon hours, Samantamalahari during the Deeparadhana and Bhowli and Antari during the Athazha Puja. Raga Andhaali is sung during the Pradosha Puja on the Pradosha day. The raga is rendered to the beats of the idakka keeping rhythm on the chengila. The musician harmonizes his voice to the drone of the idakka; although a percussion instrument, the idakka when manipulated can generate different notes within the gamut. If the puja is not concluded even after the tyaani and the beating of the kooru on the idakka, the singer goes on to the next raga followed by another tyaani. It is also a common practice to sing an ashtapadi after the tyaani. The 12 th century Bengali poet Jayadeva’s Gitagovinda was first heard in Kerala at the garbhamandir of temples in the 15 th century. It was because an age-old organic musical tradition existed here that the ashtapadi blended-in so beautifully with the couplet structure of the tyaanis.
The custom is to sing the tyaani and ashtapadi till the doors of the garbhamandir are opened after the puja. This naadopasana, or worship through music, is considered a kriyangam or ritual that is part of the customary puja itself. The singing is simple and uncomplicated and never seeks to completely exhaust the musical possibility of a raga. This simplicity of rendition is maintained at every stage of performance. The singer at times consciously and for a specific purpose brings in the nuances of another raga while singing a particular raga. However, this is something that can be executed only by a very talented musician who can express emotion through his art. This music offered to the Lord at the steps of the garbhamandir, adds a new dimension to the spreading of devotion.
Rhythm in Sopana Sangeetham
Rhythm is of utmost importance in Sopana music and it is rhythm rather than drone which leads the music. Rhythm in Sopana music developed from early folk rhythms and is connected to the classical tradition through the method of its execution. It is at the same time both simple and complex and guides the singing at every stage. While it is sung typically to the beats of the idakka, in the traditional dramatic arts it is sung to the accompaniment
of other percussion instruments like maddalam, chenta, timila and the ilattaalam.
The core of the rhythmic arrangement in Sopana Sangeetham is the hridaya tala system. In fact, all talas originate from the hridaya tala or the heartbeat. Continuous time may be revealed through continuing beats or shabda. Removing a few beats from a continuing series creates fragments of ashabda. Thus rhythm is formed from a combination of beats and ashabdas. In the early stages of the margi tala system tala was indicated by beating both palms together. Bharatamuni called the beat paata and the silence kala. Thus margi music was based on the paata-kala system. During Bharatamuni’s time desi talas were also in vogue along with margi talas. It was Sarngadeva who discovered talas that were not margi and called them desi. The khanda tala system belongs to the desi school. Desi talas are indicated by beating and counting the rhythm on f i n g e r s . A l l a r t i s t i c practitioners till the time of Sarngadeva based their work on the margi talas suggested by Bharata. In the Natyasastra, Bharata gives a significant status to rhythm, and ghana vaadyas or idiophone instruments are seen to have a predominant status compared to areophone, chordophone and membranophone instruments. In Sopana Sangeetham idiophone instruments like chengila, ilattalam and kuzhittalam function on the basis of the paata-kala system denoting rhythm. Thus Sopana music is a desi tradition that chose the margi philosophy of Bharatamuni’s ghana tala system. The various talas in Sopana Sangeetham are Ekatalam, Plutam, Kaakapadam, Karika, Ayyadi, Atantha, Champa, Kundanaachi, Marmam, Kumbham and Lakshmi to name a few.
The flow of rhythm is the multiples of a single unit of time called a maatra. Laya or cadence is usually of three types – vilambita (slow), madhyama (medium) and druta (fast). There could also be ati vilambita (very slow) and ati ati vilambita (very, very slow) as also ati druta (very fast) and ati ati druta (very, very fast), thus adding up to a total of six tempos. While in Hindustani music the laya arrangement is such that the rendition begins in vilambita laya and proceeds to druta, in Carnatic music the laya remains constant throughout the rendition. Music as devotional offering
The Sopana musician standing at the steps of the garbhamandir makes an offering of his Kottipaadiseva art. His rendition is heartfelt and full of feeling. At this time the devotee, who has come to the temple to offer prayers, has finished circumambulating the garbhamandir and waits before the closed doors with his palms joined at his chest and with bated breath. The musician, who had begun to sing at the ati ati vilambita pace, has proceeded to the ati vilambita, vilambita and madhyama tempos. As the devotee waits, his mental voyage too attains greater, yet even greater momentum. The singer proceeds to the druta, ati druta and ati ati druta tempos and the devotee’s mental journey, represented by the tala gets faster and faster, more and more one pointed, to the pinnacle — toositumbu or sharp needlepoint. This rhythmic progression which traverses six steps from ati ati vilambita to ati ati druta, finally ends in silence as the doors of the garbhamandir are thrown open revealing the resplendent deity within to the ringing of temple bells, creating a divine and thrilling experience and ambience. It inspires and It invites the soul to traverse the sopanam steps and become one with the deity enshrined within the sanctum.
invites the soul to traverse the Sopanam steps, enter the shrine and become one with the Universal Power enshrined therein as well as within one’s own self.
The bhakti in Sopana music is the artistic expression of the mindful awareness necessary for self-expression. It is an artistic method of sublimating worldly emotions. The dharma of this bhakti is to sublimate the rasas thereby bringing wholeness to the appreciation of art. This offering of music is human expression that is beyond the worldly realm and thus terms like tyaani(dhyaani), aanandam vykkuka are all befitting. As the priest within the shrine seeks to transcend the material sphere through puja, the aanandam vaykkal, idakka kooru and rendition of the tyaani are all attempts to achieve the same through music. It is the expression of a lone seeker’s inner journey. It is easily possible to experience this endeavour just by listening to the rendition.
‘Padi aarum kayaruka’ or ascending the six steps is a very profound spiritual dictum and is an allusion to the upward journey of the Kundalini in an advanced spiritual seeker through the six chakras to finally reach the Sahasrara Chakra bringing about the ultimate experience of Self Realization or oneness with the Cosmic Consciousness.
Through the ages
There is a prevalent belief that Sopana Sangeetham was first evolved for the rendering of the tyaani. When the king Manaveda composed the famous Krishnageeti for the ritual art form Krishnanattam in the early 17 th century, he used the Sopana style. It was used in the art form Ramanattam, the early prototype of Kathakali. Through the centuries it was also used in the rendering of several compositions of legends like Maharaja Swati Tirunal and Irayimman Thampi.
There are various schools of Sopana Sangeetham each varying in subtleties. Traditional families of Sopana musicians attached to temples hereditarily practiced the art in the temple premises and taught the style to the next generation. The well-known schools are Pazhoor, Ramamangalam, Tirumandhamkunnu and Guruvayur. The late Njeralathu Rama Poduval of Tirumandhamkunnu, Janardhanan Nedungadi of Guruvayur and Damodara Marar of Pazhoor are great names in Sopana music. The Kshetra Kala Peethom attached to the Mahadeva Temple at Vaikom trains students in Sopana Sangeetham in addition to providing training in other temple arts. In addition to providing musical accompaniment to art forms like Kathakali, Krishnanattam, Kalam Pattu and Mudiyettu, Sopana Sangeetham today also provides the vachika for Kerala’s classical dance style of Mohiniyattam, thanks to the untiring efforts of the legendary theatre director and musicologist late Kavalam Narayana Panikkar who worked at an organic restructuring of the dance style. He has also authored a treatise – Sopanatatvam - which is the first ever scholarly work on Sopana Sangeetham and the cultural sociology of Kerala.
1) Tyagaraja: Life and Lyrics. Jackson, W.J. New Delhi:
Oxford University Press, 1991 2) Sopanatatvam: The Tradition and Philosophy of
Sopana Music. Panikkar, K.N., Translated from
Malayalam by S.V. Nair. Bhopal: Amaryllis, 2016 3) ‘The Philosophical Background of Sarngadeva’. Musalgaonkar, V. in Sarngadeva and His Sangitaratnakara. Ed. Sharma, P.L., New Delhi: Sangeet
Natak Akademi, 1998 4) Matanga and his work Brhaddesi. Ed. Sharma, P.L.,
New Delhi: Sangeet Natak Akademi, 2001 Resources
Reminiscences Reminiscences of Sargachhi
SWAMI SUHITANANDA
1.11.60 (contd…) M aharaj: A person cannot be truly religious if his head, hand, and heart – all three – are not uplifted. We cannot trust the religiosity of one who does not accept this ideal of Sri Ramakrishna. As someone once told me, one noteworthy characteristic among all the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, is that they were efficient in any work assigned to them.
We do not find the union of Dvaita, Visishtadvaita and Advaita in anyone. Gopal’s mother (a devotee of Sri Ramakrishna who had a continuous vision of Gopala as a child) is a perfect example of how far an aspirant can proceed along the path of Dvaita. She never understood anything other than dualism. Swami Akhandananda, affectionately called ‘Baba’ (revered father), was a Visishtadvaitavadin whose heart would burst with grief seeing the misery of people. Of course, all of them realised their oneness with God. What lofty ideals Swami Ramakrishnananda exemplified in his life! 2.11.60
Question: We find two kinds of entities in this world: the ‘Conscious’, which means living 43
Swami Premeshananda (1884 – 1967) was a disciple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. For over two decades he lived at Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Sargachhi, West Bengal. Under his inspiration countless people lead a life of spirituality and service, and many young men and women entered into monastic life. His conversations – translated from Bengali and presented below – were noted by his attendant novitiate who is now Swami Suhitananda, one of the Vice-Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order. beings; and the ‘Unconscious’, which means inanimate objects like stones and bricks. But a jnani perceives both of these as consciousness. Why is this so?
Maharaj: That’s because the instruments of perception are different. How we see the world depends upon our power of perception. According to our power of perception, we see the world as ‘conscious’ and ‘unconscious’. But the jnani’s medium of perception is different.
Here is this fish in front of you; your perception of consciousness and the play of vital energy in it cannot be matched by that person there. This is because your perception is more subtle. Every day in the morning, owing to my poor eyesight, I see the doctor as two persons!
After long practice of meditation, you will see yourself as the witness of your own bodymind-intellect; then will come the stage when you see that you are the witness of the bodymind-intellect of all living beings. It is this state that we call God. It is after this that the entire world is perceived as Consciousness; the state beyond this cannot be described in words. All these subtle stages of perception come one after another following nirvikalpa samadhi. It is after coming down from nirvikalpa samadhi (Continued from previous issue. . .)
that we are able to perceive the world differently.
Question: When I see myself as the witness of this body-mind-intellect or of the body-mind-intellects of all living beings, then will I see them as Consciousness?
Maharaj: No. you will see them just as you see them now. But you will see distinctly that you are separate from them. After that you will see the world with all its living beings as Consciousness.
Question: Isn’t this body-mind-intellect the effect of the combination of life force and ether? In which stage can we understand that whatever we perceive is the product of this combination? Does not a spiritual seeker hear the anahata dhvani (Om, the primordial unstruck sound), which is the origin of the life force ?
Maharaj: You will know all this when your perception becomes a little subtler; but for that you have to advance a great distance on the spiritual path. Some imagine that they are hearing the anahata dhvani. In reality, after long meditation a kind of buzzing sound is generated in the brain – they take that to be the anahata dhvani. If material objects are analysed, they reveal the life force. Again, if the life force is analysed intensely, you will perceive it transformed into Consciousness.
3.11.60 Question: How did creation begin?
Maharaj: Brahman covered Itself with vidya maya and divided Itself into pieces. Then a layer of avidya engulfed each individual ego. Then from that sheath of avidya, as it were, intellect emerged; and mind, vital force, and body manifested from it.
Question: Each individual is differently constituted. Why then does everyone see the visible objects of this world in the same way?
Maharaj: It is as if a black curtain has been divided into innumerable parts. As everyone sees through the same medium, the world is perceived in the same way. What do I see when I am enwrapped by the sheath of avidya? I see that very avidya. Every night during deep sleep we go back to that primal avidya. It is from this avidya that the world is projected. It’s somewhat similar to our being able to see various objects when we keep peering into darkness for a long time. Such is our waking state.
Deep sleep occurs when the udana-vayu [one of the five functions of prana in the body] pulls prana upwards. During deep sleep all the nerve centres become inert. Then the intellect induces them to regain some strength. After this, under the influence of the various impressions gathered during the waking hours, the mind sees various things in a haphazard manner. It’s like a little boy sitting at his father’s table (and picking up things randomly). But this state is inferior to the waking state, because while the intellect functions in the waking state, action takes place instinctively in the dream state. And because the intellect does not function, we have no control in the dream state.
A person’s so called ‘temporary weakness’ does not happen all of a sudden. It is the result of prolonged action in his subconscious mind. Lack of awareness about the functioning of the mind results in a sudden fall. This is why I repeatedly ask you to maintain a diary. Who knows when and what the veiled mind will do? Lust, anger, and greed will remain as long as the body remains – they won’t go away. But they should be kept subdued by the power of discrimination. There is filth [mental and physical] in this body. Now, how can we free ourselves from this filth and be at peace, unless we get rid of body-consciousness?
The Visual Portrayal of Swami Vivekananda in American Media
DIANE MARSHALL
(Continued from previous issue. . .)
This research article throws new light on the initial photographs of Swami Vivekananda taken in America, including the famous ‘Chicago pose’ photograph, and also his sketches in the media.
Swami Vivekananda’s first mention of a photograph made of himself in America comes in a letter to Alasinga Perumal dated 2 November 1893. The first known usage of Harrison’s ‘Chicago pose’ is in the 10 December 1893 Minneapolis Star Tribune. A different rendering of it appeared in the Detroit Free Press on 11 February 1894. Two days later, the Detroit Free Press printed an engraving made from an unknown photograph of Swamiji sans turban showing his short haircut. Thebareheaded engraving resembles a photo signed, numbered and dated ’94 by B. L. Snow, indicating that there may have been more poses printed from that sitting. 23 Aside from the cabinet cards that Swamiji took with him to Detroit, he wrote to Ellen Hale on 10 March 1894 about a new set of photographs: about his appearance and that he deferred to the opinions of others regarding his visage.
A publishing rivalry
In Chicago, two rival publishers were hard at work printing their histories of the Parliament of Religions in time for Christmas gift giving. 24 Dr. John Henry Barrows, the Chairman of the Parliament, compiled The World’s Parliament of Religions in two prodigious volumes, which were to his mind, the official and definitive record of events. His book was backed by the Chicago Inter Ocean. Any event of epic proportions, however, needs more than one record. The Chicago Tribune backed the volume edited by Prof. Walter Raleigh Houghton and named for its publisher,
‘The photographer here has sent me some of the pictures he made. They are positively villainous—Mrs. Bagley does not like them at all. The real fact is that between the two photos my face has become so fat and heavy—what can the poor photographers do? Kindly send over four copies of [Harrison’s] photographs.’
This set of ‘villainous’ Detroit photographs, like the ‘angry’ photo that Ram Datta had taken of Ramakrishna, have vanished; so we cannot form aesthetic opinions of them. Swamiji’s letter shows that he was not vain BL-Snow & Detroit Free Press 14 Feb 1894 Diane Marshall is a graphic designer and art historian in the Midwest USA. She writes a history blog using vintage postcards to follow the travels of Swami Vivekananda: Vivekananda Abroad: A Postcard Pilgrimage on Blogger. eoline9@gmail.com
F. Tennyson Neely: Neely’s History of the Parliament of Religions and Religious Congresses at the Columbian Exposition. Unlike Barrows, Houghton was not a Doctor of Divinity. Basically, the Barrows book claimed to be official and authoritative and better quality—it was also more expensive—whereas the Neely book claimed to be impartial and non-sectarian, and it was available for a bargain price. At least readers had a choice. Swamiji himself played absolutely no part in this publishing rivalry, but the inclusion of one of Harrison’s portraits on page 903 indicates that Houghton may have asked him for a photograph. On 5 December 1893 the Tribune announced that Neely’s History was ready for sale.
The standing photograph of Swamiji on page 505 of Neely’s History deserves special consideration. It must have been a second exposure taken at the same time as the previously mentioned group photo of Indian delegates taken at the Fair on 20 September, which appears in Neely’s on page 535. There is strong circumstantial evidence that Blanche L. Snow was the photographer. 25 Photography at the Exposition was tightly controlled. Snow photographed people on the Midway Plaisance and she sold thirty photographs imprinted with her copyright to The Werner Company. 26 The background was painted out of Swamiji’s page 505 photo, and Neely’s copyright inserted below. The photo of Dharmapala on page 405 received the same treatment. However, when this photo of Dharmapala was printed in a Portfolio published by The Werner Company, it bore Snow’s copyright. 27
An engraving was made of Swamiji’s page 505 photo, and it became one of the main illustrations used in the newspaper advertising campaign for Neely’s History. Swamiji stood in the lower right corner beside Kinza Riuge M. Hirai in a full-page ad that ran in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune 15 January 1894. This engraving of Swamiji appeared in newspapers
across the country advertising Neely’s History of the Parliament of Religions.
To use Swamiji’s name as part of a celebrity name-dropping campaign and to illustrate him as a colorful delegate to the Parliament was well within the norm for advertising. The advertisement for Neely’s History inthe Pittsburg Press, however, went a step further. On 19 February 1894 there appeared this extraordinary headline with Swamiji’s picture: ‘Next to the Bible, the Greatest Religious Book is “The Parliament of Religions and Religious Congresses at the Columbian Exposition.”’ In smaller text in the bottom half of the advertisement (not shown) it said: ‘This book, like the Bible, should be in every house and home.’ Surely advertisers of the nineteenth century were just as canny to product placement as they are today. Due to its visual juxtaposition with Swamiji’s image, this ad implies: Next to the Bible, the Greatest next to the Bible-Pittsburg Press
Religious Book is one that contains the words of Swami Vivekananda.
The Philadelphia Inquirer took a more personalized approach to its advertising for Neely’s History of the Parliament of Religions, which the newspaper was selling with coupons. On 23 February 1894 the Inquirer featured an article on Swamiji illustrated with the Neely’s engraving of him. Other foreign delegates had been featured in the Inquirer to promote Neely’s History, and of course all of these portrayals were positive and considerate. Even so, the Inquirer’s article endorsing Swamiji was exceptionally glowing.
As for Barrows’s book, Swamiji’s photo on page 973 Volume II was used by an artist to
Barrows book & Baltimore American 13 Oct 1894 create an engraving of him as ‘The Great Brahmin High Priest’ for the 13 October 1894 Baltimore American. The drawing was neatly executed and the artist signed it with the initials S. K. This pattern continued. The Chicago Tribune drew Swamiji from one of the Harrison portraits for a paid advertisement on 26 November 1893. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle drew Swamiji from the Harrison portrait printed on page 903 of Neely’s History on 30 December 1894. On 6 January 1896 the New York World crudely improvised upon one of Swamiji’s 1895 photographs taken by George Prince. On 2 March 1896 the Detroit Free Press illustrated a different Prince photo. Journalists lavished so many words on Swamiji’s
Harrison & Chicago Tribune 26 Nov 1893
appearance that we feel as if we have seen more pictures of him in the newspapers than actually exist. Words were cheap, but engravings cost money and were seldom spontaneous. 28
The Goes Litho poster
From the quotidian world of newspapers, we move on to the ephemeral medium of posters. In the spring of 1894 word spread in India of Swamiji’s fame in America. An item in the 12 April 1894 Indian Mirror written by a ‘Hindu friend’ regarding an endorsement of Swamiji made by Dharmapala, stated that Swamiji’s ‘life-size portraits’ were ‘hung up in
Geo-Prince photo & Detroit Free Press 2 Mar 1896
the streets of Chicago.’ 29 It further claimed that Americans did ‘obeisance’ to these portraits— which was a misconception. Americans simply did not have the cultural concept of pranama. The image in question, fitting Dharmapala’s description with the words, ‘Monk Vivekananda,’ beneath the figure, was a color poster printed by the Goes Litho Company. It was very likely commissioned by Henry Slayton. I cannot think of anyone else who would have paid for this type of publicity material. Slayton considered Swamiji a financial investment. The posters were no doubt used to advertise his lectures contracted with Slayton.
The 11 November 1893 issue of the weekly New York Dramatic Mirror announced that Swamiji had signed a two-year contract with Slayton Lyceum Bureau. In addition to cabinet cards and pamphlets, advance publicity for Swamiji’s lectures would have included posters. Henry Slayton, who had represented such notable speakers as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, had moved his offices to the Central Music Hall in 1880. Since he was in the same building as Harrison’s photo studio, Slayton was no doubt able to view all of Harrison’s proofs of Swamiji. He must have given a copy of the ‘Chicago pose’ to the poster artist.
Performance posters were time-sensitive materials. Slayton would not have wasted them. They were not posted about the city simply because Swamiji had been a favorite at the Art Institute during the religious congress. Major attractions have dates at the box-office, and in this case the date was 4 December 1893 when Swamiji was booked to speak at the Central Music Hall. 30 It is likely that Slayton himself arranged Swamiji’s 4 December lecture because the 26 November ad in the Tribune stated this would be his ‘first public lecture in Chicago’ i.e., his first public lecture in Chicago sponsored by the Slayton Lyceum Bureau. 31
In 1899 Swamiji met Mrs. Roxie Blodgett in Los Angeles. Blodgett had attended the Parliament of Religions, and she vividly recalled Swamiji’s impact on the audience. 32 She also attended his lectures at the Masonic Temple from 4 to 14 November 1893. 33 The date she left Chicago for California is not known, but she hung one of these large posters of Swamiji on a wall in her home. Some persons described Swamiji’s poster as ‘life-sized’ but it measured
only 22 x 30 inches. It was kiosk size, not billboard size. p re s e n t Swa m i j i ’ s a c h i eve m e n t s i n chronological order.
In style, the lithograph of Swamiji was comparatively discreet and executed in good taste. Goes Litho Company printed many posters for the World’s Columbian Exposition, and reproductions of its Chicago Day poster are still available. 34 They also printed posters for Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show. The paper was relatively flimsy, 50 lb., so it could be easily pasted. Agents for these posters knew where to place them to attract attention.
When did Swamiji first see the poster of himself? He must have had a shock when he returned from the empty, snow-swept plains of Kansas on 2 December to see his portrait plastered along Chicago streets in places where theatrical attractions were usually advertised. 35 Assuming that Slayton himself had rented the 2000-seat auditorium of the Central Music Hall for Swamiji’s talk, it appears that he was taking no chances on ticket sales.
On 6 July 1894 the Indian Mirror reported on a meeting that took place at the Minerva Theatre in Calcutta on 14 May and in this account it clarified Dharmapala’s earlier alleged remarks about Swamiji’s poster stating sensibly: ‘The picture of Swami Vivekananda was placarded all over the city of Chicago, with the advertisement announcing that he was to deliver lectures at such and such place on such and such a subject.’ 36 This explanation suggests to me that a strip of paper with the venue details was pasted over the poster, and this smaller type was what pedestrians paused to read. Dharmapala’s remarks, as they were reported by the Mirror, appeared to suggest that posters of Swamiji coincided with the Parliament of Religions, but Dharmapala was under no obligation to
The artist who executed the crayon drawing for the poster is unknown, but may also have had studio space in the Central Music Hall. Swamiji is basically well drawn, but his facial expression is rather stiff. The artist failed to capture the air of confidence expressed in h i s p h o t o g r a p h . Considering the exuberant freedom exhibited by posters of the era, this work is comparatively restrained. It must have been mechanically enlarged. In Photoshop it fits the Harrison waist-length arms-crossed portrait exactly. Its caption displays the wonderfully organic, inventive typography of the 1890s. In practice, poster creation was collaborative: the artist would colorfill an outline offsite on rice paper, and the Goes employee would retouch the plate, either zinc or limestone, with Korn’s litho crayons finishing all colors and edges. It was printed on a flat bed, steam-driven press. A separate plate was created for each color, and each sheet was hand registered and dried between colors. 37 Swamiji autographed the copy that is held by the Vedanta Society of Berkeley. It is inscribed to Hollister Sturges, ‘All strength and success be yours is the constant prayer of your friend, Vivekananda.’ Even though it is now faded, this ephemeral paper portrait from the 1890s, the great heyday of the art lithograph poster, is a national treasure. As a work of art, the Goes poster might be regarded as Orientalist, but considering how Swamiji actually dressed and comported himself in the West, it is a faithful presentation of his larger than life personality.
Study of the dissemination and repetition of Swamiji’s ‘Chicago pose’ over the years in India constitutes a separate chapter in the life of this icon. (Concluded.) All strength and success be yours is the constant prayer of your friend, Vivekananda.
23) East Meets West. Chetanananda, 2 nd Ed. p. 66. 24)Eoline, “A publishing rivalry in Chicago,” Vivekananda
Abroad A Postcard Pilgrimage, posted 3 January 2017. https://vivekanandaabroad.blogspot. com/2017/01/chicago-il-december-1893.html 25)Snow was skilled at manipulating negatives in the darkroom. Evidently she painted out the background of the second exposure of the group of Indian delegates to create two individual photographs of Vivekananda and Dharmapala. Snow’s signed portrait of Vivekananda also had its background painted out. Snow’s skill at altering photos was described in “Copyright Matters,” The Publishers Weekly: Volume 54 January 1, 1898 pp. 1076, 1077. 26)Snow filed a lawsuit on 20 January 1894 against persons who were copying her work. United States Circuit Court of Appeals Reports V39 (Rochester, NY:
Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Co. 1900) p. 311. 27)Snow added a chain with a Greek cross to the photo of Dharmapala printed in the Portfolio of Photographs of the World’s Fair No. 10, (Chicago, The Werner Company & Maine Central Railroad: 1894). The same chain and cross was double-exposed on the photo of a tea merchant paired with Virchand
Ghandi. 28)“Setting the type for a single page costs but a few dollars, but it may contain a fine wood engraving which alone costs a couple of hundred dollars.” Los
Angeles Herald, 6 August 1893, p. 9. 29) Vivekananda in Indian Newspapers (1893-1902).
Sankari Prasad Basu, Ed. (Calcutta: Dineshchandra Basu, Basu Bhattacharya & Co. Ltd. 1969) p. 17.
Digital Library of India Item 2015.125298 30)Ray Ellis, “Swami Vivekananda in Chicago” Vedanta
Kesari, August 1995, p. 310. 31)Members of the public certainly attended the talks at the Parliament of Religions, but that free event was not at all like a lecture that the public had to buy tickets for. Swamiji’s lectures at the Masonic Temple and other places in Chicago prior to 4 December were sponsored by various clubs, churches and charitable organizations. 32)Reminiscence of Josephine MacLeod, p. 247.
Pravrajika Anandaprana, “Swamiji in Southern California,” Vedanta and the West, (November
December 1962) 39-40. 33)A letter from Mrs. S. K. Blodgett to Josephine
MacLeod dated September 2, 1902. Prabuddha
Bharata, July 1963. 34)“Goes Lithographing Company–printers of the trade since 1879”: http://news.goeslitho.com/the-historyof-goes/. Accessed 5 October 2018. 35)Swamiji gave a talk on “The Manners and Customs of
India” in Hiawatha, KS on 1 December 1893. Kansas
Democrat (Hiawatha, KS: 14 December 1893) p. 6. 36) Vivekananda in Indian Newspapers (1969). Basu, Ed. p. 28. 37)Charles B. Goes IV believes that in 1893 his greatgrandfather used both limestones for smaller images and zinc plates for large images. Email to author, 8 October 2018.
Reminiscences of Sargachhi
(Continued from page 18...)
The humbler you become, the more victorious you will be. If you browbeat people, you may get their salutation. But if you want to win their hearts, you must love them with your heart. As is the action, so is the reaction.
There is no leader, none!—who can show you the way. What is lacking most is the heart.
Association and identification are two different concepts. Through avarana and vikshepa—the power of veiling and distraction—I have become identified with this body; I believe I am this body. But when I say ’my shirt’, it signifies association. I have identified myself with the body and feel the association of the shirt with this body. I can never identify myself with anything other than my body. Identification = permanent association. Association = temporary identification. (To be continued. . .)
Hanuman, I’m Waiting for You
Dim... dim... dim...
‘Come listen to the wonderful tale of Hanuman,’ cried the storyteller standing at the street corner, playing on a little drum. Naren ran out of the house, joining the small crowd that had begun to gather.
Squeezing through to the front, he looked up at the old man and asked, ‘Hanuman was fearless, wasn’t he sir?’
‘He must have been very hungry,’ Naren suggested. The storyteller smiled broadly. This little boy with curly hair and bright eyes seemed just as spirited as the Bajarang Bali.
Naren’s eyes grew big with excitement and he held his breath.
‘Suddenly Hanuman’s mother heard a shout and she saw a man running towards her…what is the matter, she asked him…your son, he wailed… he is eating all the bananas in my grove…’ GITANJALI MURARI A fictional narrative based on incidents from the childhood of Swami Vivekananda.
‘There is one in our neighbourhood,’ Naren cried and turning around, ran all the way, reaching the orchard out of breath and red in the face.
The large banana leaves shaded the ripening fruit from the afternoon sun. ‘Hanuman must be here,’ Naren murmured. ‘There is plenty for him to eat…’ and began to search, calling out loudly for the god, peering at every tree. After circling the entire grove, Naren decided he would wait. ‘It is too hot right now…I am sure Hanuman will come when the sun begins to set…’ Choosing a tree laden with bananas, he settled under it, watching out for any sudden movement.
The sun began to dip below the horizon, darkness slowly stealing into the orchard. It was becoming difficult for Naren to see. Still, he searched to the left, to the right, up in the branches, and behind the trees. ‘Please come fast Hanuman,’ he called out. ‘I can’t stay much longer…my mother must be getting worried…’ But he heard only the sound of crickets in the grass and the hoot of an owl in a tree. When the stars came out and the moon rose high in the sky, Naren burst into tears and casting a sad look around, slowly walked away.
‘Baba,’ Naren flung himself at his father. ‘What happened? Why are you crying?’ Vishwanath gathered him up in his arms.
Naren mulled over his father’s words. ‘You are right baba,’ he beamed, after a little while. ‘Work kept him away…or else how could he have resisted so many ripe bananas!’
Faith, faith, faith in ourselves, faith, faith in God — this is the secret of greatness. — Swami Vivekananda
