"Music & the Search for God"

"Those who do not know how to sing and dance
will never reach God..."

 Swami Kripalvanandji, ("Kripalu")
 called "Bapuji" by his disciples
 Bapuji's teachings were the inspiration for Kripalu Yoga
 as founded by Yogi Amrit Desai
 (click photo to view larger version)

"If God is the wind. then we should become the fragrance which is borne on the wind: If God is the river, then we should become the boat which is carried by the current; we must become the flute of the Merciful Lord, and play the tunes that he breathes into our being.

"Music holds a very high place in the practice of yoga. I would even say that without music, it is impossible to attain to the Lord. For the Lord himself is music. In Indian we say "Nada Brahma" which means Sound is God. It is just like the place in the Bible where it says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God." If we live a musical life, we can say that we are living a life of sadhana, a spiritual life. Music is the greatest intoxicant in the world. When one is totally intoxicated by music he goes into samadhi.

"Then there is another aspect of music, and that is dancing. Dance purifies the body, and music purifies the mind. If we use music for its purest purpose, it will not fail to bring us the highest results. In the spiritual life of India, two main manifestations of God are worshiped: that of Lord Shiva, and that of Lord Krishna. Both are great musicians and master dancers. My experience shows me that those who do not know how to sing and dance will never reach God. For, in deep meditation, when prana begins to effortlessly rise, music and dance are born from within. This is not the result of conscious intention, it simply is an expression of prana. So, dance is a part of meditation, and does not disturb that meditation.

"This spontaneous dance has two phases: at first, the dance has external, movements. Gradually these movements cease, until there is complete stillness, externally. Yet the dance is continuing inside. This kind of music and dance are the very highest kind of sadhana, the very highest methods of purification of mind and body."

(quote from a lecture given in the USA in the 1980s)