About Healing Music
From Yoga Siddhi Raga Sagara; Jones Hall for the Performing Arts; June 29, 2019
Based on the ancient Indian Raga Ragini tradition, Sri Swamiji developed a musical system in which specific Ragas (sequences of notes) are connected with specific body regions, elements, and others. The musicians play according to the rules of the Indian notation system and they play with classical Indian instruments like the violin, flute, ghatam, mrdangam, and morsing. Sri Swamiji plays a specially prepared synthesizer which He compares to the Veena, an old Indian string instrument.
Concert attendees report about the refreshing, soothing, and relaxing effect of this music. Experiences gained while listening to this music may be the basis to more inner growth, peace, and balance. For over 30 years Sri Swamiji and His musicians have given concerts all over the world. In 1987 they were in the West for the first time - in the Netherlands - and since then have played in very prestigious concert halls like the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Lincoln Center in New York, the Esplanade in Singapore, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and the Tonhalle in Zurich. The two largest concerts of Sri Swamiji's took place in the La Bahadur stadium in Hyderabad, India, once in 1996 and once in 2006, with each concert grossing more than 100,000 attendees.
These concerts have a meditative feature to them and serve as gateways to relaxation and betterment from the stresses and strains of life. Sri Swamiji recommends those attending His Mediation and Healing concerts sit in a comfortable position and allow themselves to merge as one with the music, as the music can take full effect only when the mind is calmed. Sri Swamiji considers this music to be His medicine and uses it brilliantly during various Music Therapy Sessions. During the 2015 concert at the aforementioned Sydney Opera House in Australia, Sri Swamiji performed a music therapy session. There were over 1,800 participants, awarding Sri Swamiji with the Guinness World Record for the largest music therapy session worldwide.
"The [devaloka] singers like Nandi, Bhrungi, Narada, Tumbura etc. have incarnated as the [musician-bhaktas] spreading the message of philosophy and devotion at all places like villages, towns and cities. Kanakadasa and Purandaradasa in Kannada, Muthuswamy Dikshitar in Sanskrit, Tyagaraja in Telugu, Meerabai in Vraja (old Hindi), Namadeva and Jnanadeva in Marathi etc. The principles of the three paths to moksha are Karma, Bhakti and Jnana (the paths of action, devotion and knowledge) which were propagated by these [musician-bhaktas]. Further, many great souls have popularized these Principles in prose, poetry, songs, music, dance, drama and folk arts." - Puttu Gam