Music Excels Religion
Many in the world take music as a source of amusement, a pastime,
and to many music is an art and a musician an entertainer. Yet no
one has lived in this world and has thought and felt, who has not
considered music as the most sacred of all arts, for the fact is
that what the art of painting cannot clearly suggest, poetry explains
in words; but that which even a poet finds difficult to express
in poetry is expressed in music. By this I do not only say that
music is superior to art and poetry, but in point of fact music
excels religion; for music raises the soul of man even higher than
the so-called external forms of religion.
By this it must not be understood that music can take the place
of religion; for every soul is not necessarily tuned to that pitch
where it can really benefit by music, nor is every music necessarily
so high that it will exalt a person who hears it more than religion
will do. However, for those who follow the path of the inner cult,
music is essential for their spiritual development. The reason is
that the soul who is seeking for that is in search of the formless
God. Art no doubt is most elevating, but at the same time it contains
form; poetry has words, names suggestive of form; it is only music
which has beauty, power, charm and at the same time can raise the
soul beyond form.
That is why in ancient times the greatest of the prophets were great
musicians. For instance, among the Hindu prophets one finds Narada,
the prophet who was a musician at the same time, and Shiva, a God-like
prophet, who was the inventor of the sacred Vina. Krishna is always
pictured with a flute.
There is also a well-known legend of the life of Moses, which says
that Moses heard a divine command on Mount Sinai in the words: Muse
Ke, Moses hark; and the revelation that thus came to him was of
tone and rhythm, and he called it by the same name, Musik; and the
words such as Music and Musike have come from that word. David’s
song and verse have been known for ages; his message was given in
the form of music. Orpheus of the Greek legends, the knower of the
mystery of tone and rhythm, had by this knowledge power over the
hidden forces of nature. The Hindu goddess of beauty, of knowledge,
whose name is Sarasvati, is always pictured with the Vina. And what
does it suggest? It suggests that all harmony has its essence in
music. And besides the natural charm music possesses, it has also
a magic charm that can be experienced even now. It seems that the
human race has lost a great deal of the ancient science of magic,
but if there remains any magic it is music.
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