Charm of Devotional music
I am not saying I will start visiting places of worship as soon as this lock down is lifted. I am not even saying currently I pray to the God, bow before him. But I am really thinking there is some thing about bhakti - devotion.
Or at least devotional music. Devotional music makes us calmer if not better. It does not matter what language or even what God it is about.
In the good old days, I think it was before all this Jio data revolution. Mobile data was not cheap and music streaming was not what house-wives did. Those days I used to listen to FM radio in the mornings. Many stations used to broadcast devotional songs from 6 to 6:30. And beginning my days with those bhakti geet was good. I used to love those mornings. And I was a semi-atheist that time too.
And I heard some church songs or christian devotional songs in the TV show Glee. Loved them immensely.
So the question arises - why do devotional music sound so good? Is it because of my age? Or is it because the other category - love songs are supposedly sinful? Some of those old Hindi movie songs - romantic songs have such beautiful lyrics and such melodious tunes. Why do we still prefer devotional music?
Or do we believe that listening to these will wash away our sins? You know that story of very miserly, wicked old man calling out his son by name "Narayana" on his deathbed and going to heaven after death. So do we believe that singing "indu enage govinda..." will reserve ours seats in heaven?:)
Now which one do you prefer?
bol na halke halke
or
thumak chalata ramachandra
Let us try to understand why a person will be religious or not. Is it fear of death? Or is it basis of morality? Or as I keep saying again and again, it is some kind of hope in desperate situations?
A little bit of reading of an article from PsychologyToday told me that the religiousness of a person depends - control, genetics and groups. That is a person who is in control of himself and his life is less likely to be religious (overly at least) than a person who is not. If your parents and your siblings are religious, chances are you also tend to be religious. And a person from western world is less likely to be religious than a country like India or Egypt.
So to be religious - or to be irreligious is not exactly your choice. Is it? If I were brought up in an orthodox family, I might not have been irreligious person. Then I wouldn't have wondered why devotional music appeals to me rather than film music.
But some times one needs to ask oneself. Why did the man create God?
What a sacrilege? She is asking why did the man create the God - instead of asking why did the God create man? She is a leftist sinner. Send her to quarantine.
No, seriously you need to ask. All over the world, from the stone ages, to mobile age, why does man has this immense need for God? Is it because of fear or of awe?
Or at least devotional music. Devotional music makes us calmer if not better. It does not matter what language or even what God it is about.
In the good old days, I think it was before all this Jio data revolution. Mobile data was not cheap and music streaming was not what house-wives did. Those days I used to listen to FM radio in the mornings. Many stations used to broadcast devotional songs from 6 to 6:30. And beginning my days with those bhakti geet was good. I used to love those mornings. And I was a semi-atheist that time too.
And I heard some church songs or christian devotional songs in the TV show Glee. Loved them immensely.
So the question arises - why do devotional music sound so good? Is it because of my age? Or is it because the other category - love songs are supposedly sinful? Some of those old Hindi movie songs - romantic songs have such beautiful lyrics and such melodious tunes. Why do we still prefer devotional music?
Or do we believe that listening to these will wash away our sins? You know that story of very miserly, wicked old man calling out his son by name "Narayana" on his deathbed and going to heaven after death. So do we believe that singing "indu enage govinda..." will reserve ours seats in heaven?:)
Now which one do you prefer?
bol na halke halke
or
thumak chalata ramachandra
Let us try to understand why a person will be religious or not. Is it fear of death? Or is it basis of morality? Or as I keep saying again and again, it is some kind of hope in desperate situations?
A little bit of reading of an article from PsychologyToday told me that the religiousness of a person depends - control, genetics and groups. That is a person who is in control of himself and his life is less likely to be religious (overly at least) than a person who is not. If your parents and your siblings are religious, chances are you also tend to be religious. And a person from western world is less likely to be religious than a country like India or Egypt.
So to be religious - or to be irreligious is not exactly your choice. Is it? If I were brought up in an orthodox family, I might not have been irreligious person. Then I wouldn't have wondered why devotional music appeals to me rather than film music.
But some times one needs to ask oneself. Why did the man create God?
What a sacrilege? She is asking why did the man create the God - instead of asking why did the God create man? She is a leftist sinner. Send her to quarantine.
No, seriously you need to ask. All over the world, from the stone ages, to mobile age, why does man has this immense need for God? Is it because of fear or of awe?
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