Pandit Divyang Vakil https://panditdivyangvakil.com Tabla, Rhythm, Composer, Guru, Guide Mon, 17 Jul 2023 09:45:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.3 https://panditdivyangvakil.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/cropped-Fevicon-32x32.png Pandit Divyang Vakil https://panditdivyangvakil.com 32 32 “I” is The Obstacle https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2013/09/12/i-is-the-obstacle/ https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2013/09/12/i-is-the-obstacle/#comments Thu, 12 Sep 2013 10:13:05 +0000 https://divyangvakil.com/?p=787
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"I" is The Obstacle

What is the obstacle to discovering Ultimate Truth?

There is a beautiful Sūfi poem in Hindī:

Ek Bastu, Ek Biṁb Hai
Main Dono Ke Bīc (Beech)
Jab Main, Main Se chūṭ Gayā
Sāhib Rahyo Samīj

Translation

Everything is one. All matter is the same. When we look behind all matter, still, existence is one.
Because I am here surrounded by all matter, when “I” look at it, everything looks different,
But when I come out of the grip of the “I” (ego)
Only God, pure existence, remains there in front of me.

What exactly is this poet talking about?

We can’t see the forest for the trees!
There is only one truth. Everything else in the world is just “matter”. Matter; that, quite frankly, doesn’t matter. Essentially, all matter is the same. Things may look, smell, taste, sound, or feel different from one another, but that is just because our senses are limited. When everything is distilled down to its pure essence, everything is exactly the same. To put it simply, everything is energy.
Because we are surrounded by matter and we depend on our senses and mind to experience our surroundings, everything we see around us seems to be unique. Even when we try to look more closely, dissect what we see, and examine the components of our surroundings, everything looks different. Through our senses we cannot identify the oneness that surrounds us. It is only when we allow ourselves to separate ourselves from our mind and our senses and experience the world through our TRUE self, the Ātman, self, that we can see that everything is part of the same oneness. And it is at that time that we can see and understand that this Oneness, this same existence, is God; Ānand ; Bliss; Truth.
The mind doesn’t even have the ability to register Oneness, because the mind can only see things in parts. The mind is just like a computer screen. It actually creates thoughts and images in a similar way to putting together millions of pixels. So because of this, the mind is always dissecting everything that it gets from the senses into pieces, labeling those pieces, and filing them in our database for future reference. This is the job of the mind, and it serves a very useful purpose in our day-to-day existence!
What we all need to remember is that fact that you are NOT your mind. Every person is a unique soul, a pure soul that is temporarily occupying a particular body and mind. When you can learn to separate your true Ātman self from your body and mind, you can begin to experience this Oneness.
This is what is meant by removing the “I”. This is in reference to the “I” that we imagine ourselves to be; our ego. When we remove the ego, remove the mind, and remove the body, then all that remains is the observer, the experiencer, the pure soul: the Ātman self.
Therefore, everything that you think of as “yours” is not yours. If you are holding “your pen,” you are not “a pen”; you are yourself, and you possess a pen which is a separate entity. The same is true when you talk about your mind and body! So when you remove everything that can be declared as “yours” (which as we’ve seen is not synonymous with “you”), then you are left with the Ātman self. This is your true ‘I’. It’s simple deductive reasoning!
So what the author is saying in his poem is that everything is one, but being entrenched in the worldly matter that surrounds him, he interprets everything as being different. But when he removes the ego and mind from his true existence, all that remains is the Oneness that is God or Ultimate Truth.
]]> https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2013/09/12/i-is-the-obstacle/feed/ 171560 Swarūpa- Your Inner Form https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2013/06/01/swarupa-your-inner-form/ https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2013/06/01/swarupa-your-inner-form/#comments Sat, 01 Jun 2013 10:24:00 +0000 https://divyangvakil.com/?p=680
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Swarūpa- Your Inner Form

Your inner form is called swarūpa. Nothingness is the true form of our nature as human beings. Because our nature is nothingness, it means that there is nothing there. Our true form is always in a very peaceful, or paramaśānt, state. Vices are all a result of thought. We need a tool that can help us manage and control our thoughts. That tool is meditation. If we did not need to learn how to control our thoughts, we wouldn’t need meditation. Meditation is a system that can help you rediscover your true form, your true swarūpa. How can this be done?
You unknowingly lost your swarūpa. This is because of ignorance. Let’s investigate these concepts more deeply.
Because of ignorance, you live in a state of “doing” rather than a state of “being”, and because of this, your ego comes into play. Because of ego comes attachment, because of attachment comes greed, and because of greed comes anger, and as a result, we wrap ourselves in negative layers like a cocoon. Your paramaswārūpa, your true form, gets covered by all of these layers, and this is the root of suffering.
Because of ego, there exists duality. You perceive Nature and Creator as different, while in actuality they are one. Nature is the body of the creator. Everything that you see, you see as nature, or as matter. But you need to see the pure existence behind the matter! But you don’t know how to see nature as a pure existence. Rather, you see things as separate, confined by names and forms. Because of this approach of looking at things, all forms of the same true existence appear differently. The question is: How does one go back and recognize their own True form? Somehow, we have become detached from our true form. How do you mentally shift from a “doer” state to a “viewer” state?
The connection we have to our minds is the main limitation. The mind by nature is limited because it is matter; because it is matter, it has no capacity to unite with a limitless state. Mind, in the sense used here, is the same as the “ego”. We understand our mind through thoughts, thoughts produced by our ego ‘I’. This is what creates confusion. You are considering your ego ‘I’ as your real ‘I’, your real Self, True Self, or ātman Self. But this is false. That eternally peaceful divine Self that you want to experience is there, but you have to make an effort to come out from the ‘I’ that is ego. One way to do this is through deductive reasoning. By removing everything that you are NOT, you can isolate the True you. I am not the body. I am not the mind. I am not ‘thoughts’. I am not ‘breath’. Whatever you can say is “mine” can not be the True Self.
Just like a tree, the True form may be obscured behind all of the branches and leaves. All of these little branches and leaves will shed and regrow and change, but they are not the Real tree. You have to look at what is behind everything.
It’s as if you are learning and playing tabla compositions in Teentāl / Tīntāl (16 beats). If you just learn the compositions, your focus will only be on the mechanics of the music and you will not understand what is behind them. If you want to have a deeper experience, you will understand that there is one continuous nāda behind it. [pure sound] That is the True beauty of teentaal. The composition is like a movie playing on the screen that is nāda. We have a habit of focusing on the moving pictures projected on the screen rather than the actual screen itself. The screen is what is real. This habit is due to ignorance. If you learn to see the screen, your mental confusion will lessen. The films may change––today’s Tīntāl is tomorrow’s rūpak taal (7 beat rhythm cycle)––but the screen always remains the same.
The screen that remains the same is akin to your True Self. However, we focus all of our attention on our thoughts which are always changing. Often, we are not even aware that there is a screen! The mind is like a factory of mass produced thoughts. These thoughts have you running here and there in search of worldly pleasures. And because of ignorance, you perceive your thoughts as part of a sequence. But thoughts are not actually moving in sequence. Rather, they are still frames played in sequence. In between all of these thoughts, or all of these still frames, are small spaces of nothingness. That gap is where you need to focus. If you focus on these gaps, you can see the screen. This is the place where your Self is sitting forever. As you learn to focus on the gaps rather than on the illusion of a continuous sequence, over time, you’ll no longer focus on the moving pictures. If there are no pictures, then you are in a paramaśānt state.
It is only because of habit that we look at the pictures and fail to see the gap or the screen. Once you can train yourself to have a habit of focusing on the gap, you will no longer see the pictures. This is the process for coming out from the grip of the mind and reconnecting with the True Self.
When you come out from the grip of your Ego I state, you will immediately connect with the True I state that is a viewer state, not a doer state. The viewer state is there by default, but the cloud of your Ego ‘I’ is covering it with a dark shadow. This prevents you from seeing your True ‘I’. As you remove that cloud, you will be showered in the light of your True Existence, your True Self. And the nature of that True Self is ānand . This is where you find pure bliss.
When we do the experiment of neti, which means the deductive reasoning of what you are not, what do we find? When we take away everything that is not I, it allows us to find the True I. But it can never take you farther than “I am not my breath”. Why will it never take it beyond your breath? Because our intellect cannot go further than the breath. The process of neti is dependent on your intellect which is what is saying “I am not this, I am that.”
So with your intellect, you can deny everything that is not “you” until you get to your breath. But when you state that you are not your breath, the ‘I’ that makes that statement is the Ego, and that Ego will remain. The thought of your Ego ‘I’ is the first thing that corrupted you when you began in your True Form. That must be the first thought of your Ego ‘I’. And from that Ego ‘I’ come all your other thoughts. When you reach the last level of your Ego ‘I’, what needs to be done? You have to understand where that ego came from.
So we know that only the Ego ‘I’ remains, so how do we get rid of that? In order to do that we need to understand where it came from and how it was created.
Was it created in the brain? No. It was born in your heart. The first thought always comes from the heart – not the physical heart, but the Mind Heart. Today’s science is beginning to speak a lot about the Mind Heart. So the first thought of your Ego ‘I’ was born in your Mind Heart. We get confused by words and semantics, and because of words, we don’t know how to see things properly. You may think that Existence is Truth and that the world is māyā . At the same time, you say that whatever exists has existence and is Truth. This means that the whole concept of your māyā came from nothing. If you just see each and every creature as a being with Existence, then it is no longer māyā. If you see each creature as matter, then it remains as māyā. This duality comes from ignorance. Otherwise there is no point to have two names for the same things. Everything is pure existence; Oneness. But because of ignorance, you have made everything into two; Duality.
]]> https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2013/06/01/swarupa-your-inner-form/feed/ 171560 In Memory of RasBhai https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2012/10/07/in-memory-of-rasbhai/ https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2012/10/07/in-memory-of-rasbhai/#comments Sun, 07 Oct 2012 08:37:52 +0000 https://divyangvakil.com/?p=1180
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In Memory of RāsBhāi

Today, I received unfortunate news about the death of my friend and colleague Srī Rās Bihārī Desāī, whom I called Rāsbhāi.
When I heard the news, my mind immediately went back to a morning long ago when I received a phone call at 5am.
It was Rāsbhāi on the other end.
“Divyāng bhāi, please listen to this. I know I’ve woken you up, but you must listen to this. We’ll talk after,” he said. Before I could really say anything, I heard the sound of drumming on the line. The patterns were set in miśra jāti.
After about 50 seconds, he came back on the phone.
“Who is that?” I asked.
“It is a bird. It is on the water bowl for birds. It’s actually dancing on it. I’ve been watching him for the last 40 minutes. I was thinking that I must call something and realized that I had to share it with you. That is why I called you so early in the morning.”
He actually recorded the bird dancing that day. I told him when we met next that I wanted to hear the whole thing. We met several times soon after that, but never at his home. Time, as it always does, passed by and today when I heard of his passing, I recall our agreement to listen to the bird dancing together and how that never came to be.
Rāsbhāi and I shared many memories together. He was one of my favourite Gujarātī singers. He was a good-hearted and knowledgeable person with a deep interest in philosophy. For the last 30 years, he has been using my students as his tabla player whenever possible. He was always a supporter of my work and I of his.
I pray to God that his soul will have the greatest place in heaven.
]]> https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2012/10/07/in-memory-of-rasbhai/feed/ 171560 What is sādhanā ? https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2010/09/07/what-is-sadhana/ https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2010/09/07/what-is-sadhana/#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:44:59 +0000 https://divyangvakil.com/?p=826
As mentioned before, one can do sādhanā of many different subjects. But the ultimate goal is one and the same: the experience of Truth, which occurs in a mindless condition. The three most direct paths to reach a mindless condition are yoga, music, and Tantra. It is important to understand that there is not one single path or sādhanā that everyone can do. Each person is unique and so their path is unique, but there are similar experiences that sādhak share as they move towards a common goal.

What is sādhanā ?

The word sādhanā comes from the word sādhya, which means “to achieve” or “to aim or focus”. Any intense practice that is done with 100% focus is called sādhanā.
Sādhanā is a long path. To do sādhanā, one requires great patience. sādhanā can be done in any subject, be it music, yoga, archery or any other practical art. The goal of sādhanā is to become one with the subject, to reach a point where there is no distinction between the subject practiced and the practitioner. For this, you have to focus all your energy on the subject in order to achieve mastery.
To become one with the subject, one must go to the bīj or “seed” of the subject, from where it emerges.
The bīj of the subject is the purest state of the subject, its root. For example, in music, the root of any instrument is pure sound or in the language of Vedānta – Ōṃ (Aum). From there, everything that is called “music” emerges. Like the beej of any other subject, the bīj of music – pure sound – can be called by many names: Truth, Ultimate Reality, Existence, etc. Thus, if one goes to the root of any subject through sādhanā, one experiences ultimate knowledge or Truth. So we can also say that the highest goal of sādhanā is to experience Truth. The subject is the medium, and gaining mastery over it is the practical outcome. The sādhanā or intense practice of a subject takes the sādhak or practitioner from the material level to higher spiritual levels, where he can ultimately go to the subject’s root and experience Truth.
Truth is not something that can be taught. It is something that must be experienced or self-realized. Unfortunately, in today’s society, the education practice is such that we are given ready-made information that we have to accept rather than discovering it through our own understanding. It is a system that creates more believers than seekers.
Truth needs no belief; Truth is being. It is eternal – śāśwata. Even if Truth itself comes to you and tells you to believe, you must not believe. Because that belief will make that Truth a lie. Truth itself is not a lie, but your belief of it without experience is wrong. Truth never creates beliefs. Truth is Truth. When you have any experience, your belief turns into knowledge and that is Truth.
What are the obstacles that come in the way of experiencing Truth? The biggest obstacle is your mind. Everything – your beliefs, ideas, concepts, thoughts and information – are all the clouds that conceal the Truth from you. Until you disconnect from these things, you cannot experience Truth, as it can only be experienced in the absence of the conscious mind. It is through sādhanā that one can reach a “mindless” condition.
As mentioned before, one can do sādhanā of many different subjects. But the ultimate goal is one and the same: the experience of Truth, which occurs in a mindless condition. The three most direct paths to reach a mindless condition are yoga, music, and Tantra. It is important to understand that there is not one single path or sādhanā that everyone can do. Each person is unique and so their path is unique, but there are similar experiences that sādhak share as they move towards a common goal.
]]> https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2010/09/07/what-is-sadhana/feed/ 171560 Death (Lecture Excerpt) https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2010/01/02/death-lecture-excerpt/ https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2010/01/02/death-lecture-excerpt/#comments Sat, 02 Jan 2010 10:05:21 +0000 https://divyangvakil.com/?p=1202
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Death (Lecture Excerpt)

Death is a mystery for human beings. Man always tries his best to understand death. All religions, scriptures, and philosophers have struggled to understand death. The failure to understand death is the reason we fear it.
The man who believes in rebirth has a fear of death and the man who does not believe in rebirth also has a fear of death.
We have always viewed death with fear. We need to change that attitude. Once you change your attitude towards death, it will no longer be a feared subject. We fear death because it is not an experience of this life. In fact, it is the beginning of a new life.
The way you end your present life is very much connected to the way you begin your new life. If you end this life in fear, your next life will begin with that fear. For death and life are the two banks of the same river.
If we don’t understand why we have a fear of death, that fear will not cease. The topic of death is a very serious topic. Society stands upon the fear of death. Man is always trying to ignore death.
There are four pillars of philosophy: wonder, doubt, criticism, and death. Greek philosophers consider wonder as the primary source of philosophy. Decartes considered doubt to be the primary source. Philosophers like Kant consider criticism as the primary source of philosophy. Death is also considered the primary source of a vast number of philosophies.
]]> https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2010/01/02/death-lecture-excerpt/feed/ 171560 The Secret for Growth https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2010/01/01/the-secret-for-growth/ https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2010/01/01/the-secret-for-growth/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 10:19:12 +0000 https://divyangvakil.com/?p=1210

The Secret for Growth

It is always my wish and prayer that my students and all those that I know will grow with each passing year. As we begin 2010, I would like to share a small story that illuminates a secret for growth, whether in your spiritual life, professional life, or personal life.
Tānsen had been appointed as a musician in Akbar’s court. In his times, to become a court musician was a major accomplishment. You were given immense resources – a palace to live in, an elephant to move around on, etc. It was a musician’s dream. Upon receiving this news, he made the long journey to visit his Gurū Swāmī Haridās deep in the forest. After sharing the news, he bowed at the feet of his teacher and sought his blessings.
“I am very happy that you have accomplished so much. Always stay like this,” his Gurū said, “if you want to continue to grow.”
Tansen rose and asked him to explain.
“Observe the posture of one seeking to climb a mountain. He is always leaning forward, keeping his head bowed. Observe the posture of one going down a mountain. He stands tall with his chest out. If you want to reach great heights, you must keep your head bowed and keep your ego in check. When you stand tall, you will no longer be able to go higher.”
Tansen got the message.
]]> https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2010/01/01/the-secret-for-growth/feed/ 171560 Mantra (Lecture Excerpt) https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2009/12/16/mantra-lecture-excerpt/ https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2009/12/16/mantra-lecture-excerpt/#comments Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:30:27 +0000 https://divyangvakil.com/?p=1220
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Mantra (Lecture Excerpt)

Mantra is a sound formula. It is a vibratory composition. Commonly people understand stutis and ślokas as mantras, but real mantras do not carry any dictionary words.
A mantra is just a sound graph.
There are three types of mantras,: female, male and eunuch. Each type of mantra creates its own effect.
What will you realize by mantra? First, it will take you out of the torments you suffer from due to your thoughts and you will have a new vision. The new vision will be that the cosmos is not anything but Śiva and Śaktī; sat and cit; station and motion.
]]> https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2009/12/16/mantra-lecture-excerpt/feed/ 171560 State of Today’s Indian Classical Music Concerts https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2009/03/31/state-of-todays-indian-classical-music-concerts/ https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2009/03/31/state-of-todays-indian-classical-music-concerts/#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:46:33 +0000 https://divyangvakil.com/?p=1230

State of Today’s Indian Classical Music Concerts

A musician needs two types of people in the audience – those who really understand the depth of the music and those who may not understand its full depth, but offer financial support for the musician.
Commercial music concerts of Indian classical music have changed over the last two to three decades. On the good side, it is becoming more financially possible to be a classical musician; on the bad side, audiences with a deep understanding of music are decreasing.
There was a time when the first five rows of commercial concerts were reserved for people who deeply understood music. Rich people in suits and expensive Kurtās were actually seated behind these rows. Only then did the artist get into the mood to play real music because there were people who understood it.
I remember one concert that happened in Ahmedabad 20-30 years ago. It was a concert of a well-known musician who was travelling abroad. A short time into the concert, the audience had stopped the concert. Five people were on stage. They asked the musician not to play Palṭās. If he was to play, he had to play real music or there was no need for the concert. This was the strength of the audience. There was no room for gimmicks. The audience understood Indian classical music and did not accept anything less than true playing.
Today, things have changed. Today, in many commercial concerts, the financial supporters, who often do not have a very deep understanding of music, are the ones who occupy the front rows, while those who understand music, the students and connoisseurs, end up sitting in some corner. The demand for high-quality has decreased, and the artist consequently does not play that kind of music because it is not expected of him.
You can clearly see the changes in commercial concerts. Commercial concerts of a single artist used to begin at 8pm and end at least 3-4 hours later. Now, they finish in a span of 45 – 90 minutes. The ālāp alone used to last 1 – 2 hours. Now, we hear perhaps a 5 minute ālāp and 2-3 Rāgas in that time period. This is not necessarily because the artist is incapable of performing a long concert. In the younger generation, there might not be as many who can (as the concert demand has changed), but we still do have artists who can perform these “real” concerts. However, the general audience is not ready or trained to listen to and enjoy these concerts.
The training of an audience will not happen overnight. It requires regular exposure to high-quality musicians. Those who have an understanding should not be afraid to demand high-quality music, while those who are developing an understanding should not simply accept whatever the market is giving them to be the best.
The development of an audience takes time and commitment, but if it is not done, there will be a very small chance of hearing a real Indian classical music concert in the future.
]]> https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2009/03/31/state-of-todays-indian-classical-music-concerts/feed/ 171560 (r̥ṇa) Ruṇa Muktī – A Beautiful Concept https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2009/02/16/r%cc%a5%e1%b9%87a-ru%e1%b9%87a-mukti-a-beautiful-concept/ https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2009/02/16/r%cc%a5%e1%b9%87a-ru%e1%b9%87a-mukti-a-beautiful-concept/#comments Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:04:03 +0000 https://divyangvakil.com/?p=842

(r̥ṇa) Ruṇa Muktī - A Beautiful Concept

In Indian culture, the concept of indebtedness or obligation plays an important role. All humans are obliged to God, children are obliged to their parents, and students are indebted to their teachers.
In the Gurū- śiśya paramparā*, it is a student’s right to learn and the teacher’s right to teach, but the student is always obliged to the teacher. In the true form of Gurū- śiśya paramparā, there is complete surrender on the part of the student, and this allows for the teacher to do their best work. A good analogy is that of a diamond. A student is like a raw diamond, completely in the hands of a diamond cutter (the teacher). If the diamond yields to the cutter completely, then the cutter can do his best job in bringing out the true beauty of the gem through his careful cutting and polishing. In the Gurū- śiśya paramparā, everything is left in the hands of the able Gurū. He is the creator. This creates an enormous obligation for the student – how is the student to repay the teacher? Each student does what they can. Some give money, others do seva, etc, but in Indian culture, this is not enough to relieve oneself of the obligation towards one’s teacher.
That is where the concept of r̥ṇa muktī comes in. r̥ṇa muktī literally means “liberation or release from obligation (or r̥ṇa )”. There are two ways of r̥ṇa muktī. The first, if your Gurū feels that you are capable, is to teach 1000 students what your Gurū has taught you. The second is to go one step further than your Gurū in that vidyā.
*When I speak of Gurū- śiśya paramparā and r̥ṇa muktī , I am referring to serious students who have spent many years of very close contact and training with their gurū.
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]]> https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2009/02/16/r%cc%a5%e1%b9%87a-ru%e1%b9%87a-mukti-a-beautiful-concept/feed/ 171560 Rhythm in Plants, Laya in Everything https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2009/02/16/rhythm-in-plants-laya-in-everything/ https://panditdivyangvakil.com/2009/02/16/rhythm-in-plants-laya-in-everything/#comments Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:57:28 +0000 https://divyangvakil.com/?p=1245

Rhythm in Plants, Laya in Everything

I always tell my students that music has to be digested. Laya (variations of rhythm) has to become a part of you. The experience that one gets when music becomes a part of their being is incredibly beautiful.
Today, I was re-designing the layout of my garden. I have over 200 potted plants in my garden. As I worked with my gardener to sort out the plants, I was examining each of my plants and was mesmerised by the rhythm that each plant had.
Each plant was unique, each had its own laya. One had a straight branch that had three offshoots at the end; in it I saw ādi-laya. On another plant, there were seven leaves, a flower, and then seven leaves again; in it I could see a laya of 8 beats. The leaves represented the laya and the flower represented the sum. The cycle of 7 (leaves) came to the sum (flower) and continued on. Each branch of one of my palms was split into 13. The plant had a laya of 13. In this way, I saw the rhythm in each plant.
Everything has its own natural rhythm. The disruption of natural rhythm leads to things breaking down, but when something runs in its natural rhythm, it is in harmony with itself, with its surroundings, and with nature.
Music and rhythm are to be digested. When it is, one can see it in everything.
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