Indian Classical Music And Sikh Kirtan by Gobind Singh Mansukhani (M.A., LL.B, Ph.D.) © 1982 Guru Nanak (1469-1539) |
| CHAPTER 8 Gurus and Kirtan The Word of the Guru is the music heard by seers in ecstasy, (Guru Nanak) Guru Nanak (1469-1539) Guru Nanak used to chant his own verses even before he set out on his missionary tours. At Sultanpur Lodhi [1] where he worked as a store-keeper he would go out early morning and late evening in the company of Mardana to sing praises of God. Guru Nanak would start his divine song while Mardana played of the rebec. When Guru Nanak started his first missionary journey in 1499, he visited Sajjan Thug at Talamba (near Multan). At that time he sang the following song to the accompaniment of Mardana’s rebec. So great was the impact of his music that the heart of Sajjan melted and he realised the enormity of his crimes. “Bronze is bright and shining, Rub it and it gives out blackness; And a hundred washing cannot remove it. They are true friends (Sajjan) who stand by me” [2]. When Gurur Nanak went to Benares, he met Pandit Chaturdas, the cheif priest, who doubted the value of singing the praises of God in place of display of holy symbols like rosary and necklace of basil beads. Guru Nanak explained to him the importance of kirtan by using the metaphor of the Persian wheel: “Make God your well, string His Name for the chain Of water-pots and yoke your mind as an ox to it. Irrigate with nectar and fill the plots therewith. Thus you shall belong to the Gardener” [3]. Guru Nanak regarded hymn-singing and hymn-listening with devotion as a link between man and God: “Musical sound (nad) originated from God. It’s holy in every sense. The best way to worship God is to blend the divine Word with sacred music” [4]. The singing (nad) produces a response or echo (Anahad nad) within the soul. He felt that Gurbani and kirtan are superior to all spiritual practices and as such they lead to the door of salvation. “The Guru’s hymn is the tenth gate of music, the Vedas and everything. My soul is imbued with the Lord of the universe, Who contains all pilgrim-spots, fasting, and austerities” [5]. After setting at Kartarpur in 1521, Guru Nanak performed Kirtan both morning and evening at the Dharamsal or kirtanghar, as his residence was called. He used to tell Mardana which strings (notes) too play for a particular hymn. After Mardana had played on the rebec for a few minutes, so as to create an appropriate atmosphere, Guru Nanak would start singing his song in that raga. Such was the great love between the two that the Guru designated two of his salokas as Salok Mardana which are found in the Adi Granth on page. 533. Guru Nanak propagated his message of love and peace through kirtan. He used a composite language containing Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic and Sindhi words. His appeal to the listeners lay not so much in his words-some of which were quite unintelligible to his foreign audiences-as in his feelings and pious conduct. His spontaneity, his melody and his sincerity captivated the imagination of rural folk and they some how grasped his message. Once on the outskirts of Baghdad, Guru Nanak, according to his routine, sang his hymns early in the morning, while Mardana played on the rebec. The orthodox Muslims got upset by the performance of his music in the lands of Islam and decided to punish him. As Pir Dastagir and his followers approached the spot, Guru Nanak began another song. The gentle strains of his music soother their hearts. They forget to throw stones at him. Their leader held a discussion with the Guru about music. He affirmed that music excited the passion and was regarded by Muslims as a means of sensual amusement and vulgar joy and consequently banned in Islamic countries. Guru Nanak explained to Pir Dastagir the true function of music. It is a potent instrument of both good and evil. It melts the hearts and thus and can be a vehicle of spiritual inspiration. God the great Musician has created the cosmic melody-the gentle rustle of the reeds and waving plants, the murmur of the rivulets, the gushing of torrents, the humming of the bees, the constitutes the orchestra of nature. Love of music is a part of human nature. Whenever a person is happy or alone, he sings or hums a tune. Why not use the natural instinct for music for higher goals and values! Why not sing holy songs in praise of Allah-the Lord of the Universe! This kind of music attunes the individual should to the Universal Soul. The baser tendencies and depraved cravings of man are thus directed to sublime channels. As such, music can be used as an aid to spiritual fulfilment. The pir was greatly impressed by the Guru’s argument in favour of sacred music. He and his followers who had come to lynch the Guru for the alleged crime against Islamic tradition became his admirers and friends. Though Guru Nanak mainly followed the traditional forms of Indian poetry like Salok, Pauri, Chlant, Var, Sohila, he did not stick to the fixed number of matras (time-units). He started singing as the words came to him, but he changed the number of matras according to the requirements of the raga and tala. He also wrote popular kinds of poetry like Barah-mah, Aarti, Patti, Pahray, Gosht and Alahaniya. In all he composed 974 hymns in nineteen ragas. At Kartarpur, two sessions of devotional music were held for the congregation. In the first session held before dawn-Amrit-vela-the Japji was recited and it was followed by the singing of hymns. The second session was held in the evening when Sodar and Aarti were sung. Sohila was recited by individuals late at night when they went to bed. Bhai Gurdas confirmed this routine in his var. “Early morning, japji was recited and later (in the evening) Sodar and Aarti were sung” [6]. Kirtan became popular in the colony at Kartarpur: “Every house became a temple, because kirtan was regularly performed therein” [7]. “The songs of Guru Nanak were sung to the accompaniment of the music of the rabab and the rhythm of mridang” [8]. According to tradition, Guru Nanak wrote the following hymn in Tukhari raga near the end of his life, wherein he expressed his joy at the realisation of his goal: “The couch of my home becomes beauteous, when my Beloved enjoys me. By Guru’s grace, I fulfilled my destiny. Nanak says, my Beloved enjoys me day and night. By obtaining God as my Spouse, I have become eternal” [9]. Guru Nanak’s contribution to sacred music may be summed up as under: (1) He sang of the Absolute and Infinite God and regarded devotional music (kirtan) as the best and easiest method of worship. Those who could not perform kirtan could listen to it; as they would imbibe the love of God, they would find joy and peace in their hearts. The Guru used kirtan as a means of union with the Divine Essence. By linking one’s consciousness with the hymns, one realises the mystic bliss. Guru Nanak says: “O my soul, singing God’s praise, you shall easily merge in Him”[10]. He calls kirtan a ladder to reach the Lord’s Mansion. The Holy Word of the Guru established a bond between the soul and the Creator. A man who performs kirtan with love is not subject tp sorrow pr decay. Guru Nanak says: “The man who performs kirtan is not subject to the harassment of death... He is awakened with the love of God’s Name and his soul is linked with the Lord” [11]. (2) Guru Nanak democratised sacred music and brought it from the exclusive temple halls to the homes of the ordinary men and women. Kirtan is the universal food-for the children, for the sick, for the illiterate, for the man in the street and for the highbrow. The Guru brought the awareness of regional music to the masses by singing his hymns in folk tunes. At the same time, as a master of music, he sang in classical ragas and specially in the reputable dhrupad form for the elite and the connoisseur. (3) Guru Nanak used music as an instrument of national integration. His accompanist (instrumentalist)-Mardana, who played on the rebec, was a Muslim. Through his musical compositions, he laid the foundation of a popular religious literature and spiritual culture. Moreover, “his popularisation of ragas like Asa, Suhi, and Tilang in shabad-kirtan testifies to the Muslim impact. The blending of Hindu and Muslim music was initiated by Guru Nanak during Babar’s time”[12]. |