The eternal vision of classical art

Muhammad, the last of the prophets of Islam once said to Ali, “You are of me and I am of you.” In his book, The Way of the Sufi, Osho describes the effect of those words on Ali: “When he heard this, Ali became ecstatic and involuntarily started dancing. What else can you do when a man like Muhammad says to you, ‘You are of me and I am of you’? How do you receive this? Ali did well. […] It is not that the Sufi dances; godliness keeps dancing in him.”

When the human mind comes face to face with divine bliss, eternal gratitude, profound devotion or the truth sublime, language falter and words fail. Then, from time immemorial, the exalted mind has always resorted to the symbolic and spontaneous revelation of the super-sensuous anubhava—experience—through art.

And inspired art, in turn, helps attentive minds that come in contact with it to ascend to a higher plane of awareness where lower passions and emotions fade away to make room for a sense of wellbeing, joy and a state of grace. Disconcerting thoughts give way to a cessation of thoughts, rawness to refinement, restlessness to peace, helpless clinging to the freedom and power to let go, and limiting outlook to an all-embracing love and compassion.

When the gopis of Vrindavan heard the enchanting music that flowed from Krishna’s flute calling them to join in the celebration of love, they dropped whatever they were doing and rushed to his presence. Like the hollow reed that surrendered itself to the dark lord, the virtuous wives of the cowherds too allowed the divine energy to flow through and take possession of them. Abandoning their narrow identities and severing worldly ties, they attained bliss.

Puranic lore talks about many gods and devotees who excel in dance and music. Perhaps, Krishna’s flute, Shiva’s Tandava, Parvati’s Lasya, and Narada’s veena are weaved into the narrative to exemplify the divinity of art, the power of spontaneous celebration in the form of dance and music, and the ability of great art to empty the mind and raise it to rarified heights.

Classical dance and music has the innate potential to transport us to an altered state of consciousness. Not only the virtuoso performer, but the audience as well, is swept away to an island of elation even when the crushing waves of this samsara thrashes at the bay. To put it in Paulo Coelho’s words (Witch of Portobello), art “makes [you] see everything differently, as if the atmosphere had been touched by the hand of an angel.” So it is little wonder that music and dance are an elemental part of worship and rituals.

So let’s celebrate the vibrancy of the classical art and its promise to elevate and entertain the mind. Let the soul drop its wearisome baggage and soar on mystical and magical wings to loftiness.