Historical Development of Indian Music: A Critical Study c2.13

c2.13

The question now arises whether we observe all these things for manifesting the *rāgas* in our present-day music. We think we do, to some extent, without knowing their proper use and value. We know that there are microtones in between the tones of the *rāgas*, and that they radiate aesthetic sentiments for creating enjoyability in our music, but we do not neither care to be conscious of them, nor do we know how and when to create adequate emotions and feelings through the tones. We know about the *varṇas* and *alaṃkāras*, but we, so to say, have forgotten their use and intrinsic value and colour. We know the importance of the sonant, the consonant and the assonant, but we do not know the art of their use, and even of their functions, when practising or demonstrating the *rāgas*. We read or hear about the musical compositions like *prabandhas*, different musical phrases like *sthāyas*, having emotional units, but we take very little care for reviving their real forms, beauty and value. These are not healthy signs for the re-orientation of music. So every one of us, who love music, and culture music, should strive his or her utmost to avert the impending calamity over our divine music. The secret of the practice of Indian music is maintained by the traditional way of understanding between the teacher and the disciple (*guru-śiṣya-paramparayā*), throughout the ages, and so, if this divine art is guided by the inspiration of the musical *śāstras* and intuitive teachers, its form and ideal will again be revived like that prevailing in the glorious past.