Gurmat Sangeet - Its Origins and Purpose

Of all the great world religions, none put as much emphasis on the divine and spiritually uplifting qualities of music than Sikhism. For the Sikhs, 'Sangeet' (Music) is not just a medium through which man can express his devotion to God by praising him, but a method of attaining enlightenment and self-realisation. All the Gurbani, the written word of the human Sikh Gurus in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Eternal Living Guru of the Sikhs, are prescribed to different musical mediums, many of them thousands of years old, known as 'Raags' (stemming from a Sanskrit word meaning 'colours'). There is no precise or accurate definition for this in the English language, but its purpose is to create a mood, stir up emotions which link to the particular verse being sung.

Bhairaag makes one's Atmaa (Soul) ache with the twangs of pain and seperation from God, Dhanasree invokes a feeling of possesing no worries in this world... Such appeal to the human soul is what sets 'Gurmat Sangeet' apart from the other sacred musics of the world. Although one may be absorbed in the hymns of Christ or the compositions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the raags boast some kind of spiritual science, tested and reshapen by the intellect of saints, sages and accomplished musicians over the course of milennia. This effect upon the human soul is further amplified through the application of Gurbani. This is when Raags transform from being spiritual to becoming sacred.

The foundations of the Gurmat Sangeet tradition were laid by the first great spiritual master of Sikhism, Dhan Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj. Guru Nanak Dev Ji's faithful mureed (Muslim disciple), Bhai Mardana (literally, 'One who does not die', pictured above, along with his Saaj, instrument) master of the stringed instrument known as the Rabab, accompanied the Guru during his four great journeys across Asia, known as the Udaasis, playing his Rabab as the Guru sang and gave sermons. All the Kirtan performed by Guru Nanak Dev and Bhai Mardana, every single shabad they sang, was allocated to a specific Raag, corresponding with the mood the Shabad was intended to create within the hearts and minds of those who listened to it. One doesn't even need to understand it, one simply has to listen to it with humility, faith and love to reap its spiritual benefits.

Such is the power of Gurmat Sangeet.