The Musician Saint-Ganapathy Satchidananda

Faith Mysticism

-Staff

By Staff

Monday, June 9, 2008, 18:22

Indeed music enthralls and enriches both the listener and the musician. Music is a force that unites Humanity the world over. Here is a unique saint for whom; music is tool to serve the mankind. He is using it for therapeutic purposes to help the ailing and sick amongst his devotees and the people who come to attend his concerts.

Ganapathy Sachidananda Swamiji of Avadhhotha Datta Peetam Mysore is the unique saint who has been conducting Spiritual Music Concerts for meditation and Healing (Nada Chikitsa) in India and abroad.

Thousands of people of all age, religion have found out that music is a harmonizing factor in today's world which is full of conflicts and tensions.

Being a great musician and composer swamiji, also got the famous musicians and vocalists to sing for him and his devotees in the sprawling Nada Mantapa in his Ashram in Mysore. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Amjad Ali Khan, L. Subramaniam, late Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer and many others.

Nada mantapa is a unique place wherein greatest musicians all over the world are keen to perform. The open air auditorium is decorated with the portraits of all great musicians and composers. There is a unique arrangement wherein portrait of the composer automatically gets illuminated when the performer starts his composition.

Music Therapy
Music therapy requires more than just intense meditation on sound. This great master understands the varying vibrational qualities of the different ragas and knows which raga can help a particular disease. Certain ragas can only be played at selected times to be healing.

As a first step in this methodology, the Swamiji requests various musicians to play several notes as specified by him on their respective instruments. Once Swamiji is convinced about the right note and its right frequency it is fed into the synthesiser. The end product is a unique composition created by the Swamiji that assures a primary or supplementary cure for diseases.

The Swamiji has also adapted the basic melodic structure of some select kritis of Saint Tyagaraja like Mokshamu Galada (Saramati), Shobillu Saptaswara (Jaganmohini), Samaja vara gamana (Hindolam) and so on.

A long quest
The Swamiji's quest began when he was a child of eight. On May 26, 1942, in the small hamlet of Mekedatu, Jayalakshmi and Narasimha Sastri were blessed with a baby boy. They named him Satyanarayana. His parents were engrossed in spiritual practices and Satyanarayana grew up in this atmosphere. Even as a young boy, he displayed a natural inclination to classical music and spirituality.

Satyanarayana became Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji at the age of 22. His mantra was Nadopasana (worship of music).

Avadhoota Datta Peetam:
Swamiji"s ashram in Mysore, known as Avadootha Datta Peetam has grown over years to an impressive size and encompasses many aspects of the spiritual life. Here one can study Yoga, the Vedas and Sanskrit.

The Ashrama is open to all people of all religions and thousands of devotees from all over the globe come to the Universal Prayer Hall.

Social Projects
Datta Peetham and it's 77 branches spread all over the world have supported numerous social projects since like providing food, education, shelter, job training and free medical help to the poor.

The Peetham also provides for medical need of both local people and remote villagers where no medical facility is available. A traditional school to teach Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, Sanskrit studies and priest training in the premises of Mysore Ashram is attracting interested persons from various walks of life. Interestingly many muslim students from Trinidad got training here recently.