U. P. History Congress XVII session at Agra
By Dr. Udai Narain Sinha

U.P. History Congress held its XVII session at Agra. Professor Pratima Asthana was chosen as president for this year. She is a fighter for women lib and was the Vice Chancellor of Gorakhpur University. The session was chaired by the gracious personality professor Bhoomitradeva, the Vice Chancellor Bhimrao Ambedkar University Agra. The session was lively. it was organized in Grand Hotel at Agra. The secretarial job was undertaken by Professor Sugamanand Head department of History Department Bhimrao Ambedkar University. Professor P.K. Ghosh and professor V.D. Pande of Lucknow University were amongst the stalwards there. Professor Pratima Asthana in her speech said, "We should not forget the contribution made by Westerners in abolishing Sati and host of other bad customs in India". Professor Bhoomitradeva remarked in his address "History in Indian terms means the achievement of that science through which one wins over Dharma Artha and Kama and receives the ultimate bliss or Moksha but it is the present which is more important in life". The arrangement was expensive but not up to the mark. There was no prior information about the details of programme. It was in very hazy way. The Ancient Indian history sectional president was professor O.P. Srivastava. Renu Shukla raised an important point that it would have been difficult that alltogather on Ashoka's son and daughter's preaching Shrilankan accepted Buddhism as is suggested by the scholars, instead she opines that there would have been a slow process of enterence of the Buddhism in Lanka prior to this time. I also read a paper, whose summary is as under:-

PROMOTING THE SOUL THROUGH INDIAN MUSIC TOWARDS SUPREME- BEING

Once a king asked a sage how to make statute of Gods. The sage replied, "One who does not know the rule of sculpture can not make a statue and similarly one who does not know the art of singing can not play an instrument; in the same way one who does not know the art of instrument can not perform Dance" In other words all are inter related. Same is the case of Atman or spirit. One who does not know the art of finding it can not lead it towards supreme being. The Yoga is the source of knowing the Atman. mind in its path of exploration into the mystery of Nature and of ultimate truth in this respect of “Yoga”.

On one side it can be said that it is the music within that finds various expression outside in man’s life.
Viewed from the other angle, music is the metamorphosis of action, words and thoughts that leads one to hear the same music within. It is through the medium of arts that people of different nations and backgrounds are able to communicate and understand each other better. In this respect music is the highest and the most subtle art which people may inhere. Before we go into the depth of our subject it is necessary to understand the role of sound for creation.

SOUND AS THE SOURCE OF CREATION:--

Life is full of sound and fury but signifies nothing. Jivanmuktas are endowed with non-attraction. The state of non-attraction leads to Moksha. Those who have attained the state of non-attraction relinquish the fruits of actions. Attraction entails one in rebirths. A Jivan Mukta remains himself with objects. He has no attraction for the objects. Our ancient seers have considered music as the subtle divine thread capable of linking the “Jivatman” of individual to Supreme Soul. Vashishtha says that this music is of two kinds 1.Kala and 2. Gaan. This ultimate sound gets manifested as its vibrations. In this way one Hears the music of Anahata sounds. The music of the soul. The sound that you hear will make you deaf to all external sounds. Your attention on the sound which annihilates the mind. Thus Hear the internal sound through the right ear. Change your concentration from the gross sound to the subtle. The mind will soon be absorbed in the sound.” The sound entraps the mind. The mind becomes one with the sound as milk with water. According to big bang theory whole Universe is the cause of sound and it expands out of it.
Now it is scientifically accepted fact that Naada is the ultimate creation and expansion of Universe. Na naaden bina geetam Na naaden bina svarah; It is possible to reduce a physical form to sound form and vice-versa. In other words this may be sum up that form is sound made manifest, i.e. “Shabda Brahman”.

HISTORY OF MUSIC:-

Music is found in every known culture, past and present, varying passionately between times and places. Since all peoples of the World including the most isolated tribal groups, have a form of music, scientists conclude that music must have been present in the ancestral population prior to the dispersal of humans around the world. Consequently music must have been in existence for at least 50,000 years and the first music must have been invented in perhaps Africa or Asia and then evolved to become a fundamental constituent of human life. The development of music among humans occurred against the backdrop of Natural sounds. It was possibly influenced by bird song and the natural sounds. Recognize sounds not created by humans as "musical" provides a selective advantage. Ancient music is music that developed in literate cultures, replacing prehistoric music. The term early music Era may also refer to contemporary but traditional or folk music, including
Asian music,
Music of India,
Jewish music,
Greek music,
Roman music,
The music of Mesopotamia, the music of Egypt.

Chinese classical music is the traditional art or court music of China which has own unique systems of musical notation, as well as musical tuning and pitch, musical instruments and styles or musical genres. Chinese music is pentatonic-diatonic, having a scale of twelve notes to an octave (5+7 = 12) as does European-influenced music perhaps through it. Evidently we may say That perhaps music spread to the World through Asia and 2 rest of the World. It is also cleared that music of India is that which evolves such nadopasana in man that the separated soul can meet the Supreme Spirit.

History of Music in India:-

The history of music in India is a complex one. The noted historian and Archaeologist Rakesh Tiwari Speaks about the developed form of Indian music in that time; which was earlier to Bronze age. According to this noted Archaeologist, Dance was originally originated through the ecstasy of joy of inner feelings. This created dance and it would have become the part and parcel as the life of primitive people’s life. As style increased in them step by step changes came into being in the different forms of the musical art. The originality of natural feelings remained in primitive man’s music and dance till he remained in that stage of feeling inner joy through the art to him but as the time passed on, there arose artistic feeling in the man in and thus he created dance as a performing art due to growing complexity of sentiments. However, common man began to be aloofer due to it. This gave rise to different forms of folk dances. With the dawn of modern facility, the natural form of dance is disappearing but its antique of rock paintings still tell the story of that primitive dance to which primitive man used to perform in the form of dance to express the ecstasy of joy. As the time passed on, Marg music came into being through the Vedas. Complexity grew in music so much that human mind began to search Supreme Spirit through Music i.e. in its trinity: Gayan, or singing Vadan instrumentation and Nritya or dance. Ancient Indian art of dance is admixture of arts religion.

Indian art is life suffixed by Philosophy.

The theory of Indian Dance cannot be isolated from the arts of literature, sculpture, painting and music. Factually it is a part of music. Geetam Vadyam Tatha Nrittam Tryam Sangeetmucchyate.”(Sharang deva Sangeet Ratnakar Varanasi 1.1.21 second line). The Valmiki Ramayana

“Na tantri vidyate veena na chakro vidyate rathah”, realizes the fact of strings in Veena which was referred in the Vedas as Karkari one.

Evidently that music got its height during the Gupta period. The inscription “Prayaga Prashasti” and the coins of Samudragupta mentions to different teachers of music and Veena.

The classical and typical form of music has been presented by saint Bharata in his “Natya Shastra”.

The Mahabharata also sprinkles the classical phase of Indian music in the following manner:-

“I shall now tell thee the different kinds of sound. Sound inheres like the Supreme Being in all space though attached especially sounds to be born of space; Awake in the bodies of living creatures. Pervading the five life-breaths (already mentioned) they reside in the body.”
Learning music is a discipline in it self; controlling one’s body, breath, voice and one’s very nature it self.

As the evening of the life approaches music turns into source of peace and joy.

One may question why it is only said for Indian music? That one can realize Bramhan? Equanimity and tranquility of mind comes as by-product of an advanced Indian musical mind. The Destructive Effects of Rock Music on plants, an article of scientific experiments

Has proved the attraction upon Indian music over the plants better in comparison to rock music.

Hence, Indian music is sublime one. It leads a man surrounded with illusion to Supreme Spirit. Therefore, “Oh! Who plays the Veena with full knowledge of the basic principles of sound, the science of tune evolution and the beat of music could attain Parabramhan without much effort”. The need is to understand the importance of music for in tagging the Soul to Supreme Spirit avoiding the illusion through the meditation of pure sound through Indian style of music.

AANANDAYAA DEYA SARVA DEVAANI;

AANANDAYAA JIIVANTE JIIVAAH;

AANANDAYAA PRALAYAANTAKA, VISHANGA VISHANTI.

We emanate from BLISS

We sustain in BLISS

We merge in BLISS