Music and Devotion

       Ravana in Ramayana was a great musician and a melodious singer. One is surprised to find music and evil combined into one character. Ravana was a great memorable character in the sense that he was the one who had completely surrendered to evil qualities like ego, arrogance, over-confidence, villainy and an ability to do any bad thing. The evil in him was limitless. How come that this devil was musician-singer?

       His absorbing singing could not reach that point in excellence which links heaven and earth. At one time, it is said that when Ravana was singing Mantra of Lord Shiva, it so happened that the strings of his Veena (Indian musicial instructment) were cut and broken, it was as if the strings of his heart were broken, and then he did nothing but cut one of his ten heads and used the nerves as strings of Veena. He did not see his oozing blood. He saw nothing. He was only singing until at last Lord Shiva became pleased, forgot his Kailash and came down to earth to meet Ravana. This shows that music in the epic period of Ramayana had a strange quality and excellence.

-- Music and Sahaja Yoga P.8