Music Therapy (Raga Treatment)
Long before acoustics came to be understood in
Europe,Ancient Arab, Greek and Indian civilisations
were already familiar with the therapeutic role of
sounds and vibrations and the later day concepts
pertaining to them.
While music as a whole is well recognised for its
entertainment value, the Indian civilisation had gone
a step forward to attribute the curative aspect to
music.
The ancient system of "Nada Yoga " which dates back to
the time of Tantras, has fully acknowledged the impact
of music on body and mind and implemented it into
practice, the vibrations emanating from the sounds to
uplift one's level of consciousness. It is the Indian
genius that recognised the Ragas are not mere
commodities of entertainment but the vibrations in
their resonance could synchronise with one's moods
and health.By stimulating the moods and controlling
the brain wave patterns , ragas could work as a
complimentary medicine.
Raga, as we all know is the sequence of selected notes
(swaras)that lend appropriate 'mood' or emotion in a
selective combination.Depending on its nature, a raga
could induce or intensify joy or sorrow, violence or
peace and it is this quality that forms the basis for
its musical application. A whole range of emotions and
their nuances could be captured and communicated
within certain rhythms and melodies.
Playing, performing and even listening to appropriate
ragas can work as a medicine. Various ragas have since
been recognised to have definite impact on certain
ailments.The ancient Hindus had relied on music for
its curative role, the chanting and toning involved in
Veda mantras in praise of God have been used from
time immemorial as a cure for several dis harmonies
in the individual as well as his environment.
Several sects of 'devotion' such as Chaitanya
sampradaya have all accorded priority in music.
Historical records too indicate that one Haridas
Swami who was the Guru of the famous musician in
Akbar's time, Tan sen is credited with the recovery of
one of the queens of the Emperor with a selected
raga.
The great composers of classical music in India known
as the 'Musical Trinity' , who were curiously the
contemporaries of the Trinity of the western
classical music, Bach,Beethoven and Mozart, were quite
sensitive to the acoustical energies.
Legend has it, that Saint Thyagaraja brought a dead
person back to life with his BILAHARI composition
"Naa Jiva Dhaara". Muthuswamy Dikshithar's Navagraha
Krithis is believed to cure stomach ache. Shyama
sastry's composition "Duru Sugu" uses music to pray
for good health. Raga treatment was an ancient
manuscript, which dealt with the therapeutic effects
of raga.The library at Tanjore is reported to contain
such a treasure on ragas , that spells out the
application and use of various ragas in fighting
common ailments.
Living system show sensitivity to specific radiant
energies, be it acoustical.magnetic or
electromagnetic.As the impact of music could easily be
gauged on emotions and on mind, it can be used as a
tool to control the physiological,psychological and
even social activities of the patients.
The Indian classical music can be classified into two
forms i.e
1."Kalpita Sangita or composition, which is
previously conceived ,memorised,practised and
rendered.
2.Manodharma sangita or the music extemporised and
performed.
The latter can be equated to the honey mooners first
night as it conceives both spontaneity and
improvisation.It is fresh and natural, as it is
created almost on the spot and rendered instantly on
the spur of the moment.
According to an ancient Indian Text, "Swara sastra",
the 72 Melakartha ragas control the 72 important
nerves in the body. it is believed that IF ONE SINGS
WITH DUE DEVOTION, ADHERING TO RAGA LAKSHANA AND
SRUTHI SHUDDHI, the raga could affect the particular
nerve in the body in FAVOURABLE MANNER.
While the descending notes(avarohanam) in a raga do
create inward-orienting feelings, the ascending
notes(arohanam) represent an upward mobility. The
music played for the soldiers or for dancers have to
be more lively and uplifting with frequent use of
arohana content. Similarly,melancholic songs should
go for 'depressing'avarohanas.
Although it is not a rule , most of the western tunes
based on major keys play joyful notes, while those
composed in minor keys tend to be melancholic or
serious.
Certain ragas do have a tendency to move the
listeners both emotionally as well as physically. An
involuntary nod of the head, limbs or body could
synchronise with tilting tunes when played.
Ragas like Darbari,Kanada,Kamas and Pooriya are found
to help in defusing mental tension particularly in the
case of hysterics. For those who suffer from
hypertension, ragas such as Ahirbhairavi,Pooriya and
Todi are prescirbed. To control anger and bring down
the violence within, ragas like Punnagavarali& Sahana
come handy. For stomach related disorders, there are
ragas from Hindustani school-Deepak for
acidity,Gunkali and Jaunpuri for constipation and
Malkaus for intestinal gas.For controlling high fevers
such as malaria, ragas such as Malkaus(Hindolam) and
Marava are considered useful.Darbari
Kanada,Jayjaywanthi and Sohni are recommended for
headache. There is growing awareness that rags could
be a safe alternative for many medical
interventions.
Simple iterative musical rhythms with low pitched
swars, as in bhajans and kirtans could do wonders as
a sedative .even substituting powerful analgesics such
as Valium. They can change the brain wave patterns
from Beta to Alpha levels,thereby causing relaxation
in the minds of the listeners, leading to favourable
hormonal changes in the system.
It is necessary that a group of exponents in Indian
ragas join experts in medicine to help evolving a
scientific system of raga therapy for the most common
illness of the modern times stress and stress related
disorders. Our leaders, professionals and managers
all suffer from stress, thanks to the ever
ever-increasing man machine interface , resulting in
the machine making the man to behave, often beyond
his capacity-almost to a breaking point.
Source: B.J/12/2007
'Music is divine and have your ailments cured in
divine way"
J.K
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Prime time
Meaning
The time of day when the TV audience is at its
largest.
Origin
We now associate the term 'prime time' with TV ratings
and advertising, i.e. the prime slot for the placing
of TV adverts. In that context it originated in the
USA soon after WWII. For example, this piece from The
Wall Street Journal, January 1947:
"Columbia Broadcasting System, for instance, has an
unsold hour of prime time on Tuesday nights, beginning
at 9:30."
A prior usage of 'prime time' had been coined many
centuries earlier, to mean Spring or 'at the
beginning' (of the day, of life etc.). It is likely to
have been inherited into English from the French word
for Spring - Printemps. Geoffrey Chaucer used the term
in the late 14th century, in his translation of the
French lyric poem The Romance of the Rose:
"Pryme temps full of frostes whit, And May devoide of
al delit."
By the 16th century, the Anglicization to 'prime time'
was complete, as in this example from Edward Hall's
The Union of the Noble and Illustre Famelies of
Lancastre and York, 1548:
"In ye pryme tyme of the yere he toke his iorney
towardes Yorke." [In the Spring he took his journey to
York]
Many European languages have a form of 'prime' meaning
'first/primary', for example, 'prime', in
English/Dutch/German, 'prim', in
Swedish/Danish/Icelandic, 'prima', in
Spanish/Portuguese/Italian etc. These all stem from
the Latin 'prima' (first hour).
In addition to the Chaucerian 'Spring', the Latin
'prima' was also the source of 'prime' as the name of
the first of the canonical hours of prayer of the
Catholic Church. This gave us a yet earlier meaning of
'prime time', i.e. 'early morning', the time when the
first prayers were offered. Old English texts which
include references to this 'prime' include The Rule of
Saint Benedict, which dates from circa 530.
Meaning
The time of day when the TV audience is at its
largest.
Origin
We now associate the term 'prime time' with TV ratings
and advertising, i.e. the prime slot for the placing
of TV adverts. In that context it originated in the
USA soon after WWII. For example, this piece from The
Wall Street Journal, January 1947:
"Columbia Broadcasting System, for instance, has an
unsold hour of prime time on Tuesday nights, beginning
at 9:30."
A prior usage of 'prime time' had been coined many
centuries earlier, to mean Spring or 'at the
beginning' (of the day, of life etc.). It is likely to
have been inherited into English from the French word
for Spring - Printemps. Geoffrey Chaucer used the term
in the late 14th century, in his translation of the
French lyric poem The Romance of the Rose:
"Pryme temps full of frostes whit, And May devoide of
al delit."
By the 16th century, the Anglicization to 'prime time'
was complete, as in this example from Edward Hall's
The Union of the Noble and Illustre Famelies of
Lancastre and York, 1548:
"In ye pryme tyme of the yere he toke his iorney
towardes Yorke." [In the Spring he took his journey to
York]
Many European languages have a form of 'prime' meaning
'first/primary', for example, 'prime', in
English/Dutch/German, 'prim', in
Swedish/Danish/Icelandic, 'prima', in
Spanish/Portuguese/Italian etc. These all stem from
the Latin 'prima' (first hour).
In addition to the Chaucerian 'Spring', the Latin
'prima' was also the source of 'prime' as the name of
the first of the canonical hours of prayer of the
Catholic Church. This gave us a yet earlier meaning of
'prime time', i.e. 'early morning', the time when the
first prayers were offered. Old English texts which
include references to this 'prime' include The Rule of
Saint Benedict, which dates from circa 530.
To a T
Meaning
Exactly; properly. Often used in the phrase 'suits to a T'.
Origin
'To a T', which is sometimes written 'to a tee', is an old phrase and is first recorded in James Wright's satire The Humours and conversations of the town, 1693:
"All the under Villages and Towns-men come to him for Redress; which he does to a T."
It is difficult to determine the origin of this phrase. It would be helpful to know the correct spelling; 'T' or 'tee'. The proposed derivations that assume the latter are:
The phrase derives from the sports of golf or curling, which have a tee as the starting or ending point respectively. The curling usage would seem to match the meaning better as the tee is the precise centre of the circle in which players aim to stop their stones. However, neither sport is referred to in any of the early citations of the phrase and there's really no evidence to support either derivation apart from use of the word 'tee'. The 'to a tee' version isn't recorded at all until 1771 when J. Giles used it in his Poems:
"I'll tell you where You may be suited to a tee."
John Jamieson, in the etymological dictionary Jamieson's Dictionary of the Scottish Language, 1867, records 'to a tee' as 'to a tittle'. If even a 19th century Scots lexicographer doesn't support the Scottish sports origin they would seem to lack credibility.
Given Wright's earliest 'to a T' usage and the lack of evidence to support the 'tee' version, it is safe to assume the proper spelling is 'to a T'. So, what T was meant? Again, there are alternatives; 'T-shirt', or 'T-square', or some abbreviation of a word starting with T.
'T-shirt' is clearly as least 300 years too late, has no connection with the meaning of the phrase and can't be taken as a serious contender.
'T-square' has more going for it, in that a T-square is a precise drawing instrument, but also lacks any other evidence to link it to the phrase.
The first letter of a word. If this is the derivation then the word in question is very likely to be 'tittle'. A tittle is a small stroke or point in writing or printing and is now best remembered via the term jot or tittle. The best reason for believing that this is the source of the 'T' is that the phrase 'to a tittle' existed in English more than a century before 'to a T', with the same meaning. For example, in Edward Hall's Chronicles, circa 1548, we find:
"I then... began to dispute with my selfe, little considerynge that thus my earnest was turned euen to a tittyl not so good as, estamen."
When there isn't a definitive origin and there are several proposed derivations, the wisest course is to list the possibilities and leave it at that. In this case, although there is no smoking gun, the 'to a tittle' derivation would probably stand up in court as 'beyond reasonable doubt'.
Meaning
Exactly; properly. Often used in the phrase 'suits to a T'.
Origin
'To a T', which is sometimes written 'to a tee', is an old phrase and is first recorded in James Wright's satire The Humours and conversations of the town, 1693:
"All the under Villages and Towns-men come to him for Redress; which he does to a T."
It is difficult to determine the origin of this phrase. It would be helpful to know the correct spelling; 'T' or 'tee'. The proposed derivations that assume the latter are:
The phrase derives from the sports of golf or curling, which have a tee as the starting or ending point respectively. The curling usage would seem to match the meaning better as the tee is the precise centre of the circle in which players aim to stop their stones. However, neither sport is referred to in any of the early citations of the phrase and there's really no evidence to support either derivation apart from use of the word 'tee'. The 'to a tee' version isn't recorded at all until 1771 when J. Giles used it in his Poems:
"I'll tell you where You may be suited to a tee."
John Jamieson, in the etymological dictionary Jamieson's Dictionary of the Scottish Language, 1867, records 'to a tee' as 'to a tittle'. If even a 19th century Scots lexicographer doesn't support the Scottish sports origin they would seem to lack credibility.
Given Wright's earliest 'to a T' usage and the lack of evidence to support the 'tee' version, it is safe to assume the proper spelling is 'to a T'. So, what T was meant? Again, there are alternatives; 'T-shirt', or 'T-square', or some abbreviation of a word starting with T.
'T-shirt' is clearly as least 300 years too late, has no connection with the meaning of the phrase and can't be taken as a serious contender.
'T-square' has more going for it, in that a T-square is a precise drawing instrument, but also lacks any other evidence to link it to the phrase.
The first letter of a word. If this is the derivation then the word in question is very likely to be 'tittle'. A tittle is a small stroke or point in writing or printing and is now best remembered via the term jot or tittle. The best reason for believing that this is the source of the 'T' is that the phrase 'to a tittle' existed in English more than a century before 'to a T', with the same meaning. For example, in Edward Hall's Chronicles, circa 1548, we find:
"I then... began to dispute with my selfe, little considerynge that thus my earnest was turned euen to a tittyl not so good as, estamen."
When there isn't a definitive origin and there are several proposed derivations, the wisest course is to list the possibilities and leave it at that. In this case, although there is no smoking gun, the 'to a tittle' derivation would probably stand up in court as 'beyond reasonable doubt'.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Rack and ruin
Meaning
Complete destruction.
Origin
It might be thought that the rack in this phrase refers to the mediaeval torture device, as in the phrase rack one's brains. This rack is however a variant of the now defunct word wrack, more usually known to us now as wreck. The rather tautological use of the two similar words 'rack' and 'ruin' is for the sake of emphasis. In that respect the phrase follows the pattern of beck and call, chop and change, fair and square etc.
The term 'going to wreck' was the forerunner of 'rack and ruin' and was used as early as 1548, in a sermon by Ephraim Udall:
"The flocke goeth to wrecke and vtterly perisheth."
Henry Bull moved the phrase on to 'wrack and ruin' in his translation of Luther's Commentarie upon the fiftene psalmes, 1577:
"Whiles all things seeme to fall to wracke and ruine."
We finally get to the contemporary 'rack and ruin' in 1599, when the Oxford historian Thomas Fowler published The history of Corpus Christi College:
"In the mean season the College shall goe to rack and ruin."
Judging from the accompanying picture the college seems to have survived the following 400 years quite well, and Fowler need not have worried
Meaning
Complete destruction.
Origin
It might be thought that the rack in this phrase refers to the mediaeval torture device, as in the phrase rack one's brains. This rack is however a variant of the now defunct word wrack, more usually known to us now as wreck. The rather tautological use of the two similar words 'rack' and 'ruin' is for the sake of emphasis. In that respect the phrase follows the pattern of beck and call, chop and change, fair and square etc.
The term 'going to wreck' was the forerunner of 'rack and ruin' and was used as early as 1548, in a sermon by Ephraim Udall:
"The flocke goeth to wrecke and vtterly perisheth."
Henry Bull moved the phrase on to 'wrack and ruin' in his translation of Luther's Commentarie upon the fiftene psalmes, 1577:
"Whiles all things seeme to fall to wracke and ruine."
We finally get to the contemporary 'rack and ruin' in 1599, when the Oxford historian Thomas Fowler published The history of Corpus Christi College:
"In the mean season the College shall goe to rack and ruin."
Judging from the accompanying picture the college seems to have survived the following 400 years quite well, and Fowler need not have worried
Sunday, December 09, 2007
How judiciously one should utilise the time:-
TAKE TIME:-
To Work - Its the price of success.
To think - Its the source of power.
To play - Its the secret of youth.
To read - Its the foundation of wisdom
To be friendly- Its the road to happiness.
To love & be loved - Its the privilege of GOD.
To look around - Its too short a day to be selfish
To laugh - Its music of soul.
&
To serve- Its the only way to be Godly.
These will bring
Clarity of vision
The strength of our resolve.
The will to implement a strategic action plan.
And enable one to take plans to logical and
successful conclusion.
TAKE TIME:-
To Work - Its the price of success.
To think - Its the source of power.
To play - Its the secret of youth.
To read - Its the foundation of wisdom
To be friendly- Its the road to happiness.
To love & be loved - Its the privilege of GOD.
To look around - Its too short a day to be selfish
To laugh - Its music of soul.
&
To serve- Its the only way to be Godly.
These will bring
Clarity of vision
The strength of our resolve.
The will to implement a strategic action plan.
And enable one to take plans to logical and
successful conclusion.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Curiosity killed the cat
Meaning
Inquisitiveness can lead one into dangerous situations.
Origin
Everyone knows that, despite its supposed nine lives, curiosity killed the cat. Well, not quite. The 'killed the cat' proverb originated as 'care killed the cat'. By 'care' the coiner of the expression meant 'worry/sorrow' rather than our more usual contemporary 'look after/provide for' meaning.
That form of the expression is first recorded in the English playwright Ben Jonson's play Every Man in His Humour, 1598:
"Helter skelter, hang sorrow, care'll kill a Cat, up-tails all, and a Louse for the Hangman."
The play was one of the Tudor humours comedies, in which each major character is assigned a particular 'humour' or trait. The play is thought to have been performed in 1598 by The Lord Chamberlain's Men, a troupe of actors including William Shakespeare and William Kempe. Shakespeare was no slouch when it came to appropriating a memorable line and it crops up the following year in Much Ado About Nothing:
"What, courage man! what though care killed a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care."
The proverbial expression 'curiosity killed the cat', which is usually used when attempting to stop someone asking unwanted questions, is much more recent. The earlier form was still in use in 1898, when it was defined in Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable:
"Care killed the Cat. It is said that a cat has nine lives, but care would wear them all out."
Curiosity hasn't received a good press over the centuries. Saint Augustine wrote in Confessions, AD 397, that, in the eons before creating heaven and earth, God "fashioned hell for the inquisitive". John Clarke, in Paroemiologia, 1639 suggested that "He that pryeth into every cloud may be struck with a thunderbolt". In Don Juan, Lord Byron called curiosity "that low vice". That bad opinion, and the fact that cats are notoriously inquisitive, lead to the source of their demise being changed from 'care' to 'curiosity'.
The earliest known printed reference that uses the 'curiosity' form is O. Henry's Schools and Schools, 1909:
"Curiosity can do more things than kill a cat; and if emotions, well recognized as feminine, are inimical to feline life, then jealousy would soon leave the whole world catless."
The earliest version that I have found of the precise current form of the proverb in print is from The Portsmouth Daily Times, March 1915, in a piece headed The Height of Curiosity:
Mother - "Don't ask so many questions, child. Curiosity killed the cat."
Willie - "What did the cat want to know, Mom?"
Meaning
Inquisitiveness can lead one into dangerous situations.
Origin
Everyone knows that, despite its supposed nine lives, curiosity killed the cat. Well, not quite. The 'killed the cat' proverb originated as 'care killed the cat'. By 'care' the coiner of the expression meant 'worry/sorrow' rather than our more usual contemporary 'look after/provide for' meaning.
That form of the expression is first recorded in the English playwright Ben Jonson's play Every Man in His Humour, 1598:
"Helter skelter, hang sorrow, care'll kill a Cat, up-tails all, and a Louse for the Hangman."
The play was one of the Tudor humours comedies, in which each major character is assigned a particular 'humour' or trait. The play is thought to have been performed in 1598 by The Lord Chamberlain's Men, a troupe of actors including William Shakespeare and William Kempe. Shakespeare was no slouch when it came to appropriating a memorable line and it crops up the following year in Much Ado About Nothing:
"What, courage man! what though care killed a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care."
The proverbial expression 'curiosity killed the cat', which is usually used when attempting to stop someone asking unwanted questions, is much more recent. The earlier form was still in use in 1898, when it was defined in Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable:
"Care killed the Cat. It is said that a cat has nine lives, but care would wear them all out."
Curiosity hasn't received a good press over the centuries. Saint Augustine wrote in Confessions, AD 397, that, in the eons before creating heaven and earth, God "fashioned hell for the inquisitive". John Clarke, in Paroemiologia, 1639 suggested that "He that pryeth into every cloud may be struck with a thunderbolt". In Don Juan, Lord Byron called curiosity "that low vice". That bad opinion, and the fact that cats are notoriously inquisitive, lead to the source of their demise being changed from 'care' to 'curiosity'.
The earliest known printed reference that uses the 'curiosity' form is O. Henry's Schools and Schools, 1909:
"Curiosity can do more things than kill a cat; and if emotions, well recognized as feminine, are inimical to feline life, then jealousy would soon leave the whole world catless."
The earliest version that I have found of the precise current form of the proverb in print is from The Portsmouth Daily Times, March 1915, in a piece headed The Height of Curiosity:
Mother - "Don't ask so many questions, child. Curiosity killed the cat."
Willie - "What did the cat want to know, Mom?"
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