Music, or spirituality?

We all have, at some point of time, listened to mood-reflecting music as a way to palliate our emotional upheavals and introspect. The blushes of first love, the shatter of a broken romance, the high of victory, the solitude of defeat, the pain of parting, the joy of reunion; almost every event worth noticing in our life has had a musical background to silently enhance, or alternately reduce, the adrenaline rush.
While there is music in religion for some, and for others, music is religion. Traces of music, and melody can be found in all the religions; Choir and carols in Christianity, Bhajan and geet in Hinduism, Aazan and Sufi music in Islam, gurubani in Sikhism and the likes.

Music and meditation:
Music has been inherently and eternally linked to meditation. When we hear soul stirring music, it uplifts us, much like deep meditation. This is called the principle of equivalence. The brain appreciates and absorbs the music by creating the same set of complex thought pattern as that during meditation.
The great composer Beethoven said of music, “Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. Although the spirit be not master of that which it creates through music, yet it is blessed in this creation, which, like every creation of art, is mightier than the artiste.”
The Indian classical music, one of the oldest and finest music forms of the world, traces its roots to ancient Vedic hymns. Most Indian Gods and Goddesses have been depicted carrying musical instruments. Even in other religions, hymns, musical chants and other forms of music form an inherent part of expressing spirituality and devotion to God.

Origins of music/spirituality:
Where and how did music originate? Every religion has its own theory. One goes like this. In the very beginning, there was the Word. Almost all the religions of the world talk about it. No one is sure what the word was, but in Hindu religion it is believed to be OM. In Patanjali Yoga Darshan, Ishwara is defined as a special Being who is expressed by this original Word (Pranava). This might have added to the concept of inner music mentioned in the scriptures. This sound has been called the Word in Bible, Naad, Jyoti and Shruti in the Hindu scriptures, Sraosha in the Zoroastrian scriptures, Kalma in the Muslim scriptures, Sonorous Light in the Buddhist scriptures, Naam or Shabd by the Sikhs, and the Thesophists call it the Voice of Silence
Even scientists claim that in the beginning, right after the Big Bang, and before anything else appeared in the universe, primordial sound waves were produced. This may have formed the basis of Brahma Nad, mentioned in the Upanishads.

Music is perfection in hitting the note:
Many musicians consider true music as the manifestation of perfection. Music is like the horizon to them; the closer they go towards it, the further it moves. But this does not deter them from pursuing this horizon. And when they touch this perfection, its sheer bliss. To strike the perfect note accurately is like walking on the razor’s edge. Every other place, other than that particular spot, is off-key. And if by some miracle, that perfect note is struck, the razor edge expands into a wide open universe of possibilities. Many refer to this state as ‘Shoonyata’.
Even the beautiful Sanskrit word ‘Swara’ is self-explanatory. ‘Swa’ means self and ‘Ra’ means to bring forth or throw light upon. Simply put, the singer delves deep within and brings forth his or her inner essence.