Sunil Bhattacharya
- (Sunil:) “I have often a feeling these days that it is You who made me a musician.”
(Mother:) “Perhaps.”[1]
(Sunil to a friend:) “From my childhood I knew what I really was and yet always I tried to reach for what I could become. I have always felt the One whom I call Divine very close to me. He had come to me in my dreams both waking and in my sleep. He is my friend and my love and I have unshakable trust in Him. He is much more real to me than you are…”[2]
(Sunil:) “My greatest joy in this life has been my success in discovering Her, who is my true Mother, as well as my attempts to express in my music my deepest feelings for Her.”[3]
- (Sunil:) “Mother, ‘Pranama’. Today, while I was standing near the Samadhi, while waiting for going to Sri Aurobindo's room, I suddenly felt something whirling around inside my head which moved with so much speed that I felt tired and my senses began to disappear (which I felt). I could not even see the people but to some extent and identifying them by touch, I managed to come to the room adjacent to the Ashram Library. I asked the man remaining there to give me some water.
When I prayed to you, then I gradually could see everything and felt good. I cannot understand the cause of this happening.
Your child,
Sunil”
(Mother:) “It is the answer from above I put on you and, most probably, the experience that you had is the result of it. The influx was probably a bit too strong for the ‘adhar’ – but by staying quiet and by enlarging your consciousness and your receptivity, you will certainly experience the salutary results of this experience.
With my blessings,
Mother” ”[4]
(Sunil to Mother, 1965:) “The pieces of music which you asked me to do for the 1st of December are supposed to represent Mahashakti, Mahasaraswati, Mahalakshmi, Mahakali, and Savitri (your reading), arranged in this order. Naturally whom could I express in my music but you in your different moods and moments that I have had the good fortune to witness during my 22 years stay over here. Sometimes I strayed into infinity which left me on clouds, sometimes dark and lonely sweeping down in flashes of lightning into the clods of darkness below. I thought I saw your face lovely, snow white, aloof, staring into infinity. Sometimes something, sometimes a splash of rainbow colours treading softly on the greenness of my heart, and sometimes as my mother, lover and companion. But now that the music is ready, I wonder whether anything like that has been expressed in it. As for me when I hear it I find in it nothing but an echo of my deep love and admiration for you.”[5]
(Sunil:) “It's curious, Mother, that each time that you told me that You love my music I had tears in my eyes. Each time that I tell You that I love You Mother, I have tears in my eyes. One would say they are tears of joy or gratitude. I don't believe it. I could not understand it for a long time. But now I see why, I feel even though very vaguely that there is a whole world that I was not conscious of before, a very beautiful world, formed by memories of You and me. And each time the You look in my eyes, each time that You smile at me I find again this world, a bit of my Mother that I had lost and that I had searched for through the ages. Far, far in the depths of my heart I become conscious of a powerful emotion which moves, which grows together to complain, one could say, to You. Are these feelings a play of emotion and have no reality behind? Or do You think that my feelings are at the end tired and all these emotions are only a subconscious translation of a desire to look for a nest of security or repose? Tell me, petite Mère, was I very near You before my birth, or in a past life? Would You answer to this question? You see that it was not by curiosity only that I have asked a question in my earlier letter. I think that I have started to see things that I did not see before. Or do you think that it is only my tenderness for You that gives me this sense of intimacy for you?”
(Mother:) “It is possible that, in a previous life, you have been my physical child. But this is not what gives you this deep emotion. It is your soul which inspires your music. It is with your soul that I connect you when I speak of your music and that connects you with your soul and also with me who is always in the center of your being.
It is the intensity of that consciousness which makes you cry of emotion, these are psychic tears which melt the obstacles and the difficulties in the being.
Mother” ”[6]
(Mother, 10 February 1966:) “Sunil, my dear child,
We need a music to accompany and frame my readings of passages from Savitri illustrated in “Meditations on Savitri”.
You alone can do this music the way it should be done.
Would you be interested in this work? It would make me very happy.
If you agree to do this big work which will certainly take two years to complete, Huta would like to show you right now all her finished paintings.
And as the recording proceeds, my reading would be given to you, book by book, so that you can use it as a basis for your composition. If need be, you could use some of my recorded musics that you could orchestrate, as you did before for others.
Tell me whether you like this idea – and I could call you one morning that we may talk about it.
I will need your answer before February 14th.
With my blessings,
Mother
- (Sunil:) As for my decision, all you propose to me agree with. The idea is excellent, but what frightens me is I am not sure of my ability. But I have total trust in You and I know if you give me a work you also give me the grace which alone can succeed.
Sunil, my dear child,
Those who are really capable are always modest.
Come February 15th at 11 a.m.
Huta will be here and you will meet each other.
With all my love and blessings, Mother”[7]
(Mother to Satprem, 25 June 1966:) “Do you know that Sunil has done some music for Savitri, and he is going to play it for me in early July. I don't think he wants to have an audience, it's quite private, because it must be played only in 1968 – in February '68 – and he will show me just a small piece to see if it's all right. But I thought you would be interested. I'll leave my windows wide open.
- (Satprem:) I like what he does very much.
Oh, not just once but very often, while listening to his music, a door is immediately opened onto the region of universal harmony, where you hear the origin of sounds, and with an extraordinary emotion and intensity, something that pulls you out of yourself (gesture of abrupt wrenching). It's the first time I've had this while listening to music – I myself have it when I am all alone. But I never had it while listening to music, it's always something much closer to the earth. Here, it's something very high, but very universal, and with a tremendous power: a creative power. Well, his music opens the door.
Now, some people have heard his music, and in Russia, France and the U.S.A. as well, they have asked for permission to copy it and spread it around. And the strange thing is that those people don't know one another, but they have all had the same impression: tomorrow's music. So to those who have asked I've answered, “Have some patience, in two years we'll give you a musical monument.” It's much better to begin with a major work, because it immediately gives the position, otherwise you might think it's passing little inspirations – not that: something that strikes you on the head and makes you bow before it.
I read out the lines (in English, naturally), and with that he does the music. And the words are probably mixed in with the music, as he always does. But then, my reading is simply the clearest possible pronunciation, with the full understanding of what's being said, and WITHOUT A SINGLE INTONATION. I think I have succeeded, because at a week's interval (I don't read every day), the timbre of the voice is always the same.
- (Satprem:) But all the music I used to adore seems pallid to me.
Doesn't it! It sounds dull.
- (Satprem:) Yes, it seems shallow.
Superficial, very shallow. All those things I found admirable in the past, that's finished.”[8]
(Shobha Mitra:) “Dancing to Sunil-da's music was quite an extraordinary experience. Absolutely unforgettable. The music he had composed for the ‘aspiration’ dance was perhaps the harbinger of the future music of the new world, what became subsequently so clear, what the Mother called the ‘Music of Tomorrow, the Music of the Future’. The 1st December programme of 1964 was a dance-drama based on Sri Aurobindo's The Hour of God. We had requested the Mother to record this piece in Her voice. She had graciously accepted. After the 1st December programme, Sunil-da made use of this recording to compose a new piece and incorporated the music for my ‘aspiration’ dance in it. This very unusual composition of Sunil-da's was called ‘The Hour of God’.”[9]
(Steve:) “He used a lot of alternate instrument creativity in the 60s. He used tea cups filled with different amounts of water for xylophone or chimes-like sounds. There was the piano that they had removed the back of and used as a harp. He also did pitch-shifting with the tape deck. They recorded at half-speed and then played it back at double speed or vice versa, so the sound was shifted up or down by an octave. The effect was not the same as if they had just played at a higher octave. Also the guitar was used in an original way as a violin. That remained an element of the music throughout.”[10]
Savitri music
- Book One: The Book of Beginnings
Canto I: The Symbol Dawn (39:53) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto II: The Issue (37:43) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto III: The Yoga of the King: The Yoga of the Soul's Release (43:03) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto IV: The Secret Knowledge (1:33:03) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto V: The Yoga of the King: The Yoga of the Spirit's Freedom and Greatness (1:08:15) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
- Book Two: The Book of the Traveller of the Worlds
Canto I: The World-Stair (31:35) ▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto II: The Kingdom of Subtle Matter (33:50) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto III: The Glory and the Fall of Life (31:02) ▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto IV: The Kingdoms of the Little Life (40:04) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto V: The Godheads of the Little Life (1:07:51) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto VI: The Kingdoms and Godheads of the Greater Life (42:18) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto VII: The Descent into Night (23:33) ▪▪▪▪▪ Canto VIII: The World of Falsehood, the Mother of Evil and the Sons of Darkness (none) Canto IX: The Paradise of the Life-Gods (15:45) ▪▪▪ Canto X: The Kingdoms and Godheads of the Little Mind (30:37) ▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto XI: The Kingdoms and Godheads of the Greater Mind (23:45) ▪▪▪▪▪ Canto XII: The Heavens of the Ideal (22:31) ▪▪▪▪▪ Canto XIII: In the Self of Mind (13:51) ▪▪▪ Canto XIV: The World-Soul (22:31) ▪▪▪▪▪ Canto XV: The Kingdoms of the Greater Knowledge (11:51) ▪▪
- Book Three: The Book of the Divine Mother
Canto I: The Pursuit of the Unknowable (5:34) ▪ Canto II: The Adoration of the Divine Mother (18:40) ▪▪▪▪ Canto III: The House of the Spirit and the New Creation (30:02) ▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto IV: The Vision and the Boon (25:47) ▪▪▪▪▪
- Book Four: The Book of Birth and Quest
Canto I: The Birth and Childhood of the Flame (55:52) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto II: The Growth of the Flame (31:04) ▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto III: The Call to the Quest (35:17) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto IV: The Quest (47:45) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
- Book Five: The Book of Love
Canto I: The Destined Meeting-Place (12:27) ▪▪ Canto II: Satyavan (34:26) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto III: Satyavan and Savitri (1:22:18) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
- Book Six: The Book of Fate
Canto I: The Word of Fate (1:17:00) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto II: The Way of Fate and the Problem of Pain (1:05:57) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
- Book Seven: The Book of Yoga
Canto I: The Joy of Union; the Ordeal of the Foreknowledge of Death and the Heart's Grief and Pain (28:37) ▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto II: The Parable of the Search for the Soul (29:47) ▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto III: The Entry into the Inner Countries (1:04:52) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto IV: The Triple Soul-Forces (1:16:07) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto V: The Finding of the Soul (1:14:46) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto VI: Nirvana and the Discovery of the All-Negating Absolute (47:47) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto VII: The Discovery of the Cosmic Spirit and the Cosmic Consciousness (22:54) ▪▪▪▪▪
- Book Eight: The Book of Death
“Canto III”: Death in the Forest (1:11:49) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
- Book Nine: The Book of Eternal Night
Canto I: Towards the Black Void (1:19:45) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto II: The Journey in Eternal Night and the Voice of the Darkness (1:26:45) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
- Book Ten: The Book of the Double Twilight
Canto I: The Dream Twilight of the Ideal (25:04) ▪▪▪▪▪ Canto II: The Gospel of Death and the Vanity of the Ideal (4:55) ▪ Canto III: The Debate of Love and Death (35:53) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Canto IV: The Dream Twilight of the Earthly Real (1:15:10) ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
New Year music
- ↑ Book review of "Sunil: The Mother's Musician" (SABDA)
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Clifford Gibson, Sunil: The Mother's Musician, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, 2014, p.31
- ↑ Ibid., p.40
- ↑ Ibid., p.49
- ↑ Ibid., p.52
- ↑ Mother's Agenda 1966, 25 June 1966
- ↑ Shobha Mitra, Living in the Presence, p.73
- ↑ Clifford Gibson, Sunil: The Mother's Musician, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, 2014, p.30
See also
