The Sacred Soundscape: Significance of Indian Music in Mythology and History

In the spiritual imagination of India, music is far more than an art form—it is a sacred force, a cosmic vibration, and a pathway to the divine. From the rhythmic chants of the Vedas to the resonant melodies of classical ragas, music has always been regarded as an essential medium through which the unseen becomes heard, and the eternal is brought into the realm of the temporal. In Indian mythology, the universe itself is said to have emerged from nada, the primal sound, making music not merely a human invention but a divine impulse woven into the very fabric of creation.

Across millennia, this sonic worldview shaped not only the rituals and philosophies of the Indian subcontinent but also its art, literature, and collective spiritual life. Deities were imagined as musicians; their instruments became metaphors for creation, destruction, and transcendence. Saints, mystics, and poets sang their way to liberation, bypassing rigid orthodoxy through ecstatic devotion expressed in song. Music thus came to occupy a unique place in Indian consciousness—not confined to temples or courts but flowing through every layer of cultural and emotional experience.

Lord Shiva dancing while others play musical instruments

This article explores the profound role of music in Indian mythology and historical tradition. It traces how sacred sound formed the metaphysical bedrock of ancient beliefs, shaped classical theory, empowered devotional movements, and continues to resonate in the spiritual and cultural practices of India today. Through divine instruments, ritual chants, raga theory, and mystical poetry, we discover how music in India is not merely to be heard, but to be lived.

Music as Cosmic Principle: Nāda Brahma and the Birth of the Universe

Music has always held a sacred place in the cultural and spiritual consciousness of India. Unlike in many traditions where music is confined to entertainment, in Indian thought, it is a cosmic principle. In Hindu cosmology, the universe begins with sound- Naada. The Vedas describe creation as a result of Nada Brahma, the primordial vibration. From this sound emerged Om, the sacred syllable regarded as the origin of all mantras, elements, and forms.

The Vedas and the Sonic Foundations of Ritual

The Vedic period institutionalized the use of sound in religious practice. The Rigveda, the oldest known Indian scripture, is filled with hymns intended to be sung, and the Samaveda—the Veda of melodies—is entirely dedicated to music. The Samaveda took verses from the Rigveda and set them to melody so they could be sung during rituals. In other words, it turned sacred text into music. This is the earliest example we have of music being directly tied to worship in India. Mantras were not read silently but chanted aloud in specific meters and melodies known as saman. These chants were considered so potent that mispronunciation could result in spiritual error or misalignment of ritual effects. The Samaveda developed an elaborate system of musical chanting, influencing the early structure of Indian classical music.

The Vedas also describe the Gandharvas, celestial musicians responsible for preserving divine sound. Their music was not only pleasing but regenerative, maintaining harmony in the cosmos. Thus, music in the Vedas was inseparable from prayer, healing, and cosmology.

Sound and the Divine in Indian Mythology

Mythology reinforces the divine dimension of music through the symbolic instruments of deities. Lord Shiva, as Nataraja, performs the Tandava, a cosmic dance that simultaneously creates and destroys universes. In his hand, he carries the damru, a two-headed drum whose beat signifies the rhythm of time and existence. The damru of Shiva represents the cosmic rhythm and duality—creation and destruction, sound and silence, life and death. According to Shaivite texts, the Sanskrit language itself emerged from the beats of Shiva’s damru—each sound a seed of creation.

Goddess Saraswati holding a veena

Similarly, Goddess Saraswati, the embodiment of wisdom, is almost always depicted playing the veena. Her music symbolizes clarity of thought, harmony, and the pursuit of higher knowledge. It is through her veena that the universe is tuned into balance and grace. Saraswati’s veena symbolizes intellectual refinement and the tuning of the human soul to divine knowledge.

Perhaps the most emotionally resonant example is that of Lord Krishna and his flute. The sound of Krishna’s flute is not just a musical motif; it is a profound spiritual metaphor. It represents the call of the divine to the soul, the magnetism of God’s love drawing the devotee away from worldly attachments. Similarly, Narada roams with a lute, an emblem of wandering song and wisdom. These icons signal that making music is itself a path to knowledge and devotion. Vishnu’s shankha (conch) is another potent symbol. Blown during rituals, it is believed to emanate the sound of Om, purifying the environment and dispelling negativity. These instruments are not incidental—they are metaphysical tools, representing the deeper philosophy of vibration, resonance, and transcendence.

Natya Shastra: The First Treatise on Performing Arts and Music

Composed between 200 BCE and 200 CE by Bharata Muni, the Natya Shastra is perhaps the world’s earliest comprehensive guide to performance. It does not treat music as isolated from the other arts; rather, it views it as one of the fundamental expressions of human emotion and divine realization. The text introduces the concept of rasa—the emotional essence evoked through artistic experience. The musician’s goal, according to Bharata, is not to entertain but to elevate consciousness.

The Natya Shastra also discusses various musical scales, instruments, and rhythmic cycles, laying the theoretical foundation for Indian classical music systems that evolved over the centuries. Music, as detailed in the text, is a disciplined path toward spiritual refinement.

Raga and Rasa: The Emotional Grammar of Indian Music

Central to Indian music is the concept of raga, a melodic framework that defines mood, emotion, and even time of day. Unlike Western musical scales that are static and structural, a raga is living and relational—it interacts with the listener's mood, the environment, and the performer’s intention. Each raga is designed to evoke a specific rasa: devotion, love, valor, peace, longing, or even transcendence.

The subtle nuances of a raga enable it to serve as a tool for meditation and emotional transformation. This is not accidental but intentional—Indian music was built as a spiritual science of sound, where every note leads inward.

The Bhakti and Sufi Movements: Music as a Path to the Divine

During the medieval period, music became the preferred mode of spiritual communication for saint-poets of the Bhakti and Sufi movements. Saints like Meerabai, Kabir, Namdev, and Tyagaraja composed and sang devotional poetry in regional languages, challenging orthodox rituals and making spiritual practice accessible to the masses. Their songs were deeply personal, expressing yearning, surrender, and ecstatic union with the divine.

Meerabai

Sufi mystics adopted Indian musical modes into qawwalis, expressing their longing for God through rhythm and poetry. In both movements, music was not a performance but an act of bhava—emotional intensity aimed at merging with the divine. These traditions democratized music, making it the heartbeat of spiritual life in everyday society.

Sacred Instruments and Their Symbolism

Beyond myth and philosophy, Indian history reveres musical instruments as sacred embodiments of cosmic forces. The tanpura’s constant drone symbolizes the eternal Om, while instruments like the mridangam, tabla, and bansuri represent the elements and their rhythmic interplay. The ringing of temple bells is believed to drive away lower vibrations and summon divine presence.

A Lady Playing the Tanpura, ca. 1735 India (Rajasthan, Kishangarh)

Many instruments were used only in temples and rituals, played during morning and evening worship, or during festive processions. They were not just tools of melody but carriers of vibration meant to sanctify space, time, and consciousness. Training in classical music traditionally followed the guru-shishya parampara—a sacred lineage where the art was passed down orally, emphasizing devotion, discipline, and humility. The musician’s stage was not just a platform, but a sacred altar.

Temples as Conservatories of Music

For hundreds of years, temples were not just places of worship but also centers of music. They acted like schools, workplaces, and spaces where new musical styles were developed. In South India, the daily pooja (rituals) needed singers, drummers, and dancers as a regular part of temple life. In the North, especially at Vaishnava shrines in places like Mathura, Govardhan, and Nathdwara, a style called haveli sangeet grew, which used the serious, devotional style of Dhrupad to praise Krishna. In Kerala, a unique form called Sopana Sangeetam evolved, where hymns such as Jayadeva’s astapadi were sung on the temple steps, with the soft beats of the idakka drum. All of these traditions show how raga (melody) and tala (rhythm) were carefully linked to specific gods, certain times of day, and rituals inside the temple.

Sikh musicians singing and playing in the interior of the Golden Temple, Amritsar. Watercolour painting of the interior of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, by William Carpenter, circa February 1854

Sikh kirtan: scripture in music

The Guru Granth Sahib is not just a holy book; it is also a musical guide. It is arranged according to 31 main ragas, with several variations that add more colour and mood. This means that the scripture itself tells you which tune to use for each hymn. When Sikhs sing kirtan in the gurdwara, they are not only performing music but also bringing the words of the scripture to life through melody and rhythm.

Music in royal courts

From the time of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal emperors to the Marathas and other regional kings, music grew under royal support. The solemn style of Dhrupad reached great heights in the Mughal courts—Tansen from Gwalior being the most famous name. Later, new forms like khayal and thumri added romance, emotion, and dance-like beauty to music. While the old texts like the Natyashastra and Sangeetratnakara continued to guide theory, in practice, music now thrived in many settings—temples, palaces, shrines, and public festivals.

Akbar and Tansen visit Swami Haridas in Vrindavan. Swami Haridas is to the right, playing the lute; Akbar is to the left, dressed as a common man; Tansen is in the middle, listening to Haridas. Jaipur-Kishangarh mixed style, ca. 1750

The idea of rasa: emotion in sound

What ties music and mythology so closely together in India is the idea of rasa, or emotional essence. Each form of art is meant to awaken a specific feeling. In devotional traditions, these feelings are turned toward God—like shringara (romantic love), becoming the soul’s longing for the divine, or veera (heroism), turning into courage in devotion. Ragas are also linked with times of the day and seasons, so the music follows the natural and cosmic cycle—morning chants, evening lamps, monsoon melodies. Above all, the inner feeling of the singer (bhava) matters as much as the rules of raga, especially in traditions like haveli sangeet and sopana sangeetam, where devotion guides performance.

Contemporary Relevance: Music as Meditation, Healing, and Heritage

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Indian music entered a new phase. Reformers like Vishnu Digambar Paluskar and Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande worked to preserve classical traditions by opening music schools, writing down compositions, and creating a standard system of teaching. This helped bring music out of temples and royal courts and made it available to the general public.

A group of Indian musicians and singers in the 19th century

With the arrival of radio, gramophone records, and later films, music reached millions of people. Devotional songs, classical ragas, and folk tunes all found space in cinema, making Indian film music one of the most powerful cultural forces of the 20th century.

In independent India, classical music festivals, bhajan and qawwali concerts, and Carnatic kutcheris (concerts) kept the old traditions alive, while new experiments blended Indian ragas with jazz, rock, and electronic music. Legends like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain, and Lata Mangeshkar brought Indian sounds to the global stage.

Black and white poster featuring two musicians, one playing sitar, with "The Incredible Ravi Shankar" text.

Today, Indian music continues to evolve. Bollywood and regional film music dominate popular culture, but at the same time, there is a revival of folk traditions and a renewed interest in classical concerts. Young artists are mixing hip-hop, fusion, and electronic beats with traditional instruments like the sitar, tabla, and flute. Global collaborations and streaming platforms have made Indian music accessible worldwide, while devotional and classical performances continue to be an integral part of spiritual and cultural life. Performers like Rishabh RikhiRam Sharma and Anoushka Shankar are among the world’s youngest professional sitarists who are doing exceptionally well in promoting Indian music globally.

Devotional music, classical ragas, and mantra chanting remain integral to yoga studios, meditation retreats, temples, and homes. The rise of Nada yoga—the practice of union through sound—has reawakened ancient insights about sound therapy and inner healing. Indian music is also finding global resonance in therapeutic practices, with research validating what Indian traditions have always known: sound can harmonize body, mind, and spirit. From lullabies to ragas for healing insomnia, music continues to be a deeply embedded part of India’s cultural and spiritual wellness practices.

AUTHOR

Akshita Rana