Maestro Yehudi Menuhin’s Encouragement

For the last 25 years I have been trying to play the violin, but sometimes for years I do not practise. Recently I said I will play twice a day to develop confidence, and God knows how many days it will last. Yesterday morning I was practising. It was 9:20 earthly time. Maestro Yehudi Menuhin* stood right in front of me in the subtle body. I said, “Maestro is here, and I am worse than a beginner.” He was full of kindness, affection and encouragement. I was very, very happy, delighted, to see his subtle body, or you can say the soul inside the subtle body.

He gave me some instructions, how to use the bow to produce the scale: “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.” In Indian classical music, the first five notes are called “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.” In Western music, it is “Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do.” He was showing me how to use the bow, and a few other things. He was very charming. He was telling me when some songs are slow, then I must go to the very end of the bow. If I cannot go to the very end, it should not be more than an inch either side.

I played for him a few times slowly, going near the end of the bow. He said, “That is good.” Sometimes my hand was two or three inches from the end. He said, “No, no, no, no.” Then he took my hand to the end and said, “That is good.”

He said to me, “How many years have you been playing?”

I said, “Twenty-five years ago I started, and this is my standard even after 25 years. I gave up many times because I was not making any progress.”

He said, “Twenty-five years ago? From now on you must forget that you gave up many, many times. You have to remember only that you have been practising for 25 years.”

I said, “How many times I gave up!”

He said, “No, no, you have to convince your mind that you have not given up even once. You have to feel that you have been practising for 25 years.”

I said, “All right. It is so easy to convince the mind or to fool the mind. It is the same thing, so I can do it.”

Then he flattered me. He said, “A musician of your calibre can play any musical instrument.”

He placed his two hands on my shoulders with such affection. Of course he was in the subtle body. He said, “I say you can do it, you can do it. Just have some confidence.”

I said, “But I am not going to perform next time.

Soon I shall be playing for your dearest friend Ravi Shankar. I am going to San Diego, and I have invited him. He is so kind to accept my invitation, and I will play the esraj for him. I am not confident to play violin in a week’s time.”

He said, “All right. This time you do not have to play violin. But from next time on, you must play. Just feel that you have been practising for the last 25 years. You may not be aware, but from time to time I shall come and help you.”

I said, “My soul is omnipresent. So if you help me, I will always be aware of it. My soul can go anywhere. If you really help me, then my soul will be able to know and tell me. I will always be aware of your presence whenever you come to teach me inwardly.”

Then he parted, full of affection and love. This is my juicy story. It was just yesterday, so it is still fresh in my memory. I always try to watch the earthly time. It was 9:20 in the morning. All right, my story is over.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Only One Reality Sri Chinmoy, Agni Press, 2025
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/oor