Excerpts from a Conversation with Purushottama at Aspiration-Ground, 2 September 2007

Purushottama: You mean, significant for me spiritually?

Sri Chinmoy: Let us start with spiritually.

Purushottama: I would say almost every performance is a chance to achieve something wonderful. It always happens for several songs at least, almost in every performance. It’s hard to explain, but it is as if I am singing to the whole universe, and the universe responds, and I can feel it.

Sri Chinmoy: I am so proud of you, so proud of you. That is what a real musician has to do. You are conversing with the universe. This moment your music is entering into the universe. Next moment the universe is blessing you with its own universal music.

I am telling you in all sincerity, what strikes me the most is your sweetness and soulfulness, and then your power and your heart’s breath. The heart has two kinds of breath: one is outer breath, and the other is inner breath. That inner breath only communicates with the universal consciousness. There are a few more divine qualities, not only in your voice, but also in your music.

In your case, I see sweetness, soulfulness and power. There are two kinds of power in music. One power destroys everything. Another power elevates the consciousness of the audience, according to their height. Each individual has a height of his or her own, and that power elevates that height. Again, what happens, some musicians excite the audience. It is usually their vital. There at the United Nations I observed, people cheered you. Their cheering was from the heart, not from the vital. I was so moved. People who raised their hands and were appreciating, admiring and adoring you, it was something very, very – I do not want to use the word exciting – it was very charming and energising. While they were raising their hands, there was no vital excitement, no vital excitement. It was the awakening of something deeper in their own life. Each song you ended, they got joy. It was not the joy of a lower level of consciousness. It was the joy of a higher level of consciousness. I looked around, and I saw this was not vital excitement. No, it was the awakening, awakening of the heart, so I was so deeply, deeply moved and deeply proud of you. This is from the spiritual point of view.

Apart from the guitar, do you play other instruments?

Purushottama: Well, I play the mouth harp a little bit, about as well as Bob Dylan, and no, nothing else – guitar: acoustic guitar, electric guitar.

Sri Chinmoy: This is one instrument I really failed to learn. I did not play guitar at all. I tried all the instruments. When it came to the guitar – surrender, surrender.

Purushottama: Guru, actually it’s very easy to play if you use an open tuning. Usually a guitar is tuned in such a way that you have to put your fingers in strange combinations. But if you tune it differently, it’s very easy to play. I can show you. You play the esraj. A guitar is easier.

Sri Chinmoy: I started with the harmonium, and then the esraj. For years I played mainly one instrument, that was the esraj. Then gradually, gradually I began playing quite a few instruments, like a jack of all trades, master of none. There is something called the inner world. This is the outer world, but in the inner world many, many musicians of the highest order over the years have come when I perform. You can call these experiences my sheer mental hallucinations, but sometimes I see them performing with me.

There was a very well-known cellist. I am sure you know of him. His name was Pablo Casals. In the very evening of his life, I met with him at his home in Puerto Rico. As soon as he saw me, he placed his hands on my shoulders and started shedding tears, tears, tears. They were all falling on my shoulders. During the evening, we talked for about three hours. Then he played two pieces for me.

A rumour had spread in Puerto Rico that his wife was his mother in a previous incarnation. They said that his mother’s soul took birth and became one of the members of his symphony, and then became his wife. Some people believed, while others did not believe. Still others did not care, but I was quite curious. His present wife was there, so I asked Maestro Casals to show me the picture of his mother, to see whether they had any connection: his present wife and his past mother.

I concentrated very, very seriously for two or three minutes. For me, if I am serious, if I use my Third Eye, it takes a second to know. I concentrated very seriously, and then I said, “Definitely, your present wife was your mother in a previous incarnation.” I made him and his wife so happy. It was not flattery, but absolutely, absolutely true.

Many, many times he has come in the inner world during my concerts. It was his fervent inner request, whenever I give serious and soulful Peace Concerts, that I invite his soul, and I do have the capacity. You will not believe, on my birthday also he came in the inner world.

Leonard Bernstein also often comes in the inner world. He knew me well on the physical plane. The Maestro showered his blessings upon me, and he wrote a song about me. I went to his place on two separate occasions, and he would ask me to meditate with him.

Once I was playing the piano, and I saw Leonard Bernstein in the inner world. What was he doing? He was playing the viola. I have played viola many times. He was playing the viola while I was playing the piano. My piano performance has no mother, no father. I was playing very fast and very loudly, and I was seeing how fast he was playing. In his lifetime also he played the viola, and in the inner world he sometimes plays the viola.

The souls of a few great giants, musical giants, come and join when I perform, and they also perform, but only Pablo Casals will not perform. Only to meditate, he will come. He will sit right in front of me every time. He only wants to observe peace, peace from my soul and peace from my heart. This time on my birthday, he meditated deeply with folded hands. Only he comes to take from me the spiritual aspect of my life. At that time, he is not interested in performing. I see him only observing peace, light and bliss from my heart and soul.

The other day, the night of our Classical Concert, everyone played classical music so well. When it came time for me to play the piano and I sat down, a spiritual Master of the highest order blessed me with a garland of white roses. Sometimes before, sometimes while I am performing, sometimes at the end of the performance, this Master garlands me. This Master has an inner connection. He has affection and compassion for me. He is of a very high order in spirituality. He says if I play only the piano, I will become famous. My piano is all extemporaneous, but that Master likes my piano performance. Not only that, every time I play the piano, he comes and blesses me with a garland of white roses.