The Breathing Body, Whistling Flute, and Sonic Divine: Oneness and Distinction in Bengal Vaishnavism’s Devotional Aesthetics

This paper studies complex narratives connecting the Hindu deity Krishna, his melodious flute, and the porous, sonic human body in the popular devotional sect, Bengal Vaishnavism. From the devotee–lover responding to Krishna’s flute call outside, envying the flute’s privileged position on Krishna’s lips, to becoming the deity’s flute through yogic breath–sound fusions—texts abound with nuanced relations of equivalence and differentiation among the devotee–flute–god. Based primarily on readings of Hindu religious texts, and fieldwork in Bengal among makers/players of the bamboo flute, the paper analyses theological constructions correlating body–flute–divinity. Lying at the confluence of yogic, tantric, and devotional thought, the striking conceptual problem about the flute in Bengal Vaishnavism is: are the body, flute and divinity distinct or the same? I argue that the flute’s descriptions in both classical Sanskrit texts and popular oral lore and performances draw together ostensibly opposed religious paradigms of Yoga (oneness with divinity) and passionate devotion/bhakti (difference): its fine, airy feeling fusing with the body’s inner breathing self, and sweet melody producing a subservient temperament towards the lover–god outside. Flute sounds embody the peculiar dialectic of difference-and-identity among devotee–flute–god, much like the flute–lip-lock itself, bringing to affective life the Bengal Vaishnava philosophical foundation of achintya-bhed-abhed (inconceivability between principles of separation and indistinction).

Traditional Japanese Music in Contemporary Times

Music in Japan is richly varied and includes documented genres dating back more than 1000 years. From classical court music known as gagaku, to the dramatic music plays in kabuki, to contemporary J-pop (subgenre of popular music), educators can find a sound to suit every instructional need. The focus here will be on considerations of three traditional instruments used in Japan: the koto (zither), shakuhachi (bamboo flute), and shamisen (three-stringed instrument), and a unique educational experience for those interested in studying these traditions. The learning program is offered through a koto school in Tokyo that is more than a century old, and they now offer a course in English every other summer. Also offered are suggestions for incorporating traditional Japanese music into elementary and secondary general music settings.