Spirituality has often been connected with Music and Indian mythology has several gods, connected together with music. When we talk about musical instruments and gods, the one that always comes to mind is Goddess Saraswati – the goddess of knowledge, wisdom, art, and music. Sitting gracefully and playing the ancient instrument Veena, she is one of the most worshipped goddesses in the Hindu religion and mythology. With over 10 million gods and goddesses in Hindu mythology, she isn’t the only one wielding a musical instrument. Indian gods and musical instruments have a peculiar relation, with each of them carrying one as either a weapon or a symbol of one of their qualities.
Let us have a look at some of the gods and goddesses and their music instruments –
Shiva and his Damru and Veena
The master of all art forms, Shiva is an excellent dancer, artist, musician, and the destroyer himself. He is said to have mastered everything in the universe from his deep meditation and sense of understanding. It is said that whenever Lord Shiva plays his Damru, the divine sound of the musical instrument frightens even the cruelest and most ferocious of evils whereas it assures and pacifies the good.
Today, even though damru is widely respected and used all over India, we see very few individuals having the real skill to understand its sound, its depth, and therefore its music.
In several legends, it is said that Shiva also created one of the most difficult Veenas in the world today, the Ru