Music And Religion

What is the purpose of music in a culture? What role has music played in some of the eastern culture of the world? Well…

In India, music has always been a large part of Indian culture. Music was thought to be created from the “Hindu holy trinity— Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer” (Shankar 15), and is the key to the “realization of self” (17). Self-realization in this case lends itself over to religion, specifically Hinduism, which plays a large role in Indian culture. In Hinduism, Hindus are taught to achieve an understanding of the universe, and the aim of music is to “reveal the essence of the universe” (17). Thus music is important for Indian culture, as it is the only way to understand the universe, and subsequently reach God.

Songs, sung by mediums of spiritguide visions, are seen as “paths” for one to follow. This paths give the Temiar people something to live by and work towards (Roseman 6), while keeping them connected to each other and to the religion. These songs, performed at dream ceremonies, can bring the Temiar people together and can show the “links between daily life and ritual activity” which in turn are “the threads that give coherency to culture” (Roseman 8). Thus the music goes beyond ritual, into the daily life of the Temiar, affecting how these people choose to live their lives and express their