In ancient times, human beings used to sing songs in unison with the reverberations of bird’s twittering. At the very first dawn in the history of the human race i.e., at the crimson dawn of humanity’s first appearance on earth, there emerged the rágas⁽¹⁾ of songs … as a casket of jingles of an outlandish musical octave surasaptaka. In order to impart rhythm to that nameless rága, human beings used to strike together various material objects … Percussion instruments, born out of such impact, thus came into existence. Later on came also the primeval forms of mrdauṋga, tabla, khol, ghatam etc. In course of time, human beings, in a bid to fill their minds with the raptures arising from impact-oriented instruments, created musical treasures from artificially created empty space. They wrapped such spaces with animal skin or any other soft covering. In this way there came into existence various rhythm-producing [percussion] instruments. Even then, contentment eluded them. They craved for instruments that would maintain unison with the song, in an unfamiliar language, drenched in sweetness … that would flow in harmony with the tune … Thus stringed instruments came into being. Shiva and Párvatii invented stringed instruments in a scientific manner. The science of rhythm (tála) was formed out of tá, the first letter of the táńd́ava dance of Shiva and la, the first letter of the lalita dance of Párvatii. With the harmonious blending of the resonance of the stringed instrument with the seven basic musical notes emerged the first viińa or viiń or rudraviińá of Shiva. Various kinds of stringed instruments were built later on by fixing bridges and frets to this first stringed instrument. By retaining the initial form of this viińá, ektárá [one stringed instrument] was created. By enhancing the strings and thereby producing sustained resonance, and by making use of bowing, the violin was made. This violin, whose birthplace is Italy (the actual name is Italia), migrated to India from abroad. The sitar also came from abroad. Its birthplace is Áryanyavraja or Iran or Persia. The word ́sitar’ means a combination of three strings. There are a variety of stringed instruments … of various fashions and styles. But the soul of all musical instruments is the same, and that is to pour into the ear sweetness of the musical octave by producing resonance in the sounds emanating from the strings. All kinds of stringed instruments have the same nomenclature – końa or końamátrká.

Usually people do not play stringed instruments directly with the fingers. They play either with a bow, or an object to strike with or a finger cap. These accessories that people hold in their hand to play the stringed instruments are also called końa or końaka. Bear in mind that the word końaka also means ladle for stirring cooked pulse (dál). That is, the ladle that women use to mash the half-boiled pulse is końaka. Also remember that końaka further means a churning stick.

Musical instruments [especially the Indian variety of drums] used to maintain rhythm, are played with the palms and fingers if the drums have delicate skins. This skin is made to bear the brunt of strokes – both emphatic and mild – by using a resin-coating collected from mangosteen. In the age of modern science, other materials are also being used for this purpose. Tablá, khol, mridauṋga etc. are instruments of this kind. But if the drum-skin is hard and yet rapid beating is required, the palms or fingers will not suffice. In that case, a harder object is utilized. A small hourglass-shaped instrument, small variety of tom-tom, bigger variety of tom-tom, drum, war-drum, victory-drum etc. (d́ugd́ugi, d́holak, d́hol, d́hák, dámámá, jaid́hák, etc) belong to this category. In colloquial Bengali, this hard object so used is called kát́hi (stick) e.g. drum stick.

The tuning pegs used to loosen or tighten the strings on a stringed instrument are also called końa. The word końakarńa has the same meaning. The master artists who have the expertise of when and how to tune the strings correctly in order to show off their skill, steal the lime light. Many a time, the strings are to be loosened or tightened in order to bring a distinction between a note in the natural major scale and a note in the natural minor scale …. for the following purpose on the part of the artists: either to please the audience or to play so as exhibit one’s specialized skills. In any case, the common people, let alone the master artists, know that sound is not emitted if the strings are loosened too much and the soft and delicate strings snap if they are tightened too much. Human life is also like this. If one practises too much austerity (in some cases, if one makes a parade of austerity), tender human sensitivities snap and break into smithereens … the soft, delicate parts of the mind get charred and petrified. On the other hand, if life is made akin to a loose string, the nobler yearnings of life will never be fulfilled. In other words, that kind of life degenerates into the life of an animal characterized only by bathing, eating and sleeping. Hence one must never allow the string of life to be loose. But also the string of life should not be left to snap due to excessive strain. The ideal course of life is neither left-oriented nor right-oriented. This kind of life will be conspicuous by the absence of strife, mayhem or horror of the leftists and of toleration of injustices⁽²⁾ by the rightists in their loose, careless and sloppy life. It is this ideal course that will usher in a life worth yearning for a super-human existence, divinely exquisite and shining brightly on the banner of gold.

Álgá tare bol ut́he ná
t́ánle cheŕe komal t́ár.

[In a loose string, the melody remains mute
If pulled, the delicate string is torn apart.]

This is what has been referred to by Buddha as the middle path or majjhimá mágga.

The regions or points on the lower part of a stringed instrument and its upper part between which the strings remain attached are called końa or końavindu. As Shiva could tune the stringed instruments very well, He was called końesh. It is noteworthy that as the first stringed instrument of the world, viiń or viińá (lyre) was invented by Shiva, the other name of viińá is shivakoná.

Footnotes

(1) See last footnote of “The Inner Science of Surasaptaka”. –Trans.

(2) Toleration of injustices is another defect of rightists. –Trans.