12-1-4 That Makes all the Difference
Hearing about the qualities of the music of Tansen's Guru,Swami Hari das, Akbar keenly wished to listen to it.So he with Tansen went to the Ashram of Swami to listen to his music.
They stayed at the Ashram for several days.But Swami,who sang only he wanted to,did not sing.Then one day Tansen deliberately played a false note.Swami could not endure it and started to sing himself. He sang the piece correctly,the mood came upon him and enveloped him,and he forgot himself in the music,which filled the earth and heaven.Akbar and Tansen forgot themselves in the sheer melody and charm of the music.
It was a unique experience.When the music stopped,Akbar turned to Tansen and said,"You say you learnt music from this saint and yet you seem to have missed the living charm of it all. Yours seems to be but chaff beside this soul-stirring music".
"It is true,sir," said Tansen,"It is true that my music is wooden and lifeless by the side of the living harmony and melody of the master. But then there is this difference- I sing to the emperor's bidding,but my master sings to no man's bidding but only when the prompting comes from his innermost self. That makes all the difference."
(This story is not our creation. It our collection)
