Last night I saw Deva Premal and Miten in concert. As Eckhart Tolle said so perfectly about them, "Their music is pure magic."
Singing songs of chanting mantras "from the Eastern meditation tradition," their music puts you in a state of deep relaxation, and the joy you feel in your heart as you sing the sacred mantras with them, which they warmly encourage you to do, was an exquisite experience I shared with hundreds of people at the concert. The energy in Barnum Hall was beyond electric, and as we sang the words "Let the earth touch the sky," I recognized the incredible power of holding a positive thought in my mind with others, and how far reaching that felt. There we all were, experiencing a meditative stillness after each song instead of responding with automatic clapping, which Deva Premal asked us not to do because as she explained, "Without the silence that follows the chants, you get only half the story. The silence that follows the music is like the climax of a good story, and ironically, it is that silence which contains a potent healing power."
The impulse to clap and show our appreciation of them was there throughout the concert, and yet Deva and Miten, along with their two amazing musicians, Manose and Maneesh de Moor, made us feel that we were the ones to be thanked, and that they were showing their appreciation of us.
I can't remember being at a concert where there was so much genuine love in the room. Even the GuruGanesha Band, which opened for Deva and Miten, brought us into the love zone with their uplifting music, and it was a continuous love fest for the rest of the night.
When Deva and Miten began their show, they asked us to sit comfortably in our seats, and take a few deep breaths in and out. I thought to myself how great it is to meditate in such a large group, and that if we began everything we do with a Mindful Meditation, even if it's just for a few minutes, we are more likely to keep our hearts open and connect to others with more awareness, which is how people seemed to act with each other at the concert. There was definitely a spiritual connection in the room, and in my heart, I wished that to be the room of the world.
One of my favorite songs that Deva sings is the Gayatri Mantra. It's one of the oldest and most powerful of Sanskrit mantras, and is believed that by chanting the Gayatri Mantra and holding it in your mind, "If you carry on your life and do the work that is ordained for you, your life will be full of happiness."
The story of how Deva came to know the Gayatri Mantra is quite touching, and so worthy of sharing. "When my mother was pregnant with me, their welcome was to sing the Gayatri Mantra throughout the pregnancy." Singing the mantra came full circle when she and Miten chanted it for her father while he was dying.
"We kept singing for what must have been over half an hour, when suddenly the monitor showed that he was about to leave. I continued to sing and the last sound he heard as he passed on was his beloved "Gayatri Mantra." Finally we ended with the mantra Om and the circle was complete. He had welcomed me onto this planet with the "Gayatri" and I accompanied him out of this physical existence with it. What a blessing this was for me!"
I woke up this morning savoring the deep spiritual experience I had at the concert, which is usually where you go to listen to good music, but not necessarily expect to meditate with a large audience, and have your heart opened up in such a way, that the world looks far more beautiful because of it.
I highly encourage you to check out Deva Premal and Mitens' tour dates, and go to one of their concerts if you can.
Be prepared to have your heart opened wider than you ever imagined.