Music was a part of the Master's life. It was his natural milieu. The Master worked according to the laws of music. For him it was not only an art of sound, but life itself. "The good life is music," he would say. He played the violin and also sang. As part of the Teaching, he introduced many songs which are a model for the new music. Sometimes he showed us how to sing some of the songs with his pleasant deep voice which could express all the nuances. Not only his voice but his expression, posture, deep sentiments and the unity of his thought and emotion as well gave unusual power to the song. Sometimes he accompanied his singing with gestures which revealed, in a deeper way, the content of the song.

In his lectures and sermons, the Master spoke extensively about music revealing its deep meaning and many-sided applications. Here we give some of the conversations with the Master on music:

"Make use of music for your spiritual development as do the advanced Beings in the Sublime World above.

"The new race which is coming will give a new impulse to music.

"Someone attempts to do something wrong. Play some music for him and he will give up. Awaken the Divine in a person, and he will listen to its Voice.

"There is always the desire in you to be heard by someone when you sing. Be assured that you have the best audience. The whole of Heaven listens when you start to sing. From above, you receive the best evaluation. Do not be afraid that there is no one above to listen to you. There is an audience above which appreciates your singing.

"It may happen sometimes that you cannot reconcile with your neighbor. Once you start to sing, the song in you will awaken the readiness to reconcile. This is the power of music.

"Why does one need to sing? So that he will not lose that which he has. You are near to the point of attaining something beautiful. Sing that you may not lose it.

"He who sings is strong, and he who does not sing is weak. Sing because this is what Love requires of you. In order to live, you need to sing. Music is the transmitter of real Life. No culture can exist without music.

"You need to visit a meeting of the Initiates in order to see what kind of music is there. To be present with these Initiates when they are singing is to perceive their deep understanding of the music and to comprehend the true meaning of music. In order for one to become a student of one of these Initiates, one first needs to be knowledgeable of the contemporary music. One needs to be a very good singer, and then when one goes to them, one will be able to comprehend their music.

"Once music overtakes the world, there will be no more disease. Disease will exist, but one will experience a pleasant feeling while the ailment lasts and will overcome it easily.

"When you sing, the Divine World opens up and you receive Divine Life. You lose if you do not sing. No matter what happens to you - sing!

"It is beneficial for you to paint well, to sing well, to play an instrument well in order to know how to accomplish any task.

"In the singing process, those vibrations which are curative are included. When an ill person sings or listens to singing, he recovers.

"Through music, you can bring to realization to a certain degree that which you desire. Through music, things can be brought to fulfillment. That about which one is singing can be realized, and that about which one does not sing cannot be realized. You cannot go to God, if you do not sing. You cannot be a poet, if you lack musical sensibility. You cannot go to the people and have them love you, if you do not sing."

On another occasion, the Master said:

"The true image of Love is musical. He who does not sing - even when he talks about Love or whatever else - in reality, sleeps.

"Upliftment and development cannot be achieved without singing. He who does not know how to sing cannot be a disciple. For the disciple of the Divine School, music is one of the important elements which serves him as a shield to protect him from internal and external unfavorable conditions. There exists a correlation between musical sensibility and the capability for reason. The more that a man has an appreciation for music, the more his ability for judiciousness is developed.

"Singing must have three elements: it must be activated by Intelligent Love, it must be infused with faith and also by hope. That is to

say, man must sing with the idea that what he sings about can become realized.

"Singing must be an uninterrupted impulse of Life. Without singing, the present life would obliterate everything noble in man.

"Music heralds the application of the Divine Virtues. I have in mind music as a method for applying Love. If you do not have a musical ear, you cannot love people. Love is a great Blessing for all. The first thing She gives to a person is music.

"What is Love? A science for music. By itself, Love is elusive. Only he who is musically-attuned can understand it. When someone is a bearer of Divine Love, he speaks musically. When you are attuned, you enter into the experience of each tone. You can come to perceive music as speech, as language.

"All people whose feelings have hardened lack music within themselves, while those with tender feelings have music. They can sing, play an instrument and so their consciousness is higher than it is in those who do not sing or play music.

"When one sings, he must have an object. If one sings for God, he will be eternally young. He will attain Immortality; and after passing through transition, he will continue to sing in the world beyond. If, however, one sings for the world, he will be forgotten.

"You need to have an enlightened mind, heart and soul for the appreciation of music. Having two standards is not acceptable. You need to have only one ideal which is: to serve God. What will people say about you? Let them say whatever they wish.

"While singing think about your internal audience. At the present, people lack the right idea concerning what music is.

"The musician of genius is a bearer of the Divine energy, and those who listen will receive this energy. The good musician must be a good transmitter of the Divine: he must give.

"One needs to sing with inspiration. By singing beautifully, one also perceives beautiful thoughts and feelings.

"When you listen to talented singers and musicians, you make contact with advanced Beings who manifest themselves through them. The vibrations of these Beings penetrate far into space through the voices of these singers and are uplifting to human souls. Few are the songs which are carried through space. Seldom is the case in which an ancient Egyptian or Hindu song can be received. A song or musical piece which does not remain in space is not real music.

"The subconsciousness, the consciousness, the ego consciousness and the supraconsciousness must participate in the singing. He who wants to sing well must be calm from within. If you nourish evil thoughts and feelings within yourselves, you cannot sing or play an instrument. Technically, you can play and sing, but not with your soul.

"Wisdom makes use of music. From now on, the world of music belongs to Wisdom. The performing - the external aspect of music cannot be manifested without Wisdom.

"Music is a great art. Through it the character, thoughts and feelings of a person can be expressed. How can you give musical expression to the vibrations of the mind and of the heart? The heart vibrates rapidly, while the mind vibrates sublimely.

"The Evolved Beings apply music readily, while it comes much harder for the ordinary people to apply music. Let an ordinary musician try to correct one of his mistakes through music.

"According to a person's musical sensibility one can discern his character. The more advanced a person's musical sensibility is, the more stable is his character.

"You are sad. If you are a violinist, play - and your state will change. Even by playing one note your state may change. Today there are many more musical instruments available than there were in the past. You can help yourselves through them to change your state. There was never a time when so many musical instruments were available as there are at present. Good musicians are those who have the knowledge to change positive energy into negative, and negative - into positive. Have you tried to play or sing to change your bitter feeling into sweet ones? You can try, in this way, to use the power of music. It is beneficial for one to apply music for transforming his states. When one is tired or sad, he needs to sing."

On another occasion, the Master said:

"Music influences the digestion. When your stomach does not function well, sing, and you will see what influence music will have on the digestion of food. The disciple needs to make time for singing every day - ten, fifteen or twenty minutes - and after that, to start his work.

"The development of a person's capabilities and talents depends upon singing. When you sing, you give your potential a chance to develop.

"Every song can be sung loudly or softly and quietly. If you sing loudly, you will attract inferior beings. If you sing softly, you will attract more advanced Beings.

"He who is not musically-attuned, in whom the sense for time is not developed, is not patient and punctual and lacks the feeling for order. But he who is musically-attuned is patient and punctual, has a feeling for order. One can seldom find musicians among murderers or criminals.

"Because people are not well-attuned, they are in different states; and for this reason, not all songs appeal to them equally.

"Those nations which have had good music have risen.

"Some people are opposed to the contemporary music being played and sung in pubs and coffeehouses. But the singing and playing of music in pubs and coffeehouses has contributed a great deal to man's development.

"One must sing because musical dust collects in him which he needs to shake off.

"When we try to sing and play the Divine Music, we will always make mistakes. This is not because there exists a mistake in the Divine Music, but because time is needed for us to learn how not to make mistakes. You need to learn to attune yourselves.

"If you do not feel like singing, you may be in a diseased state. If you have the desire to sing, you are healthy.

"It is possible to sense the music which comes out from a person.

"Someone thinks that it is easy to become a musical genius. A person needs to serve a singer of genius for thousands of years to observe how he works, what he does. Only then can he become a singer of genius.

"Remember that without music you can go nowhere. Either you should play an instrument or you should sing. Man's misfortunes are precisely due to the fact that he neither sings nor plays an instrument. He expects someone to come from the outside to sing and play for him.

"All mistakes can be corrected through music.

"There exist places in Nature whose gateways can be opened only by the person who holds the magic of music."