| Sonic Theology and Elemental Cosmology: A Philosophical-Aesthetic Analysis of Muttuswami Dikshitar's Pancha Bhootha Linga Kshetra Kritis |
| This study examines the philosophical and aesthetic dimensions of Muttuswami Dikshitar's Pancha Bhootha Linga Kshetra Kritis, five Carnatic music compositions celebrating Shiva temples representing the five great elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether). The research question asks: How do these compositions encode and communicate cosmological doctrine through musical structure, and what aesthetic-spiritual pathways do they create for performers and audiences? Employing integrated textual-philological, musicological, and philosophical analysis grounded in classical Indian aesthetic theory, this study demonstrates that Dikshitar systematically correlates raga selection, tala structure, and lyrical content with elemental qualities, creating what may be termed "sonic yantras"—musical diagrams encoding metaphysical principles. The analysis reveals deliberate mapping of musical features onto elemental characteristics: spacious Kedaram for ether, flowing Yamuna Kalyani for water, grounded Bhairavi for earth. Furthermore, the compositions synthesize Shaiva devotion, Advaita Vedanta non-dualism, and Nada Yoga sound metaphysics within unified artistic wholes. Through the lens of rasa theory (aesthetic experience), the study illuminates how these works function not merely as devotional songs but as experiential vehicles enabling participants to access cosmic awareness through aesthetic immersion. Findings establish that Dikshitar's elemental kritis constitute sophisticated theological-aesthetic statements wherein form embodies content, offering contemporary performers and scholars a model of music as spiritual practice and cosmological teaching. |
| Author: Mr Arun Sankar R
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Submitted on : 16-Dec-2025
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Arts : India/ Classical Dance/ Bharatanatyam |
| Journal ID : 0001-101-0280
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