John Wubbenhorst interviews master dhrupad player Rishabh Dhar (via Skype). Rishabh lives in Calcutta, India. He is the son of the first lady dhrupad singer in India, Ashoka Dhar), and travels around the world giving concerts and workshops.
Rishabh first talks about having spent twenty years living in his music Guru's house, immersed in in-depth learning of his musical craft in the traditional Gurukula (family of the Guru) manner.
He then talks about the many times he has played music for Adi Da on Naitauba in Fiji. He recalls giving a sacred musical offering for Adi Da, and about an extraordinary occurrence that took place when Adi Da gave him prasad after the offering. He also talks about the amazing resemblance of Adi Da and Swami Vivekananda which holds a special significance for him.
poster: AdiDaVideos length: 13:37 date added: June 2, 2016 language: English
Adi Da's entire human lifetime was a unique demonstration of His Eternal Form — the State He calls the "Bright", the Conscious Light that is Reality Itself.
From His birth on November 3, 1939 on Long Island in New York, to His passing from the body on November 27, 2008, on the Island of Naitauba, Fiji, His Life is the story of the Intervention of the "Bright" in human time.
The fruits of Avatar Adi Da's Lifetime are the establishment of a new and unique possibility for the transformation of all beings and the world itself. His Revelation is of the Divine Reality, which is always Shining — like the sun — as the Prior Condition of every one and every thing.
Gerald Sheinfeld, describing an occasion of Darshan of Adi Da at Banyan Bay, on Naitauba, Fiji, in February, 2005: "Just by Adi Da's Free Presence all sense of separation fell away. The awareness was prior to the act of ego-'I'. The feeling had no separate self-sense to it, it was simply Reality. The Love-Bliss natural state of perfectly free Conscious Being."
This brief excerpt is from Track 2, "Ruchira Avatara". This was recorded during the first sacred occasion in the temple, Is-Da Happen, after the cyclone. (More information about album tracks here.)
Proceeds from this album will go toward equipment for Sacred music at Adi Da Samrajashram (e.g., better amplifiers, microphones, etc.).
[If you enjoy this album, help us let others know about it! Write a review on Amazon.com or CD Baby.]
The exquisite devotional offerings on Radiance bring us all directly to Bhagavan's Holy Feet at His Great Hermitage and remind us that, despite the damage wrought by the cyclone, His Divine Presence remains Sublimely Untouched and Present there. Devotees and friends from all over the world came together to serve and restore the Holy Places and we offer this Sacred music at His Blessed Feet with all our love and devotion. All the recordings were made by the Adidam Sacred Music Guild during live occasions in the various Temples on Naitauba.
The painting by Nara Wood on the CD cover is of the "chanting room" at Samraj Mahal (on Adi Da Samrajashram), where countless musical offerings were made to Avatar Adi Da during His Lifetime when He was spending time there.
"Turaga Dau Loloma Vunirarama" is a title given to Avatar Adi Da by the native Fijians of Naitauba: "The Great Lord [Turaga] Who Is The Divine Adept [Dau] Of The Divine Love [Loloma] and The Self-Radiant Divine Source and Substance [Vu] Of [ni] The Divine 'Brightness' [Rarama]".
May You Ever Dwell In Our Hearts is a deeply moving, sacred, contemplative CD that celebrates Adi Da's Life of Love and Blessing. This tribute to Adi Da Samraj includes music from many different genres, ranging from Indian classical to jazz to world music and other contemporary styles.
With over two hours of devotional songs filling this double CD, you can listen to pieces composed and performed by many devotee artists, including Naamleela Free Jones, Tamarind Free Jones, Ray Lynch, John Wubbenhorst, John Mackay, Sally Howe, Crane Kirkbride, Antonina Randazzo, Katya Grineva and many others.
Some of the twenty-five pieces on May You Ever Dwell In Our Hearts were written and offered in the days immediately following Adi Da's Passing on November 27, 2008, or in the year-long period of formal mourning that followed. Other songs were offered to Him in person during His Lifetime. This CD also contains new songs never released before by Naamleela, Tamarind, and other musicians.
Club Rat poster: AdiDaUpClose speaker: Chris Tong length: 01:04 date added: July 6, 2021 language: English
On July 7, 1992 (Fiji time), at Adi Da Samrajashram, Adi Da created "Club Rat", a most unusual gathering during the height of a Celebratory period. For those unfamiliar with Club Rat, you can read Chris Tong's story about it here.
Music plays a central role in the story. For this reason, in celebration of the 29th anniversary of Club Rat (on July 7, 2021), Chris has recreated part of the rock song he wrote and performed that evening, Club Rat, so you can at least get a taste of the actual music from that night. (Adi Da had called for an evening of rock music. Club Rat was the opening song of a night of music that would go on to include much more than rock music. . .)
If for some reason, the player above doesn't work, try this player:
Club Rat. Club Rat. The funky place where God is at. Club Rat. Club Rat. The funky place where. . . only skanks and whores walk through its doors. There you find Your Self and lose yourself. When the Lord's in town Everyone gets down. Club Rat. Club Rat. The funky place where God is at. (etc.)
CHRIS: This recreation is just as we presented it to Beloved Adi Da during the Club Rat gathering, except for some improvements due to better musical equipment and technology (e.g., drum machines instead of upside-down, plastic "piss buckets" 😜 — read the full story for more about that! ).
I wrote Club Rat, keeping in mind the intensity and "badness" of the pop rock music Beloved Adi Da was listening to at the time (like Michael Jackson's Beat It).
The lyrics are drawn from Adi Da's instructions to us about Club Rat, such as: Club Rat was to be the most "funky" place ever; participating devotees had to be "skanks and whores" — in other words, no suppressed energy or emotional-sexual complication (so He could work with our entire energy, not just the superficial part we usually show to or share with others socially); etc.
The lyrics also drew on current, ongoing considerations Adi Da was having with devotees at the time, such as His Calling to us to "get down" (He was riffing on the popular 1970's slang phrase, giving it His Own unique meaning): a reminder for us to incarnate whole bodily (rather than being merely a "point" in the head, refusing to "get down" below the head).
The line, "When the Lord's in town" was a reference to Beloved Adi Da visiting the "village" of Qaravi: the area of the island of Naitauba where His devotees lived and where "Club Rat" (Hymns To Me) was located.
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