We are planning a series of concerts, training programs and other workshops with special emphasis on the Indian classical form of music and dance. Although, our focus in in and around Los Angeles area, we would soon be planning our projects in the Bay area as well.

Art making and preservation of art are very challenging career sectors. We are going to provide every aspiring artist a fair and truthful support in any way we can and there shall be no bias of any kind from our foundation or any member of our training program, in doing that. Our goal is simply to support various artists from all genres and provide them with whatever support they need through our wide range of networking among world class artists and trainers.  

What is Spundana?

About 300 years ago, lived a great music composer named Saint Tyagaraja in a small temple town of south India called Tanjore (More precisely Thiruvayyaar). He was considered one of the "Trinity" of Indian Vaaggeyakaaras (Musical Composers) of that era. The other two were Mutthuswamy Deekshithar and Shyama Sastry. All of them are legends and are the pillars of the entire Carnatic style of Indian music system.

Why am I talking about music composers when I am about to elaborate on the word "Spundana?" Or the First vibration?

Well, the first vibration in the cosmos was called Spunda or Spundana (Other spelling would be Spandana--but considering how Westerns pronounce Dance, I decided to put a "U" instead of an 'A:" So that they could say it like "Bunker" Or Bus")

Although there are several treatises on eastern philosophies such as "Sangeeta Ratnaakara", Bharatha Muni's "Naatya Shaastra", Bhagawad Geeta, Ashtaavakra Geeta, Ramayana, Srimad Bhaagawatham to name a few, not many speak of these other treatises such as Soundarya Lahiri, lalitha Sahasranaama and many other such great works as well.

Among the great works that describe the Zodiacal aspects of eastern scholarly works, Phaladeepika, Brihad-Aranyaaraka, Brihad-Jaataka Samhita and Navagraha Kosha are very powerful books and are rare to find these days to read them. Among all these treatises only a few really elaborate on the word "Spunda" or Spundana--meaning "The First Vibration or :OScillation" in the Time-Space continuum.

Legend tells us that this first vibration travels from the center of the cosmos to each and every "Sentient being" regardless of where they are located. This particular frequency or a WAVE came to be known as Spunda and then later it became "Naada" which was inclusive of "Fire" (Ananla) and Energy (Praana" Thus the combination came to be knowna s Naada (Primordial Sound). Since such a profound sund couldn't be contained inside the "Unmanifested/ Undifferentiated beingness" --there was an immediate need or requirement for an unlimited space-time to be released outside of itself as an "Empirical evidence" outside of itself. When this release happened, it was as mammouth as an equivalent to 1000,000,000 of "Big Bangs" that scientists could ever fathom or observe through their limited gadgetary "Observatories"
This first vibration needed a carrier to all beings and that carrier came to be known as "Sushumna Naadi" inside the Spinal column or the energy channel which is the central canal of the flow of energy through the nervous systems of each sentient being. This vibration pierces through each human existence (If I may restrict it to that for now) and passes through the womb of each mother precisely somewhere around the time, when the baby kicks up inside for the first time. Till this moment, the baby is surviving on the Praanic system of the mother. When this vibration passes through its cerebral center known as Crown, the beam goes directly to where it hangs as a "Thin Membrane" in the central canal known as Sushumna Naadi.

The beauty of this vibration is such that, very soon as the baby starts to gain its own "Individual consciousness" separated from its mother, the "Emptiness" around this membrane is very quickly filled with a Semi-viscous substance called "CSF" (Cerebro Spinal Fluid) which drips downward from the Cerebral area into the tapering canal, which ends at the coccyxx. The CSF ends at around 2/3rds of the entire length of the canal. When the baby is just born, there is hardly any CSF discernible around that thin membrane or the "Vehicle for Spundana" Hence, many thought that it was actually missing or completely hollow inside the central channel.

Whenever the baby grows up and is brought to a new awareness of a new reality outside its mother's womb, this CSF starts to accumulate around its Thin Membrane, due to the various emotional triggers that occur in the baby's consciousness.

When a grown up adult tries to indulge in any form of meditative practices, the gap from the Coccyxx to the tapered tip of this Thin membrane actually starts to expand and thus the CSF around it starts to make a backward journey into the cerebrum region. Each step that is taken by the "Practitioner" brings about a new manifested spot on this membrane. Hence their consciousness also evovles. When finally a "Saintly person or a Completely realized/ Enlightened soul" observes this from that state of beingness-- "The central canal appears to be devoid of the CSF and can clearly observe the Thin Membrane or Spundana.

It is very subtle and hardly discernible by any external gadgets.
Potentially, there is NO sentient being that doesn't carry this in its Spinal Column. Hence all sentient beings are "Potentially Enlightened" or have the potential to reach Enlightenment if they aren't already born Enlightened.

On the other hand, the LIVING thing in each cell is a different kind of the same energy knowna s "Eternal Breath" or "Ham-saha" --this was metaphorically compared to The Great Swan by many mystics.

Saint Tyagaraja, who composed thousands of songs in Carnatic classical style of a (Raaga based) musical system, composed one special song to explain about the "First Vibration" He called this scale "Chintaamani" which starts its journey from a "Minor seventh note on the lower octave to the minor seventh of the middle octave"--which was from "Mandra sthaayi Kaishini Nishaada or Ni, to the middle octave Kaishiki Ni --Madhyama Sthaayi Kaishiki Ni"
I would emphasize here that Saint Tyagaraja had perhaps reached a stage in his life where from he could hear "Vibrations that were very far from human capacity to even discern"
The song he composed in this describes through the Sanskritized words "Naada Tanum Anisam"---about this first vibration and how the "Seven Notes were formed" etc.

Not very long ago, scientific community was shocked to find out in Sept 2003, that our planet was actually E\emanating a "Low frequency Note" which was equivalent to a bB Or the Minor. Seventh for the universal pitch of C. They also found another "Black Hole" (Which now they say is actually Green and not Black in Colour) was also emanating a Similar note and it also matched the note bB.

So, this is what is called Spundana or the first vibration in the Space-Time continuum.
I hope this article helps many to understand what Spundana is.

Love n Light
Jagan Ramamoorthy
www.spundana.org

A few words about the artist…


“I have been teaching…and inviting guest musicians to visit my class in an intimate and quite informal setting for over fifteen years. It was a great honor to host a visit from Mr. Jagannathan Ramamoorthy. His lecture demonstration was outstanding. His ability to engage a group of non-music majors with his performance skills as well as his formidable wealth of information dealing with the intricacies of both South and North Indian classical music was superb. The class is a three-hour Liberal Studies course and no one wanted the class meeting to come to an end…”

-- Joyce Lightbody, Adjunct Faculty, Liberal Studies, Foundation, and Fine Arts
Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, California


“He is a very talented and upcoming artist and has an open mind towards Jazz, Fusion, and Trance music. I have listened to some of his latest CDs in this regard and feel he will shine well in the field chosen by him…I wish him all the best…”

-- Padmabhushan: Dr. N. Rajam Professor Emeritus, Ex Dean, Music and Performing Arts,
Benares Hindu University, India


“Mr. Ramamoorthy’s violin accompaniment has graced recent performances of mine…his professionalism is first-rate and his knowledge is extensive. Moreover, he is a gifted speaker and educator, ready and able to impart his knowledge verbally. His research and scholarship are worthy of note and show great promise…He is indeed a credit to his guru.”

-- Ustad Zakir Hussain

World Renowned Tabla Artist and Teacher


“…He remains one of the best examples of an artist that has found balance in being a daring creative artist, unafraid to explore the boundaries of his inherited discipline and culture, and who is, on the other hand, able to bring this to fruition in a practical environment of undistracted professionalism…”

-- Mark Menzies, Violin and Viola and Chamber Music Professor,
Program Advisor to CalArts and REDCAT


“He has shared his great artistry with many individual artists, and also performing groups, and by doing so has inspired many to heights of excellence that would not have been available to them without his fine influence.”

-- Dr. John Schneider, Producer/Host, KPFK 90.7 FM  Pacifica Radio


“…A very fascinating violinist…who brings so much Spirituality to our music and performances…”

-- Antonia Minnecola, Kathak Dancer