#112 Raj Sagonakha, of the Devi Music Ashram

Raj Sagonakha is with the Devi Music Ashram in Rishikesh, India. I met Raj when I walked into the ashram almost entirely by chance in March 2020. I had gone to Rishikesh to visit the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, where the Beatles visited in 1968, and I felt a profound connection with all this. As background, Raj started playing music when he was ten years old, learning the tabla, or Indian drum. He and his sisters became musicians and Raj transitioned to the sitar. His family had traveled to Rishikesh, and he says there is "something in the air, in the environment, here that is so amazing." They gradually developed the idea of starting a music ashram, making a space for people to share music, and for them to share what they know about Indian classical music. At the Devi Music Ashram, there is no guru or master, but music and nature, and knowledge, says Raj, are your master. "You are free to discover your own divinity through music." At the ashram, they offer all sorts of music, sound healing, chanting, singing, dancing, and learning to play instruments. Raj says that, "In India, music is not just entertainment; it is also a part of spirituality, peace, and harmony in life." He says there is a metaphysical concept where we believe that everything is a vibration, a cosmic vibration, an unending sound, the sound of the cosmos. And then there is also the sound that we create. Indian classical musicians were saints, spiritual seekers, and Indian music developed that way, where you try to connect with the ultimate source or reality through music. There are also different moods of notes and tones, and those are how the ragas were developed by the Indian saints so when you listen you can experience that deep connection. The Devi Music Ashram is a very special place and Raj says that everyone is welcome there. Personally, I believe there should be millions of music ashrams around the world and I urge people to support the Devi Music Ashram and more music ashrams around the planet.