It is believed that when the universe was created, Saraswati’s veena produced the first nada i.e. Ganesha then added more rhythm and sound to the Damaru beats and that’s how music was born.Īccording to yet another story, the Damaru was the source of grammar and music in the universe. According to these stories, the sound of the Damaru was passed on to Shiva’s son, Ganesha, who is known to be a proficient player of the Pakhawaj. Some other legends state that the Damaru is responsible for the creation of all music. Shiva then performed the Tandava to the beats of the Damaru, thus creating the universe. It is said that before creation, when there was simply a void, the Damaru gave rise to the first nada or sound. One of the legends associated with the Damaru calls it crucial to the creation of the universe. While the interpretations of the Damaru are abundant, it is also the central aspect of several fascinating legends and folktales. The beats of the Damaru thus symbolise the continuous expansion and collapse of the universe. According to Hindu beliefs, the universe is constantly being created, preserved and destroyed, and has a cyclical nature. On a larger level, the Damaru also represents the rhythm of the entire universe. The alternately rising and falling sound of the Damaru is seen as mimicking the human heart, thus symbolising the energy and sound of life itself. Illustration: Durgesh Vellhal and Sanjay ValechaĪpart from that, the Damaru has been seen as a representation of the rhythm of the heartbeat. According to the most common interpretation, the Damaru is seen as a representation of yin and yang, since the shape of the Damaru symbolises the coming together of male and female procreative energies, with the top portion representing the lingam and the bottom portion representing the yoni.
There have been various philosophical and spiritual interpretations of the Damaru in Hinduism. The player holds the waist of the Damaru in their hand and rotates their wrist to make the ends of the string hit the skinheads, thus producing a reverberating sound. A piece of string with pellets at each end (or a leather cord with knotted ends) is tied to the waist of the Damaru. This hourglass-shaped drum is generally carved from a solid block of wood with skinheads covering each opening. The Damaru also makes an appearance in the Tibetan practice of Tantric Buddhism after that. While it is unclear as to when exactly the Damaru originated, some sculptures of Shiva holding this drum have been dated back to the 10th century C.E. Illustration: Durgesh Vellhal What is a Damaru?Ī Damaru is a small, hourglass-shaped drum that is most commonly associated with Lord Shiva in Hindu mythology. The Damaru plays an important role in the Puranas and is one of the main markers in Shiva’s iconography.
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