Across cultures, music has long been believed to influence human emotions and inner states. The spiritual research team at the Maharshi Adhyatma Vishwavidyalay (MAV), Goa, India, conducted an experiment to investigate if a variety of music compositions could have a deeper, more subtle influence on the listener, and, if so, how each impact would be different. This study explores how four different musical genres, from heavy metal to devotional singing (Bhajan), influence a listener’s subtle energy and aura.
A subject was asked to listen to four musical compositions in four different genres – Heavy metal (by Anthrax), relaxation-oriented music (“Weightless” by Marconi Union), Indian classical music (Raga Bhairavi by Pt. Bhimsen Joshi), and a Marathi bhajan “Ya Gururaya Mama Mandira”, composed and sung by Saint H.H. Bhaktaraj Maharaj. Each sample was played for five minutes, with aura and energy measurements taken before and after exposure using the Universal Aura Scanner (UAS). A 20-minute interval between each music session ensured that the effects of one musical stimulus did not influence the next. All observations from the experiment were then comparatively analysed.
Findings showed that Heavy metal music produced the most adverse effects on the listener’s aura, increasing the negativity in his aura by almost 1 m; while the relaxing music generated no significant change, indicating a neutral spiritual effect on the listener.
In contrast, both the Indian Classical Music and the Bhajan sung by the Saint generated significant positive energy. While classical music increased the listener’s positive aura by almost half a metre, the bhajan produced the strongest response, increasing the positive aura by almost 2 m.
The findings suggest that music does far more than please the ears—it interacts with the human system at a subtle, intangible level. If that is Raja-Tama predominant, it will impact the listener’s aura negatively. Spiritual research has also shown that this spiritual impact varies markedly by music genre, the type of instrument being used for creating music, the intent behind the composition and the spiritual level and the spiritual state of the performer. While devotional music created by a high-level Saint produced highly positive effects, heavy metal seemed to be spiritually distressing. These observations align with earlier research indicating negative behavioral and cognitive effects of heavy metal music exposure, such as David Merrell’s 1997 experiment on learning deficits and aggression in rats.
This study is based on preliminary findings. More such experiments with a larger sample size may be needed to validate this further.
