Animal Skin in instuments

Dear Swamij and all Vaisnavas,

         Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna! Please accept my respectful obeisances!

         Mridanga is an instrument that is used in our sankirtana. It originates from the sankirtana party of Lord Gauranga himself . Like  many other percussive instrumentsm it uses animal skin in its constrcution . Regarding the skin itself, I have seen various types of mridanga and other instruments, and they have used everything from cowhide to buffalo hide to goat's skin and even lizard skin (kanjira) in their construction. Why is that? Is it related to animal killing and violence?

         Even stringed instuments for that matter have and still do use gut strings with metal.

         Even if it does not involve killing, is the use of animal skin considered as violence against animals. Skin and flesh of beasts are all considered unclean substances, especially a carcass is something very impure.  But when we use tissues from carcasses in our instruments for bhajans and kirtans, they are treated sacred and not considered impure. So how does animal hide become a very important part of an instrument used in the sankirtana partyf?  I am very astonished to see such wonders.

         How can we really ensure that no animals are slaughtered for the use of their skins in making  mridanga?  So do those who make and play such musical instruments, if in case it involved animal killing, do they get any adverse karmic reaction?   Being a student of music myself, I am curious to know if there are adverse karmic reactions involved in using musical instruments.

         These days I hear that synthetic mridangas made out of fibre glass, etc. Do these instruments also use animal skin?

         I must say here that I know nothing much about instruments and their construction or use, so if you can show your mercy and educate me on these matters, I will consider myself very fortunate by your mercy.

Your servant,

Srinath

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