I was curious about the origins of the starting lines of this composition. They are clearly not part of the devotional bhajan. But the tacked on Sanskrit shloks make an astonishing and inspiring claim about art and music (listen to the first minute).

Aneesh Pradhan of course knew exactly where the lines are from. They are part of a 13th century text on Indian music. Perhaps the foundational theoretical text of what we now refer to as Indian classical music (Hindustani and Carnatic).

Here is a link to the pages with the Shloks (a couplet of traditional Sanskrit verse) and the commentary.

The Sangita-Ratnakara, सङ्गीतरत्नाकर, literally "Ocean of Music and Dance", is one of the most important Sanskrit musicological texts from India. Composed by Śārṅgadeva in the 13th century, both Hindustani music and Carnatic music traditions of Indian classical music regard it as a definitive text.

Wikipedia

As to why D V Paluskar sang them as a preface we have no idea. Any leads on the mystery are welcome.