Dancing...

...my way to freedom

(This article happened following a request from Be Now).


My experience of learning Bharatanatyam, was short. I was just sitting at home one day and chanted aloud the most famous verses of the Bhagavad Gita. Surrounded by nothing else but space and silence, my fingers automatically moved in mudras when I chanted the two verses:
Paritranaya Sadhunam Vinashaya Cha Dushkritam
Dharma Samsthapa Narthaya Sambhavami Yuge Yuge

Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya Glanir Bhavati Bharatha
Abhyuthanam Adharmasya Tadathmanam Srujamyaham.

The two verses were said by Krishna to Arjuna in the battlefield. "To protect the good and destroy evil and to establish Dharma or the balance of creation, I manifest time after time."

"Wherever there is a threat to Dharma and Adharma is on the rise, my soul takes birth."

If felt the dance in me waiting to be expressed and immediately joined for dance classes with Kalaimamani Thanjavur Rajalakshmi, a teacher in her mid 70's. She asked me for what purpose I want to learn dance. And I told her that I know that dance is one way of offering yourself to God and so I just want to dance, no more reasons.

Just the day before joining the class, I had the opportunity to visit the famous temple of Lord Nataraja - a form of Shiva as the Lord of Dance and sit in meditation before that powerful presence for a while. Nataraja is a famous idol that is a great attraction for tourists as it represents the culture and philosophy of India - that the whole Universe is a dance of the Pancha Bhoothas - the five elements of earth, water, fire, air and space. The lifted feet of the Lord represents the spirit and the feet on the ground stands over a small creature called Muyalagan which represents the human ego which ought to be trampled and killed. One hand points upward to the sky and is called the Abhaya Hastha or the hand of protection. The other points toward the ground symbolising the need for surrender.

Bharatanatyam in a nutshell, is the traditional dance form of India, particularly Tamil Nadu, got its name because it was derived from Bharata Muni's (Sage) Natya Shastra. It expresses with Mudras, locking the fingers in innumerable gestures, Abhinaya or facial and bodily expressions and tapping of the feet to various rhythms.

Usually the lessons begin with fundamental movements and beats called Alarippu and Jathiswarams. But in my case, the teacher offered to take me straight to Abhinaya which happens only in the advanced levels. I began with doing Abhinaya (expressive gestures) to one shloka called 'Nada Brahma Vishwaswarupa, Nadahi Sakala Jiva Rupa, Nadahi Karma Nadahi Dharma, Nadahi Bandhana Nadahi Mukti, Nadahi Sankara Nadahi Shakti.' The essence of the verse is that Sound or Nada pervades everything in the Universe, sound is the form o everything manifest, sound is the form of life, sound is action, sound is sustenance, sound is bondage and sound is liberation, sound is Shiva - the Lord that gives peace and sound is his feminine energy - Shakti.

The other set of verses I learnt to express through dance was Nirvana Shatkam - six verses on the path to liberation by Adi Sankara. They contained the essence of all that I needed to know. I was dancing all the time, in my mind. When I just thought of a mudra of Sankara in the pose of Nataraja, my body and mind would just get filled up with energy shooting from within. When I returned to work from dance class, my colleagues could find out, seeing the radiance on my face and the joy with which my interactions of the day would be.

Bharatanatyam is an ocean. It is a path to liberating the mind from thoughts that bind one into loops and tangles. But I just picked up a pearl from its depths and I treasure it safely within....