The Dance of Bliss!

Lets begin with a Quote!

Lets first explore "Dance of Bliss".

Dhyana Shloka is the prayer offered to Lord Nataraja by every Bharatanatyam Dancer before beginning with any dance practice or stage performance.

Angikam Bhuvanam Yasya 
Vachikam Sarva Vangmayam 

Aaharyam Chandra Taradi

Tam Numah Saattvikam Shivam 

This Shloka will help us understand the 4 aspects of Abhinaya.

The primal aspect of life is MOVEMENT.

The Body movements are  perfected through - Angika Abhinaya.

The movements are accompanied by Sound - Vachika Abhinaya.

The movements are adorned by Jewellery - Aaharya Abhinaya.

Most of the dancers are unable to go beyond these 3 Aspects.

"The last and the 4th aspect of Bharatanatyam is Sattvika Abhinaya" as mentioned in Natya Veda.

Sattvikam means PURITY that which leads to PURE BLISS.

In order to practice Sattvika Abhinaya ; The dancer needs to remove the impurities from mind - "EGO, LUST, GREED and DESIRES".

NON-JEALOUSY has to be practiced everyday. 

Sattvikam is the quality of the Artist which cannot be obtained by Training.

Our Body is seen as Microcosm of the Universe, and hence everything that is a part of the universe is a part of our body and mind ; and anything that is not a part of a cosmos example - ego, lust, desire, greed should not be a part of our body and mind.

The energy that is released during the movements of arms and thighs is not thrown into space ; It  circulates around the dancer and eventually it is received by the audience.

With all the pressure around ; Iam all set to appear for the Bharatanatyam practical exams scheduled in April 2021. 

Look at this picture created by me.

Heavy rain , storm , wind and darkness.

The Umbrella has turned upside  -  however the center point is STABLE AND BALANCED.

That is what iam experiencing!

Let the blessings rain down.

Sattvika Abhinaya is the most difficult to master as one should bring INTERNAL DISCIPLINE and MORAL CONDUCT into his/her Real life in order to best match the energy of one's own body with the energy of the cosmos.

The primal aspect of all our Lives is MOVEMENTS.

If the primal aspect of life is Movement, Then...

Should we not direct our movements towards Sattvikam Shivam - The dance of PURE BLISS.

That is the purpose of Natya Veda.