Thiruadhyayana Uthsavam at SrI RanganAtha temple : Part II

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear SrI RanganAtha BhakthAs:

 

SrIrangam is the divine dance stage of our

Lord RanganAthan . SrIrangam is the BhUlOka vaikuntam ,

where His consort , SrI RanganAyaki and the 33 crores of

DevAs, Nithya Sooris and Muktha jeevans as well as

Bhaddha Jeevans are blessed to enjoy His divine dance

under the PraNavAkAra VimAnam serving as the Naatya Rangam.

Here our Lord wears His Paadhukai and has His sanchAram on

this divine stage . The 275th SrI RanganAtha PaadhukA Sahasra

slOkam (SanchAra paddhathi) salutes the rasAnubhavam of

the leelai of the Lord at SrIrangam:

 

ThvayAnubaddhAm MaNipAdharakshE

leelAgathim Rangasayasya pumsa:

nisAmayantho na punarbhajanthE

samsArakAnthAra gathAgathAni

 

(meaning): Oh Gem-studded PaaadhukE! Those fortunate

ones , who are blessed to witness Your Lord's playful dance

under the vimAnam /stage constructed by You are freed

from the cycles of births and deaths.From BhUlOka Vaikuntam,

they (the prapannAs)travel on archirAdhi mArgam to Nithya VibhUthi

of Your Lord.

 

That is the dance what we will be enjoying at Pomona , NY

under its own PraNavAkAra VimAnam at the srIrangam of America

during the Thiruadhyayana Uthsavam ( Dec 21,2002 - January 1,2003).

 

Let me focus on the dance aspects at SrIrangam Uthsavam

known as Nava sandhi Koutthuvam , the dance by devout

dEva dAsis at the 8 corners of space in and around

the Raaja Veedhis of SrIrangam . This is a dance that you

have to visualize these days mentally since its practise

is not extant now due to our misfortune.adiyEn believes

that this dance was in vogue already during

Thirumangai mannan's time .

 

Let me introduce the subject of Bharatha Naatyam first in

the context of Nava Sandhi Koutthuvam , a temple dance

prescribed in SrIprasna SamhithA of VaishNavite Aagamam .

Prior to that let me mention that the Nava Sandhis

are the eight directions with Chathur Mukha Brahma

at the center performing BrahmOthsavam. This dance

is particularly important on the dhvajArOhaNam day.

(BTW, at Pomona Temple , a lofty dhvaja sthambham

has been erected now and needs brass plating ).

 

The 8 directions and their guardian deities of

these 8 dirctions invoked in nava sandhi Koutthuvam are:

 

Brahma (Center)

Indra (East representing Power and Courage)

Agni ( South East : Ritual Sacrifice)

Yama ( South: Justice)

Nirruti ( South West)

VaruNa ( West: Knowledge)

Vaayu ( North West: Life and health)

KubErA ( North: Wealth)

IsAna ( North East: Purity)

 

There are ancient veda manthrams for these Vedic

Regents of Directions serving their Lord .adiyEn

will cover these Rg Veda Manthrams on a future

occasion .

 

There are specific RaagAs, TaaLAs, MudhrAs for each of them.

Here are the Bharatha Naatyam specifics for Nava sandhi

dance according to SrIprasna Samhitha:

 

1.BrahmA (Center) : GhaNtA Raagam , Dhruva Taalam ,

Kamala Nruttam ,Hamsasya MudhrA on the right hand and

Chatura Mudhra for the left hand ( Index finger, Middle finger

and the ring finger kept close to each other with the small

finger projected outside and the thumb touching the bottom

of the index finger).

 

2. Indran(East): Naatta Raagam, Sama TaaLam , Lalitha Nritta,

Pataka mudhra.

 

3. Agni(South East): Gowri Raagam , Ata Taalam , SarvathObhadra

Nritta and Tripataka and Kangula Mudhraas on the right and left

hands respectively. SarvathObhadra MudhrA has been pointed out to

represent Thaazampoo ( the Flame representing the god of Fire).

 

4. Yama(South): Desiki or DesAkshi Raagam, JayamangaLa Taalam ,

SarvathObhadra Nritta .

 

5. Nrriti or Soorya ( South West)

 

6. VaruNa (West): Naata Raagam again , Bhadra TaaLam , Kamala

Nritta(Kunchitham)

 

7. Vaayu(North West) : SrI Raagam , Jampa TaaLam , Prshta Kuttina Nritta,

Ardha Pataka Mudhra in the left hand and Arala on the right hand.

 

8. KubEra(North): Mohana Raagam, Ananta TaaLam , Mandala nritta

(Chakra mandalam) .

 

9. IsAna(North East): Same as above since KubEra is the closest

friend of Lord SivA.

 

There are specific Vaadhyams besides the MangaLa Vaadhyam of

Naadhasvaram during the Nava Sandhi Koutthuvam.

 

During the next year's BrahmOthsavam Flag Hoisting ,

We would like to recreate Nava santhi koutthuvam at

SrI RanganAthA temple at Pomona , NY.

 

RasAnubhavam of Temple-centric Bhaaratha Naatyam: Anjali vaibhaavm

********************************************************************

A well known Bharatha Natyam Dancer of Kalaa KshEthram

( Smt.Lakshmi Viswanathan) wrote in 1984 some passages

that might be of some interst to us all , when it comes to

temple worship during the Uthsavams of the Lord of SrIrangam .

I am grateful for her scholarship on nava sandhi Koutthuvam

backed up by my sister, who reproduced the Nava sandhi Koutthuvam

for Oppiliappan Sannidhi few years back.Here are quotations

from Bharatha Naatyam expert , Smt. Lakshmi ViswanAthan :

 

" Upon the framework of stylized movements and symbolic gestures

used in dance is built the emotional concept of Bhava ,

which is the basis for identification between spectator

and spectacle , giving birth to rasa. Myth becomes reality

in the sense of being percieved through an inner consciousness

which is termed RasAnubhava , an experience synonymous with

the spiritual. It is a concept of aesthetics , which has

STRONG LINKS WITH RELIGION AND DPHILOSOPHY."

 

" The sculptor and painter needed the dancing form

and the formalized tenets of dance practice to give the human

form meaning in stone. And when he was called upon to portray

the gods as representing ideal human beauty , he had to draw upon

his resources of imagination and capture movements in

arrested posture of perfection .However the role of dance

and dramatic form in lending credibility to myths is

unequalled. Through every age , the religious fervour aroused

by such a pertrayal has been undiminished , making the symbolic

representation of the same stories on a sophisticated

concert platform (rangam) of the early 20th century both

viable and relevant ....."

 

"The Bhakthi movement of medieaval India gripped the Tamil

mind resulting in Gopurams soaring up to the sky ,

sporting a landscape with their grand proportions and

faultlessly attractive dimensions ".

 

"It was an era , when the sculptor of stone competed

with the caster of bronze to invest the human form with

breath-taking allure and supra-natural perfection in order

to make the images worthy of being named gods...

they are not just static expressions of religiosity

but venues pulsating with the finest expressions of

devotion using the language of craft, music , poetry

and ABOVE ALL DANCE".

 

Bharatha Naatyam has Samaseer or symmetry , which is also

described as Soushtavam by Sage Bharatha , who wrote

the grammar for Bharatha Naatyam . Modern dances do not

emphasize samaseer and move the limbs in all possible ways

(KOnals/distortions). Modern dance is still evolving

compared to Bharatha Naatyam , which has reached

a high plateau according to Smt. Viswanathan.

 

The emphasis in Bharatha Naatyam used in

Temple ritual is its integrated focus:

 

yathO hastha: tathO dhrushti:

yathO dhrushti: tathO mana:

yathO mana: tathO bhAva:

yathO Bhaava: tathO Rasa:

 

(where the Hastham points is the eye;

Where the eye focuses is the mind;

Where the mind concentrates is the BhAvam;

where the BhAvam is , there is the RasAnubhavam

of the God-intoxicated AzhwArs chiselled in

their bhakthi-laden paasurams ).

 

Thus We are back to RasAnubhavam experienced by

Swamy Naathamuni, whose two nephews cherographed

Dhivya prabhandham to music and Taalam .

 

Bharatha Naatyam dancers perform Ranga AarAdhanam

with this type of RasAnubhavam :

 

Bhaarathakula bhAgya KalikE!

BhaavarasAnandhha -pariNathAkArE !

JagathEka Mohana kalE !

Jaya Jaya Rangaathi DevathE Devi!

 

The holy stage of dance becomes the temple here and is

worshipped by the Bharatha Naatyam dancers .

 

In Bharatha Naatyam dance, the symbolism portrayed is unique:

 

" when the anjali hastham is raised above head ,

the salutation is to the Lord; when the anjali

hastham is kept at the brow level , the salutation

is to the Guru; when the same anjali hastham is

kept at the chest level, the salutation is to

the audience....." All the three anjali mudhrAs

come together at SrIrangam .

 

Let us reflect on this Anjali Vaibhavam celebrated

by Swamy Desikan and begin our preparations for

ChithrabhAnu year's Thiruadhyayana Uthsavam .

 

adiyEn invites you all to come and join to

celebrate the Nruthya Arangam at Pomona , NY

during the Pahal Patthu-Iraa Patthu , Swamy NammAzhwAr

Moksha uthsavam and SrI Vaikunta EkAdasi.

 

SrI RanganAthO Jayathi,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan

Vice Chairman, SrI ranganAtha Temple, N.Y

http://www.ranganatha.org