HOMAGE TO THE NAVAGRAHA-A report on Yognats Dance Drama

[Guest guest]

Yoganjali Natyalayam’s HOMAGE TO THE NAVAGRAHA Sunday the 3rd September saw the spectacular presentation of Yoganjali Natyalayam’s Annual Bharat Natyam Dance Drama entitled Homage to Navagraha premiered in honour of the 99th Jayanthi of Yogamaharishi Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri Guru Maharaj. An appreciative audience of nearly a thousand Rasikas thundered their applause at many points throughout the presentation that was truly a Dharshan of the Navagraha in a sacred and emotionally fulfilling as well as thrilling atmosphere. The two hour long Bharata Natyam Dance Drama enacted the famous Kolaru Thiru Padhikam of Thiru Gnana Sambandhar as well as Tamil hymns to the nine sacred abodes of Sanathana Dharma. 45 dancers, 10 musicians and a dozen stage and props crew members helped the director Yogamani Yogacharini Kalaimamani Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani and Yogacharya Palkalai Chemmal Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani bring to life the legends

associated with all the nine Graha. In her introduction Amma said, “In life there is happiness, sorrow, disease, emotional distress, occurring continuously. One of the main causes of this fluctuation in worldly life is the influence of the Navagrahas, or the position of the nine celestial abodes in the individual’s horoscope. The Navagraha are the channels through which the Atman showers Karma upon the individual enabling one to evolve spiritually though the various lessons of life. Thus, “Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so!” The influence of the Navagrahas is called Graha Dosha. To help mitigate negative planetary influences and create a strong, stable, positive attitude capable of withstanding trials and tribulations the sages have advised as a spiritual exercise that one should perform

Pradakshina of the Navagraha Murthis and recite the Navagraha Strotra nine times either in the morning or evening. The great Nayanmar Thiru Gnana Sambandhar has declared in his teaching that the Navagrahas cannot harm those whose minds are firmly fixed to the lotus feet of Lord Shiva. All these elevated thoughts are imbibed effortlessly by those fortunate enough to witness the spiritual and artistic enthusiasm of the pure – spirited, skilled young dancers of Yoganjali Natyalayam as they perform this unique classical tribute to the Navagraha”. The thirteen scenes of the dance drama enacted various aspects of each Graha and told of the legends associated with it. Dancers dressed as the Grahas were showcased in the respective colours and attire at the commencement of the drama in a spectacular manner as a

temple atmosphere was created in the very first scene itself. In a scene typical of most South Indian temples, devotees were shown worshiping the Navagrahas with ghee lamps as they performed the Pradakshina. Amma’s creative genius brought out the essence of the whole drama in this scene itself as a Bhakti soaked atmosphere was created both on stage as well as in the minds of the receptive audience. In the second scene the history of the Kolaru Thiru Padhikam was depicted as the dialogue between Thiru Gnana Sambandhar and Tirunavukarasar who were in Thiruvengadu when emissaries from the Pandya queen met them. The envoys conveyed the unpleasant news that the influence of the Samana religion was on the rise in the Pandya kingdom, the king had converted to the Samana Religion and was persecuting devotees of Lord Shiva. The

emissaries conveyed to Sambandhar that the queen and chief minister were upset at this turn of events and had sent a request that Sambandhar come to Madurai to restore the power of Shaivism in the Pandya kingdom. The elderly Tirunavukarasar had been persecuted by Samanas in the past and feared that Sambandhar being a very young boy may suffer bodily harm. Further, he concluded that astrologically it was not an auspicious period. Hence, he tries to dissuade Sambandhar from going to Madurai. Sambandhar responds that no harm can ever come to an ardent Siva devotee and sings the

Kolaru Thiru Padhikam. Tirunavukarasar was convinced by Sambandar’s arguments and gave the young sage his blessings for the mission. Sambandhar took leave of Tirunavukarasar and proceeded to Madurai to restores the glory of Shaivism. In the third scene, the first of the ten-versed Kolaru Thiru Padhikam of Thiru Gnana Sambandhar was performed to ward off any potential ill effects from the Navagrahas. Sambandhar sings, “Siva, who shares his body with Parvathi (who has a bamboo like shoulder), who has a stained throat due to the poison he ate, who is playing a very good veena, who is wearing a blemishless moon and the Ganga river on his head, has entered my heart. Therefore, all the nine planets will present a faultless demeanor and benevolent aspects to the devotees”. The fourth scene was in glory of Surya Bhagavan, the Sun God. “Praise to the sun god, the one who blesses all to live well. Praise be to the handsome and luminous one. O great valiant one rid me of my troubles”. The celebration of Pongal, the harvest festival was depicted with Pujas and festivities and the Yogic worship of the sun, the Surya Namaskar was

portrayed in a graceful manner. The story behind the Sanghata Hara Chathurthi was depicted in the fifth scene. Chandra was cursed by Lord Ganesha as a result of his teasing the pot bellied Lord about Ganesha’s unwieldy figure. Upon the advice of Lord Indra Chandra’s radiance was restored after penance and prayer to Vigna Vinayaka, the remover of all obstacles. Chandra then rises in full glory over the ocean whose tides ebb and flow under the spell of his spiritual power. The dancers danced to the verse, “Bless us O moon Lord granting us our prayers. Praise to you O Satvik one, please destroy the obstacles in our path”. Scene six was in glory

of Sevvai Bhagavan and sang, “O great gem, bless us with a good natured life free of want. O auspicious one, we pray to your feet, please remove our troubles”. The story of Sevvai or Angaragan was depicted in Abhinaya or mime form. Angaraha is born to Maharishi Bharadwaja and a celestial nymph and is brought up by Bhooma Devi. Later he is taught all scriptures by his illustrious father who advises him to worship Lord Vinayaka. Maha Ganapathy gives him Dharshan and bestows the status of a Graha upon him. Budha Bhagavan was glorified in scene seven that sang his praises an depicted his story. “Praise to the feet of Lord Budhan to remove all ills in our lives and to bless us with a pleasant life. O Great

One of Magnificent Light who helps us, we salute thee”. Chandra performs the Raja Sooya Yagna that is witnessed by all the gods. Tara, the wife of Brihaspathi and Chandra fall in love and refuse to be separated. This leads to a massive battle with Lord Shiva taking on Chandra. Lord Brahma intervenes and orders Chandra to return Tara to Brihaspathi. However Tara is pregnant at the time and Brihaspathi refuses to accept parentage of the child, Budhan who is then handed over to Chandra who brings him up lovingly and he attains the status of a Graha. Scene eight was in praise of Guru Bhagavan and told the stoy of Sundarar and Shiva at Alangudi that is the Sthalam of Guru. Lord Siva as a ferryman (boatman) was helping Sundaramurthy Swamigal cross the river (Vettaru) which was in spate, to reach the Alangudi Sthalam. However the boat capsizes when halfway. Lord Siva seated on his Rishaba Vahana helps him reach the Sthalam safely. Sundarar received his Gnanaupadesam after his Dharshan of Dakshinamurthy at this Sthalam. Scene nine witnessed the spectacular performance of Trivikrama Asana as lord Vishnu in the Vamana Avatar pushes King Maha Bali into the netherworld after blinding Sukracharya with a blade of the Dharpa grass. Sukracharya was the Guru of Asuras. He had got the blessings from Lord Siva after severe penances. In the Vamana Avatar of Lord Vishnu, Vamana

sought three foot steps of land from Mahabali, the King of the Asuras. Realising Vamana to be no mere mortal, Sukracharya assumed the form of a bee and tried to block the flow of water from the Kamandalam. Vamana picked up a strand of the Dharpa grass and blinded Sukracharya in one eye while unclogging the hole in the Kamandalam. Lord Shani or Saturn was propitiated in the tenth scene with the song, “O Shani Bhagavan, thou who solves all problems, please set thy mind to bless us with auspiciousness. Bless us to live happily without quarrels or fear of death”. The history of the birth of Shanishwara was depicted in this episode. Samujna, the wife of Lord Surya wasn’t able to tolerate his intense heat and so leaves her

reflection Chaya Devi in her place and goes to her father Viswakarma’s palace. Lord Shanishwara is later born to Surya and Chaya Devi. The eleventh scene had the famous story of the creation of Rahu Bhagavan in a dramatic form. The Devas and Asuras churned the Paarkadal to obtain Amrit that would keep them alive for ever. Lord Vishnu took on the guise of Mohini to distribute Amrit only to the Devas as the evil deeds of the Asuras would increase multifold if they consumed Amrit. Swarbhanu, one of the Asuras took the form of a Deva and consumed the nectar. Lord Surya and Chandran who noticed this, complained to Lord Vishnu. In anger, Lord Vishnu cut off the head of

Swarbhanu that fell to the ground. Because he had consumed Amrit his head and body continued to live separately. The body of a snake got attached to the head to become Rahu while the other half became Kethu. Rahu prayed to Lord Vishnu and got the position of a Sayagraham. In the twelfth scene the glory of Kethu Bhagavan was sung with the verse, “O Kethu, thou of the serpent head bless us in an auspicious manner to avoid disease, quarrels and litigation. We pray to thy feet, please remove our sins”. When Lord Vishnu cut off the head of Swarbhanu, the head portion attached itself to a snake body to become Rahu Bhagavan. The body portion that was thrown away fell in Pothigai mountain region. This was found and preserved by a Brahmin. The head of a snake got attached to the

Asura body to become Kethu. The final scene was a massive one with 35 dancers dancing a final tribute to the nine Grahas in unison. The dancers praised the sacred feet of all the Navagrahas and offered their salutations to the nine celestial abodes for the welfare of humanity. Every year Yoga Jivana Satsangha selects an eminent national or international personality to honour for their Yogic character, achievements and life contribution. This year the KARMA YOGA SHIRONMANI was awarded to Shri S. Sriram and Smt Anuradha Sriram of Integra Software Services Private Ltd.,

Pondicherry in recognition of their enlightened business management. Yoga Jivana Satsangha (International), established in 1968, with 120 centres in 23 countries, chooses an outstanding individual or organization each year as the recipient of Yoga Shironmani Awards. Amongst prominent personalities in the past were Dr. B. Ramamurthy, eminent Neurosurgeon, Chennai; Dr. T.N. Anantaraman, eminent Scientist – Sanskrit Scholar of New Delhi; Thiru Sankaranaarayanan, world famous Carnatic Vocalist, Chennai; Shri B.V. Selvaraj, I.A.S., Pondicherry amongst others. The Citation for the Karma Yoga Shironmani award read: “We commend your significant contribution to the development of enlightened business practices and all round dedicated service to the Indian and World Community and Invoke the blessings of Yogamaharishi Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri Guru Maharaj that all may continue to work in a spirit of Nishkama Karma Yoga – the Yoga of selfless service.” The award was presented to Shri S. Sriram and Smt Anuradha Sriram as part of the

99th Jayanthi Celebrations of Yogamaharishi Dr. Swami Gitananda during the Dance Drama Homage to the Navagraha by Yoganjali Natyalayam. President of Yoga Jivana Satsangha (International) Puduvai Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani presented the award Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, Vice President of Yoga Jivana Satsangha, the honoured the dynamic duo with Ponnadai. In their acceptance speeches Thiru S Sriram and Smt Anuradha Sriram stressed upon Amma contribution to the cultural renaissance and appreciated her total involvement in the Indian culture at all levels. Amma was extolled by both of them as a role model for the younger generation. Kalaimamani Tanjavur Shri BM Sundaram one of the chief guests of the

evening was all praise for the production and complimented Yognat on its many successful ventures. He complimented the music and dance coordination and appreciated the efforts in the unique choreography. He mentioned that he was already looking forward to Swamijis 100 Jayanthi celebrations in 2007. Nada Yoga Shironmani Shri S V Jagadeesan, the music director of the drama was visibly overwhelmed when he commented that he felt he was performing in a temple and not on a stage. Kalaimamani Shri K Rajamanickam, Director Sangeetha Salangai Natyalaya appreciated every scene of the drama and felt that it was a real tribute to the Grahas. He said that he understood all the efforts and difficulties the Yognat team had faced for he was also an artist and had faced similar difficulties in his productions. Kalaimamani Dr Arimalam S Padmanabhan, president of the Pondicherry Music and Dancer Artistes Association commended the work of Amma and Dr Ananda in bringing up the Yognat team to a high standard and felt it privileged to have been a member of the audience for such a unique presentation. Yogacharini Dr Nalini Devi (Acharya of the Gitananda Yogalayam, Spain), Shri M Suganantham (senior advocate and past president) and Kalaimamani Pulavar I Pattabhiraman (Tamil scholar) also spoke on the occasion and remembered the work of Pujya Swamiji in spreading Indian culture to the entire world. The dance drama was directed by Kalaimamani Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani and Palkalai Chemmal Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani who also played the Mridungam and coordinated the music. Yogacharini Smt Devasena Bhavanani assisted in the choreography and conducted Natuvangam while the Lyrics and Tamil commentary were composed by Tamil Gnana Shironmani Pulavar I Pattabhiraman. The Music Composition was by Nada Yoga Shironmani Shri S V. Jagadeesan who also played the keyboard while vocal support was by Smt Vineshwari Sivaraj. Others who contributed to the musical success were Shri V Thanigachalam (Violin), Thiru Al Ramasamy (Mogarsing), Shri Jayaseelan (Tabla), and Thiru S Gopal (Special Effects). The English commentary was read out by Selvi PVL Shailaja while the Tamil commentary was read out by Selvan P Muthamizh Vanan. The dancers who put on a tremendous show of near perfection included V. Renukadevi, G. Kanimozhi, U. Kokila, U. Parinita, M. Shailaja, R. Varalakshmi, G. Saranya, S.S. Lothikha, G Saranyalakshmi, S Sri Sagana, G. Revathy, L. Kanmani, S.S. Monikha, S Samyuktha, Shreya Agrawal, S. Namratha, R. Swati Priyadarshini, Ashrulina Pal, R. Shalini, V. Amirtha, J. Sangavi, V. Roshini, S. Devasena, V. Yasritha, M. Roshini, R. Sruthi, J. Madhumitha, S. Sowmya, Reshma S. Kumar, V. Susmitha, S. Ghayathri, S. Keerti Priya, R. Kokila, R. V. Krithiga, D. Reena Joseph, O. Vidya, K. Nivetha, S. Manju Priya, S. Haritha, S. Geethakala, Debolina Pal, Rubi Ragini, V Anusha, R Nivetha, S Vidya Shankari and Dhivya Priya Bhavanani. Stage management and publicity coordination was done ably by Shri C. Shanmugam, Smt Lalitha Shanmugam, Shri S