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Dance
and Hindu Thought
By
Roopa Patel
To
divert Gautam Buddha from renouncing the world, his father the king
called upon the most beautiful and accomplished courtesan to dance
before him. He promised to give her fabulous jewels and prizes if
she succeeded in bringing Gautam Buddha back into the fold. The courtesan
danced as never before and put her heart and soul into her performance.
Gautam Buddha sat entranced throughout the performance and the king
was very pleased. He felt that the dancer had succeeded in her mission.
As soon as the dance was over Gautam Buddha got up to leave the palace and the king asked him as to where he was going, Gautam Buddha replied that seeing the dancer's soul so beautifully mirrored in her movements he, too, wanted to find the soul. He walked out into the wilderness in search of God. Indian dance has originated from the ecstacy of worship and when the devdasis (temple dancers) danced in the temple in the sheer abandonment of the senses, to the beat of the mridangam, to the note of the flute, with the movement of the limbs, the language of gestures, bhava of expression, of the tala (rhythm) executed by the feet and the song of the musicians one could not help but experience the divine in the performance of the dancer. Indian dance was a way to teaching and discovering religion, philosophy and spirituality. The various sages and rishis used Indian Art forms to show the connection between the body and the soul, the material and the divine. Indian dance was not just the enjoyment of the senses. Though it was expressed through the body, the dancer went beyond it to discover the living presence of God in all creativity. Indian Dance is a form of yoga where the body and mind unite to make a perfect whole. The body postures and the movements facilitated the prana (life force)and brought about the harmony of the body and the mind leading to mental and physical well being. It requires discipline and hard work, the true bhakti and devotion. The oneness of the body and the mind lifts not only the dancer but also the viewers to a higher plane of consciousness, to almost a yogic meditation. Dance Article continued on next page. |
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