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Dance Article continued from last page. In Indian mythology there is a great emphasis given to dance. Even the Gods dance and the descriptions of the dances of the Gods have a lot of significance. These dances reveal the principles of nature and eternal truths. They offer philosophical guidance, religious advice and spiritual solace. The dance of Ganesh was a dance of creation. It shows how true creativity can create the whole universe. It was a dance of liberated consciousness which expresses the joy of existence. Maha Kali danced to address the evil and to demonstrate the feminine principle - a power which no male should ignore. The apsaras, gandharvas, the Kinnars and other celestial beings danced to express their rapture which took them to higher planes of bliss. Perhaps the most loved dances in the Indian mythology are the dances of Lord Krishna -the Ras Lila with Radha and the Maha-Ras with the Gopis (Cow girls). Shri Krishna's dances with Radha represent the yearning of the individual soul to merge with the divine soul. They are dances of devotion and surrender. The message of these dances is that the perfect harmony of spiritual life is achieved by renouncing the worldly ego, and yogic calm and inner peace through the release of worldly attachments and bondage. You can be in this world and still be detached from it. Maha-raas with the Gopies in the pastoral Brindaban is a lesson against possessiveness and discovering the meaning of true love. Krishna belongs to everyone and there is no scope for possessiveness which leads to pain and disillusionment. The true love is in giving and not in receiving. The willingness of the gopis to put every worldly thing at stake for Krishna demonstrates the true nature of the soul and the natural desire of the soul towards spirituality. When worldly desires drop, there is no separation and in the final union the Gopies become one with Krishna. The dances of Krishna emphasize the immortality of the soul; one can seek and find God in this world . The hindrances that need to be overcome in the spiritual path do not come from the outside but from within. In Indian Mythology the lord of dance is Shiva or the Nataraj. He is the creator of Dance. It is said that the performing arts were created as a pastime for the Gods and the first performance was held in the court of Indra (the God of Rain). Lord Shiva was so stirred by the short dance sequence that was presented that he asked his disciple Tandu to instruct Bharat, a sage, in the art of dance. Bharat Muni wrote the famous treatise on Dance and the performing arts called the Natya shastra which is the basis of most Indian dances. Dance Article continued on next page. |
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