On an invitation from her ‘guru behen’ Asha Sunilkumar, Padmaja Suresh from Bengaluru conducted an interactive lecture demonstration on Tantra, Yantra and Mantra at Sri Guruji Academy, Thane.
Starting with ‘Sri Vignarajam Bhaje,’ Padmaja exhibited the essence of Nadopasana. Comparing breaking of the coconut to a surrender of the human ego, she went on to show cryptic gestures and movements. Ganapati connects you to the earth, removes physical and spiritual obstacles and negative tendencies. His broad forehead denotes wisdom, ears that hear all good, eyes small enough to ignore all bad, trunk to swallow all evil.
“Bharata Muni came from the Kashmir valley. Abhinaya Gupta was a Kashmiri Pandit. Patanjali and Panini have all referred to the valley. Knowledge blossomed and travelled to Chidambaram during the 11th and 12th century,” listed Padmaja about the esoteric journey of dance, in a well- researched Power Point Presentation.
“With so many invasions from the world, we have survived and sustained for centuries.”
What we read today is what has been heard, remembered and passed on from generation to generation, assimilated from the four Vedas to form the fifth Veda.
Padmaja demonstrated verse from Soundarya Lahari and Champeya Gaurardha. To emphasise Tandav, Om Nama Shivaya chant was repeated.
Srichakra as example
The ardha mandala in Bharatanatyam evolved using the motifs of dance. She cited examples of the Srichakra triangles, the bindu in the center, and matrix of the triangle in the eternal dance.
“Hasta mudras have therapeutic value. Even the alta that you apply activates the nadis. Dance does not dissipate but captures energy within you. You are not only a body but an atman, a soul. You are nothing yet everything.”
Dance format gives you the medium, a Yantra gifted to you to use it positively to reach the higher level. Earlier sages always connected to the supreme.
Tantra brings people together, connects heart and soul to the rhythm in the body to the mind. Tantra actually tampers with energy. Beejakshara cleanses, infusing prana. The Mantra is the song, the stuthi.
Nava rasas depicted
“Rasa is patented to dance. It is in each and every one of us. Rasa opens you to aham the brahman, opens you to ‘the beyond barrier’ says Abhinava Gupta,” quoted Padmaja and demonstrated the nava rasas.
She talked of the smallest cell in the body that can communicate rasa to a rasika who becomes a sahahridaya.
“Dancers have the gift to change things and great responsibility to preserve the purity in art. Like an alchemist or magician, dancer transforms the grossest to the subtlest,” averred Padmaja. When you dance it is equal to 1,000 rituals. “Dancers are extremely blessed to be able to do natya.
Waxing emotional she said “After my father’s death I heeded his advice to research on tantra and Natya. Once I began unsolicited help came from all places.”
Asha Sunilkumar proposed the vote of thanks and said “it was an illuminating session.”
