PRIMAL RAW ENERGY
The energy coalesced
And the Universe was born
The Lord Shiva continues to dance. That is why, there is rhythm and order in the cosmos, there is purpose
in its activity. Shiva, also recognised as Mahadeva, the Great God is the third member of the Hindu Trinity,
the others being Brahma and Vishnu. He is the Destroyer, Brahma is the Creator and Vishnu is the Preserver.
Shiva, the personification and deification of energy, appropriates within a certain context, the functions
of his two cohats. As the divine dancer, he becomes at once Creator, Preserver and Destroyer. Through his
ceaseless dancing, Shiva ensures that a vital rhythm that holds the heavens together is maintained and
perpetuated.
Shiva, as Lord of the Dance, is known as Natraja. Apart from the symbolism inherent in this concept,
several stories relate the circumstances in which Shiva performed his varied dances.
The most significant of these dances pertains to the time, when he visited Tillai, the present
Chidambaram, in Tamil Nadu, South India. The purpose of the visit was to cleanse the souls of a
group of fanatics wedded to heresy, who posed a moral threat to the community of which they were
a part. When Shiva arrived, they decided to take no chances. Through evil means, they produced
serpents, a tiger and other agents of destruction.
Shiva was merely amused. When finally, they released a hideous, fanged dwarf to attack him, Shiva calmly
planted his foot on the creature and reduced it to a writhing mass. In triumph, he danced on the back of
the annihilated dwarf. It is through this dance that he revealed himself true and total, in a blinding
flash, to the heretics, who were forthwith converted.
As Natraja, Shiva is seen with four arms. In one hand he holds a rattle drum, in another a ball of fire,
the third hand is raised in a gesture of protection, the fourth points to his raised dancing foot.
Shiva dominates all dancing divinities. His dance is known as
Thandava and though there seem to be over
a hundred varieties of this, only seven are of real importance. These include:
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The simultaneous movements of
hands and feet while doing the Thandava can be called
'Karana' and this dance is well embellished
by the Angaharas supplemented by various Karanas.
In Karati 'Kara' means empty, 'te' means hand. 'DO' means way, Empty Hand Way. To attain spirituality
the super power Aumkara is used. Similarly, in Karate, Ki-ai is used to awaken the inner self of power.
The benefits of Ki-ai are as follows:
One gets concentration, it alleviates fear, able to deliver effective blows or kicks through application
of the mind (Dharana).
The Origin of Karate can be traced back to the Shivapuran or even earlier than that. That is what exactly
I am attempting to do. According to Veena Pani of Delhi, she had done the 'Savitri' Dance Ballet,
entirely on the sword and stick dance of Kerala, which is nothing but martial arts.
With 7-8 years of experience in Karate and several years of practice in Bharat Natyam,
whenever I
performed Kathas of Karate, it would take me to the Thandava of Lord Shiva. Since both of them need
channelising energy and are moving meditation, it kindled my curiosity and
that's how I started a
comparative study of both forms.
Related Topics:
YKUF's Bharat Natyam Classes
Curative Power of
Indian Classical Dance
Dance - Moving
Meditation
Bharatnatyam: Meditation in Motion
For More Information Contact:
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Tel: +91 (022) 2284-4449
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Internet: info@yogakalaupasana.org