Dhyana Shlokam (Dance Prayer) | Angikam Bhuvanam Yasya | Natyakriya Episode 03

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Today, I'm going to tell y'll about Dhyaana Shlokam (read: dhi-yaa-nuh sh-loh-kum). It is traditional to start a dance practice with a dhyaana shlokam. 'DhyAna' is a Sanskrit word that means meditation and 'Shlokam' means a prayer.

This is a popular shloka in praise of Lord Shiva, who is said to be the King of Dance. The dancing form of Lord Shiva is known as 'Nataraja' (read: Nuh-tuh-raa-jaa).We have hand gestures (mudraas) for this Shlokam too. But we'll deal with that later.

Here's the video -

Thillai Ambalam | Bharatanatyam Shiva Shabdam | Lyrics & Meaning

Shabdam is a Bharatanatyam Item in which the Expressions (or Abhinaya) are introduced for the first time in the repertoire. The song (saahityam) is usually separated into stanzas and between each stanza, you'll have a simple Korvai (nritta steps). To read more about a Shabdam in Bharatanatyam, please click here.

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"Thillai Ambalam" is a Shabdam on Lord Shiva. This Shabdam depicts a female devotee, who is amazed and enamored by the dance of Lord Shiva and describes the myriad feelings and dreams that she experiences in the hopes of uniting with him. The 'Naayika' wonders if Lord Nataraja, the one who dances at the golden temple of Chidambaram, would ever realize her love and accept her as his own

Nee Uraippai Hanumane Lyrics | Arunachala Kavi Songs | Rama Natakam

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Arunachala Kavi was a Tamil poet and a composer of Carnatic music and considered to be one of the Tamil Trinity. He wrote Rama Natakam, a musical drama based on the Ramayana. The music for this musical was composed by two of Arunachala Kavi's disciples, Kothandarama Iyer and Venkatarama Iyer. The songs contain many Tamil proverbs and sayings. There are hundreds of songs and viruttams (songs sung without thaalam) in the Rama Natakam. Many of these songs are used for performing Bharatanatyam tales from Ramayana.

Nee Uraippai Hanumane is one if the many songs in Rama Natakam. The Hero Rama speaks to Hanuman and asks him to specify few incidents when he meets Sita, so that she will not suspect him.

Thandai Muzhanga Lyrics | Murugan Bharatanatyam Shabdam

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 If you don't know what a Shabdam in Bharatanatyam means, I urge you to read my article on the same. It is an item wherein the Abhinaya (or expressions) are introduced for the first time in a recital. Needless to say, the emphasis being on Abhinaya, Shabdam is not a Nritta-piece.

Thandai Muzhanga is a beautiful dance piece on Lord Karthikeya (or Lord Muruga) who is the son of Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati. Almost 9 years ago, I did this very same Shabdam for my Arangetram. I've learned quite a few Shabdams since then, but this remains to be my favorite item.  

Although the audio in this video is not clear, it'll give you an idea of the tune of this Shabdam. I found this on YouTube. If you want the Thandai Muzhanga Shabdam SONG for download, please click "Read More"

Natanam Adinar | Song Lyrics & Meaning

One of the songs describing the Blissful Dance of Lord Siva which I love is, "Natanam Aadinaar" by Gopalakrishna Bharatiyaar. The references to the story of Agastya, Tillai (Chidambaram) and the Sollukattu swaras make this dance energizing, interesting and beautiful. It is a celebration of Shiva, the cosmic dancer, who balances creation and destruction.

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