From http://indianheartbeat.20m.com/EIC.html
October 27, 2001
Essence of Indian Culture
by Thiru A Kathirasen
Indian culture is a rich mosaic within which sub-cultures thrive. It has evolved through the ages assimilating and interacting with many traits and culture patterns to become a fascinating complex. In this essay, an attempt has been made to explore the essence of this rich culture with special attention to its eternal verities.
A wholistic view of life is the foundation of Indian culture. Its basic theme is the unity of mankind and all beings. Indian culture proudly declares: Ondrae Kulam, Oruvanae Thevan" (One human family, one GOD). It sees God in everything and everything in God.It places so much emphasis on this Oneness of things, making us one with everything that exists. It acknowledges there are differences but quickly proves that there is unity behind this diversity and adds that this is the intention of Nature: unity in diversity. It says things that divide are the seeds of sorrow, while the realization of the unity and equality of all life is the secret of happiness.
A famous verse in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita runs: "God dwells in the hearts of all beings, Arjuna; thy God dwells in thy heart." This colors completely the Indian view of life and nature: it seeks harmony between man and nature. It does not believe that man is the master who must exploit nature. Man is a part of nature and must live in harmony with it is the teaching. The postulate that God lives in all beings gives birth to the concept of the divinity of man; in fact of all life forms. This belief in the divine nature of all beings - that everything is the expression of this life - giving Spirit, an emanation of this Universal Soul - leads to a reverence for life in whatever form.
Since life is sacred, one must not harm or kill anyone or any living form. And Ahimsa, non-violence, was born. Ahimsa does not merely mean non-killing. It means not causing wanton injury out of anger or for one's benefit. In the words of the greatest exponent of Ahimsa, Mahatma Gandhi: Non-violence is complete innocence. Complete non-violence is innocence in its active form, goodwill towards all life." And non-violence has always been a dominant note in Indian culture. As long ago as the first century B.C., Thiruvalluvar had emphasized the need for non-violence in thought, word and deed.
To practice Ahimsa, one must be full of love in the form of self-restraint, charity, and compassion.
Restraint here means control over the gross expressions of man's nature like anger, greed, pride, lust and violence. It is self-discipline - the control and regulation of one's passions, impulses and desires. This theme of self-restraint and discipline is an ever-recurring one in Indian culture.
Thiruvalluvar says in the Thirukkural:
Like fortune guard your self-control;
No greater gain to living soul.
Indian culture asserts that the best service to humanity stems from a silent control over the gross expressions of one's nature. Charity here means more than the usually understood meaning: it means offering or sharing something dear and valuable. It contains an element of sacrifice.
And compassion means an unquenchable desire to help, a flow of intense feeling of wanting to share the pain and by sharing it, helping to relieve it. It implies that what causes pain to me also causes pain to another and I should act accordingly.
The belief in the divinity of man automatically results in a belief in the freedom of the human spirit. One cannot tie down the divine. Therefore one cannot force another into something, whether it is a belief or practice. No coercion absolutely. Indian culture recognizes that freedom of thought is the nerve-center of the spiritual man and his mental activity. This principle, this freedom offered, paves the way for the idea that there are as many ways of looking at things, as there are temperaments in a man. And a fundamental postulate of Indian culture projects itself : Truth is one, though the wise may call it differently.
The Indian attitude, as exemplified in Hinduism, therefore is a liberal and humanist one as it believes that different faiths, different religions are but different streams leading to the one great ocean.
Sri Ramalinga Swamigal or Vallalar Saint Vallalaras he is popularly called, proclaims the cosmopolitan attitude of Hinduism towards religions in one of his many songs:
Every religion is sustained by the grace of God,
I have understood this truth; hence, all religions have my acceptance.
Have I ever thought of discriminating between religion and religion?
Hindu thought, in its magnanimity, accepts that others may be equally right in the methods they follow. It eschews the arrogance that flows from the belief that only one's own way is right and all others wrong. This doctrine, coupled with the conviction that all life is sacred pours out a megadose of tolerance into the Indian outlook. Tolerance in the Indian cultural context therefore takes on added significance. From this doctrine too, a host of qualities and virtues like broadmindedly, sensitivity to the pain of others, a dignified humility and patience take birth.
Also arising from the conviction that Truth is one and the urge for restraint, charity and compassion are virtues that include the sacredness of duty, moderation, simplicity and nobility.
The doctrine of the divinity of man necessarily means belief in the connection between the Jivatman or individual soul and the Paramatman or Universal soul. And thus the goal of life is established: It is to seek "Yoga" or union with God. It is to seek liberation from a life that is limited by time and space. And it becomes the duty of each man to attempt to attain Godhead. Indian culture, and specifically Hinduism, asserts that each man can attain this union with God. He already has the divine spark in him. All he has to do is to allow this spark to manifest itself, to engulf him.
Associated with this is the Law of Karma: karma is the mean result of one's good and bad actions and which are inherited. The basic idea of the law of karma is that, unlike fate, it can be modified by conscious effort. While he inherits the results of his past deeds, he has the opportunity to cleanse himself in this life so as to speed up his journey towards God. He can do this by achieving inner harmony through experiencing knowledge of the divine. This is possible by achieving a balance between Aram (norms of ethical conduct/ righteousness), Porul (productive and professional activity, acquisition of wealth by good means for the promotion of social welfare) and Inbam (physical and artistic enjoyment of the normal pleasures provided by the senses). He can also move closer to the goal by complete surrender to God and /or by performing acts without thought for its rewards and surrendering such rewards to God. That is, adopting a "work as worship" attitude.
Indian culture also suggests various other ways of attaining this goal. Each man must select his path according to his temperament, his station in- life and his plane of existence.
Art
An Indian Perspective
by Thiru A Kathirasen
What is the Purpose of the arts?
The most likely answer is: The arts offer beauty and pleasure. They make life worth living.
However, to an Indian mind, the arts perform a much more important function. A function that the late statesman-scholar C. Rajagopalachari, lovingly called Rajaji, described so well:
Man is endowed by nature with the senses. Man has the Power to derive pleasure from the senses. This power tends to corrupt him. Man like other animals is inclined to overdo the use of his senses. There are two ways in which this power in a man is controlled so that over indulgence does not cause harm to himself or others.
Rajaji says the first is the Government that acts as an external restraint with its law. The total good sense is made to prevail over individual appetite and that good sense takes the shape of the Government. The other is Culture that acts through, tradition, religious belief, literature and education. Culture acts silently and subtly to make people think they obey of their own free will and it gives them a sense of pride in good behavior.
The fine arts, music, dance, painting and entertainments of many kinds are all cultural means, not merely to give pleasure, but operate to control and limit indulgence in sensual pleasures. The refined means of satisfying the various appetites train the senses to find enjoyment without over indulgence or indulgence in crude forms. The fine arts may be looked upon thus as instruments of restraint. They shape persons inclined to excessive indulgence into cultured men and women. Culture is the habit of successful self-control, concludes Rajaji.
We also know that to the Indian mind, the highest forms of art are always inextricably interwoven with the idea of God.
Indian dance, music, literature, drama, architecture, and other arts embody the Indian cultural ideals. The highest business of art, to the Indian mind, is to disclose something of the Infinite through its living finite symbols and powers.
All art is divine in Indian culture as the ultimate objective of art is to lead the human soul to achieve union with the Divine. God, to the Indian mind is not only omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, He is also Beauty. Therefore every aspect of beauty in the world is but a faint shadow of the Beauty of God.
Indian art is idealistic and symbolic rather than realistic. To the Indian artist the outer world of phenomena is a reflection of Divine Thought and he tries to get at that Thought by the contemplation of its reflection," says Prof. R Srinivasan.
A look at the architecture of most Hindu temples will invariably dazzle people. This is because they are not the work of ordinary masons and carpenters but the work of great devotees in whom the love of God welled up and found expression in such work," he adds.
Indian art is concerned with the transcendence of our normal two-eyed experience life. It is meant to open the third eye to reveal the truth behind physical phenomena.
Indian Dance Forms
by Thiru A Kathirasen
In Indian Culture, dance, music, poetry, painting and sculpture are all considered sacred and designed to illuminate the path leading to the Ultimate Reality or God-realization.
The peculiar flavor of India's artistic heritage, says famed dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai, is worship through every symbol known to mankind. The artist was, in this sense, the seeker after the highest wisdom.Indian dance is an eloquent expression of an ancient civilization whose timeless wisdom continues to evoke the passionate search of man for conscious identity with God. There is a reference to God as Dancer in the Rig Veda that establishes both the sacredness and antiquity of Indian Dance.
Nadaraja, the symbol of the dance, is a form of Lord Shiva, who again is the symbol of the universal creative force. The four hands of Nadaraja, the cosmic dancer, signify his four divine activities: creation, preservation, destruction and liberation. The right hand holds the drum, for nadam or sound was the first element in the universe from which flowed all language, music and literature.Sound is the cause and the universe the effect.The drum causes vibration that symbolises creation. The lower right hand held in a gesture of tender solicitude is the hand of divine protection, the promise of salvation. One left hand holds a tongue of flame symbolizing divine knowledge with which all evil and ignorance can be destroyed. The other left hand points to the foot, lifted and released as the other foot stamps out ignorance shown as the dwarf Muyalakan or Andhakasuran.This hand indicates the way to enlightenment or liberation. It indicates the profound teaching: Be in the world, but be not of the world. Nadaraja is Pure Consciousness.His dance is to lead the souls into this Pure Existence.The image of Nadaraja depicts the eternal wisdom transmitted through the arts.
The famous dancer Mrs. Mrinalini Sarabhai says :
"All dances were sacred offerings to the Lord, and through the myriad forms, the relationship of the cultural patterns of the dance and its fundamental unity is apparent.Yet, each one had a separate identity. Man, confronted with powers that he could not comprehend, sought refuge in myths in order to link himself with the universal unseen worlds. Through the dance, he attuned himself to the cosmos and found within his body a source of transcendental Power that became the timeless truth."
Dance as a form of worship, was then performed in temples and found great patronage from kings. The What, Why and How of all Natyam activity was codified for the first time by sage Bharata and his Natya Sastram remains the most authentic compendium on every department of stage and theater.
Indian dance is unique in that it embodies both the vigorous and masculine Tandavam and the tender and graceful Lasya, which represent the Purusha-Prakriti - the Principle of Indian cosmology.
Abhinayam, or expression of emotion, is the basis for all dances, which is presented as drama.Indeed, all ancient dances were in the form of dance-drama. Abhinayam can be categorized under four heads: Mukha-abhinayam (facial expression), Angika-abhinayam (expression through body movements), Aharya-abhinayam (expression through costume and make-up) and Vachika-abhinayam (expression through word). A traditionally produced dance-drama employs all the four kinds of expression and achieves dramatic harmony.
In course of time, the particular pieces of dance presented to highlight particular emotions (rasas) were taken out of popular plays for presentation at solo recitals. These solo dances, according to Mr V. Patanjali, a dance critic, came to be generally recognized as schools of Indian dance exposing the characteristic historico-cultural features of certain regions in India. The main styles of dances are: the Bharathanatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi and Manipuri.
Bharathanatyam is perhaps the oldest among the dance- styles of India. It is no doubt the most popular school of dance in India and amongst a large segment of the Malaysian population. The Bharatha is derived from three essential aspects of the art: "Bha" from Bhavam (expression), "ra" from Ragam (melody/ musical mode) and the "tha" from Thalam (time measure).
Union with God
Bharathanatyam attempts to portray through rhythmic movement, facial expression and symbolic gestures, the spiritual awakening of the human soul and its longing for enlightenment. With its devotional undertones and attractive techniques, it is a systemic exploration of man's relation with himself, nature and God. Says famous dancer Mrs. Mrinalini Sarabhai:
"The Gods, who are the supreme examples of human realization, are adored, praised and supplicated in every song and the dancer is the instrument through which a prayer is made real and given outer expression. All achievement is but through the grace of the Gods and it is they who are the primary Gurus: Shiva is the God of the Dance in his manifestation as Nadaraja; Saraswathi, Goddess of Learning, is the mother of music; Parvathi is the first teacher of the graceful dance form called Lasya, as opposed to the virile Tandavam of Nadaraja. Krishna is the celestial flute-player and dancer, as also the embodiment of the erotic sentiment".
We at AVM have had the privilege to see how the divine worships the divine many a time. If generally, they come to perform libation or abisegam to Agathiyar they are known to sit in his presence and meditate too. Many other deities sat before him swaying their body to the rhythm and tune of the divine vibration that was channeled in these brief moments of communication. Many showed mudras and made sounds unique to their worlds as they paid respect to Agathiyar. We have had the "peacock" dance before Lord Murugan. Goddess Ma danced her way to Agathiyar and offered her respect to him. That is when we saw dance as a divine conversation among Gods. Recently Bhogar too made several mudras before him bringing Lord Shiva and Parvathi to reside in the bronze statue of Agathiyar.
Bharathanatyam is one of the most subtle, sophisticated, and graceful styles of dance art in the world.
Origin of Bharathanatyam
It is one of the proudest possessions in our heritage, having survived for nearly 3,000 years, almost intact, in all the variegated splendor of the forms and moods, which it has gathered through the centuries. Bharathanatyam originated from Tamil Nadu.It is performed mostly as a solo dance. Dance teachers called Nattuvanars and ritualistic dances called Devadasis, in the temples of India, have handed it down through the centuries. Devadasis were a class of girls who were dedicated to temple service from an early age.
Though beginning as a ritual, the dance form developed into a sophisticated style.This style is well described in the classic book the "Cilapathikaram" (AD 171).
It is generally believed the dance was given its present secular format during the early 19th century by the great dance teachers Chinnayya, Ponnayya, Vadivelu and Sivanandam of Tanjavur.
Features of Bharathanatyam
"The distinctive features of Bharathanatyam are a noble angularity of line, precise and forceful footwork and vivacious and constantly changing expressions to project the totality of the range of a single emotion. Its sculpturesque poses are reminiscent of the terpsichorean figures chiseled on the many temples and pillars of south India," says Mr V.Patanjali.
The beauty of Bharathanatyam is the absolute discipline it imposes and literally extracts from the artist.
The rapidly repeated movements are a recurrent series of alternate stillness and movement.One moment it is all stillness - a vibrant stillness pregnant with leashed and latent energy - and the next moment is the release, an explosion of controlled and cascading energy - precise, purposeful and incisive.
Says Mohan Khokar, a great exponent of Bharathanatyam:
"The technique of Bharathanatyam allows the body of the dancer to revel in the glory of its own being, of its own form.Responding to the rhythm the dancer unwinds one vibrant kinetic phrase after another, the entire being backed by a severe regimentation both in practice and in performance. Bharathanatyam carries the qualities of both geometry and architecture.The line, the angle, the Proportion, the symmetry, all play a decisive role in the building of the edifice, which is why the style has a chiseled perfection, the rendering a refreshing crispness."
Training
Bharathanatyam training begins with the learning of the basic dance steps called "Adavus".
"Once the adavus are mastered, usually over a period of one year, these are combined into jatis, theermanas or aridis. A series of jatis are recited and these syllables are called "sollukattus" very similar to the language of the drum. The pupil studies each step through the direction of the dance teachers who beat out the rhythm on the wooden block with a rhythm stick.The jatis are the dance units of Bharathanatyam," says Mrs. Sarabhai.
The training period normally lasts about seven years after which the dancer gives her first performance that is called the "Arangaetram".
The Bharathanatyam Repertoire
The repertoire of Bharathanatyam is extensive but we generally see Alarippu (invocation in pure dance), Jatiswaram (pure dance set to music but no song), Sabdam (interpretative dance with music and song), Varnam (presenting the cream of the dance art), Padams (lyrical devotional songs for intensive abhinayam exposition) and Thillana (a sprightly item with brisk rhythms and movement).
Mrs. Mrinalini Sarabhai gives us a good description of these below:
"The Alarippu is a prayer to the Gods, to the gurus, the vidwans (scholars) and the audience.Only rhythmic syllables are uttered with the mrithangam (drum) and the jaira (cymbals).It is almost like the introduction into the form or pattern of the dance. In Alarippu, the chanting of the syllables can be compared to the recitation in temple worship".
"The Jatiswaram is created in any ragam, and all the manifold patterns of thalam are incorporated within a given framework.Here the dancer executes varied rhythms to the same pattern of musical notes in the chosen ragam. The Jatiswaram has no sahitya (verbal) passages, but uses only the svaras musical notes in various Ragam".
"The sabdam is a song describing the glory of God.The dancer, being the devotee, praises God through her expression and movement.Expression or abhinayam is an important feature of Bharathanatyam for the dancer imparts to her audience the theme mood of her song. Not only should she be well-versed in the actual meaning of the words, but should comprehend the deep emotion and experience of its Shastric (classical) and traditional content and background".
"In the next item, the varnam, the intricate technique of Bharathanatyam is visibly portrayed. Whereas in other techniques, there are many actors and dancers, in Bharathanatyam a solo dancer has to interpret by herself an entire story with no other aid but the movements of her body, the ever-changing expressiveness of her face and the gestures of her hands. She has to portray to her audience both the lyrical and dramatic quality of the emotional content of the story she tells.The varnam is literally the color of Bharathanatyam. It is the greatest of all dance Compositions, the superb culmination of the subtlety of this elevating art".
"After the varnam the tempo slows down, but the dancer has to evoke all her imagination and creativity in interpreting the various songs or padams. Here the inner emotions of the mind with its human approach to the Divine are presented with significant and creative movement.Every dancer searches for and interprets her own perception of situations and the audience is the rasike (connoisseur), who experience the intensity of her individual concept".
"The Thillana, which is a rhythmic dance, brings out the full beauty of an abstract dance creation.Many of the poses are those of the sculptures on temple walls and the rhythmic structure is intricate. All the dance korvais are shown and the endings become faster and faster in brilliant combinations. The promise of the alarippu is fulfilled in the thillana.The recital ends with a slokam in praise of the deity".
"A Bharathanatyam recital leads the dancer and the audience into a realm of deep mysticism, when the devotee searches for the highest truth, in the dynamic movement that is dance."
Music
by Thiru A Kathirasen
Music can soothe even the beast, so goes an old saying. And there is immense truth in this. The type of music one listens to affects one's moods. And music does have a therapeutic value.
Astrologer and palmist Yaschpaule says:
"The right type of music calms the pulse, heightens the vision, and improves concentration. Music even exercises an influence over the human breath. And music affects the activity and secretion of the glands of the body."
Classical Tradition
The whole edifice of the Indian musical tradition rests on ragam (melody), and thalam (rhythm). Just as Western music has seven notes (do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti) to an octave, Indian music has sa- ri- ga- ma- pa- dha- ni. Except for sa and pa, each note allows two varieties - the lower and higher. With these 12 semitones one can make ragam by various combinations and build up mood patterns. Depending on what combinations of sharp or flat notes are used, each ragam can build up mood patterns - soothing, melancholic sprightly, aggressive, soporific; pathos, loneliness, heroism, eroticism, devotion etc.
A peculiar feature of Indian music is that each ragam is associated, according to its mood, with a particular time of day or night and a season. For instance, the Suruthi-Sensurithiragam is a morning ragam suitable between 10am and 12 noons. A song with this ragam is "Muruga yendralaikavaa, Muthukumara yendralaikavaa, Kantha...
The Mukari (12 noon - 2p.m.) finds expression in the song "Senthoor Muruganai sinthaiyilae kollu..." while the Natha Bhairavi (8p.m. - l0p.m.) rings in "Manangkaninthae Nee Arulpurivai, Thirumaal Maruga...."
"Oraru Mugamum, Erarukaramum theeratha vinai thannai thirkum" is in the Malaya Marutham ragam (2am - 6am).
Carnatic and Hindustani Music
Although Indian classical music can be divided into two categories - Carnatic and Hindustani - there is an amazing unity underlying both systems. Carnatic and Hindustani music have in fact been often described as two branches of the same tree. For instance, there are many ragam in Hindustani and Carnatic music, which have similar names and svara sequences or Arohanas and Avarohanas like Jinjoti, and Jenjuhuti , Jaijaiwanti and Dvijavanti, Kamaj and Kamash.
There have been many adoptions of Carnatic music by Hindustani musicians. The Hamsadhvani is an example. The famous Ravi Shankar has for instance inducted many Carnatic music ragam like Charukesi .
Origin of Indian Music
The origin of Indian classical music can be traced to 4,500 years ago when the ritualistic chanting of the Sama Veda began. The hymns of the Sama Vedas are the earliest examples of words set to music.
Mrs. Suseela Mistra, a music expert, says:
"Our earliest music embodies highly religious, philosophical, moral and ethical concepts. Music was a vehicle of worship and so naturally it was nurtured in the temples and other places of worship"
The Muslim Influence
With the coming of the Muslims around the 13th Century, momentous changes took place in the style, spirit and word-content of music in North India. The impact of the Muslim influence brought music out of the temples into the courts and chambers of royal families as well in North India. Some of the Muslim Moghul rulers, who loved music and helped it grow, enriched North Indian music by incorporating Persian elements into it. New melodies and new types of music like the Khayal, Thumri and Tarana we introduced so that by the 15th Century. Carnatic and Hindustani systems had evolved as two distinct streams of music both based on the ragam and the thalam.
Music in the South
However, South India continued to maintain the older and more traditional style. Its music remained confined chiefly to temples and religious occasions. In fact Carnatic music even to this day remains highly devotional. Thevaram compositions in Tamil are evidence of this.
To the Indian, the highest forms of art are always inextricably interwoven with the idea of God. The Goddess Saraswati carries the veena, Lord Shiva has the damaru and Sri Krishna with his pullangkulal (flute) is all testimony of this.
A Typical Carnatic Concert
Mrs. Mistra describes a typical Carnatic music katcheri:
"A Carnatic concert commences either with a Varnam or some Madhyama-kaala (medium speed) Kriti. Then follow a couple of kritis with some Raga Alapana, elaborations in the Charanam, and plenty of Kalpana Svara (spontaneously improvised) pieces. However, the main item of the concert is the Ragam- Thalam- Pallavi which is the true test of a musician's virtuosity and training. The Pallavi is usually set in a difficult slow tempo and it gives full scope for the singer's powers of improvisation. At the end of the Pallavi, the percussion accompanists such as the Mridangam, Ghatam, Ganjara and Morsing are given a few minutes for Thala-vadyam ensemble demonstration known as Tani Aavartanam. The violin accompanist usually knows all the kritis and so he really accompanies the singer. The last part of the katcheri generally consists of lighter classical or devotional songs, a Thillana or songs in delightful Desiga Ragam . The concert is then rounded off with the singing of a Mangalam in an auspicious ragam".
Instruments
Generally speaking, the North Indian music is richer in stringed instruments while the South Indian music is richer in Thala-vadyam. While the veena, violin, flute, nadasvaram and mridangam play a dominant role in Carnatic music, the sitar, sarod, shehnai and tabla take over in Hindustani music. According to T. C. Satyanath, it was Amir Khusrau who improvised the sitar from the veena and the tabla from the mridangam.
Music Appreciation
Ms Sakuntala Narasimhan gives this advice on classical music appreciation:
"The best way to understand and cultivate an appreciation of the classical idiom would be through constant listening. It would be futile to try to list names, for all preferences will have an element of personal likes and dislikes, but M. S. Subbulakshmi's recitals would be an excellent choice for Carnatic music."
She adds:
"In the final analysis, it is the same as food - you have the classical gourmet tradition, fascinating, nourishing and good. At the same time you also have fast foods and junk food swamping the scene. Likewise, convenience and instant music cannot nullify the attractions of the tasteful musical treats perfected over the ages. The feast is all there for those who care to partake of it."