The temple is quiet. The fragrance of oil, incense, flowers and sandal paste lingers in the air. The world is ready to ease into rest and slumber, but within the temple a new world now opens up before a few that seek it. After a long day of giving darshan to devotees, Bhagavan will now come out to dance.
Krishnanattam, or Krishna's dance, is a dance drama that celebrates the life of Krishna in eight parts, performed every night within the temple. The performance takes place on the north-west side of the temple, right outside the door through which devotees exit after praying at the sanctum. At dusk, just after the deeparadhana worship with lamps, the 'keli' or percussive announcement begins as a precursor to the performance. Following this the artistes start getting ready. After 9 pm the central oil lamp called the kali vilakku is lit. The percussion instruments thoppi maddalam and shuddha maddalam and idiophone instruments chengila and ilathalam are placed in front of this lamp. Before the performance all artistes, including the one who plays Krishna, touch the instruments reverentially by way of seeking blessing. The musicians and drummers pick up their respective instruments. They play the keli. On cue, two stage hands hold up a multicoloured rectangular curtain behind the lamp and in front of the musicians. Behind this curtain is the sacred space of the dance. Four female characters enter this space, touch the sacred ground and dance the thodayam behind the curtain. This is to invoke the blessings of Ganapati, Vishnu and Devi and is not meant to be watched by the audience. It is then that Krishna’s story begins.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2022 من The Vedanta Kesari.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2022 من The Vedanta Kesari.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Panchakroshi Parikrama of Varanasi
At the snow-capped Kailas, the Divine Lord Shiva was seated with Mother Parvati.
Gadai and the Monks
A fictional narrative based on incidents from the childhood of Sri Ramakrishna.
Swami Vivekananda’s French Interview: A New Discovery
We are happy to present what, to the best of our knowledge, is a hitherto unknown interview given by Swami Vivekananda in French language to a newspaper in France. Interestingly the interview was published on 11 September 1900, exactly seven years after Swamiji burst upon the world from the platform of the Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Swami Surarchitananda discovered this interview during an online archive search and Ms. Irina Croitor has translated it into English.
'Pandit Ji Maharaj' Par Excellence: Swami Vipulananda
In 1933, the Annamalai University of Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu was bustling with activity in connection with the imminent visit by the British Governor, George Fredrick Stanley of Madras Presidency. He was to chair the Convocation at the University.
Reminiscences of Sargachhi
All the doctors, teachers, engineers you see, are doing social service. Our education system teaches 'service to the society'- this is the objective side of man.
Mon Ekbaar Hori Bolo... Songs dear to Sri Ramakrishna
Sri Ramakrishna loved songs. There probably was no normal day when he did not sing some songs. His conversations with devotees were interspersed with songs that drove home the point of discussion and intensified the spiritual mood of the gathering. Sri Ramakrishner Priyo Sangeet is a collection of songs that were sung by Sri Ramakrishna or sung in his presence by others. In this section we serialise these songs giving the English and Devanagari transliteration of the Bengali song, along with its English translation.
Freedom vs Technology
Ethics, principles and values that guide ordinary people to do extraordinary work in eternal India
Seven Steps on the Path and other Heart to Heart Talks
BOOK REVIEWS
Tale of Two Realities An understanding of life through the Ramayana and Yogasutra
Beginning with this issue we are serialising Tale of Two Realities which we hope will help readers gain a deeper understanding of life. Our readers are familiar with the author through her The Vedas and Poorva: Magic, Miracles & the Mystical Twelve which were serialised earlier. The illustrations for this series is by Smt Uma Krishnaswami, a well-known artist. The author's note below gives a brief introduction to the series.
Sri Ramakrishna and the Freedom Movement - SWAMI VEDANISHTHANANDA
75th Anniversary of India's Independence The year 2022 is significant for India as it celebrates 75 years of attaining independence from the colonial domination. It was after a long struggle that we could free our motherland from foreign rule and make this "tryst with destiny".