October 2022
To summarize, it would not be wrong to say that Yakṣagāna has its own costume that is self-complete and beautiful. The puṇḍu-veṣa (kedagè-mundalè) of Baḍagutiṭṭu has almost reached perfection. However, the kaṭṭu-mīsè (tied moustache) and muṇḍāsu (big turban) that is larger than necessary will have a negative impact primarily on sāttvikābhinaya. They are also detrimental to vācikābhinaya and āṅgikābhinaya, in the decreasing order. People who...
The king followed the boar inside and discovered a divine city; he, however, could not spot the boar. As he sat by a pond, he spotted a maiden, as beautiful as Ratī. She came there with her friends. She fell in love with him even upon the first sight. Overcome with empathy and with tears in her eyes, she said – “Alas! Why did you come here? The boar you laid your eyes on is the daitya Aṅgāraka; he is endowed with a diamond-body and is extremely...
For the sustenance and growth of any form of art, novelty and constant practice are essential. They are required both at the level of the individual and the society. Though most people intuitively agree with this, there have been several discussions and debates regarding the nature of the novelty that is introduced in an art and the value that innovation adds to aesthetics. The renowned scholar Sediyapu Krishna Bhat opines that the maturity and...
I cannot say that Mirza Ismail was a gifted public speaker. He used to write down what he intended to convey at a gathering and read it out.
However, the style of his written English was beautiful; the kind that was in harmony with the conventions of the English language. Sentences used to be short and lucid. He chose words that were delicate and aesthetic. The letters he wrote to his friends would have light humour in them.
He used to correct...
ಯೌಗಂಧರಾಯಣ ತನ್ನ ಮಹತ್ತಾದ ಕನಸನ್ನು ರೇಭಿಲನೊಡನೆ ಹಂಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾನೆ:
ಗೆಳೆಯಾ, ನಾನು ತುಂಬ ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ ಇಡಿಯ ಭರತಭೂಮಿಯ ಹಿತ ಹೇಗೆ ಅಂತ ಆಲೋಚಿಸ್ತಾನೇ ಇದ್ದೀನಿ. ಯಾವುದೇ ಅಭಿನಿವೇಶ ಬಿಟ್ಟು, ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಮತ್ತು ಹೃದಯಗಳೆರಡನ್ನೂ ನನ್ನ ಕೈಲಾದ ಮಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಶುದ್ಧವಾಗಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡು ಮತ್ತೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಈ ಭೂಮಿಯ ಹಿಂದು, ಮುಂದು, ಇಂದುಗಳನ್ನೆಲ್ಲ ಮಥಿಸಿ ನೋಡ್ತಿದ್ದೀನಿ ... ನೋಡು, ಪಾಂಡವರ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲೂ ಈ ದೇಶ ಹತ್ತಾರು ಅಧಾರ್ಮಿಕಪ್ರಭುಗಳ ಅಬ್ಬರದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಲವಾರು ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳಾಗಿ ಹರಿದುಹಂಚಿಹೋಗಿತ್ತು. ಶ್ರೀಕೃಷ್ಣ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದೆಲ್ಲ ಅವುಗಳನ್ನ ಒಂದುಗೂಡಿಸಿದ್ದೇ...
Ayomukhī
Ayomukhī is another Śūrpaṇakhā when it comes to her conduct. While her story is a minor one, it makes one aware of how many such shameless rākṣasa women were residing in the Daṇḍaka. Śrī-rāma who is bearing the unbearable situation of devī Sītā’s kidnapping is in search of her. Lakṣmaṇa is also disturbed seeing his ever equanimous brother in extreme sorrow. Both have crossed the Krauñcāraṇya and are heading towards the south. There...
पातु वस्ताण्डवोड्डीनगण्डसिन्दूरमण्डनः ।
वान्ताभिपीतप्रत्यूहप्रताप इव विघ्नजित् ॥
May Gaṇeśa, the destroyer of obstacles, protect you, the effusing vermillion on his temples during his tāṇḍava, looks like the fiery prowess of all impediments he has swallowed.
1. Once during the Vasanta, Naravāhanadatta who was sporting with his wives and ministers on the banks of the river Gaṅgā, addressed his ministers, “This forest is filled with flowers...
The punishment for a lustful woman
The pot bellied woman took Lakṣmaṇa’s words as the ultimate truth. Unaware of the humour she again goes back to Śrī-rāma. She is not oblivious to the beauty of devī Sītā. Later she is the one who would wax eloquently about her beauty in Rāvaṇa’s court. Here, intoxicated by lust, she deliberately insults her beauty. It's funny to note that she calls devī Sītā, old and ugly. Her conduct evokes disgust while also...
The Three Maxims of the Yoga of Action
If we consider the instruction of the Gītā as valuable in all places and at all times, the principles of karmayoga apply to all of us. Why? By karma here is meant not just scriptural and traditional rituals connected to devatās but also all life related activity. Whatever needs to be done to sustain the family – loans and receipts, searches for brides and grooms, squabbles with the in-laws, the good and bad...
ಮಣ್ಣು ಕನಸು ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆಯೇ? ‘ಮೃತ್’, ಮಣ್ಣು ಮೂರ್ತವಾದರೂ ಅಚೇತನ. ‘ಸ್ವಪ್ನ’, ಕನಸು ಅಮೂರ್ತವಾದರೂ ಚೇತನದ ಅಂಶ ಹೊಂದಿದ್ದು ಅರೆಕ್ಷಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಲೋಕಾಲೋಕಗಳನ್ನು ಕಾಣಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಮಣ್ಣು ನೆಲವನ್ನು, ಭೂಮಿಯನ್ನು, ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಪ್ರತಿನಿಧಿಸುವ ಪದ. ಕನಸು ಜೀವಿಗಳ ಮನಃಪ್ರಪಂಚದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಂಡುಬರುವ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ. ಮಣ್ಣು ಇರದಿದ್ದರೆ ನೆಲೆ ಇಲ್ಲ, ಬೆಳೆ ಇಲ್ಲ; ಜೀವನವೂ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಜಡದಂತೆ ಮೂರ್ತರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದರೂ ಕನಸು ಕಾಣಲು, ತನ್ನ ಕನಸನ್ನು ಸಾಕ್ಷಾತ್ಕರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು, ತನ್ನಿಂದ ಮೂಡಿಬಂದ ಜೀವಚೈತನ್ಯಗಳ ಸಹಕಾರದಿಂದ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸಾಧ್ಯ. ಮಣ್ಣಿನ ಕನಸನ್ನು ಸಾಕಾರಗೊಳಿಸಲು...