March 2026
Rāma’s Story to Baby Kṛṣṇa
The first segment of the production is centred around the verse rāmo nāma babhūva[1] found in the work Śrī-kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛtam composed by Līlāśuka. It involves mother Yaśodā narrating the story of Śrī-rāma to the Purāṇa-śiśu – the Timeless and Immortal Child, Kṛṣṇa. Before transforming herself into Yaśodā, Padma performs a quick nṛtta for the phrase rāmo nāma babhūva even as she holds Rāma’s posture, establishing his...
The Individual and Society
From what we have seen so far, it is quite clear that Sanātana-dharma constantly straddles between high ideals on one side and rooted pragmatism on the other. It is a consistent attempt to take humans closer towards the ideal while always making allowance for their basic instincts. Intimately familiar with human nature, the ancient seers focussed on individuals—getting them to try and raise their standards through...
The ekārtha presentation Rāmāya Tubhyaṃ Namaḥ by Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam has captured the imagination of three generations of audience and has touched the hearts of the lay and the learned alike. As typical to an ekārtha presentation, Padma presents several episodes and characters, and thereby, sketches the physical, emotional, and spiritual journey – ayana – of Rāma. In the Indian tradition, Rāma is held as one of the highest ideals of a son,...
Supreme Spirit
We now come to the all-pervading Supreme Spirit (known as ‘Brahman’) defined in the Hindu texts. Brahman[1] is beyond creation and dissolution. It is beyond thought, form, and attributes. Brahman is the highest reality. The Vedas mention that the idea of ‘god’ is subsequent to creation[2], thus making a clear distinction between god(s) and Brahman. Hinduism has many deities but only one Supreme Being.[3]
Brahman includes all of...