The Nāṭyaśāstra is the world's oldest treatise on performing arts. It is more than 2,500 years old. This encyclopedic work on art by Bharata muni is divided into 36 chapters and contains more than 6,000 verses. The first chapter of the Nāṭyaśāstra gives a semi-historical and purāṇic account of the creation of the work. Bharata narrates it thus:
ಕಾವ್ಯ ಪ್ರಪ೦ಚದಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಪಾತ್ರಗಳು ಮೂರು. ೧. ಅದರ ಆತ್ಮವೇ ಆದ ಕಾವ್ಯ ೨. ಕಾವ್ಯದ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಕರ್ತನಾದ ಕವಿ ೩. ಕಾವ್ಯಪ್ರಯೋಜಕನಾದ ಸಹೃದಯ (ಓದುಗ). ಪ್ರತಿಭಾಶಾಲಿಯಾದ ಕವಿಯಿ೦ದ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ ಕಾವ್ಯವೃಕ್ಷ ಫಲನೀಡುವುದು ಸಹೃದಯನಿ೦ದಲೇ; ಸಹೃದಯನಲ್ಲಿಯೇ; ಒ೦ದು ಕಾವ್ಯಸೃಷ್ಟಿಗೆ ಸಾರ್ಥಕತೆ ದೊರಕುವುದು ಸಹೃದಯನು ಅದನ್ನು ಓದಿ ಮೆಚ್ಚಿ ರಸಪರವಶನಾದಾಗ. ಹಾಗಾದರೆ, ಸಹೃದಯನೆ೦ದರೆ ಯಾರು? ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಓದುಗರಿಗೂ ಸಹೃದಯನಿಗೂ ಇರುವ ವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸವೇನು? ಎ೦ಬ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳು ಸಹಜವಾಗಿ ಏಳುತ್ತವೆ.
Of the many twists and turns in the Ramayana, the most troubling one is that of Rama abandoning Sita based on the public perception of her character.
An old farmer and his grandson lived on a farm. One day the grandson said, “I try to read the Bhagavad-Gita just like you but I don't understand it much. And whatever little I understand, I forget it very soon. What is the use of reading this book?”
The old farmer quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”
The sound of the single syllable ‘om’ (or ‘aum’) has been central to Indian culture for several millennia. Om is made up of four parts – ‘a’, ‘u’, ‘m’, and silence. It is also called 'pranava' since it pervades life and runs through our prana (breath, vital breath, life). The four parts of om can also mean to represent birth, growth, letting go, and immortality.
Sanatana dharma literally means eternal way of life or eternal ethic. This is not restricted by the constraints of space and time. However, in variegated applications of the same, specific spatiotemporal frames are adopted. Though the word 'dharma' has no proper equivalent in languages other than Sanskrit, its spirit can somehow be communicated through English words such as global ethic, righteousness, way of life, culture, etc. However, all these words put together may mean the sustained implications of dharma. The word 'sanatana' symbolizes eternity.
3-11 September 2009
Places visited – Ujjain, Dhar, Bagh caves, Maheshwar, Omkareshwar, Indore, Bhopal, Sanchi, Udaigiri caves, Vidisha, Udayapura, Beda Ghat, Khajuraho, Markhera, and Deogarh (in order of visiting).
अर्थचतुष्टयशिक्षा ।
साक्षात्कृत-यज्ञ-दान-तपसां दीक्षा ॥
वाग्वृत्तित्रयरक्षा ।
प्रेक्षाऽसौ जयति भारतीपदलाक्षा ॥
Victorious indeed is prekshaa –
the clear intellect that has been
constantly educating everyone
about the purusharthas.
Prekshaa is synonymous with
the initiation into
yajna, dana, and tapas.
Being the protector of
the three modes of expression,
prekshaa is indeed the red lacquer
on the feet of Bharati,
the deity of wisdom.
Footage of a rare interview of D V Gundappa (in Kannada) by G P Rajarathnam.
Here is the transcript:
ರಾಜರತ್ನಂ: ತಾವು ಬರೆಯುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಶುರು ಮಾಡಿದ್ದು ಯಾಕೆ ಅಂತ?
ಡಿವಿಜಿ: ನನ್ನ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಆದ ಸಂತೋಷವನ್ನು ನನಗೆ ಬೇಕಾದವರ ಜೊತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹಂಚಿಕೊಂಡರೆ ಆ ಸಂತೋಷ ಇಮ್ಮಡಿಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ರಾಜರತ್ನಂ: ನಮ್ಮ ಜನ ನೆಮ್ಮದಿಯಿಂದ ಸುಖವಾಗಿ ಬದುಕಬೇಕಾದರೆ ಏನು ಮಾಡಬೇಕು?
Vedic traditionalists or Vedics in short, are a community of people who are fast fading into the pages of history. They are the torchbearers of Vedic traditions and have been carrying it forward for generations. A happy, contented life even under poverty has been a trademark of their way of life. Some of their traits include: