On Bharatanatyam

T. BALASARASWATI

haratanatyam is an art which consecrates the body which is con-

B sidered to be in itself of no value. The yogi by controlling his

breath and by modifying his body acquires the halo of sanctity.
Even so. the dancer. who dissolves her identity in rhythm and music,
makes her body an instrument. at least for the duration of the dance. .
for the experience and expression of the spirit.
I believe that the traditional order of the Bharatanatyam recital viz,
alarippu, jatiswaram, sabdam, varnam , padams, til/ana and the s/oka is
the correct sequence in the practice of this art, which is an artistic .
y oga, for revealing the spiritual through the corporeal.
The greatness of this traditional concert-pattern will be apparent
even from a purely aesthetic point of view. In the beginning, a/arippu.
which is based on rhythm alone, brings out the special charm of pure
dance. The movements of alarippu relax the dancer's body and thereby
her mind, loosen and coordinate her limbs and prepare her for the
dance. Rhythm has a rare capacity to concentrate. Alarippu is most
valuable in freeing the dancer from distraction and making her
single-minded.
The joy of pure rhythm in a/arippu is followed by jatiswaram where
there is the added joy of melody. Melody, without word or syllable-
has a special power to unite us with our being. In jatisworam, melody
and movement come together. Then comes the sabdam. It is here that
compositions, with words and meanings, which enable the expression
of the myriad moods of Bharatanatyam are introduced.
The Bharatanatyam recital is structured like a Great Temple : we
enter through the gopuram (outer hall) of alarippu; cross the
ardhamandapam (half-way hall) of jatiswaram, then the mandapa
(great hal1) of sabdam, and enter the holy precinct of the deity in t~e
varnam. This is the place, the space, which gives the dancer expansIve
scope to revel in the rhythm, moods and music of the dance. The .
varnam is the continuum which gives ever-expanding room to the
dancer to delight in her self-fulfilment, by providing the fullest scope
to her own creativity as weU as to the tradition of the art.
The padams now follow. In dancing to the padams, one experiences
the containment, cool and quiet, of entering the sanctum from its
external precinct. The expanse and brilliance of the outer corridors

II Sann"t Natalr.
T. Balasaraswati

disappear in the dark inner sanctum; and the rhythmic virtuosities of

the vamam yield to the soul-stirring music and abhinaya of the
padam. Dancing to the padam is akin to the juncture when the
cascading lights of worship are withdrawn and the drum beats die
down to the simple and solemn chanting of sacred verses in the
closeness of God. Then, the til/ana breaks into movement like the final
burning of camphor accompanied by a measure of din and bustle. In ,
conclusion, the devotee takes to his heart the god he has so far
glorified outside; and the dancer completes the traditional order by
dancing to a simple devotional verse.
At first, mere metre; then, melody and metre; continuing with music,
meaning and metre; its expansion in the centrepiece of the varnam;
thereafter, music and meaning without metre; in variation of this,
melody and metre; in contrast to the pure rhythmical beginning, a
non-metrical song at the end. We see a most wonderful completeness
and symmetry in this art. Surely the traditional votaries of our music
and dance would not wish us to take any liberties with this sequence.
The aesthetics and the artistry of Bharatanatyam alike make us
realise,that sringara has pride of place here. In a sense, Bharatanatyam
is a combination of the yoga and mantra sastras. The mudras of the
mantra sastra are the same as the hand gestures of Bharatanatyam.
When dancing to the beat of trie rhythm, as in a yoga exercise,' the
dancer's body is rid of its human weaknesses and is purified into a
conduit of the spiritual and the beautiful. However, the experience of
the art can be total only if a variety of moods and feelings are
portrayed; and, variety is the soul of art. But these feelings should be
universalised into aspects of divinity and not remain the limited '
experience of an insignificant human being. The mood of a song may
tend to get portrayed as the subjective feeling of one individual; but ,
true art lies in universalising this experience. To train the dancer in this
art, melody and metre join together in jatiswaram, the dancer takes
leave of her subjective consciousness in the alarippu and identifies
herself .with the universal consciousness in the jatiswaram. Hereafter,
she is ready to explore and express the infinitely varied nuances of the
entire gamut of emotions and feelings not in terms of her subjective
self but in terms which bring out their universal essence.
Sringara stands supreme in this range ofemotions. No other
emotion is capable of better reflecting the mystic union of the human
with the divine. I say this with deep personal experience of dancing t~
many great devotional songs which have had no element of sringarO 10
them. Devotional songs are, of course, necessary. However, sringorO is
the cardinal emotion which gives the fullest scope for artistic
improvisation, branching off continually, as it does, into the portrayal
of innumerable moods full of newness and nuance.
If we approach Bharatanatyam with humility, learn it with .
dedication, and practise it with devotion to God, sringara, whicn bnngs
 ON BHARATANATYAM

out the great beauties of this dance,can be portrayed with all the purity
of the spirit. The flesh, which is considered to be an enemy of the
spirit, having been made a vehicle of the divine in the discipline of the
dance, sringara, which is considered to be the greatest obstacle to
spiritual realisation, has itself, we shall realise, become an instrument
for uniting the dancer with Divinity. .
(Since t~e dancer has universalised her experience, all that she goes
through is also felt and experienced by the spectator.)
Refined in the crucible of alarippu and jatiswaram, the dancer
portrays the emotions of the musical text in the sabdam in their
. pristine purity. In the sabdam,emotions are withheld at the beginning;
thereafter, when the dancer has clarified herself, they are released in a
measured and disciplined manner. It is after mastering this discipline
that she dances the varnam which is a living river that holds together
movement and interpretation.
The composer of a sabdam or a vamam might have dedicated it toa
prince or a nobleman. But as far as the dancer is concerned, the hero
can only be the King of kings, the Lord of the wide world. It is
.impossible for her to dedicate her art , which has sanctified her body
and has made her heart sacred, to a mere mortal. She can experience
and communicate the sacred in what appears to be secular. After all,
our composers have been steeped in the tradition of bhakti. While
singing the praise of secular heroes, they begin to dwell on his devotion
to Brihadishwara of Tanjavur or to Tyagesa of Tiruvarur or to
Padmanabha of Tiruvanandapuram. The dancer taking the cue. enters
the realm of bhakti, enjoys the play and pranks of the deity concerned
and displays them in her abhinaya. The divine, so far mixed with the
secular, now becomes explicit in the dance and impresses itself deep in
the heart. Various rhythmic movements are inter-twined with her
abhinaya; this saves her from degenerating into the human, and keeps
her fresh and pure in.the yoga of the dance.
It is after passing through this ordeal of fire that the dancer fully
qualifies herself to do abhinaya for the padams. If she has dedicated
herself to. the art. .there will be no carnal distortions in her interpreta-
tions of the padam. Steeped in art and beauty, which are pure spiritual
states, she expresses the joy which is at the basis of di~ferent m.oods.
and emotions . Such a dancer will feel no need to "purify" any Item 10
the'traditional order of Bharatanatyam.
Indeed, the effort to purify Bharatanatyam through the int.ro~uction
of novel.ideas is like putting a gloss on burnished gold or pamting the
. lotus. .
. The inadequacies that are felt in this art arise from the inadequacies
of the dancer herself. If Bharatanatyam is studied with devotion•
. dedication, pat ience and thoroughness, its completeness in its
traditional Iorm will be crystal clear. The traditional sequence and
structure of the recital secures and safeguards this completeness. There

S.nzrd N.t.k 11
T. Baltvoraswoti

is, therefore, no need to purify perfection by amending, adding or

subtracting any of the elements in the traditional order of the recital.
.The traditional recital is a rich combination of diverse aesthetic and
psychological elements which produces complete enjoyment. To alter
this arrangement because it is considered "boring" isto destroy the
integrity of aesthetic enjoyment.
Let those who create novel dance forms present them as separate
performances; they need not make a hash of the Bharatanatyam recital.
by interpolations of novelties. Of Madhavi's dancing master, the Silappadi·
karam says that "he knew when only one hand had to be used (pindi)
and when both the hands had to the used (pinaiyal). He also knew
when the hands had to be used for exhibiting action (tolirkai) and for
graceful effect (elirkai): Knowing as he did the conventions of dancing,, .
he did not mix up the single-handed demonstration (kutai) with the
double-handed (varam) and vice versa, as also pure gesture with
gesticulatory movement and vice versa. In the movements of the feet
also he did not mix up the kuravai with the vari: He was such an '
expert".
The dancer can integrate herself with her discipline if she goes
through the traditional sequence in one continuous flow without too
much of an interval between orie item and another; and the
completeness of the recital in its entirety will assert itself. 'My personal
opinion is that this concerted effect of the experience of dancing, which
needs mental concentration, is spoilt by frequent changes of costume.
Silappadikaram and Manimekalai list dance, music and the personal
beauty of the dancer in that order. Yet unfortunately the last and least
of them has come to the forefront at the present time. When so much
importance is attached to the looks of the dancer, it is but natural that
dancing is considered carnal and sringara vulgar. The truth is exactly
the opposite; it is her dance and music alone that make a dancer
beautiful. " .
Kalidasa describes Malavika standing tired and perspiring after her
dance as the best of all 'her abhinaya. This is not just poetic conceit.
Even when the collyrium gets smudged and the make-up is disturbed
in the course;of the dance, that itself is a tribute to the dancer's
dedication.
When the continuity of the dance is interrupted by costume changes,
announcements and explanations, the congealing of inner feeling
becomes impossible and concentration is shattered.
The greatest blessing of Bharatanatyam is its ability to control the
mind. Most of us are incapable of single-minded contemplation even
when actions are abandoned. On the other hand, in Bharatanatyam
actions are not avoided; there is much 't o do but it is the harmony of
various actions that results in the concentration we seek. The burden of
action is forgotten in the pleasant charm of the art . The feet keeping to
time, hands expressing gesture, the eye following the hand .with

12 Sanged Natak
 ON BHARATANATYAM

expression, the ear listening to the 'dance master's music, and the
dancer's own singing - by harmonising these fiveelements the mind
achieves concentration and attains clarity in the very richness of
participation. The inner feeling of the dancer is the sixth sense which
harnesses these five mental and mechanical elements create the to
experience and enjoyment of beauty. It is the spark which gives the
.dancer her sense of spiritual freedom in the midst of the constraints
and discipline of the dance. The Yogi achieves serenity through
concentration that comes from discipline. The dancer brings together
her feet, hands, eyes, ears and singing into a fusion which transforms
the serenity of the yogi into a torrent of beauty. The spectator, who is
absorbed in intently watching this, has his mind freed of distractions
and feels a great sense of clarity. In their shared involvement, the
dancer and the spectator are both released from the weight of worldly
life, and experience the divine joy of the art with a sense of total
freedom.
To experience this rare rapture, a dancer has only to submit herself
willingly to discipline. It will be difficult in the beginning to conform to
the demands and discipline of rhythm and melody and to the norms
and codes of the tradition. But if she humbly submits to the greatness
of this art, soon-enough she will find joy in that discipline; and she will
realise that discipline makes her free in th~ joyful realm of the art.
The greatest authorities on the dance have definitively recognised
that It is the orthodoxy of traditional discipline which gives the fullest
freedom to the individual creativity of the dancer. .
Young dancers who go in for novelties will find that their razzle-dazzle
does not last long. On the other hand , if they hold firm to the .
tradition, which like the Great Banyan strikes deep roots and spreads
wide branches, they will gain for themselves and those who watch them
the dignity and joy of Bharatanatyam. I come out with these
. submissions only because of. my anxiety that they should realise this.
.The young will recognise the greatness of this art if they study it with
intense participation, calmly and without haste. .
One has to begin early and learn it for many years to reach a devout
. understanding of the immanent greatness of th is art. Then come.s the .
recognition of one's great good fortune in being chosen to practise this
art; this recognition leads the dancer to surrender herself to her art.
Such surrender mak~s her aware of the divinity and wholeness of .
Bharatanatyam. And the art will continue to flourish without the aid
of new techniques which aim at "purifying" it or changes j~ dress,
ornament, make-up and the interpolation of new Items which seek to
. . , . 00
rnak e It more "complete". This IS my praver.

(T. Balasaras....ati's presidential address at the 33rd Annual Conference 0/ the Tami/ lsai
Sangam, Madras. on 21 December 1975. Tram/ated/rom the Tamil by S. Guhan.)

Sance tt Natd J3
Anti-clockwise: Balasaraswati, 1936;
Jayammal and Balasaraswati (first and
second from left) at a recording (Photo:
S.N.A. Archives); Balasaraswati (third
from left) with Kuravanji group, 1952
[Photos.Tamil Isai Sangam, Madras).