DANCES AND THE PATH OF VIDYA'

official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 12

cross-references: Ba'ba' in Fiesch (as "Mudraic Dances")

this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 12, 1st edition, version 
	(spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most 
	up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition.

	Lalita Ma'rmika is purely a devotional dance.  The elbows must be placed above the 90-degree position in relation to the shoulders.  The up-raised hands indicate the spirit of surrender.

	Hands placed at 90 degrees indicate the strength of the arms of the dancer.  Ta'n'd'ava expresses the spirit of strength.  Your arms express strength and vigour.  They are straight, meaning thereby that they are ready to fight death.  One hand, holding a skull or fire or a snake, represents death, while the other hand is holding a dagger, representing the spirit to fight death.

	Kaos'ikii:  The two hands upraised and folded together represent, 'Now I am trying to establish a link with Parama Purus'a.'  Both hands bending to the right indicate, 'I know the right way to request You.'  The bending of the body should be at 45-degree angular projection.  The leftward movement represents, 'I know how to fulfill Your demands.'  The movement of bending in front suggests complete surrender.  The backward bending represents, 'I am ready to face all troubles that may come.'  The last 'ta', ta'' represents, 'O Lord, I repeat Your rhythm.'

	All three of these dances are devotional dances, and as such are Mudraic.  

	Even before Sada'shiva there were songs and dances, but there was no system.  Lord Sada'shiva brought that music and those dances within the scope of a system.  There are mainly two kinds of dances.  Some are more rhythmic and less Mudraic while others are more Mudraic and less rhythmic.  The Oriental School of dance is more Mudraic and less rhythmic, while the Occidental dance is more rhythmic and less Mudraic.

	 A mudra' expresses Bha'va without creating any sound.  For example, if you call someone to come near you, you make a particular movement of your palm [gives Mudra'].  When you tell somebody to go away you make another kind of movement with your palm [gives Mudra'].  Similarly, when you feel thirsty and need a glass of water to drink you make a particular corresponding Mudra'.

	Thus while offering something respectfully to your superior you make a forward and then downward movement of both palms with palms upwards.  But such offerings meant for those who have died - or the 'Pitrpurus'a' is made by another type of movement of the palms rotated sideways.

	Similarly, there are Dharma Cakra Pravartana Mudra', Vara'bhaya Mudra' and many others.  Among the Mudra's, some are meant for the psycho-spiritual benefit of sa'dhakas.  Similarly, there are some bad Mudra's which are used in Avidya' Tantra.  For instance, while cursing somebody, the forefinger is raised and used.  In Sam'skrta the forefinger is called 'Tarjanii', which means 'scolding'.  The movement of the forefinger represents vanity, and therefore at the time of Japa the use of this finger should be avoided.
    
	Good men should never curse anybody.

	Lord Shiva invented all Mudra's. Incidentally, there are more than 12,000 Mudra's.

	Brahma is a composite of Purus'a and Prakrti.  The name for the cognitive aspect is in the masculine gender, and the name for the operative aspect in the feminine gender.  But 'Brahma' is in the neuter gender.  Brahma is not a personal God.

	One should not think that inanimate objects have no minds.  They too have minds, but in a dormant stage.  Inanimate objects cannot function for want of nerve cells and nerve fibres. They move according to Cosmic momentum.  Parama Purus'a is the Supreme Nucleus, not personal God.  It remains fixed and all animate and inanimate objects keep moving around that Supreme Nucleus just as electrons move around their nucleus.  Inanimate objects move unconsciously, but human beings have minds and can move voluntarily.  This movement is both centripetal, or centre-seeking - Vidya', the movement towards the Nucleus and centrifugal - Avidya', that is away from the Nucleus.

	It is the natural wont of the mind to take the shape of its object of meditation.  If the object of worship is crude, say money or any crude thing, the mind takes the shape of that crude thing in the course of time.  Hence the proverb 'As you think so you become.'  For instance, when someone constantly thinks of a ghost, he actually becomes a ghost one day.  One then starts behaving in an abnormal way.  Again, someone concentrates upon two hundred dollars, one day the person will become an actual dollar.  Hence human beings should be very, very cautious in what they ideate upon, in their objects of contemplation.

	All complexes - the fear complex, the defeatist complex, the inferiority complex, complexes of hopelessness or hatred, etc. - are creations of Avidya'.  Now if one curses another person, saying, 'Let that fellow die,' one is resorting to Avidya'.  In that case the cursed person may not die,' rather, the cursing man will die.  Similarly, if a person constantly thinks, 'I am a sinner, I am a sinner', the habit of sinning will come to him and he will really be a sinner one day, though he was not a sinner previously.

	Instead of wishing harm to a person, try to instruct him.  Don't try to destroy him, that is not a proper expression.  In that case your defective psychology will destroy you.

	In this connection, the spirit of people should be like this:

		Akkodhena jine kodham asa'dhum sa'dhun'a jine
		Jine kadariiyam da'nena satyena alikava'dinam.
	
	If someone is angry, you must win him over just by a cool temper.  If someone is dishonest, win him over by you honest.  If someone is a miser, win him over by spending something on him.  When you meet a liar, be veracious with him, or win him over to absolute truthfulness.

	When fighting darkness, will you carry darkness in your pocket, or will you carry a torch?  Certainly a torch.  Similarly, to fight a man of Avidya, do just the opposite thing to him, and then you will be victorious.  These are the secrets of success.

	I hope you will do it.

22 May 1979 evening, Hannover