Hari Aum.
A happy New Year to all readers. I hope your new year has started well, especially from the perspective of spiritual life.
In my case, as mentioned in previous posts, natya yoga or dance in particular is currently playing a key role in spiritual life. As a student of Bharatanatyam and Carnatic vocal music, I would like to discuss two key concepts related to this subject which I feel are closely connected with spirituality and mantra chanting in particular-- namely, 'laya' and 'tala'.
The word 'laya' has many layers of meaning. From a spiritual perspective, laya means the state of temporary dissolution of the individual ego/jiva for example, in the state of deep sleep (when consciousness is withdrawn from the physical/mental layers and rests in the karana sharira or causal body). (Note- this is of course different from samadhi or the permanent dissolution of the ego when one realises one's true nature as being one with the Supreme/Brahman/God).
From a musical perspective, laya refers to the tempo or speed of music. In Carnatic music (and therefore, Bharatanatyam, which is danced to Carnatic music) we have three main types of laya-- 'vilamba' (slow), 'madhyama' (medium) and 'durita' (fast). (Each speed is double the previous one, i.e. medium is double of slow, and fast is double of medium.)
In Sanskrit, the word 'tala' means a 'clap'. However, in Carnatic music, this word indicates a rhythmic cycle to which music is sung or played, and to which the dancer dances (these rhythms are kept by making specific hand movements). There are various talas e.g. of 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 14 beats. The most popular and widely used tala is Adi Tala (meaning 'first tala') which is an 8 beat cycle.
Tala is a very intricate topic in Carnatic music and I will not attempt to explain the whole subject here as I am myself still learning (and when you go a bit deeper, it can get quite complicated in terms of the maths involved because each beat can be subdivided in numerous specific ways in terms of the notes that are sung or played).
The links below provide a nice summary of some of the key concepts of laya and tala in Carnatic music, and some information about Adi Tala:
Laya and Tala
Adi tala:
The Paras thillana that my dance classmates are I are currently practicing (for our performance which is due to take place soon) has all three speeds, but the majority of our choreography is set to the durita laya or a fast tempo-- this is proving to very challenging for us as beginners!
To explain further, there are extended sections where 4 steps are performed per beat/second, which means 32 steps in a cycle of 8 beats (it is set to Adi talam)-- and performing this with a decent level of skill requires a lot of stamina and practice!
However, when we protest to our teacher that we find this too difficult, he only replies saying 'you need to push yourself or there will be no improvement' so we are valiantly plodding on! (He tells us that his role is only 1% and we have to put in 99% of the work to make any progress!) As Krishna says to Arjuna in the Gita, 'Abhyasena tu Kaunteya!' (Keep practicing, Arjuna!) when he complains that controlling the mind is too difficult-- our dance teacher also unfortunately seems to share this view!
One interesting thing about the durita laya, is that the mind has to be completely absorbed in the music and dance to be able to move to the rhythm at this speed. A moment's lapse in concentration, a second of doubt ('Did I make a mistake with that step?), or a moment of uncertainty ('What is the next step in the sequence?!), and one finds oneself completely out-of-rhythm. One needs to be fully present in the moment.
In this sense, dancing demands intense concentration of mind similar to the practice of seated mantra japa or meditation. It also creates a heightened awareness of our thoughts and feelings, and is a valuable bhakti yoga practice. I truly feel this is an excellent adjunct to the practice of mantra japa.
As Carnatic music has its roots in Vedic chanting (which has strict rules regarding pronunciation, intonation and metre), it is unsurprising that one has to pay a lot of attention to laya and tala when singing and dancing-- these arts were traditionally associated with temples and places of worship.
(Note- As we know, Vedic prayers require years of training to master the correct Sanskrit pronunciation and intonation. Unlike Puranic mantras, these mantras need to be chanted in a very precise way to produce spiritual benefits (e.g. a long vowel needs to be double the length of a short one). The rhythmic sounds and melodies are said to produce a specific effect upon the mind and body.
Western science has begun to study some of these effects as outlined in this article called the 'Sanskrit effect': https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/observations/a-neuroscientist-explores-the-sanskrit-effect/).
I wish all of you a very happy New Year. May the Divine bless us all with spiritual and material progress. May we be ever in rhythm with the universe and Divine will.
Om Namo Narayanaya.
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
