Most sadhakas (aspirants, seekers) are looking for powerful experiences as validation in sadhana, as assurance that their sadhana is bearing fruit. While powerful experiences can be gratifying, they also inflate the ego. They lodge themselves in the sadhaka's memory becoming a dead burden, blocking further growth. Moreover, it is a question of ‘States’ versus ‘Stages’ as [...]

Indian art has been produced by professional craftsman…….. “In India the same qualities ervade all works, of any given period – from pottery to architecture, and all are equally expressive – the smallest fragment of a textile portrays the same as the most elaborate temple In other words, there are no distinctions of fine and applied [...]

Of the various genres of North Indian classical music, that known as dhrupad is generally regarded, by musicians, listeners and scholars, as the ‘oldest’ ‘purest’, ‘serious’ most ‘demanding’, ‘highest’, most ‘sacred’, and above all perhaps, most ‘traditional’. It is also generally assumed to be extinct, or at best moribund. Indeed, faced with the burgeoning popularity of [...]

Kathakali is a luminous dance-drama and a classical pantomime which sustains exhilarating artistic aspects such as acting, music and rhythm. The word Kathakali means story-play. Elements of Kathakali are well perceivable in the ancient rituals of Hindu temples and others places of worship. Various folk arts of Kerala like Theyyam, Padayani, Mudiyettu, etc. have influenced the [...]

The evolution of Kerala temple architecture can be traced to the residential architecture as evidenced by the common architectural style… …The simplicity and the efficiency of the structures show the basic character of Kerala architecture Each structure, be it a Goppuram or Oottupura is functional. All over India there is a distinct difference in the treatment [...]

Indian music had developed over the millinea as a single system of music until about the thirteenth century after which it split into two similar but distinct systems the Hindustani music of North India and the Carnatic system of the South. Purandra Dasa (1484 – 1564) can be said to be the principal founder of the [...]

Whiled writing on Yoga and Music, Ayurveda and Music, Veda and Music some of the common issues have been already dealt with only the remaining ones, have been focused here. Dharma-artha-kama-maksha set forth the ends of human life. They are said to be the four pillars of life with all its various activities. Any discipline has [...]

Bordering the north east corner of India enclaved by the mountain ranges, between Assam and Burma, lies the tiny state of Manipur. The Bamboo thickets and banana groves dotted by placid lakes and innumerable temples make it truly an abode of Gods. Since days bygone, in nature’s beauty and bounty, the people of Manipur have cultivated [...]