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Namaskar – A Traditional way to start!

Before starting out with our sessions, we always do the NAMASKAR. Here the dancer bows down in respect to the following:

  1. Musicians
  2. Stage
  3. God
  4. Guru
  5. Audience

The Namaskar is done both before the dance and at the end of it. You can find the video for Namaskar here.

44 Comments

  1. Nithya

    Hi,

    COuld you please tell what slokas to be recited before starting bhratanatiyam and of course how to do guru namaskaram.

  2. Anjali

    Hi Nithya, generally its a practice to recite the following shloka ie “Angikam bhuvanam yasya , Vachicam sarva vangmayam, Aharyam chandra taradi, tam vande satvikam shivam.”. This is a shloka in praise of Lord Nataraja who is the embodiment of the four Abninayas namely Angikabhinaya, Vachikabhinaya, Aharyabhinaya, Satvikabhinaya.

  3. vanu

    Anjaligaru, Namaste.
    we would like to have the video of the starting reciting sloka “Angikam Bhuvanam Yasya..”. it will be very helpful. thanks for your great work!!!!

  4. Anjali

    Thanks a lot Vanu for your encouraging words. Let me know if you want the explanation of the mentioned sloka or just the recital. Not understood your request clearly.

  5. vanu

    Anjaliji, thank you for immediate reply. first i would like to get to know the meaning of the sloka and i would like to see the dance steps for the “Angikam Bhuvanam Yasa..”Slokam. Do the dancers perform this sloka before and after the performance of the namaskar video that you have given. if so, do they perform after namaskar mudra to musicians,god, guru, audiance, stage. thank you.

  6. Anjali

    Hi Vanu, Angikam bhuvanam… is a prayer to invocate lord Nataraja done before starting a dance practice. Its is only recited and no actions are done. I am sending you a link that explains this shloka.
    http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Shrine/3155/bnatyam.html
    Its widely used before a class begins followed by the Namaskar. And after the class only the Namaskar is repeated. Write back if you still have a doubt. Thanks

  7. vanu

    Anjaliji,
    thank you for your explanation.it is pretty much clear now.
    i am above 30 and recently started learning dance. what do i need to do to get my body flexible?

  8. sweetjuliet

    Hi Anjali..
    I am a working woman started learning Bharathnatyam 7 months back.Found ur page while seraching for Asamyukta Hastas.Very GR8 job u r doing. Thanks for ur page. Excellant work .If you don’t mind Can i add ur page to my blogpage. Can I get latest updates from ur page as an email.

  9. Anjali

    Thanks Sweetjuliet for your kind words. I guess if you subscribe to the feed , you will keep getting updated with my posts. I wish you good luck for your lessons further.

  10. sanghamitra

    hi anjali
    Could u please provide me with the recital(of the mudras)as well as their meanings.

    Thanks,I really liked your website!

  11. Khushali

    I m so happy to visit Your website.i have seen this first time. Could you please tell what slokas to be recited before starting bhratanatiyam. i believe this dance as a God so i would learn the sloke so pls give me.

  12. Anjali

    Hello Kushali, I appreciate your thought. We have discussed this in the comments above and also given a link to the shloka. please refer

  13. Khushali

    dear Mam u know i have sent u mail but it didn’t work i don’t know why so can u pls send me ur other email id or send me the starting reciting sloka “Angikam Bhuvanam Yasya..vedio so that i can also learn this and i remember this sloke has some mudras but i dont remember so can u pls send me the vedio for that and thank you so so much mam u understand me.u know i have sent u mail like this before but no reply i want to know that did u get my mail or not

  14. vidya

    Anjali,

    Please do let me know if there is a slokha or a song which summarises the essence of bharathnatya.

    thanks,

  15. Mohana

    Hello iam mohana frm germany, i alwazs wantetd to learn bharathanatyam , but in my citry we cant learn because we dont have enough tamil girls who are intrested in it … but this web site is very use full for me . iam so happy .. thank you so much …

  16. sangita kulshrestha

    Dear Anjaliji
    Yr work is abso fabulous. I just wanted a clarification. As there are diff styles of Bharatnatyam namely Padanallur, Thanjavoor, Kalakshetra etc…Can u pls tell me exactly what are the diff styles and how does one differentiate one from the other…is there any site or video which can help us understand the difference

  17. Vishwa Protim

    Pranam guru, i’m unable to upload the video of NAMASKARA. Pls could you write me the steps as u have done in adavus. Pls guru, waiting curiosly for ur reply. Thanks

  18. Anu

    Dear Anjali, I’m also a dancer. My teacher used to recite the shlokam “Aangikam…..” with mudras. But unfortunately I forgot most of it. Can u be of any help for me???I clicked d link U’ve posted. But it seems to be diverted 2 sum yahoo sites…

  19. Rubenthri Naidoo

    Namaskarum,

    I am an adult who has just started to learn Bharatanatyam. I am battling to get my balance to do the 1st steps i.e. the Thath Adavus.

    could you please help?

    I am looking forward to an exciting journey ahead.

    Nandri,

    Vanakum,

    Rubenthri Naidoo (Cell: 076 463 5858)

  20. aditi

    when i was a little kid i always wanted to learn Bharatnatyam. But due to lack of facilities in my nearby house i can never learn it. When I visited ur cite I was delighted to see such online course. I just want to say that i loved it.

  21. thilaka arul

    namaskaram thiru anjali ,
    i had learn t bharathnatiyam as a child for about 3 years. i have learn t it till pushpanjali. i had kept in touch with it till my collage yrs.
    now i am 40 , your blog is helping me get back into dancing. thank you . your s is a great website and good job done by you to the society.

  22. Anjali

    Hi Anjali,
    i ‘m interested to learn Bharatanaytam.. can u help me out? Ia it possible to learn online? if u r taking classes , can u send me ur address..

  23. Inspiration

    The lessons look awesome, I am an adult beginner, could you suggest how times a day should practice. How many times each step.
    If you could suggest the frequency to learn this skill

  24. Sangeetha

    I have learnt bharathanatyam long back. Say 30 years ago. Not continued. But I want to recollect what I have learnt. Can i seek your guidance.

  25. Sunitha

    Hi Ms Anjali,

    Do we have a sloka to chant or any Bols(like in the adavus) while doing Namaskaram?

    Thank you

  26. Anjali

    Nothing in particular while doing Namaskara is chanted. But we do chant an invocation to Lord Nataraja before we begin.

  27. Rawaya

    Hi, could u plz advice me how can I get certificate of baratanatyam? is it by levels or counting by years? if I have Guru here in Kuwait can I send u video as Exam to give me certificate ? or should I take the classes online? also, are the DVD’s enough for the basic in first year? Plz i wanted to know all the options to learn baratantyam and getting certificate. hope I get your answer soon. thank u

  28. Anjali

    Dear Rawaya, To take certification your teacher has to be affiliated with APAA. Or our online students are eligible for certification. DVD’s are only for reference. You must have a teacher.

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