Odissi dancer and spiritualist Reela Hota tells Divya Kaushik that Sanskrit verses can improve physical and mental health. And frequent chanting of Ram could help keep serious digestive problems at bay
Classical maestros have worked hard over the years to create city festivals that attract enthusiasts along with younger audiences and foreigners seeking to learn more about our history and culture. With a desire to emphasise the therapeutic benefits of music and dance, Odissi dancer and spiritualist Reela Hota devised the annual International Ancient Arts Festival/Symposium. The idea being to combine art, healing and spirituality.
The fourth edition of the two-day event begins on May 22 at Kamani Auditorium. Romanian ballet dancers from the Bucharest National Opera House will perform for the first time in India and present a unique fusion dance with Odissi by Hota. While Pt Rajan Sajan Mishra has a vocal music show on the second day, there will also be talks by international scholars working on the healing concept. With artwork by underprivileged and gifted children, healing sculptures by Manissha Khanna and Yogic kits by Bijoylaxmi Hota are on display.
“The festival has always highlighted the therapeutic benefits of music and dance in restoring individual health and harmony. This time the focus will be on ancient languages, in particular Sanskrit,” informed Reela, the festival’s director. She continued, “Sanskrit verses are believed to be very powerful for physical and mental health. According to the great yoga guru, Paramahansha Swami Satyananda Saraswati of the Bihar School of Yoga, these sound waves can rectify defects in human genes. Research has shown certain ancient sounds or ‘sacred languages’ vibrates at a frequency beneficial for health. In his book The Structure and Dynamics of Waves and Vibrations, Dr Hans Jerry, a Swiss doctor, artist, and researcher, noticed that when vowels of the ancient languages of Hebrew and Sanskrit were pronounced, sand took shape of the written symbols of these vowels. And an experiment found that when Sanskrit mantras and Buddhist letters were chanted, beautiful crystals formed in water. These crystals broke when hard rock music was played.” The dancer explained that in India, Sanskrit is called Mantra Bhasha. Each syllable is described as a creative force — a mantra.
“This points to the idea that ancients knew the importance of frequencies and how to use them to provide atmosphere for a peaceful state of mind to enter higher states of consciousness and perception of spiritual reality. Yoga has utilised this principle for as long as it had been known — many hundreds of years. Concentrating on steady breathing, as in hatha-yoga, is a means of levelling and harmonising electrical impulses of the body and the heart beat. Invoking the alpha state by a natural means, allows one to reach a vibrational state in which consciousness can enter higher levels of being and perception.”
She added, “The body is not only conducting more balanced frequencies, but also begins to generate them. Building structures, like pyramids and pyramid-like temples, which are common in India and Central America, may provide assistance for doing that, along with physical exercises of yoga, arts and language. By implementing these things regularly would increase a peaceful existence and bring a peace that comes from a natural consequence of universal enlightenment,” she said.
Adding, “The human body is a product of Sanskrit and known as dhwani sharira or body of sound. It remains healthy if sounds are correct due to right energy flow. This is regulated by energy centers called chakras. There are myriads of chakras throughout our body, of which the six most important ones are located on the spinal cord, corresponding to the major nerve plexi. They are — near the cocygial plexus in the perineum; Swadhisthana near the Sacral plexus in the pelvic region; Anahata near the cardiac plexus; Vishuddhi near the cervical plexus and Agnya near the pineal gland of the brain. Each is shaped like a lotus with specific petals containing specific Sanskrit syllables. The principal sound of a chakra is called its Bija (seed) Mantra. When the mantra is uttered, the corresponding chakra is stimulated into action, energising the nearest nerve plexus, which in turn sends the right current and promotes the health of the surrounding body parts.”
It is interesting to note that often-repeated Sanskrit words contain the Bija Mantra of chakras. For example, Ayam (he), Iyam (she), Vayam (we) and Swayam (self) end with Yam, the Mantra of Anahata or heart Chakra, while Jalam (water) Phalam (fruit) and Kushalam (well-being) end with Yam of Mooladhara — a chakra responsible for proper elimination. Namaskaram, the expression of greeting has Ram, the mantra that controls digestion. “As one has to face the stress of daily living and stress slows down digestion, frequent utterance of Ram may help keep serious digestive problems at bay by re-activating the digestive system.” The origin of the Sanskrit language and how the chanting of Sanskrit mantra helps in healing will be explained through the dance performance.
There will also be a talk, Can sound HealIJ by Mandara Cromwell from USA, founder of The International Sound Therapy Association. The talk will be followed by Sanskrit: the Mantra Bhasha; Fusion Dance, on the Healing Aspect of Ancient languages by Dancers from Bucharest National Opera House and Reela.