Mantra vs Shloka

I happened to ask my father and Perippa(father's elder brother) the other day about the difference between Shlokas and Mantras in Hindu religion. The basic difference as I learned is that the essence of Mantras lies in "sound", in rhythmic chanting with varying emphasis that generates different energy levels in the body; whereas Shlokas are meant more for our well-being and peace of mind by reciting verses in praise of the Lord that inspire us towards goodness.

A more detailed explanation is here from my Perippa's e-mail:

Shloka is like a hymn offered as a prayer to God, mostly extolling glorious attributes of God, praying for our well-being. It is an ingenious technique of putting into practice Positive Thinking, as all shlokas talk about positive attributes. While we hear lot of lectures on Positive Thinking, seldom have they suggested the techniques to practice. No one is going to keep on repeating - "I want to think positive and practice". But by repeating shlokas, he reminds himself of good things. The meanings of Astothram (by which a priest does archana in a temple) are all nothing but good attributes of God which we need to imbibe. If you are asked to repeat them in raw form, you may not do so. But if you create an interesting model, like offering flowers to God chanting archance, you will do it with joy. Our tradition has conceived easy ways that can be practised by people of all walks of life, intellectual levels and of all ages.

Mantras are that which protects you by chanting it, protects your mind from negative thoughts.  Manana Thrayate Ithi Mantra. Sound by itself is all-powerful - it is the sounds that has manifested the universe, it is sound that will unmanifest the universe too. Mantras are the powerful carriers of cosmic energy. Rhythmic recitation of Mantras generate bioelectrical impulses in the neural system and sensitize the endocrine glands and activate specific neuro-harmonal secretions for a healthy body, creative mind and ESP. Vedas and Gayathri Mantram belong to this category. For instance, HariOm - the sound "Ha" activates solar plexus, "Ri" activates thyroid, and "Om" activates the brain.

Exceptions: Vishnu Sahasranamam and Lalitha Sahasranamam, though in the form of Shlokas, contain powerful syllables, the recitation of which have good effects on human body and mind.

A brilliant Arangetram performance

Yesterday I got a great opportunity to witness a splendid Arangetram performance by a little girl. Not only did I find myself spellbound in the supreme quality, perfection and sublime expressions of the dancer, but was also charmed to see Indian tradition practised and presented so richly here in the United States. I also learned about the various stages in an Arangetram, and about divine stories from Hindu religion that get an outlet through Indian classical music and through the face of a dancer.

To start with, Bharatanatyam is a traditional classical dance form that originated in South India more than 2000 years ago. The word Bharatanatyam possibly has three different sources - first, it is interpreted to have been created by Sage Bharata; second, 'Bha' stands for Bhava or abhinaya which means expressions, 'Ra' stands for Raga or melody, and 'Tha' stands for Thala or rhythm; third, Bharata could refer to either the author of Natya Shastra or to a legendary king after whom the country of India is supposed to have been named, and natya is Sanskrit word for dance drama. 

Arangetram literally means to ascend (etram) onto a stage (arangam). This is the first solo performance a dancer gives after years (typically 5-6 ) of rigorous training under a Guru. The performance consists of a sequence of items learned , with great devotion to God and to the Guru.

 (Ok, all this is not my original stuff, but picked from the invitation brochure :-) but my point is about sharing knowledge, original or borrowed :-))

Now let me get to the performance itself, by the 11-year old girl called Ramya. The first three dance items were the Pushpanjali (offering flowers and seeking the blessings of Lord Nataraja, her dance Guru, the musical orchestra members,  and the audience), Ganesha Vandanam (seeking the blessings of Lord Ganesha who is the deity to whom we pray upon the start any auspicious occasion) and the Jathiswaram (which is all about intricate rhythmic patterns and tests the Anga Shuddhi or clarity of execution of the dancer; in other words, let's the dancer's feet do the talking). Then came the Varnam which was an elaborate and intricate piece depicting episodes from life of Lord Muruga. Let me get into some stories here :-) 

First episode was Omkara Swaroopa - when Lord Muruga was a young child, he once asked Lord Brahma the meaning of the Pranava Mantram "Om". Lord Brahma felt piqued and lost his temper, at which Muruga silently laughed and locked Brahma, the Creator of the Universe, behind bars.  Muruga then went and sat on his father, Lord Shiva's lap and told him in his ear, the meaning of "Om"; thus it was a unique moment when a son was teaching his own father! This incident happened atop mount Swamimalai and is called Omkara Swaroopa. 

The second episode was the slaying of the daemon Surapadman by Lord Muruga. 

The third episode was Valli Thirumanam which is the story of Lord Muruga's marriage to the poor gypsy girl Valli. Muruga has two wives, Devayani and Valli ; Devayani was rich and daughter of a King, whereas Valli was from a tribal community. Lord Muruga charmed by Valli's beauty, disguised himself as an old man, and went to Valli's house, feigning hunger and asking for Bhikshai. Valli took pity and gave him food, but after that, Muruga asked her to marry him. Valli was shocked and refused. When she failed to give in, Muruga called upon his brother, the elephant-headed Lord Ganesha to scare her. Being chased by an elephant, Valli finally surrendered to Lord Muruga. (My own thoughts on this: how righteous is it to scare somebody into marriage, isn't it coercion?? But the Gods must have good reasons for doing so I guess !)

After the intermission, the Arangetram continued with the Padams, the first Padam being a depiction of Lord Shiva's Thandava dance in the golden hall of the Chidambaram temple. The second Padam was my favorite piece of the entire Arangetram - it was in praise of Maiya Yashodha's nandalaal, her baby Lord Krishna. The piece was particularly enchanting due to its richness in facial expressions as the dancer did an excellent representation of the roles of both Yashodha and Shri Krishna, changing quickly from one to the other. The story behind it was that Shri Krishna is playfully hiding from his mother and she is trying to look for him, beseeching him to come to her. Finally she gives up and goes to churn butter, at which Krishna comes out from hiding in the hope of eating butter. Yashodha is delighted beyond measure to have her son come to her. She tells her "Wait, son. I just started churning the butter, after it is ready, you can eat". But Krishna's eagerly wishes to eat the butter immediately and looks on at the butter with  longing, gleeful eyes. And then, a miracle happens and Krishna's very glance causes the butter to get churned and ready all at once, within the blink of the eye. Yashoda is stupefied at the miracle and falls more in admiration and awe of her son's powers than ever.

The two final pieces of the Arangetram were the Thilllana (an effervescent piece with focus on rhythm and sculpture-like poses) and another Padam (Aandal Padam), in which Bhoodevi, the consort of Lord Vishnu, sings praises of her Lord and portrays her devotion for Him.

Before I conclude, I must mention a word about the musicians in the orchestra. All of them were highly talented individuals, who had come all the way from Chennai to give support - Vocal, Mridhangam, Nattuvadyam (the cone shaped bells that give Thalam or rhythm), and Violin respectively. I enjoyed all the music thoroughly. A fitting team for an able and outstanding dancer who provided the crowd with rich traditional entertainment. All in al, it was an amazing and highly enriching experience for me after a very long time.