Varnam is an alphabet, a letter, giving rise to a word. A
word so potent and powerful, magical and musical. It holds within, a
wonderful world. A world of many possibilities.
Varnam is a color .. as in the cool blue of His throat, as in
the bewildering black of His matted locks, as in the burning red of His third
eye, as in the brilliant white of His skin .. colorful .. elusive, yet
beckoning, inviting, enchanting, bewitching .. depicting the infinite One.
The word is sometimes inadequate, even futile. Words, like
walls, confine with their definitions, and meanings. How can they
communicate that which is undefinable, that which is infinite?
Tradition - now there is a word, powerful, yet limiting,
confining, choking in its strangle hold. To communicate an emotion deep and
personal .. an emotion that must flow unfettered, knowing no bounds .. an
emotion that seeks the infinite .. has to break out! Breaking down structures
.. looking for release .. seeking .. searching ..
Search with a deep yearning. A yearning that is intensely
personal, yet widely universal .. seeking that One .. first to locate .. and
then, to connect .. and then .. and then, to unite! For, nothing else will
satisfy this desire except union with the One .. to become one .. to be. Just
to be .. or for that matter, to cease to be, 'cause once you're one with the
One, are you there? That perfection!
Space and time. Music measures time .. dance measures space,
bound within these structures and with each other. They unite in the body,
moving it to their own commands, making it exist in two realms at once,
spanning two realities. Strangely, in this process, they transgress, they
transcend and they transform .. creating a new dimension .. an emotional one ..
the object of the search.
Body - solid supple succulent human body: arms, legs,
thighs, shoulders, hips, waist, breasts, face, head, hands, feet – she stands
revealed in her search for the hidden One. Her body, swaying to music, moving
with the dance. The object of my attention! She is searching, seeking, yearning
.. for the One. I am drawn into her search .. into her vision .. into her; to
see what she sees, to feel what she feels. Her search becomes mine. I too seek
.. and become one .. with her .. and with the One.
Moeham - yes, a magnificient obsession, indeed!
An appreciation for the Bhairavi raga varnam Mohamana en meedil, in Rupaka taalam, by the Tanjavur quartet, in praise of Sri Tyagesvara of Tiruvarur.
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