Dance, within the gamut of Hindu mythology, has always been an important oral narrative, which has constantly evolved and been passed down over generations. Dance has been interwoven within the feelings of love and passion, and has served as a medium to attract, entertain and entice. Dance has also been a part of ancient Indian rituals and celebrations. Legend has it that Dance was made in heaven, during the days of continuous struggle for supremacy between the ‘Devas’ (celestial beings) and ‘Asuras’ (demons). The ‘Devas’ always emerged victorious, with the support of the Gods. At some point, tired of conflict and weary of battle, the Devas, through their King, Indra, approached Brahma, the Creator of the Universe, to devise means to entertain them. Brahma readily obliged, and through his penances he created the fifth Veda (ancient Indian scripture), the ‘Natya Veda’ - blending in the enjoyable aspects from the existing four Vedas. He summoned sage Bharata to devise the movements of Dance, and the celestial architect Vishwakarma to design a heavenly stage for Dance performances. As beauty was the best form of entertainment, Dance was to be performed by divine damsels, or nymphs, known as ‘Apsaras’; the celestial musicians, called ‘Gandharvas’, would compose tunes as accompaniments to the performances. There were 26 divine Apsaras, known as ‘Daivikas’. However, since these Dance performances basically portrayed the defeat of evil, it angered the Asuras. Brahma then declared that Dance should always depict the essence of what is good and virtuous. Indra was given the charge of the Apsaras, who were beautiful Dancers. Though they fell in love with some of the ‘Devas’, they did not marry, as they were devoted to their craft. Indra also cleverly used these dancer damsels to disrupt the penance of the sages. Many famous mythological characters, like Kripa, Drona, Shakuntala, Satyavati and Shuka, were born of unions between sages and ‘Apsaras’. Some Apsaras were cursed by sages, only to be redeemed later by the touch of the incarnations of God.
The Apsara tradition of Hindu mythology also finds numerous references in the religious traditions of South East Asian countries - Indonesia in particular. The Apsaras are also compared to the muses of Ancient Greece. The Apsaras used their beauty, sensuality, guile and the divine ability to dance, to not only disrupt the penance of the sages, but also to decimate their enemies. Tilottama, a divine Apsara, destroyed the demons Sunda and Upasunda. Even Gods were enamoured by the beauty of these Apsaras. Brahma himself was infatuated with Tilottama and grew a fifth head to watch her dance. Once, when Tilottama circumambulated Shiva while dancing, he grew a fourth eye at the back of his head, so as to not miss even a single Dance movement. Urvashi (one who controls the heart), another divine Apsara, was the creation of a sage - born out of his thighs. She was considered the most beautiful of the Apsaras. She is also said to have taken part in a divine Dance competition with another Apsara, Menaka, in the court of Indra. Menaka broke sage Vishwamitra’s penance, and their daughter Shakuntala’s son, Bharata, is said to be the ancestor of all Indians. Rambha was considered unrivalled in Music and Dance and Ghritachi, a dancer in Indra’s court, seduced sage Bharadwaja, and gave birth to Dronacharya, the Guru of the Mahabharata princes. Some important celestial Apsara dancers mentioned in the scriptures are Mishrakesi, Viprachitti, Vapu, Sahajanya, Karnika, Umlocha and Rithisthala. Temples all over India depict poses from the dances performed by the Apsaras, and each sculpture tells a rich story of Dance itself. These various poses, and even those of lovemaking, through a Dance ‘mudra’, also show the influence that the dances performed by the divine Apsaras wielded. The dances of the Apsaras also provide a cultural perspective to the evolution of social life from ancient times.
Dance, in India, though considered by many as a symbol of entertainment, is also a symbol of purity, as Dance was created by Lord Brahma himself. However, Dance is also shunned by some, due to the seductive references in the scriptures and the ‘revealing’ sculptures – which often show the ravishing and stunning ‘Apsaras’ in compromising positions. It is important to understand the subtleness of the mythological narrative, which clarifies that Dance is not about fantasy, but is a process that helps bring out the various facets of beauty, charm, grace and divinity. The Apsaras do not only signify seduction, but also the natural feelings of affection and passion, through the medium of Dance. The dances of the Apsaras have embellished the cultural ethos of the wonder that was (and hopefully is) India.
The Writer is a renowned Kuchipudi Danseuse and Choreographer
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