Learn the lingo
We continue with the hand gestures listed in Abhinayadarpanam.
Photos: V.V. Krishnan
Simhamukha Bharatanatyam dancer Radhika demonstrates the hasta and uses it to show a doe-eyed maiden and feeding a deer or a cow.
Hand gestures or mudras are not merely a part of stylised theatrical techniques. They are also significant in the performance of certain devotional rituals. Take the practice of homa, or havan, in which offerings are made to a sacrificial fire. Pries
ts who conduct such ceremonies usually tell you how to hold the fingers while dropping the offering into the fire. This week’s mudra is similar to the gesture used in making these offerings. Similarly, there are mudras used in yoga to close the nostrils, in meditation, and so on.
Here is the 18th single-hand gesture listed by Nandikeswara:
Simhamukha
Radhika, disciple of Gurus Marie and G. Elangovan, performed her arangetram on November 1.
Hold the palm with all fingers straight and pressed against each other, the thumb out at right angles to the palm. Now lower the middle and ring finger till the tips touch the tip of the thumb. Keep the index finger and little finger straight.
Uses
This hasta, though it means ‘face of a lion’, commonly represents gentler animals like a deer, a cow or a hare. However, as a symbol of a lion it is used to represent Narasimha — the incarnation of Vishnu that is half lion and half human. Among other applications, it is also used to show how stalks of grass are held and laid out in a square formation in preparation for performing a homa (fire sacrifice).
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