Words From The Master - 06 May 2008

Dance your way to God!

THERE are several meditation techniques to fall in tune with the Divine. Techniques give us the experience of God. They are the essence of religion. One such technique is Dance, in the literal sense of the word and even otherwise!

Quantum physics has proven that the atom is made up of elements that are static and moving at the same time. A picture taken of this phenomenon reveals the resemblance it bears to the dancing deity — Nataraja. Scientists are proving every atom is vibrant. The whole of Cosmos is actually dancing with joy. Enjoying and celebrating every moment! Only man is still holding on to his prestige and ego, which are nothing but the labels stuck on him by society.

Dance is the ultimate technique to break free of the ego, to break free from the identity that man holds close to his heart. Dancing breaks your conditionings. You do not need to use the mind to dance; you dance from your Being. Dance is the outward expression of the inner joy when you fall into the joyous path.

Just like when you clap your hands and the birds fly off from the trees, so also, when you sing and dance in the name of the Divine, your karmas (past unfulfilled actions) fly away from you; you are liberated from them.

Children need not be taught to dance, they already are that way! Their inner intelligence knows how to balance their Energy in the centre of their Being and that is why they are so joyful all the time. But you are unable to handle them in that state and so you suppress them and make them dull. When you dance with your Being, you are so total and near to God.

Vaishnavism, the Hindu philosophy of duality preached by Saint Ramanuja, made a big contribution to recognise dance as a way to reach God. Followers of Ramanuja do namasankirtan i.e. singing and dancing for hours together, in the name of God. In Sufism, the mystic sect of Islam, the basic techniques for expressing bliss are dancing and whirling. Always the highest form of spirituality expresses itself through dance.

Take for example Krishna, Meera, Chaitanya, Ramakrishna, Tulsidas and Tukaram. All of them danced in ecstasy, expressing their love of God. Chaitanya says dancing is the best way of spreading bliss and joy. Ramakrishna says dancing is the ultimate technique to drop your ego. I tell you, don’t hold back, just dance your way to God!

Be Blissful!