I love this place! This is a furniture store at this place called Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel. They display various kinds of furniture and showpieces which depict nature and life in the purest forms.
What is shown here is a big long piece of glass that has been fixed to the wall to depict purity, I guess. And, just next to it sits a statue of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is one of the principle deities of Hinduism. Within the Smarta tradition, which is a branch of Hinduism, Shiva is worshipped as one of the six manifestations of the divine (the others being Vishnu, Shakti, Ganesha, Kartikkeya, and Surya). Shiva is usually worshiped as the Shiva Linga. At temples and other depictions, he is normally shown being immersed in deep meditation or dancing the Tandav upon the demon of ignorance.
Indian mythology and Hinduism is filled with so much of history and stories. For an enthusiast like me, it is purely a delight. I don't know much about classical dance but I love seeing dance in any form. And, it is said that the dances depicting Lord Shiva is one of the toughest. You can have a glimpse of them here. You could check out a tandava done in one of the Indian films here.
Leaving you with a glimpse of the art and culture,
For the stories...
What is shown here is a big long piece of glass that has been fixed to the wall to depict purity, I guess. And, just next to it sits a statue of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is one of the principle deities of Hinduism. Within the Smarta tradition, which is a branch of Hinduism, Shiva is worshipped as one of the six manifestations of the divine (the others being Vishnu, Shakti, Ganesha, Kartikkeya, and Surya). Shiva is usually worshiped as the Shiva Linga. At temples and other depictions, he is normally shown being immersed in deep meditation or dancing the Tandav upon the demon of ignorance.
Indian mythology and Hinduism is filled with so much of history and stories. For an enthusiast like me, it is purely a delight. I don't know much about classical dance but I love seeing dance in any form. And, it is said that the dances depicting Lord Shiva is one of the toughest. You can have a glimpse of them here. You could check out a tandava done in one of the Indian films here.
Leaving you with a glimpse of the art and culture,
For the stories...
4 comments:
Rahul, this store is beautiful. It reminds me of the place where I do yoga. (BTW, my yoga teacher calls me Lakshmi -- I am neither beautiful nor prosperous, but I like it that he calls me this.)
Thanks for the mini lesson on the Hindu deities, and especially for the links to the dances. When I was in India, I visited a French friend in Madras (or I guess I should say Chennai) who was there studying traditional Indian dance. It was the first time I'd ever seen it, and I thought it was SO beautiful. Now that I think of it, some of the moves in the dances remind me of certain yoga asanas.
Thanks for the translation of waah ji waah. I love this expression! I'm going to tell my kids, and they'll start using it, and before you know it all the hip young people in NYC (or at least in Brooklyn) will be saying "Waah ji waah!"
haha:)
Alexa, honestly...your comments make our day!!:)
Well, Indian dances are of various kinds. This is just one of the kinds. I'll try covering more on the dance aspect and get you more stories in the future:)
You do yoga? That's nice!:) A really close friend of mine has started a space for artistes and creative people or rather anybody who just want to share things and enjoy the surroundings. He has called it the "urban ashram". He has a yoga lounge there!:) He does yoga too..and he tells me about all the yoga places in the US! Where do you go for your yoga?
And, dear, if he calls you Lakshmi..it surely must be for a reason!:) And, we're all beautiful...we just need to realize it!:) ... so start looking at the mirror and say "WAAH JI WAAH!!!:)"
smiles:)
Hey, didn't mean to imply that I am ugly exactly, just not as beautiful as Lakshmi (but then who is, eh?). But you are right -- attitude is important. So I will "waah ji waah" myself every morning on my way out the door. Who knows what might happen.
Your friend's urban ashram sounds most interesting. Yoga has become very big here in the States. Some people do it just for exercise (I take some classes at my gym, where sessions are never started by chanting Om). And there are also yoga studios where chanting and meditation are a larger component of the practice (I go to a couple of those too). I think most people who do yoga seriously here (and all the yoga teachers I know) view the physical practice as a form of meditation. Think this is possible as one gets more adept. For me, some of the asanas still present a huge physical challenge -- but fortunately yoga is something you can do forever. (I was lucky to take a class with Swami Bua, who is 119 years old! Will tell you more about him some other time, if you want.)
:) I didn't intend to incline on that line too dear!!:) You are beautiful...within and without!:)
Wow! Swami Bua sounds interesting...must google and find out about him!:) Surely, tell me something about him...I'd love to hear!:)
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