Bharata Natyam performance in Sri Aurobindo Ashram

1. Pushpanjali is an introductory invocation number.

2. Lord Ganesha's blessings is sought before starting any auspicious event. Here Medha catches the various postures of the Lord

3. Vayyu Mynthan is Son of Vayyu (Wind), Anjaneya. Here Medha catches Anjaneya as He carries Hill Sanjavi across the ocean from Sri Lanka.

4.  The Keerthanai in Varnam format is on Lord Rama and story Ramayana quickly unfolds briefly describing various events in the epic.

5.  This one in on Lord Krishna where Yasodha asks Krishna to be very careful in his steps since the whole universe moves as he moves.

6. This is on Lord Shiva who normally lifts his left leg while dancing. Here to please one of the kings the Lord dances lifting his right leg.

7. Here a girl who is in love with Lord Krishna laments that she is not able to spend enough time with Him as her household chores are waiting for her back home

8. Thillana is the concluding part where everybody is thanked.

==============DETAILED TRANSLATIONS==============

Item 2

Elephant faced Lord,
Lord who is dancing joyfully,
Five-handed Lord whose blessings are sought by devotees,
Bless me and bestow boons upon me

Lord who is as sweet as honey,
Son of the supreme Lord,
Brother of Muruga,
My flowers at your feet.

Lord with sharp tusks,
The shining knowledge you impart can be compared to the glitter of the sun,
Nephew of Lord Vishnu,
Give us wealth of knowledge through out our lives.

Item 3

Son of Vaayu, Lord of Vanaras,
I want to sing about you and think about you,
Bless me and give me boons, my considerate Lord

When you were young you tried to pluck the Sun thinking it to be a fruit,
And Lord Indira bashed you with his mace,
Then you got lot of blessings from your father Vaayu.

Uttering 'Ram Ram' you crossed the sea,
Killed demoness Lankini and paraded on the Road ,
You met Sita and conveyed the message of Rama and handed over the Ring,
Brought back the necklace from Sita and made Rama happy.

Killed the son of Ravana,
You saved the life of Lakshmana in the war,
Prayed to your father for the defeat of Ravana,
Being instrumental in winning the war made the whole world happy.

Item 5

Kanna come without shaking too much ,
As you make the seven worlds move with you,
For seeing your dance even the Lord Nataraja, the lord of dance will come down to Gukulam.
The sound of the salangai in your feet when you walk is so sweet to the ears,
I will be very disheartened if your divine dance gets affected by somebody's ill feelings.

Item 6

Lord of Chidambaram, seeing you dance with the wrong foot, ("lifting the right foot" symbolizes Moksha/Mukti, or Salvation)
I am in love with you.

Sakthi Sivakami dances everyday with you,
To the gentle beats of the devoted Nandi

Item 7

My lovable Lord Krishna,
My dear Vasudeva,
How long will I dance for you?
How long will I sing for you?

I have danced to the tune of your beautiful flute,
Now I have to go back and dance to the tunes of my mother-in-law and sister-in-law,
This has become my daily routine.

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