Mohiniattam

Ya ramitha vanamalina, sakhi;
Ya ramitha vanamalinaÉ

I am Mohini, the enchantress,
I come to you in different forms,
Today, I am Radha, the daughter
of Vrishbhan; Radha, the beloved
of KrishnaÉ

I bring my love to you in dark shades;
Krishna's colours dance in my limbs
today; visions of gold edge my white
sari, my garland of twined jasmine
flowers - fragments of my soul,
entwined in Krishna's love;
My earrings are the sun and the moon,
My necklace - the unbroken chain of
eternityÉ
 
I enthrall the skies with my mystic
smiles; my lotus eyes search the
horizon in longing; my eyebrows
sigh in tala, my mudras reflect
emotions hidden beneath the seas;
I shall capture my beloved in my
palms and drown him in Bhakthi;
In a deluge of bhava and raga,
I shall enchant Krishna in the swirl
of my hands, in the sway of my torsoÉ

It is twilight now, time for Rasaleela -
I hear his flute notes in the wind,
My anklets tap in time to his cosmic
melodies; my heart beats with
the rhythm of the universe –
I am Prakriti, he is Purusha,
I am the earth, he is the sky,
Together we are the celestial song É

Where plays the Vanamali, O Sakhi?
Under the bower of tender leaves,
I find him in a shower of flowers
and I am lost in danceÉ

Notes:

  1. Mohiniattam – translated as Òthe dance of the enchantressÓ is a South Indian classical art form.  This is performed in the state of Kerala. This genre is unique as it is performed only by women. Mohiniattam is characterised by swaying movements of the torso and elaborate hand gestures. Hindu myths form a prime part of this repertoire, which portrays the theme of love through the medium of dance.  The Immortal Love Legend of Krishna (Hindu God) and his consort Radha is often brilliantly depicted in Mohinattam.  Radha and Krishna are immortal lovers in Hindu myth.  Their love also takes a philosophic dimension in the natural (Prakriti) and supernatural (Purusha) aspects of Hinduism. Verses from the Sanskrit poet Jayadeva's (12th century AD)  Ashtapadhi or Gita Govinda are often choreographed spectacularly in Mohiniattam.
  2. Ya ramitha vanamalina sakhi – Line from Gita Govinda  can be translated as – ÒWith whom does the Vanamali (one who wears a garland of wild flowers, that is Krishna) revel, O friend?"
  3. Sakhi – friend
  4. Tala – rhythm
  5. Mudra – hand gesture
  6. Bhakthi – devotion
  7. Bhava – emotion/expression
  8. Rasaleela – mythical union of Radha and Krishna, through the medium of dance.  Various erotic elements are also attributed to Rasaleela.