Sreerama dance ballet stages next week
For millions of men, women and children in India, the epic of Ramayana has a profound effect on their spiritual progress and culture. Revered as a Dharma Shastra, Ramayana is not merely a book of beautiful poetry, rather a text expounding ethical ideal.
Valmiki wrote The Ramayana in the 4th Century B.C. It seemed that the story of Rama had been known before Saint Valmiki's time as it was sung by generations of poets who continually travelled and were also popular artistes at courts. The Kamba Ramayana is the Tamil version composed around the 11th Century A.D. by the Tamil poet Kambar.
The story in fact began in Vaikuntha (heaven) where the Gods and Saints assembled and prayed for the destruction of Ravana, the notorious King of Lanka who caused immense distress to the people of earth. God Vishnu incarnated himself as Rama to destroy Ravana. His consort Goddess Lakshmi became his wife Sita, Rama's queen.
Rama was born to the first wife of King Dasaratha, Kausalya. King Dasaratha’s second wife gave birth to Lakshmana and Shatrugana, and his third wife Kaykeyi gave birth to Bharata. Following the marriage of Rama and Sita, King Dasaratha intended for his eldest son Rama to inherit his kingdom. However Kaikeyi, provoked by Bharata’s nanny Kooni, demanded to use boons, which King Dasaratha promised her earlier in his life to banish Rama to the forest for fourteen years. She also demanded that her son Bharata becomes heir to the throne. Painfully yet bound by the boons he promised, King Dasaratha succumbed to Kaikeyi’s demands.
That which spurred confrontation between Rama and Ravana is an incident between Lakshmana and Surpanakha, Ravana’s sister. Surpanakha, one among the demons in the forest wherein Rama, Sita and Lakshmana were in exile, fell in love with Rama and acted flirtatious towards him. Outraged by her behaviour, Lakshmana cut Surpanakha’s nose. A humiliated Suparnakha told this to Ravana who decided to avenge Rama by kidnapping Sita.
Of the 7 chapters or ‘kandas’ of Ramayana, the Sundara Kanda, literally meaning the most ‘beautiful episode’, extols Hanuman's selflessness, strength, and devotion to Rama as he succeeds in his quest to find Sita. Following this, a war is instigated. After two continuous days of battle, Rama ultimately kills Ravana and rescues Sita representing the triumph of good over evil, of dharma over adharma.
Lord Rama is idolised as the perfect husband for his ‘eka-patni-vrata’, or loyalty to Sita. In its entirety, Ramayana exemplifies devotion, loyalty, family roles and respect to elders. This epic is blessed by God Brahma saying, "As long as the mountain peaks stand and the rivers flow, so long will people find solace by listening to the Ramayana."
Nrityabhinaya (Anuradha’s School of Indian Classical Dances) is humbled to present this glorious epic through Sreerama, a Bharata Natyam dance ballet. To witness its magnificence and experience that solace, come and attend 6.30pm on Saturday 2nd October at Dorothy Winstone Centre, Auckland – Presented by Indian Weekender and CFI Ltd
For millions of men, women and children in India, the epic of Ramayana has a profound effect on their spiritual progress and culture. Revered as a Dharma Shastra, Ramayana is not merely a book of beautiful poetry, rather a text expounding ethical ideal. Valmiki wrote The Ramayana in the 4th...
For millions of men, women and children in India, the epic of Ramayana has a profound effect on their spiritual progress and culture. Revered as a Dharma Shastra, Ramayana is not merely a book of beautiful poetry, rather a text expounding ethical ideal.
Valmiki wrote The Ramayana in the 4th Century B.C. It seemed that the story of Rama had been known before Saint Valmiki's time as it was sung by generations of poets who continually travelled and were also popular artistes at courts. The Kamba Ramayana is the Tamil version composed around the 11th Century A.D. by the Tamil poet Kambar.
The story in fact began in Vaikuntha (heaven) where the Gods and Saints assembled and prayed for the destruction of Ravana, the notorious King of Lanka who caused immense distress to the people of earth. God Vishnu incarnated himself as Rama to destroy Ravana. His consort Goddess Lakshmi became his wife Sita, Rama's queen.
Rama was born to the first wife of King Dasaratha, Kausalya. King Dasaratha’s second wife gave birth to Lakshmana and Shatrugana, and his third wife Kaykeyi gave birth to Bharata. Following the marriage of Rama and Sita, King Dasaratha intended for his eldest son Rama to inherit his kingdom. However Kaikeyi, provoked by Bharata’s nanny Kooni, demanded to use boons, which King Dasaratha promised her earlier in his life to banish Rama to the forest for fourteen years. She also demanded that her son Bharata becomes heir to the throne. Painfully yet bound by the boons he promised, King Dasaratha succumbed to Kaikeyi’s demands.
That which spurred confrontation between Rama and Ravana is an incident between Lakshmana and Surpanakha, Ravana’s sister. Surpanakha, one among the demons in the forest wherein Rama, Sita and Lakshmana were in exile, fell in love with Rama and acted flirtatious towards him. Outraged by her behaviour, Lakshmana cut Surpanakha’s nose. A humiliated Suparnakha told this to Ravana who decided to avenge Rama by kidnapping Sita.
Of the 7 chapters or ‘kandas’ of Ramayana, the Sundara Kanda, literally meaning the most ‘beautiful episode’, extols Hanuman's selflessness, strength, and devotion to Rama as he succeeds in his quest to find Sita. Following this, a war is instigated. After two continuous days of battle, Rama ultimately kills Ravana and rescues Sita representing the triumph of good over evil, of dharma over adharma.
Lord Rama is idolised as the perfect husband for his ‘eka-patni-vrata’, or loyalty to Sita. In its entirety, Ramayana exemplifies devotion, loyalty, family roles and respect to elders. This epic is blessed by God Brahma saying, "As long as the mountain peaks stand and the rivers flow, so long will people find solace by listening to the Ramayana."
Nrityabhinaya (Anuradha’s School of Indian Classical Dances) is humbled to present this glorious epic through Sreerama, a Bharata Natyam dance ballet. To witness its magnificence and experience that solace, come and attend 6.30pm on Saturday 2nd October at Dorothy Winstone Centre, Auckland – Presented by Indian Weekender and CFI Ltd
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