Dance 1 - Mudras Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

I am a seeker,
A bird soaring high in the sky!
In that moment of flying - - a blissful state in the air,
Where you are free- -full of space,
A vast expanse of azure blue sky!
I move my hands with gestures,
Like ‘Pataka', ‘Mudrakhya', ‘Kataka',
O! Is there a ‘Mushti' of strength?
To break away
From the dwarfed ‘Kartarimukha'!

Yes, of course!
For I am a ‘Shukatunda',
Not just a winged being that can fly,
But a lark as well that can sing,
Plaintive notes, so sweet and melodious!

My hands extend like wings,
My fingers formulating the ‘Mudras'-
‘Kapitha', ‘Hamsapaksha', ‘Shikhara'.
My feet in ‘Samapada' moves softly and gently,
Like a snow-white swan moving in calm waters.

With ‘Hamsasya' it is the beauty of the body
Fulfilling the yearning of the self!
With ‘Anjali'- the palms joined together,
It is the expression of devotion
For the Infinite!

With ‘Ardhachandra'-
The half moon,
Pointing in three directions,
It is life's vicissitudes
Undulating and swaying!

‘Mukura' and ‘Bhramara' are the bees that buzz,
Around the honey- filled blossoms
While' the proud peacock parades its hues.

Is that ‘Suchimukha' pointing a forefinger
At what you are or who?

‘Pallava' and ‘Tripataka',
Cautions you to limit your desires;
‘Mrigashirsa' is the four- legged animal
With two horns, standing firmly on the ground,
Protecting itself from the unpredictable!

Slimy and poisonous
Is the ‘Sarpashursa'
Yet, a friend of Siva,
Curled around his neck,
Like a jewel in the crown!

‘Vardhamanaka' is the ultimate seeker
Of‘Moksha' or salvation.
Depicting the selfish motives is the ‘Arala'
Thoughts wicked
To be thrown out of one's own mind!

And finally, in the ‘Hasta Lakshana Deepika'
We hold the ‘Urnanabha'-
The eternal dish of contentment
Enclosed in the inward-turned bud of ‘Mukula'
Encompassing the eternal values in its
‘Katakamukha' mudra- safe and secure.

With ‘Alapadma' of ‘Abhinayadarpana',
It is Ananda -
The expression of joy -
The fathomless bliss,
That all dancers strive for!

Let me dance, dance and dance,
Like the bird that flies
In the boundless skies,
Higher and higher- farther and farther
Up the wide, blue horizon!