Laya: a practice that dissolves ignorance

The design patterns of nature have a strong recurring structure associated with subtle elements that are both destructive as well as elevating. These formless elements control the ocean currents, climate, and also include volcanic bursts and earthquakes. Since the body is made of the same elements, imagine its scope and impact within. While the fundamental physical, mathematical, and chemical properties of these elements that can be observed have been applied to engineering and design principles in Western schools, the same have found an aesthetic value in the Oriental systems. In Indias traditional knowledge system, the principles of ebb and flow are the study of laya , a nuanced aspect of beauty hidden within nature. In Indian literature and culture, laya is the principal thought and idea that is most venerated and celebrated, going beyond mere rhythm, carrying philosophical weight that can enhance the relish of the essence of life and nature. In fact, the esoteric elements of laya have taken shape as the tantra of temple science and art forms, thereby integrating profound experiential knowledge of beauty as an extension of daily discipline. Engagement with laya also meant training the intellect to pragmatic thinking for emotional stability. For knowing more about the aesthetic aspects within laya , I approached accomplished mridangist Mannarkoil Balaji. Laya is an abstract idea that cant be directly taught. It is a realised knowledge that comes only through repeated practice. Approaches to learning laya through artistic discipline begin with the concrete principles of talam, which actually denotes any measured span of form in space. Mastering laya , thus, boils down to how talam is practised first. When asked what he considered a good way to practise, he shared how he practised. To master a laya vadyam (instrument of percussion), repetition is the charm. A sadhaka has to go that extra mile. If my teacher asked me to practise 100 times, I would do it at least 120-150 times. Another way of going the extra mile would mean, if I had to practise 50 times, and had gotten 48 times correct, but I made a mistake in the 49th time, then I would begin my practise from one. Besides these intensive practises, I would steal time in between other chores to also mentally internalise rhythmic patterns, he said. Apart from being a performer, Balaji is an academic who has also written a book A Practical Guide to South Indian Rhythm Through Konnakkol. Nataraja in Elephanta Caves While nudging him on the intricacies and the challenges that percussionists of Carnatic schools face, interestingly, he touched on the formless states of laya manifested within the mind. He said, In our traditional approach, the pressure of creating something just by merely being in the moment can be daunting. Often, I find that my advanced students have an inherent fear when it comes to talam . The only advice I give for them is to actually detach from talam , break away from it as a numerical activity of the brain to instead focus on laya, the experience of synchronicity in nature. What he means is that since the metaphysical aspect of laya is associated with the dissolution of fear and ignorance, letting go of the gross is the only way to achieve steadiness, whether for creating beauty or living an enriched life. This attribute can be best understood while observing breath and its various components. While cycles of breathing itself are rhythmic, the patterns of breathing can be associated with moods and temperaments. Needless to say, every one of us would have come across how our breathing differs when we are anxious or angry. Hence, chanting of mantras and regulation of breath were traditionally recommended practices to initiate sadhakas into the complex and abstract nature of synchronicity. More and more studies and research in pranayama and healing chants are also establishing that mastery of laya can curb the impulsive and psychological dormant energy states within the body. Seeyamangalam Natarajar All in all, when a practitioner masters breathing, the veil of ignorance is said to drop off. This is sculpturally depicted in the Elephanta Caves, where the dancer is portrayed holding a piece of cloth in the left arm over the shoulder, symbolising the lifting of the veil. Although the panel is dilapidated, the composition is still so profoundly sensual due to the usage of tribhang . Among other noticeable aspects of this depiction is also the placement of an instrument that resembles a mridangam. Percussion instruments that are laya -based are used to bring out the virility within the creative and destructive aspects of nature. Similarly, one of those early iconographies of Nataraja in Tamil Nadu that showcases the placement of a mridangam by the feet of the dancing lord can be found at a Pallava temple in Seeyamangalam, near Kancheepuram. The presence of the instrument conveys the dissolution, more so of the sculptor whose expression plentifully conveys what it means to merge with the experiences of the divine proportions. Such depictions make it clear how contemplative engagement of mirroring nature is a fountainhead principle of aesthetics commonly shared across all oral traditions. The aesthetic tasting of Indian art requires, thus, not only a state of deep involvement and unification but also the need to effect the undergoing of a catharsis for finding a repose.