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 It has been an established practice to end the performance, after Thillana, to the singing of a Sloka. Many of the present day performers however do not observe this norm. For them the performance comes to an end with the Thillana. But they do perform to the singing of a Sloka, however. This precedes Thillana in these cases. And they also select a Thillana on the same manifestation of God on whom the Sloka is written that precedes the
Thillana.
 Usually the Sloka selected is from our ancient Puranas or epics -
ithihaasa - that is set to a particular
raga and tala. The dancer would give expression to the
bhava that is underlying in the Sloka, bringing out the deeper meaning laden in it. They may even construct
swaras for the Sloka and dance to them or they would perform
theermana for them. If there is no scope for
sanchari bhava in the Sloka, then the artiste would perform to the
swaras in the raga and execute theermanas
or nrtha, accordingly, bringing out the qualities of the manifestation of God in whose praise the Sloka is set, and praising Him or Her. (For information on
theermana and sanchari bhava please see: Padha
Varnam)
The stress is on satvik
bhava, bringing out the devotional aspect, while performing to the Sloka. Romance is never a part of it.
Satvik or saathveeka bhava is the ninth bhava in the list of
navarasa. It includes all that is serene, peaceful, tranquil and balanced state of mind. It is a state when the mind is at peace, with no emotions running either high or low, thus colouring it in a particular shade. The Sloka is always centred on this mood of serenity and is associated with devotion. It is the state in which man transcends from his state and is transported closest to the Divine, to the Supreme and the Ultimate. Though the Sloka selected is mostly written in Sanskrit, the artistes select verses from the language of the particular region. For example, this may be from
Dhevaram or Alwar Paasuram in Tamil Nadu. Whatever may be the language, the stress is on the mood detailed above.
The performance comes to an end with the singing of Sloka. Or the Thillana, if the Sloka precedes Thillana. Now we go over to
Namaskara, the final piece before the curtain falls down.
Krishangini - Neeraja Nagarajan
Postures by Neeraja Nagarajan
Translated by Hari Krishnan
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