Nagendra Haraya (2010)

Choreography – Malathi Iyengar
Dancers – Krishna Chari (India), Renjith Babu Choorakkad (India), Chirag Sumathi, Dhruv Sumathi, & Parshwanath Upadhye (India)
Lighting Design & Stage Manager – Eileen Cooley
Costume Design – Lakshmi Iyengar
Shivalingam – Set Design – Suresh Iyengar

The Five Sacred Syllables – na, mah, shi, va, ya

The five syllables na-mah-shi-va-ya is considered sacred according Hindu tradition. The poetry is in praise of Lord Shiva and the five syllables represent the five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space. The Om Namah Shivaya hymn is called five-syllable Mantra, or Panchakshara Mantra (Panch means five) and the root Mantra Om or AUM precedes these five syllables. Each stanza in the song starts with one of the five syllables, na, mah, shi, va, and ya. The vibration produced by chanting Om in the physical universe corresponds to the original vibration that first arose at the time of creation. The sound of Om is also called Pranava, meaning that it sustains life and runs through Prana or breath. The sounds heard in Om (AUM) are also known to represent the waking, dream, deep sleep, and the silence.

Poetry: Nagendra Haraya by Adi Shankaracharya
Music Scale – combinations of musical scales (Ragamalika)
Time cycle – Five Beats (Khanda Chapu)
Language: Sanskrit
Vocal: Nandakumar Unnikrishnan
Recitation of Jati (rhythmic syllables) & Cymbals (Nattuvangam) – Malathi Iyengar
Violin – Dayakar
Mridangam: Gurumurthy G. 
Morsing & Khanjira – Srihari Rangaswamy

Thank you to County of Los Angeles and City of Los Angeles

Shivaya: 25 Years of Creativity & Excellence” is supported in part by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission & the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles.

Video – Perfect Video

Nagendra Haraya presented as a part of Shivaya: 25 Years of Creativity & Excellence 

August 28, 2010

A Presentation of Rangoli Foundation for Art & Culture – rangoli.org