Many believe that the essence of the human condition is to seek the union of its individual soul and being, with the cosmic soul and infinite existence. In order for this union to sparkle, moods of great passion and ecstatic emotion have to be brought into play. Faith and culture matter greatly to most people and to have the benefits of dance as a fundamental dimension of worship and devotion is a great blessing.
When men and women engage in powerful forms of art or devotion, some of the Ras/sap that can connect them with the divine awakens and flows. This is why religion exerts such a powerful hold on the human condition and imagination. It is a means to awaken this union. Also why Art, despite, perhaps because of, its abstract forms, also grips the imagination so deeply
Garba and Raas were brought into existence and developed in order that the majority of people would have a simpler way of seeking this union with the divine, to have their Ras flowing and glowing. And the flow of Rasa had to be handled with care, it being a powerful potion of emotion. S
After all when you have the devices to awaken such profound and deep desires, some element of restraint has to be put in place, hence some pattern and some form was instilled, to keep the rasa in check and control. Or to let it loose as well, depending on the mood to be encouraged, the morals to maintain, the purposes to be served
At Garba and Raas dances, some rare few will flow into ecstatic trance and lose control and appear possessed. They will dance and move as if they are no longer themselves, as if some mysterious thing has happened to them and they can no longer be held accountable for their actions and movements. Of course the majority of the people will not ascend into trance, but it shows the power of dance, that but for the lack of a little more Ras, many more would float and fly in trance.
Hinduism has changed several times over many thousands of years and this is now an age when our thoughts should turn to our beliefs and traditions and how we can enhance and embrace and have them more fitting to blend in gracefully with our contemporary age. This is even more important when the current state of knowledge and wisdom of humanity is more extensive than ever in the past
The benefits of most religions are those of community, socialising and motivation; practices which can be found in most good self help books. The goodness and decency propagated by most faiths is simply a matter of reasonable sense rather than anything greatly spiritual or profound
There is beauty, there is grace, there is worship, there is devotion in Garba and Raas. It allows us to transcend the confusions and contradictions in the holy books and the ‘holy’ men.
Many faiths exploit art in the promotion of their faith and great art despite its beauty has been much abused and misused by mostly the men in charge of religion
including the misuse of dance in hinduism
the time has come for great art and craft of dance and music
to inspire the great thoughts and deeds of the future free of the shackles of the fanatically faithful