By Guru Vijaya Prasad
When I established Kuchipudi Dance Academy in 1981, it was the first registered Kuchipudi dance school in Maharashtra. I didn’t want it to be just like any other dance school of that time. I established my academy with the goal to teach Kuchipudi in Guru Shishya Paramapara style.
Guru Shishya Paramapara is the tradition of spiritual relationship and mentoring where teachings are transmitted from a guru (teacher) to a shishya (disciple) and it is imparted through the developing relationship between the guru and the disciple. It is considered that this relationship, based on the genuineness of the guru, and the respect, commitment, devotion, and obedience of the student, is the best way for subtle or advanced knowledge to be conveyed. The student eventually masters the knowledge that the guru embodies.
In my teachings, I try to inculcate the four qualities of Devotion, Dedication, Discipline, and Determination into all my disciples — the 4 Ds. These 4 Ds are very difficult to practice, but when you make them part of your life you will experience their life-changing power. In this article, I’ll try to explain the meaning of these simple words through my life experiences.
Guru Shishya Paramapara is the tradition of spiritual relationship and mentoring where teachings are transmitted from a guru (teacher) to a shishya (disciple) and it is imparted through the developing relationship between the guru and the disciple. It is considered that this relationship, based on the genuineness of the guru, and the respect, commitment, devotion, and obedience of the student, is the best way for subtle or advanced knowledge to be conveyed. The student eventually masters the knowledge that the guru embodies.
In my teachings, I try to inculcate the four qualities of Devotion, Dedication, Discipline, and Determination into all my disciples — the 4 Ds. These 4 Ds are very difficult to practice, but when you make them part of your life you will experience their life-changing power. In this article, I’ll try to explain the meaning of these simple words through my life experiences.
Devotion (Bhakti)
Devotion is often described as intense love or commitment to something or someone. It could be devotion towards dance, God, or guru. I believe this feeling of devotion is gained due to samskaras — good upbringing, culture, value system the person is brought up in. When disciples have such devotion towards the guru, they experience a level of unparalleled happiness when they perform.
When children first start learning dance, for them it’s just another class; they are simply following the instructions of their guru. But as time progresses, the love and dedication of the guru start to slowly transform the students — they themselves start experiencing happiness when performing. And when a dance is performed with such devotion, even the audiences can feel it and they too will be elevated to a higher plane of happiness.
When children first start learning dance, for them it’s just another class; they are simply following the instructions of their guru. But as time progresses, the love and dedication of the guru start to slowly transform the students — they themselves start experiencing happiness when performing. And when a dance is performed with such devotion, even the audiences can feel it and they too will be elevated to a higher plane of happiness.
The devotion with which I impart all my knowledge to the disciples and the devotion with the disciples accept my teachings is the foundation for the true relationship between a guru and shishya.
When I teach my students, I carefully observe their smallest gestures, their eye movements, facial expressions; I pour my heart and soul into each of them and when they perform on the stage, I see myself in their performance and experience the same bliss and happiness. The devotion with which I impart all my knowledge to the disciples and the devotion with the disciples accept my teachings is the foundation for the true relationship between a guru and shishya. This feeling cannot be expressed in words and can only be experienced.
Discipline
Discipline is a very critical quality to possess to be successful in life. Discipline builds character, brings stability and structure into a person’s life. Like a muscle, discipline can be trained. The more you work on your discipline the stronger it becomes. Parents are the first guru for their children, so it is their responsibility to imbibe self-discipline to their kids from the very beginning — waking up at a set time, exercising, doing pooja, and then starting your daily activities.
Discipline builds character, brings stability and structure into a person’s life
I started learning dance at a very young age. My guru would come to our house at 6 am to teach. My mother used to wake me and my cousin Maruthi, who was also learning Kuchipudi with me, at 5.00 am every day. Like any small child, we hated waking up this early. My mother never shouted at us, instead, she would bribe us with a promise of buying good things. After bathing us, mother would do pooja and made us ready for dance practice. This was our daily routine for a long time and when we grew older it became second nature to us. This discipline was instilled in me at a very early age and it became part of my DNA. This helped me excel in sports — for 3 years I was the captain of my college team, winning many inter-collegiate games and also participated at the national level.
Let me share another example — I am a stickler for time punctuality. I never used to allow students to step into the class if they were even a minute late. One day, a student turned up very late to the class and I told her she couldn’t enter the class. I later learned from other students that she spent the whole hour in a restaurant killing time. The next day I was very stern with her. I explained to her why what she did was wrong — her parents were under the impression that she was learning dance, but instead, she was in a restaurant. I told her that she should’ve been truthful and gone back home so that her parents were aware of the reason. She was never late to the class again. Many years later, the said student wrote about this incident in her college magazine and showed it to me. She shared how she took this lesson of time punctuality to heart and made it part of her everyday life.
Let me share another example — I am a stickler for time punctuality. I never used to allow students to step into the class if they were even a minute late. One day, a student turned up very late to the class and I told her she couldn’t enter the class. I later learned from other students that she spent the whole hour in a restaurant killing time. The next day I was very stern with her. I explained to her why what she did was wrong — her parents were under the impression that she was learning dance, but instead, she was in a restaurant. I told her that she should’ve been truthful and gone back home so that her parents were aware of the reason. She was never late to the class again. Many years later, the said student wrote about this incident in her college magazine and showed it to me. She shared how she took this lesson of time punctuality to heart and made it part of her everyday life.
Determination
Determination is a great motivating force. It motivates you to dream bigger and achieve higher. It inspires you and keeps you moving even when faced with adversities. Determination pushes you to display your ultimate potential. It makes you believe in yourself and your dreams. It makes you stand a little firmer.
When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”
Everyone faces adversities in life. When I lost a game in competitive sports, I would be dejected for a while, but always determined to win the next time. In the early days of the Academy we faced lots of challenges, we did not have a place to practice, nor funds to record music, etc. But time and again my determination to establish an institute to teach Kuchipudi dance helped me overcome such hurdles. As the saying goes “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”.
Dedication
Dedication is surrendering your all in pursuit of achieving or perfecting something. One of the more important lessons learned through dance is dedication. The precision, skill, and hard work required to be successful is what sets dance apart. To most, it may prove to be too complex to learn and they give up. So in order to succeed in the art of dance, you must first master the art of dedication.
The other meaning of dedication is offering a tribute to the guru. The student learns everything a guru has to offer and in return performs in front of the guru is the ultimate dedication.
The other meaning of dedication is offering a tribute to the guru. The student learns everything a guru has to offer and in return performs in front of the guru is the ultimate dedication.
I love my students as my own children and in return, I get their love tenfold. I did not start the academy with a conscious decision to impart these 4 Ds, instead, it happened organically. My students are all grown up, some are married, some have kids of their own, they commute by local train to work, but even with all the stresses of day-to-day life, they find time to practice and teach dance. They even make time for rehearsals on weekends for important performances. My students often share with me how the 4-Ds brought positive changes into their personal and professional lives.
Devotion to guru and dance, the discipline to practice, the determination to face hurdles, and dedication to art is what I see in my students and it is their source of power and strength.
Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu
Devotion to guru and dance, the discipline to practice, the determination to face hurdles, and dedication to art is what I see in my students and it is their source of power and strength.
Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu
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