​What I Have Come to Realize Dancing Kiirtan

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          The kiirtan dance was first invented by Párvatii, one of the three wives of Shiva, 7,000 years ago. It is called lalita mármika. The word lalita means “graceful”, mármik means “that which touches the innermost recesses of the heart”, so together the words mean “voice of the inner spirit”.

          “Lalita mármika is purely a devotional dance. The elbows must be placed above the 90° position in relation to the shoulders. The upraised hands indicate the spirit of surrender.”

          Baba specified several times that in the kiirtan dance one should touch the tip of the big toe (represented by the sound “dhae”) behind the other heel. This of course is different than the Hare Krishna style of merely stepping back and forth.

Baba explained that the toe tip means “spiritual touch”. Kaoshikii and tandava dances on the other hand are done with the ball of the foot (represented by the sound “dhin”) meaning psychic touch and the heel (represented by the sound “tá”) meaning physical touch.​

          I have learned that any repeated movement that crosses the body’s midline, which my legs do when dancing kiirtan, strengthens communication between the two hemispheres of my brain and my sensory motor integration. It supports my gait, proprioception, attention and working memory. It activates my Prefrontal Cortex and it is often used in stroke rehabilitation and child development.

          Traditionally, kiirtan dancers touch the right toe behind the left heel on the first beat of the kiirtan melody. Kiirtan dancers are expected to all move side to side in unison and I experience a very powerful feeling of unity when that happens. However, sometimes the leader of the kiirtan makes it impossible to follow both of these guidelines.

           Baba insisted that the arms should be raised above the shoulders. I imagine that my raised hands are massaging and embracing Baba as I sing a love song to him. I say I “imagine” that, but because the entire universe is within the mind of the Supreme Consciousness, what I imagine is just as real to Baba as what I physically do.

           Dancing kiirtan engages all my sensory and motor organs in the devotional dance: my eyes usually see a photo of Baba, my voice is singing my love and my ears are listening to that, my entire body is swaying in devotion. Dancing kiirtan helps to channel my very active thoughts towards him.

          Baba explains that when one has an intense spiritual urge, a vacuum is created in the susumna nadii, that naturally draws up the spiritual kundalinii vibrational expression, just as water rises in a tube well. Sometimes, when the kiirtan is very good, I feel that vacuum sucking up my spiritual energy.

          One Margii sometimes falls into samadhi during kiirtan. I asked her what she experiences. She said, “It feels like when I go to a movie theater. Everyone is talking and I am aware of them. Then the lights go down and a Baba movie starts. The movie is very beautiful and I lose awareness of those around me. Then I feel myself merging in the movie. When I wake up, I feel very blissful.”

           Whenever I feel upset about something, really “clashed” as we Margiis say, dancing kiirtan invariably puts me in a happy mood. The problem I was upset about is still there, of course, but it is impossible for my mind to remain upset while I dance kiirtan.

          Three avadhutas each told me that once when they were alone with Baba they told him they were having trouble doing their sádhaná. Baba gave the same advice to each of them: do long kiirtana first.

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