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Devadasi
Chapter Listing
Chapter XI
So Meena went back to her mother's home to practice her dancing and to
prepare for the ceremony. Muthu grumbled. ' It is like preparing for a
funeral. You are committing sati from an artistic point of view.' But
decisions had been taken at a much higher level and she knew she was
powerless to influence events.
A special costume was made for the occasion; in consultation with the dancer
teacher, appropriate dances for a farewell performance were chosen and Meena
practiced every evening. Udayar was surprised at the amount of care and
concentration necessary to achieve near perfection in the art. But having
agreed to it, he threw himself into the arrangements enthusiastically. A
silver statue two feet in height had been ordered from Madurai. Symbolically,
the statue would replace Meena in the eyes of the Lord. She also insisted on
getting a learned priest from outside who could perform the appropriate
ceremonies to release her from her bond to Lord Ranganatha.
' As you are aware, there is no divorce according to the Hindu tradition,'
the priest explained. ' But a separation is permissible. Since a marriage of
this type is symbolic, a silver statue can represent you in the temple. But it
would be better if you were to get nine smaller statues and present them to
nine brahmins, so that not only God, but the nine planets which control your
future will also be satisfied.'
So nine small silver statues were ordered.
On the appointed day, there were large crowds at the temple. Apart from the
reputation of her artistic abilities, people had heard about the dispute and
that she would be dancing for the last time. They didn't want to miss such a
rare occasion.
A holy fire was lit in the courtyard of the temple, the silver statues were
anointed and decorated with flowers. The priests recited Mantras from the
Vedas and poured ghee into the rising fire. Finally, Meena bent low to the
ground and received the blessings of the chief priest, as the statue was
offered to the Lord. The nine small statues were offered to nine selected
brahmins and holy water and mint were distributed to all those present.
At last the dance commenced. Meena as well as the audience were aware of the
special circumstance of the event. Meena knew she would never dance again; the
audience were aware that they would never see her dance. As she danced, Meena
prayed to God to forgive her if she had transgressed any of His laws. But
soon, she was totally immersed in her dancing and was not even conscious of
her environment. The suppleness of her body, the quick and constant changes of
mood expressed by her face, the precision of her steps, were the admiration of
all. Even Udayar felt a twinge of conscience that he should be the cause of
such artistry being consigned to oblivion. The last dance was a dance of
leave-taking. There were tears in Meena's eyes and grief in her heart as she
danced it. She was saying good-bye; she was conscious of severing a special
relationship with Lord Ranganatha. She only hoped He would not altogether
reject her as a devotee. All these moods were expressed in her face as the
last dance came to an end.
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