Shiva – Srithanu Hub

The word ‘Srithanu’ has an interesting meaning. Like many place names and proper nouns in Thailand the word has a Sanskrit derivation that reveals the importance of Indian culture on the development of Thai culture and the Thai language.

‘Sri’ or ‘si’ is frequently used in India as a polite form of address that would mean something similar to ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’ The word comes from the Sanskrit root śrā “to cook, boil”, but as a feminine abstract noun, it has received a general meaning of “grace, splendour, lustre, beauty; wealth, affluence, prosperity” (Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri). When applied to a god ‘sri’ or ‘shri’ means ‘holy’. Shri is also a shortened version of Shri Devi the goddess of wealth and another name for Lakshmi, consort of the god Vishnu. Finally, ‘shree’ can be used in India to denote beauty, rank, power, light. It is a common girl’s name in India.

A common instance of ‘sri’ in a place name is Sri Lanka.

The word ‘Thanu’ has a more narrow meaning. It means Lord Shiva. Thanu is a common boy’s name in India (http://www.bachpan.com/Meaning-of-Thanu.aspx). Shiva is one of the three main gods of the Hindu cannon along with Brahma and Vishnu. Shiva is the god of the yogis. He is both self-controlled and celibate as well as the lover of his consort, Parvati He is the destroyer of worlds; he who reveals the oneness of existence. The river Ganges flows from his dreadlocks. He spent thousands of years smoking ganja in the Himalayas.

Shiva has a contradictory profile that is both raunchy and hippy as well as ascetic and self-denying. It is the contradiction that Hindus hope to brook by changing their being to realize the unifying truth of existence – ‘tat tvam asi’ (‘thou art that’) whereby subject and object, the essential duality of existence, is transcended.

This is the same goal that yoga hopes to attain – namely to ‘yoke’ oneself to god; thus, breaking down the difference of human and divine, seeing they have always been one.

Have a look at the video that goes along with this post. It is highly edited; it is alluring; it gives a gloss to female power. It is both empowering for women but also blatantly commercial. This is Nataraj Monica, an itinerant dance teacher who founded the Indian chapter of Agama and is on the staff at Srithanu a few weeks every year.

Monika gave herself the pseudonym of Nataraj to remind herself of something. It is the name of Shiva in his dance form – the dance of creation; the illusion and beauty of life. Not many women dub themselves with a male name. Monika has studied dance since she was 5. She studied belly dance in Turkey. She had a spell in India, of course. She has done the 42 week Agama teacher trainer program. Her website is full of credits. It also makes clear that she has turned her hand to everything to get by on the road – yoga, teaching, organising, diving. Any job to continue the ‘journey’. At present her affiliation to Agama means you can meet her in Srithanu.

One thing from Monika’s CV that did catch my eye was the mention of studying the sacred system of Gurdjieff Movements. Gurdjjeff and Madame Blavatsky. Theosophy was obscure when I studied religion in the 1990s. The mystique of this strange couple continues to echo through the ages it seems. The appeal of the exoteric; the possibility of cracking the code and discovering the answer. Jiddu Krishnamurti raised to be the new Messiah by the Theosophists realised the system of control below the surface of new forms of religiosity.

What to make of the video? It is so edited that any narrative is lost. Shakti Dance is the dance form of yoga. It also seems to be copyrighted to the hilt. I guess Shiva isn’t worried about that.

The idea seems to be that the dance heightens awareness. You lose yourself in the dance. Hence the circles and the hypnotism of fire watching. Compare this with the whirling dervishes and the Sufi tradition.

Being a man, I sadly see bra straps, flowing fabrics and female power. The teacher seems to be absent (or not highlighted). The setting feels contrived. Rather than an introduction to a new form of yoga, I feel I am watching an advert playing with me through subliminal messages.

Meaning of Srithanu

Shiva Dance