According to

Hindu mythology Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and reg ...

, Apasmāra also known as "kaal" or "brahm" is a dwarf who represents spiritual

ignorance Ignorance is a lack of knowledge and understanding. The word "ignorant" is an adjective that describes a person in the state of being unaware, or even cognitive dissonance and other cognitive relation, and can describe individuals who are unaware o ...

and nonsensical speech.Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja), Chola period, c. 10th/11th century

The Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

, United States He is also known as Muyalaka or Muyalakan. To preserve knowledge in the world, Apasmāra must be subdued, not killed, as to do so would disturb the necessary balance between spiritual knowledge and ignorance. Killing Apasmāra would symbolise the attainment of knowledge without the (essential) effort, dedication and hard work involved, and this would lead to the devaluing of knowledge in all its forms. To subdue Apasmāra,

Lord Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

adopted the form of

Nataraja Nataraja () also known as Adalvallaan () is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the divine cosmic dancer. His dance is called Tandava.''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (2015) The pose and artwork are described in many Hindu texts such as the ''T ...

– the Lord of Dance – and performed the cosmic dance of Tāṇḍava. During this dance, Nataraja suppressed Apasmāra by crushing him with his right foot. As Apasmāra is one of the few demons destined to

immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some modern species may possess biological immortality. Some scientists, futurists, and philosophers have theorized about the immortality of the human body, with some suggesting that human immorta ...

, it is believed that

forever remains in his Nataraja form suppressing Apasmāra for eternity.

Nataraja's right foot is planted squarely on a horrible little subhuman creature - the demon, Muyalaka. A dwarf, but immensely powerful in his malignity, Muyalaka is the embodiment of ignorance, the manifestation of greedy, possessive selfhood. Stamp on him, break his back! And that's precisely what Nataraja is doing. Trampling the little monster down under his right foot. But notice that it isn't at this trampling foot that he points his finger; it's at the ''left'' foot, the foot that, as he dances, he's in the act of raising from the ground. And ''why'' does he point at it? Why? That lifted foot, that dancing defiance of the force of gravity - it's the symbol of release, of ''
moksha ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriology, ...
'', of liberation.

This mythological dwarf is generally depicted with his hand in the

Añjali Mudrā Añjali Mudrā ( sa, अञ्जलि मुद्रा), is a hand gesture mainly associated with Indian religions and arts, encountered throughout Asia and beyond. It is a part of Indian classical dance postures such as Bharatanatyam, yoga p ...

. He is often depicted in this posture in depictions of Naṭarāja.

Etymology and medical application of name

The suffix ''smāra'' (from ''smaranam'' – 'utterances' or 'memorization') signifies 'memory', not 'speech'. The compound ''apasmāra'' means 'loss of memory/dementia/amnesia', '

gibberish Gibberish, also called jibber-jabber or gobbledygook, is speech that is (or appears to be) nonsense. It may include speech sounds that are not actual words, pseudowords, or language games and specialized jargon that seems nonsensical to outsider ...

', that is, nonsensical or unintelligible speech or ego ( Ahamkara). The Ayurvedic disease concept 'Apasmāra' (see below) referred to certain neurological disorders having such memory loss (not speech) as a symptom, but, given the absence, at the time, of such modern adjuncts to diagnosis as brain-scanning, it is hard now to determine with any exactitude what all these may have been.

Disease concept in Ayurveda

The concept of ''Apasmāra'' in Āyurveda relates to a group of

neurological disorder A neurological disorder is any disorder of the nervous system. Structural, biochemical or electrical abnormalities in the brain, spinal cord or other nerves can result in a range of symptoms. Examples of symptoms include paralysis, muscle weakn ...

s, one of which may be identified as

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

:B.V. Manyam (1992), ''Epilepsy in ancient India''. Epilepsia. 1992 May-Jun;33(3):473-5
/ref> according to Maharṣi Caraka, there are 4 types of apasmāra. These 4 types of apasmara are Vataja, Pitaja, Kapahaja and Sannipataja.These can be related to conditions associated with loss of memory like amnesia and dementia or temporal lobe epilepsy with fugue states or hysteria. Charakhas instituted this classification depending upon the different doshas of the body.

Usage in Indian astronomical symbolism

Recent work by Rupa Bhaty analysing the symbolism of the Natarāja icon of Śiva has revealed the presence of imagery relating not only to the mythology and iconography of expanded consciousness, but also to

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

.Bhaty Rupa, 2017 http://indiafacts.org/cosmic-consciousness-and-astronomical-association-of-natarajas-dance-with-apasmara-and-agastya/ Bhaty interprets the demon Apasmāra, in his astronomical form as the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the e ...

Lepus Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The gen ...

(Indian ''Muyala'' - likewise a rabbit or hare), as representing forgetfulness, specifically forgetfulness concerning the star

Canopus Canopus is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Carina (constellation), Carina and the list of brightest stars, second-brightest star in the night sky. It is also Bayer designation, designated α Carinae, which is Lat ...

(equated in India with the sage

Agastya Agastya ( kn, ಅಗಸ್ತ್ಯ, ta, அகத்தியர், sa, अगस्त्य, te, అగస్త్యుడు, ml, അഗസ്ത്യൻ, hi, अगस्त्य) was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the I ...

), with ''Apasmāra'' / ''Muyala'' representing / standing in for Agastya when the latter is not visible in India at certain latitudes; and possibly also forgetfulness of a

deluge A deluge is a large downpour of rain, often a flood. The Deluge refers to the flood narrative in the Biblical book of Genesis. Deluge may also refer to: History *Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Comm ...

coinciding with a

supernova A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when ...

event commemorated in certain South Indian festivals (celebrated at the New Year /

March equinox The March equinox or northward equinox is the equinox on the Earth when the subsolar point appears to leave the Southern Hemisphere and cross the celestial equator, heading northward as seen from Earth. The March equinox is known as the verna ...

) in honour of lord Śiva. The lunar associations of the

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...

in many cultures likewise tally with the association of Apasmāra and his constellation Lepus with pathological mental states though the concept of lunacy (i.e. 'moon madness'). Bhaty asserts that

Rudra Rudra (; sa, रुद्र) is a Rigvedic deity associated with Shiva, the wind or storms, Vayu, medicine, and the hunt. One translation of the name is 'the roarer'. In the Rigveda, Rudra is praised as the 'mightiest of the mighty'. Rud ...

, the

hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

(compare

Orion (mythology) In Greek mythology, Orion (; Ancient Greek: Ὠρίων or ; Latin: ''Orion'') was a giant huntsman whom Zeus (or perhaps Artemis) placed among the stars as the constellation of Orion. Ancient sources told several different stories about Orio ...

), and Apasmāra are to be equated with the constellations Kootu and Muyalaka, which were used by the navigators of

Malabar Malabar may refer to the following: People * Malabars, people originating from the Malabar region of India * Malbars or Malabars, people of Tamil origin in Réunion Places * Malabar Coast, or Malabar, a region of the southwestern shoreline o ...

and are identifiable with the western constellations Orion the Hunter, and Lepus, the Hare. Śiva / Rudra / Orion (as Natarāja - 'Lord of the Dance'), by treading Apasmāra underfoot, delivers

from the clutches of ignorance, by keeping track of the rising of Agastya-

in the night skies of Springtime, as viewed on the horizon at different latitudes on the Indian peninsula.

References

Sources

*Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend () by Anna Dallapiccola {{HinduMythology Characters in Hindu mythology

Etymology and medical application of name

Disease concept in Ayurveda

Usage in Indian astronomical symbolism

See also

References

Sources