| Notes | [fr. old New. Nāśvaradeva] n. lit. "the deity of nāsaḥ (charm, grace and ability to be the center of attraction)", Nāsaḥdyaḥ is widely revered by the students of dance, drama and music, as nāsaḥ is the chief quality they need to possess if they are to succeed in the field. Nāsaḥdyaḥ is, therefore, a unique deity of amorphous nature usually represented only by a triangular or oblong hole on a wall in the Newar pantheon. The center of worship is a hole or several holes through which divine energy flows, spiritually perceived by Nāsaḥdyaḥ's devotees. In all adjacent walls and buildings in front of and behind the shrine these holes (nāsaḥpvāḥ) continue like a flight path which must not be blocked, either by buildings or humans. While performing a nāsaḥpujā, the devotee steps a little aside to avoid interference with the subtle flow. This practice and the concept of a linear progression of divine energy prompts one to suspect that origin of the Nāsaḥdyaḥ worship is a pre-Hindu tradition (Wegner 1992: 125). Every new session of lessons on Newar musical instruments or rehearsals of dance and drama begins with the worship of Nāsaḥdyaḥ. He is known as Nṛtyeśvara in Sanskrit. |
