Revitalizing the Importance of Sanskrit in the Performing Arts

Sucheta Chapekar, a renowned Indian dancer and choreographer, says, “All our languages are Sanskrit-based. And Bharatnatyam, the most rigorous and demanding of classical art forms, is not ideally possible without Sanskrit.” For Chapekar, Sanskrit arrived not as conquest but as inheritance. “Dance is not merely physical movements,” she emphasizes. “It has many art forms combined into one. And to access that depth, to understand every mudra, every taal, every expression—requires the language that encoded those answers centuries ago.” At Kalavardhini, the trust she runs for budding dancers, Sanskrit instruction has been deliberately woven into the curriculum alongside music classes. Chapekar has designed teaching materials that pull directly from the ancient scriptures—the Abhinaya Darpan and the Natyashastra. “They know and understand what they dance,” she says. “This is a foundational method of teaching Bharatnatyam.”

For years, Shreya Prabhune, a Gayan Visharad and Sanskrit scholar, sung with instinctive mastery. But when she began reading Sanskrit treatises alongside performances, everything shifted. “When I only thought about singing, I only thought about my performance,” she reflects. “But when I integrated Sanskrit, I realized that art needs logic to support its wings. You have to know where to place the emotion to make it hit home.” Her catalyst was a 17th-century masterpiece Sangeet Parijat. Her revelation came through the concept of Shruti (the microtones that exist between the standard notes). While most performers hit these notes by instinct, the Sanskrit scriptures provide a roadmap of “tark-shuddha” (logical and scientific) intellect. “I understood Shruti deeply only as a researcher,” she explains. “It taught me that every vibration, every frequency, carries a specific bhaav (emotion). Now, I don’t just sing; I sing consciously.”

“We say the gods become happy when we pronounce words correctly,” says Anjali with a smile. “But what does that mean in a modern context? It means the sound influences the mental state. It colours the mind with a specific emotion, creating an aura of immense positivity.”

Dr. Sharayu Bhalerao, a Bharatnatyam singer and Sanskrit scholar, focuses her doctoral research comparing the taal system from Natyashastra with modern rhythmic patterns.“When you stay aloof from ancient Sanskrit texts, you lose the science,” she explains. “Even the taals being practiced today are rote-learned. Nobody understands why they work. A great artist is a blend of theory with practice,” she insists. “The learning process goes beyond physical drill. There is also intellectual work.”

In today’s digital age, this intellectual depth is often sacrificed for speed. “It is an era where social media valorises the flashy over the foundational,” says Sharayu. Contemporary artists want to innovate, but few ask: What exactly am I departing from? To authentically break rules, one must first understand them. Sanskrit texts provide that understanding. “Bharatmuni,” explains Sharayu, “codified Bharatnatyam in the 2nd century, where his principles were designed to adapt. He distinguished between lokdharmi (art for the common people) and natyadharmi (art for trained performers). So, modern fusions aren’t betrayals of tradition; they’re applications of Bharatmuni’s own flexibility. The problem? Most contemporary artists don’t know Bharatmuni well enough to know what they’re actually breaking.”

Is the “funky” evolution of modern music a threat to these traditions? The answer, surprisingly, is nuanced. Anjali acknowledges, “Purpose dictates the performance. If a musician’s goal is to experiment with sound variations and chase novelty, fusion is a natural and perhaps even necessary result.” The call to action is both simple and radical: Localize. “Let us not keep Sanskrit on too high a pedestal,” Anjali insists. “We need to bring it down to the common people. It is the language of all knowledge. To have an academic aura as a musician today, studying Sanskrit is no longer optional, but mandatory.” This requires a shift in priorities for the next generation. Her advice to budding performers cuts against contemporary hustle culture. “Don’t chase performances. Chase excellence,” she says.

“More than Sanskrit, what matters to me is the arthgarbhataa, i.e., substantiality combined with the musicality of language,” says Chapekar. “In any language, if these are found, I am compelled to study and perform through that language. We find Sanskrit has both the traits.” says Chaphekar.