jatis (danced to rhythmic patterns) reverberate in my mind. Who knows which siddhapurusha (literally: “with all accomplishments”) he was? I can still see the gleam in his eye. If I am dance-mad now how could it be otherwise?... My first guru was a madman." - Meaning and context.">
QuotesCosmos
Knight, Douglas M. (15 June 2010), Balasaraswati: Her Art and Life, pages: 17-18, publisher: Wesleyan University Press, ISBN: 978-0-8195-6906-6
“

It may be true that I had dancing in my blood... I was a toddler when I danced deliriously with that street beggar. All called him a madman when he brought the house down with his frenetic dancing. Was he really mad? His unerring jatis (danced to rhythmic patterns) reverberate in my mind. Who knows which siddhapurusha (literally: “with all accomplishments”) he was? I can still see the gleam in his eye. If I am dance-mad now how could it be otherwise?... My first guru was a madman.

— Balasaraswati

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "It may be true that I had dancing in my blood... I was a toddler when I danced deliriously with that street beggar. All called him a madman when he brought the house down with his frenetic dancing. Was he really mad? His unerring jatis (danced to rhythmic patterns) reverberate in my mind. Who knows which siddhapurusha (literally: “with all accomplishments”) he was? I can still see the gleam in his eye. If I am dance-mad now how could it be otherwise?... My first guru was a madman." in the context of "Knight, Douglas M. (15 June 2010), Balasaraswati: Her Art and Life, pages: 17-18, publisher: Wesleyan University Press, ISBN: 978-0-8195-6906-6" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Balasaraswati" (Quote) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

Tags

#Balasaraswati#dancing#danced#madman#accomplishments#siddhapurusha#deliriously#reverberate#literally#otherwise#frenetic#unerring
Balasaraswati

About Balasaraswati

Balasaraswati (May 13, 1918 – February 9, 1984), full name Tanjore Balasaraswati, was a celebrated exponent of Bharatanatyam, the Indian dance form. Her art is a rendering of a classical dance style from her home state in the South India in Tamil Nadu. She was instrumental in popularizing this style of dancing not only in India but also in many countries of the world. She was the recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour given by the Government of India, in 1977. She was also honoured with the title of Sangita Kalanidhi in 1973 by the Madras Music Academy, South India's highest award for musicians. Her special achievement was her inclusion in a compilation of the Dance Heritage Coalition, "America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures: The First 100" (2000), the only non-western dancer to get this position. Satyajit Ray the well known Indian film maker made a documentary on her creation.