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Pushing Mind to the Limits: Visual Forms in Dharmadāsa’s "Vidagdhamukhamaṇḍana" People have always tried to master memorizing—a factor playing an immense role in the circulation of Indian literature. To commit to memory seemed to be one of the characteristics of educated people, the source of knowledge and respect. Literary riddles were a great tool for shaping and sharpening the mind. As multi-leveled exercises they engage different parts of the brain in the process of memorizing. Dharmadāsa’s work, Vidadghamukhamaṇḍana, “The Ornament of the Wise Man’s Mouth” (ca. 11th century), served as a manual helping to enhance cognitive skills. Bandhas, visual forms included in Vidadghamukhamaṇḍana combined with other literary riddles, create complex enigmas, pushing minds to the limits and forcing those who accept the challenge to unveil multiple layers, denotations and connotations in the text. The readers/listeners stretch their abilities to solve the riddles set by the author, who has crossed the boundaries of poetical compositions and rules concerning the creation of visual forms in Sanskrit literature. Bandhas of this kind play an important role in the history and development of Indian visual poetry. Their unique character and function allow us to distinguish a coherent trend in the tradition of Sanskrit citrakāvya.

People have always tried to master memorizing--a factor playing an immense role in the circulation of Indian literature. To commit to memory seemed to be one of the characteristics of educated people, the source of knowledge and respect. Literary riddles were a great tool for shaping and sharpening the mind. As multi-leveled exercises they engage different parts of the brain in the process of memorizing. Dharmadāsa's work, Vidadghamukhama ana, "The Ornament of the Wise Man's Mouth" (ca. 11th century), served as a manual helping to enhance cognitive skills. Bandhas, visual forms included in Vidadghamukhamaṇḍana combined with other literary riddles, create complex enigmas, pushing minds to the limits and forcing those who accept the challenge to unveil multiple layers, denotations and connotations in the text. The readers/listeners stretch their abilities to solve the riddles set by the author, who has crossed the boundaries of poetical compositions and rules concerning the creation of visual forms in Sanskrit literature. Bandhas of this kind play an important role in the history and development of Indian visual poetry. Their unique character and function allow us to distinguish a coherent trend in the tradition of Sanskrit citrakāvya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian performative art of Avadhāna (attention, attentiveness) is based on the showcasing of the mastery of memory, creativity, retention, multitasking and task-switching as well as other cognitive abilities. It examines not only a person’s capacity to focus and respond simultaneously to multiple task demands given by questioners (pṛcchakas) and demonstrate outstanding memory skills, but also specialized knowledge. The Avadhāna event, which involves partial improvisation, takes the form of an entertaining spectacle based on the set of rules assigned to its particular type. It becomes the ‘ritual of memory’, the celebration of innate and developed mental techniques performed by the avadhāni in front of an audience. The present paper aims at presenting the centuries-old tradition of Avadhāna from the point of view of its relation to ritual and other performative arts, as well as its performers and its contemporary components, such as the inclusion of painting, stage drama or elements of visual poetry. It stems from a field study conducted in 2015–2016 in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and from interviews with practitioners of the art of attention, Dr. R. Ganesh, Dr. Shankar Rajaraman and Dr. Medasani Mohan.

The Indian performative art of Avadhāna (attention, attentiveness) is based on the showcasing of the mastery of memory, creativity, retention, multitasking and task-switching as well as other cognitive abilities. It examines not only a person's capacity to focus and respond simultaneously to multiple task demands given by questioners (pṛcchakas) and demonstrate outstanding memory skills, but also specialized knowledge. The Avadhāna event, which involves partial improvisation, takes the form of an entertaining spectacle based on the set of rules assigned to its particular type. It becomes the 'ritual of memory', the celebration of innate and developed mental techniques performed by the avadhāni in front of an audience. The present paper aims at presenting the centuries-old tradition of Avadhāna from the point of view of its relation to ritual and other performative arts, as well as its performers and its contemporary components, such as the inclusion of painting, stage drama or elements of visual poetry. It stems from a field study conducted in 2015-2016 in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and from interviews with practitioners of the art of attention, Dr. R. Ganesh, Dr. Shankar Rajaraman and Dr. Medasani Mohan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]