The beat system of bharatnatyam confuses me to this day, but today I will tackle it. These are going to be my notes on this topic and I will attempt to connect the concepts to all of the adavus I know. Here’s a glossary of terms:

• Bol:
• Taal/Tala/Tal:
• Raag:
• Akshara/Kriya:
• Matra/Svara:
• Avartanam:
• Jathi/Chapu:

Note on the title: “Dhalanku Taku Dhiku Taka Tarikina Tom” is the most common “bol” used to start any bharatanatyam dance.