Sacrifice – Internal and External
The Āgama and Tantra texts are clear on the role of music and dance. The seeker-artist must first perform the "Internal Sacrifice" (antar-yāga, also called hṛd-yāga or the yaga within the heart), and only then may he proceed to render his music, dance, and other items that go to constitute what is called the "External Sacrifice" (bahir-yāga). A preeminent Āgama-text called Ahirbudhnya-saṁhitā states this clearly. Refer Ahirbudhnya-saṁhitā 28.29:
hṛdyāgaṁ prathamaṁ kuryānniyatendriya-mānasaḥ |
gīta-vāditra-nṛttādyair devam abhyarcayet tataḥ ||
हृद्यागं प्रथमं कुर्यान्नियतेन्द्रिय-मानसः ।
गीत-वादित्र-नृत्तादयैर्देवमभ्यर्चयेत्ततः ॥
This idea is reiterated in Śāradā-tilaka of Lakṣmaṇa Deśikendra, a key text on Tantra.
Śāradātilaka 18.97: iti sampūjya deveśaṁ bhaktyā paramayā yutaḥ |
prīṇayennṛttya-gītādyaiḥ stotrair mantrair manoharaiḥ ||
इति संपूज्य देवेशं भक्त्या परमया युतः ।
प्रीणयेन्नृत्त-गीताद्यस्स्तोत्रैर्मन्त्रैर्मनोहरैः ॥
Here we wish to cite from two texts, one an Āgama and the other a Tantra, again - one a typically Vaiṣṇavite text, and the other, typically Śaivite, for corroboration and confirmation. The Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa accords a supreme place to the renderings of music and dance, characterizing them as 'by far surpassing the offerings of flowers,' and averring that 'the Lord is pleased especially with a performance of dance by the worshipper,' and concluding that the artist 'reaps the benefit of the very performance of a sacrifice.' Viṣṇudharmottara-purāṇa 3.34.23-29:
23 so'pi tuṣyati nṛttena samyag āradhito haraḥ |
anye ca devās tuṣyanti samyaṅnṛttena toṣitāḥ ||
25 puṣpa-naivedya-dānebhyo nṛttadānaṁ viśiṣyate ||
26 svayaṁ nṛttena yaḥ kuryād devadevasya pūjanam |
viśeṣeṇa mahābhāga tasya tuṣyati keśavaḥ ||
27 nṛttaṁ gītaṁ tathā vādyaṁ datvā devāya viṣṇave |
sarva-kāma-samṛddhasya yajñasya phalam aśnute ||
29 devatārādhanaṁ kuryāt yas tu nṛttena dharmavit |
sa sarva-kāmān āpnoti mokṣopāyaṁ ca vindati ||
२३ सोऽपि तुष्यति नृत्तेन सम्यग् आरधितो हरः |
अन्ये च देवास् तुष्यन्ति सम्यङ्नृत्तेन तोषिताः ||
२५ पुष्प-नैवेद्य-दानेभ्यो नृत्तदानं विशिष्यते ||
२६ स्वयं नृत्तेन यः कुर्याद् देवदेवस्य पूजनम् |
विशेषेण महाभाग तस्य तुष्यति केशवः ||
२७ नृत्तं गीतं तथा वाद्यं दत्वा देवाय विष्णवे |
सर्व-काम-समृद्धस्य यज्ञस्य फलम् अश्नुते ||
२९ देवताराधनं कुर्यात् यस् तु नृत्तेन धर्मवित् |
स सर्व-कामान् आप्नोति मोक्षोपायं च विन्दति ||