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In Hindu legends, Lord Shiva, known as Nataraja, performs a cosmic dance that encompasses the creation, maintenance, and dissolution of the universe. This divine performance, known as the Tandava, symbolizes the eternal cycle of life and destruction.
Characters in the story:
Lord Shiva: Lord Shiva holds significant prominence in Hinduism as a prominent deity, revered for his role as the vanquisher of malevolence and the catalyst of universal change. Depicted in various forms, he is often portrayed as a tranquil ascetic engaged in deep meditation or as the divine dancer, adorned with a third eye, an entwined serpent around his neck, and a trident grasped firmly in his hand.
In Hindu tradition, Lord Shiva is revered as Nataraja, or the Lord of the Dance, who performs the Tandava—a cosmic dance that manifests the universe’s creation, sustenance, and dissolution. The world-renowned depiction of Nataraja reached its definitive form as a bronze sculpture during the Chola dynasty’s reign in South India by the 10th century. This depiction is celebrated as a seminal example of Indian sculpture, perfectly blending symbolic meaning with artistic form.
Shiva as Nataraja is adorned with various symbols, each carrying deep significance:
- Upper Right Hand: In his upper right hand, Shiva clasps the damaru, a small, hourglass-shaped drum. This instrument is emblematic of the sound that initiates creation and sustains the universe.
- Upper Left Hand: In the upper left hand, Shiva holds Agni, or fire, which epitomizes the ultimate destruction and the disintegration of form, from which a new universe will emerge.
- Below Right Hand: Shiva’s second right hand is posed in the Abhaya mudra, symbolizing fearlessness in Sanskrit, which provides liberation from fear and grants protection against evil and ignorance.
- Below Left Hand: The second left hand of Shiva gestures towards his raised foot, indicating elevation and liberation. This gesture resembles the trunk of an elephant, symbolizing wisdom.
- The Dwarf on which Shiva Dances: Shiva performs his dance atop the dwarf demon Apasmara, representing the perpetual battle against ignorance, which cannot be completely defeated but can be subdued.
- Flame: The flames encircling him depict the visible universe.
- Snake Around Waist: The kundalini, symbolizing the divine energy present in all beings, coils around Shiva’s waist. His intense dance causes his matted hair to come undone and fly around him.
- Ganga on Hair: Nestled in his hair is the small figure of the river goddess Ganga, with her hands clasped. Shiva cushioned her descent from the heavens to Earth with his hair, preventing the Earth from being overwhelmed by her force.
- Face of Shiva: Throughout his dance of creation and destruction, Shiva’s expression remains serene and neutral, reflecting his complete balance.
- Tiger Skin: Nataraja is adorned with a tiger skin, representing Ahankara, or ego.
- The Deer: Beside him is a deer, symbolizing the mind that continuously leaps from one thought to another.
- The Moon: Represents the celestial light.
- The Setting: The dance takes place in a cremation ground, symbolizing the place where worldly desires and identities are obliterated, leaving only the pure essence of consciousness, unattached and singular.
This form of Shiva is venerated especially during the Arudra festival in the Tamil month of Margazhi (December-January), celebrated with a special offering of rice, jaggery, moong dal, coconut, cardamom, and ghee, accompanied by a seven-vegetable curry known as thalagam or ezhu curry kootu.
A prayer dedicated to this divine form eloquently praises Shiva:
“Angikam bhuvanam yasya
Vachikam sarva vangmayam
Aharyam chandra taradi
Tam namah satvikam Shivam.”
(We bow to that virtuous Shiva, whose limbs embody the universe, whose speech is all-encompassing, and whose ornaments are the moon and stars.)
Lord Shiva, as Nataraja, embodies the cosmic cycle of creation, preservation, and destruction through his divine dance, symbolizing profound spiritual truths and universal laws. His dance, rich with symbols, not only captivates the world but also imparts wisdom about the eternal rhythm of existence.
