Day 1 – Q 5.Nataraj, the dancing form of Lord Shiva, is a symbolic synthesis of the most important aspects of Hinduism, and the summary of the central tenets of this Vedic religion. Comment.

5. Nataraj, the dancing form of Lord Shiva, is a symbolic synthesis of the most important aspects of Hinduism, and the summary of the central tenets of this Vedic religion. Comment.

नटराज, भगवान शिव का नृत्य करता रूप, हिंदू धर्म के सबसे महत्वपूर्ण पहलुओं और इस वैदिक धर्म के केंद्रीय सिद्धांतों का सारांश है। टिप्पणी करें।

Introduction:

The term ‘Nataraja’ means ‘King of Dancers’ . It is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the cosmic ecstatic dancer.

The pose and artwork is described in many Hindu texts such as the Anshumadbhed agama and Uttarakamika agama.

Body:

Nataraja as synthesis of important aspects and summary of central tenets of Hinduism.

• Nataraja is shown with four hands representing the four cardinal directions (North, South, East, West). These cardinal directions are central to Hindu astrology (Vaastu Shastra).
• This cosmic dance of Shiva is called ‘Ananda tandava,’ meaning the Dance of Bliss which symbolizes the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction as well as the daily rhythm of birth and death.
• The dance is a pictorial allegory of the five principle manifestations of eternal energy—creation, destruction, preservation, salvation, and illusion.
• He dances within a circular or cyclically closed arch of flames (prabha mandala), which symbolically represent the cosmic fire that in Hindu cosmology creates everything and consumes everything, in cyclic existence or cycle of life.
• The fire also represents the evils, dangers, heat, warmth, light and joys of daily life. The arch of fire emerges from two makara on each end, which are water creatures and part of Hindu mythologies.
• The upper left-hand holds a flame, the lower left-hand points down to the dwarf, who is shown holding a cobra. The upper right-hand holds an hourglass drum or ‘dumroo’ that stands for the male-female vital principle, the lower shows the gesture of assertion: “Be without fear.”
• His palm shows the Abhaya mudra (meaning fearlessness in Sanskrit), suggesting the devotee who is righteous and follows dharma need not fear the nearby evil.
• The face shows two eyes plus a slightly open third on the forehead, which symbolize the trinity in Shaivism. The eyes represent the sun, the moon and the third has been interpreted as the inner eye, or symbol of knowledge (jnana), urging the viewer to seek the inner wisdom, self-realization.
• The three eyes alternatively symbolize an equilibrium of the three Guṇas: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas and is symbolic of his omniscience, insight, and enlightenment
• The dwarf on which Nataraja dances is the demon Apasmara purusha, the personification of illusion and ignorance over whom Shiva triumphs.
• On his head is a skull, which symbolizes his conquest over death.
• On his right side, meshed in with one of the flying strands of his hair near his forehead, is typically the river Ganges personified as a goddess, from the Hindu mythology where the danger of a mighty river is creatively tied to a calm river for the regeneration of life.
• The whole idol rests on a lotus pedestal, the symbol of the creative forces of the universe.

Conclusion:

Thus in Hindu mythology, it is a continual dance of creation and destruction involving the whole cosmos, the basis of all existence and of all natural phenomena unifying ancient mythology, religious art, and modern physics.