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''Nataraja'' (literally, ''The King of Dance'') is the dancing posture of Lord Śiva , the aspect of God as the Destroyer in Hinduism .
Within Lord Śiva's dancing manifestation is represented not only all of Time And Space , but also the primal creative force that is beyond the circle of illusion that mortals live within, all movement and vibration of the universe, and the stillness beyond all existence. The entire form of Nataraja can be seen to mirror the Hindu sacred syllable Aum , thus implying that Lord Śiva's dance of Destruction and Creation is contained within the existential principle of the Divine Sound. The image of the Lord as the Cosmic Dancer is shown at the Chidambaram temple, an unusual fact as Śiva is depicted in an Anthropomorphic form rather than in the typical non-anthromorphic form of the Linga . ORIGIN The visual image of Nataraja achieved Canonical form in the bronzes cast under the Chola dynasty in the Tenth Century AD, and then continued to be reproduced in metal, stone and other substances right up to the present times. The Chola Nataraja is often said to be the supreme statement of Hindu art. Chola Statue of ''Nataraja'' at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art , New York City]] One of the many legends on the conception of Śiva as Nataraja is this one: ''In a dense forest in South India, there dwelt multitudes of Heretical Sages . Thither proceeded Śiva to confute them, accompanied by Vishnu disguised as a beautiful woman. The sages were at first led to violent dispute amongst themselves, but their anger was soon directed against Śiva, and they endeavored to destroy him by means of incantations. A fierce tiger was created in sacrificial fires, and rushed upon him; but smiling gently, he seized it and, with the nail of his little finger, stripped off its skin, and wrapped it about himself like a silken cloth. Undiscouraged by failure, the sages renewed their offerings, and produced a monstrous serpent, which however Śiva seized and wreathed about his neck like a garland. Then he began to dance; but a last monster in the shape of a malignant dwarf rushed upon him. Upon him the god pressed the tip of his foot, and broke the creature’s back, so that it writhed upon the ground; and so, his last foe prostrate, Śiva resumed the dance.'' To understand the concept of Nataraja we have to understand the idea of dance itself. Like Yoga , dance induces Trance , Ecstasy and the experience of the Divine (see '' Sufi Whirling ''). In India, consequently, dance has flourished side by side with the austerities of meditation (as fasting, absolute introversion etc.). Śiva, therefore, the arch- Yogi of the gods, is necessarily also the master of the dance. Dancing is an art in which artist and the art he creates are one the same, evoking the oneness of God and Creation . Śiva Nataraja was first represented thus in a beautiful series of South Indian bronzes dating from the tenth and twelfth centuries A.D. In these images, Nataraja dances with his right foot supported by a crouching figure and his left foot elegantly raised. A cobra uncoils from his lower right forearm, and the crescent moon and a skull are on his crest. He dances within an arch of flames. This dance is called the Dance of Bliss, ''anandatandava''. SEE ALSO
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