Dance of Shiva

THE COSMIC DANCE OF SIVA NATARÅJA IS BOTH SYMBOL AND REALITY. IT IS THE MOVEMENT OF CREATION, PRESERVATION, AND DISSOLUTION.

THE TRIAD WHICH TAKEN TOGETHER IS THE PRINCIPLE OF MÅYÅ, GOD’S ENDLESS IMPULSE, TAKING place within each of us and within every atom of the universe. We are all dancing with Siva this very moment and He with us. In the midst of His agitated dance, God Siva’s HEAD is balanced and still, His EXPRESSION serene and calm, in perfect equipoise as to the unmoved Mover. His right EARRING, made of a snake, is masculine. His left, a large discus, is feminine. Together they symbolize the fact that Siva is neither male nor female, but transcends both. God Siva’s THIRD EYE is the eye of fire and symbolizes higher perception, extending throughout the past, present, and future. God Siva’s HAIR is in the long untended locks of the ascetic, flying out energetically.

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On His hair are the SERPENT SESA NÅGA, representing the cycle of years; a SKULL, symbolizing Siva’s power of destruction; the fifth-day CRESCENT MOON, symbolizing His creative power; and the GODDESS GANGÅ, India’s most sacred river, a symbol of descending grace. God Siva’s BACK LEFT-HAND holds a blazing flame, the fire God Agni, symbolizing His power of destruction, samhâra, by which the universe is reabsorbed at the end of each cycle of creation, only to be recreated again by God Siva. This hand represents NA in the Pañchâkshara Mantra, Na-Ma-Si-Vâ-Ya. His PLANTED FOOT stands for the syllable MA and symbolizes His concealing grace, tirodhâna Sakti, which limits consciousness, allowing souls to mature through experience. Siva dances upon the figure known as APASMÅRA, “forgetful or heedless,” who represents the soul bound by anava Mala, the individuating veil of duality, source of separation from God. Apasmârapurusha looks up serenely at Lord Siva’s raised foot, the ultimate refuge, release, and destiny of all souls without exception. Lord Siva’s LEFT FRONT HAND, representing the syllable VÅ, held in the elephant trunk pose, Gajahasta, points to His left foot, source of revealing grace, anugraha Sakti, by which souls return to Him. Left and right back arms are balanced, as are creation and destruction.

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Siva’s BACK RIGHT HAND, standing for the syllable SI, holds the thin waisted rattle drum, damaru, symbol of creation, srish†i, which begins with soundless sound, Paranâda, from which arises the mantra Aum.

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The FRONT RIGHT HAND is raised in the gesture abhaya, “fear not,” symbolizing Siva’s power of sthiti, preservation, and protection, and standing for the syllable YA. Lord Siva’s RAISED FOOT symbolizes His revealing grace, by which the soul ultimately transcends the bonds of ânava, karma, and mâyâ and realizes its identity with Him.

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Lord Siva’s SKIN is a pinkish color. His body is smeared with white HOLY ASH, vibhûti, symbol of purity. The BLUE THROAT represents His compassion in swallowing the deadly hâlâhala poison to protect mankind. He wears a SKULL NECKLACE, symbolizing the perpetual revolution of ages. The SERPENT JAHNUWI adorns His body, a symbol of His identity with the kundalinî power, the normally dormant spiritual force within man coiled at the base of the spine. Raised through yoga, this force propels man into God-Realization.

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Siva wears a TIGER SKIN, a symbol of nature’s power. His SASH, ka†ibhandha, is blown to one side by His rapid movement. The ARCH OF FLAMES, prabhâvali, in which Siva dances is the Hall of Consciousness. Each flame has three sub-flames, symbolizing fire on Earth, in the atmosphere, and in the sky. At the top of the arch is MAHÅKÅLA, “Great time.” Mahåkâla is God Siva Himself who creates, transcends, and ends time.

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Siva Na†arâja dances within the state of timeless transcendence. The double lotus PEDESTAL, mahâmbujapî†ha, symbolizes manifestation. From this base springs the cosmos.

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The four sacred Vedas, mankind’s oldest scriptures, intone, “To Rudra [Siva], Lord of sacrifice, of hymns and balmy medicines, we pray for joy and health and strength. He shines in splendor like the sun, refulgent as bright gold is He, the good, the best among the Gods (Rig Veda 1.43.4- 5).”

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“He is God, hidden in all beings, their inmost soul who is in all. He watches the works of creation, lives in all things, watches all things. He is pure consciousness, beyond the three conditions of nature (Yajur Veda, Svetâsvatara Upanishad 6.11 upm).”