|
|
| Home | Saivism Sects | Articles | Siva Pantheon | e-Texts | Prayers | Links |
|
Articles on Saivism AgamasAspects Of Lord Siva Siva In Malay Tradition Sagara Manthan Durites Of Householder The Birth River Ganges The Story Of Mahadev Maya, The Delusion Symbolism of Nataraja Pasa in Saivism Pasu The Deluded Soul Pati the Lord of Creation Pati and Pasu The Liberation of Souls Shakti, the Energy of Siva Shakti And Maya The Worship of Sivalingas The 36 Tattvas Siva--Ideal of Manhood How To Worship Lord Shiva History Of Saivism Evolution Of SaivismSaivism In Southern India Siva and Vishnu Sects Of Saivism Saiva SiddhantaVira Saivism Kashmiri Saivism Gorakhnatha Saivism Pasupatha Saivism The Ganapatya Sect Saiva Pantheon GaneshaSkanda Kumara Shakti Saiva Texts Devi GitaSiva and Saivism Sects Shakti as Mantra The Siva Sutras Sacred Places of Mother Goddess Worship Of The World Mother Eightfold Yoga and Mantra Siddhi Prayers 108 Names of Lord ShivaShiva Aparadha Kshamapana Stotram Ardha Nareeswara Ashtakam Bilwashtakam Chandrasekharashtakam Chidambareswara Stotram Daridraya Dahana Shiva Stotram A Prayer to Kalabhairava Lingashtakam Shiva Nama Malyashtakam Shiva Mangalashtakam Margabandhu Stotram Maha Mrityunjaya Stotram Nathopadesa Storam Shiva Panchakshara Stotram Parameshwara Stotram Pasupathyashtakam Pradosha Mahatmyam Shiva Raksha Stotram Satha Rudriyam Shiva Sadakshara Stotram Sadasivashtakam Shiva Sahasra Namam Samkarashtakam Sasakti Shiva Navakam Shiva Mahimnah Stotram Shivashtakam Shiv Chalisa Veda Sara Shiva Sthavam Sri Viswanatha Suprabathashtakam Shiva Thandava Stotram Thiruvempavai The Thousand Names of Lord Siva Vaidyanatha Ashtakam Vaidyanatha Namaskaram |
Symbolism of Nataraja, The Lord Of The Universal Dance
by Jayaram V The symbolism of Siva Nataraja is religion, art and science merged as one. In God's endless dance of creation, preservation, destruction and paired graces is hidden a deep understanding of our universe. Aum Namah Sivaya. - Dancing with Siva Else where we have discussed the meaning and symbolism of the dance of Nataraja. In this article we will try to cover a few more aspects. Nataraja is Siva in the form of the Lord of the Dance. He represents the combined might of the dynamic universal energy and the awakened Brahman or Saguna Brahman. He is the source of all life, activity (chetana) and vibration (spandana). His dance is the dance of creation. The circle of fire that surrounds Him is His primal energy that flows out of Him and again into Him. The being lying at His feet is the jiva or the deluded soul whom he shapes through a painful process of karma and suffering and liberates Him in the end from bondage. His dance is rhythmic, regular and perfect. It is the Rtam (rhythm) of divine perfection, which is hidden in the entire universe as an underlying current or subtle vibration. It manifests itself in many things, in the regularity of the seasons, the movement of the planets, the cyclical nature of creation, the physical, chemical and biological laws of our universe, the biorhythms of our bodies and the constitution of our cells, molecules and atoms. The duality or multiplicity of objects in the image is for the beholder but in truth it is one complete image of the supreme Siva. Whatever that may appear to us as separate parts of one image is but an illusion that arises because of our experience of duality. The energy or shakti that manifests out of Him as a ring of fire is not separate from Him because it cannot hold itself or survive without Him. So is the apasmaramurthy under His feet. If you look carefully, the being is not separate from Siva. It is connected with Him as well as with the rest of the creation. The idea that he is suffering being crushed by the feet of Siva is an illusion of our minds, a projection of our thought and an idea that exists in our minds because when we look at the image of Nataraja we, as limited beings, identify ourselves with the apasmaramurthy lying at His feet, but not with Siva, the dancer. The circle of His energy starts from there and also ends there. There in lies the mystery. The whole of the image is an assurance to us that creation is not a chaotic and accidental phenomena but a guided and rhythmic movement under the mastery and control of the eternal self and that we too can become masters of our own movements and action by liberating ourselves from the limitations of smallness (anava) and delusion (apasmara). |
Statue of Nataraja, Lord of the Dance
Loading
Related Links Symbolism Of NatarajaSymbolic Significance of Hindu Trinity Dancing with Siva, Hinduism's Contemporary Catechism Shiva as Nataraja - Dance and Destruction In Indian Art Chidambaram Natarajar Temple naTaraja- symbolism Books On Nataraja
The Cosmic Dancer, Shiva Nataraja: An "Objects in Context"
Exhibition Organized by the Asia Socity Galleries ~ Director Vishakha
N. Desai
The Home of Dancing Sivan: The Traditions of the Hindu Temple in Citamparam ~ Paul Younger The Dance of Siva: Religion, Art and Poetry in South India (Cambridge Studies in Religious Traditions) ~ David Smith Nataraja ~ Jonathan Harvey Nataraja the Dancing God ~ P. Banerjee In the kingdom of Nataraja: A guide to the temples, beliefs and people of Tamil Nadu ~ Chantal Boulanger Nataraja: An interpretation ~ S. V Chamu Siva-Nataraja, the cosmic dancer in Chid-ambaram ~ J. M Somasundaram Pillai Nataraja in art, thought and literature ~ C Sivaramamurti Siva-Nataraja: the lord of the dance, drama and music ~ Vasant V. Merchant Nataraja - The Dancing God The Nataraja Temple: History, art, and architecture ~ T Satyamurti Nataraja in South Indian Art ~ J. Soundarajan Chidambaram: Home of Nataraja ~ Vivek Nanda P.S: Some of these texts may be currently unavailable. You may search the internent for old copies, or use this link to search for rare, old and used books at bargain prices
|
|
|||||
| © 2007 -2010 Jayaram V. All Rights Reserved |