Hidden facts of Nataraj-The hindu god
Why the name Nataraj : Lord
Shankara is seldom worshipped in a non-Shiva Linga form, like Nataraja.
The most famous temple for Nataraja is the Chidambaram Temple. There is a beautiful story about how shiva got the name Nataraj.
Once Lord Shiva and Goddess Kali wanted to judge who was the best in dance and expression. Lord Vishnu was the Judge. Lord Shiva's dance was natural and effortless. His expression flowed along with his movements and it mesmerized all the demigods and sages who were witnessing it. Goddess Kali also danced in the same way . She did just as Lord Shiva did, following his every pose and expression with the same grace. Then Lord Shiva lifted his right leg, dipped it in kumkum (saffron) and touched Goddess Kali's forehead and applied Kumkum to her. Goddess Kali was surprised. She couldn't do that for her husband. She smiled at him and stopped her dance. This was how the Lord Shiva was declared 'Nataraja' by Lord Vishnu.Lord Nataraja's dance gave way to 72 dance forms, the most notable one being Bharathanatyam itself.Lord Nataraja's pose is widely considered as 'Abhaya Mudhra'. He has his right foot on a demon named 'Apasmara', a symbol of false knowledge, there by ignorance. Apasmara is always connected to Lord Nataraja and hence is not seperated from him. The circle of fire around him that starts and ends at his feet denotes the birth, sustenance and death of life/creation. The snake around him has been interpreted by scholars as Kundalini Shakti(life/breath/prana energy).
His left hand points to his left leg and the right hand shows abhaya. The meaning is obvious. If we surrender ourselves to his feet, Nataraja will lift us from our ignorance and the circle of life/death. One very beautiful detail we can 'observe' in this is that his left leg and left hand are parellel, not his right leg and right hand. His left side in the Arthanarishwara form denotes Goddess Shakti herself, the reason of creation and seeming change in non-duality, all the while staying the same. Lord Shiva never touches the circle, (his crown included) and Goddess Shakti represents Maya that makes one recognise him. Hence Lord Nataraja's left leg is raised, not the right one.
Nataraja's dance is called cosmic because his dance is what the creation is about. No creation, no dance. He is Parabrahman himself. Then moment the apasmara (ignorance) rises, he starts his dance. The beauty of it is that Nataraja's dance is both the reason and the consequence of itself, the circle.
His dance is not for the oppression, but for the liberation of the soul and its merging into himself, Parameshwara.
Beautiful image of ardhanareshwar
Baliga Shilpa Pai
Once Lord Shiva and Goddess Kali wanted to judge who was the best in dance and expression. Lord Vishnu was the Judge. Lord Shiva's dance was natural and effortless. His expression flowed along with his movements and it mesmerized all the demigods and sages who were witnessing it. Goddess Kali also danced in the same way . She did just as Lord Shiva did, following his every pose and expression with the same grace. Then Lord Shiva lifted his right leg, dipped it in kumkum (saffron) and touched Goddess Kali's forehead and applied Kumkum to her. Goddess Kali was surprised. She couldn't do that for her husband. She smiled at him and stopped her dance. This was how the Lord Shiva was declared 'Nataraja' by Lord Vishnu.Lord Nataraja's dance gave way to 72 dance forms, the most notable one being Bharathanatyam itself.Lord Nataraja's pose is widely considered as 'Abhaya Mudhra'. He has his right foot on a demon named 'Apasmara', a symbol of false knowledge, there by ignorance. Apasmara is always connected to Lord Nataraja and hence is not seperated from him. The circle of fire around him that starts and ends at his feet denotes the birth, sustenance and death of life/creation. The snake around him has been interpreted by scholars as Kundalini Shakti(life/breath/prana energy).
His left hand points to his left leg and the right hand shows abhaya. The meaning is obvious. If we surrender ourselves to his feet, Nataraja will lift us from our ignorance and the circle of life/death. One very beautiful detail we can 'observe' in this is that his left leg and left hand are parellel, not his right leg and right hand. His left side in the Arthanarishwara form denotes Goddess Shakti herself, the reason of creation and seeming change in non-duality, all the while staying the same. Lord Shiva never touches the circle, (his crown included) and Goddess Shakti represents Maya that makes one recognise him. Hence Lord Nataraja's left leg is raised, not the right one.
Nataraja's dance is called cosmic because his dance is what the creation is about. No creation, no dance. He is Parabrahman himself. Then moment the apasmara (ignorance) rises, he starts his dance. The beauty of it is that Nataraja's dance is both the reason and the consequence of itself, the circle.
His dance is not for the oppression, but for the liberation of the soul and its merging into himself, Parameshwara.
Beautiful image of ardhanareshwar
Baliga Shilpa Pai
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