Shiva, el Nataraja

Una imagen o aspecto de la personalidad de Sri Shiva

La pregunta que surge es: Es acaso la manifestacin del seor Shiva como
Nataraja, un aspecto de la persona de Shiva, o simplemente es una de las
variadas imgenes artsticas que se usan en su tradicional culto? o es
realmente as.
Para los crticos de arte no existen otras consideraciones salvo las que
definen el estilo, la poca de cada expresin iconogrfica, nada ms.
Mientras que para los metafsicos y telogos, la percepcin est sujeta a la
manifestacin encontrada en los Upanishads y los Puranas. Estos perciben
a Shiva como uno de los componentes de la Tri-murti Hind el aspecto
funcional triple de Dios, que se concentra en los aspectos de la creacin,
preservacin y disolucin, que traen al universo a la existencia, sustentacin
y finalmente a la supresin o disolucin de este. El seor Shiva ha sido visto
como la representacin del ltimo de estos tres aspectos, la disolucin.
Prajapati o Brahma es el representante del primer aspecto y Vishnu
representa la sustentacin.
Shiva en la literatura Vdica
La tradicin del culto al seor Shiva ha mostrado a lo largo del tiempo dos
tendencias. Una donde se entiende a Shiva como un linga, - su
manifestacin anicnica; y la otra, donde se le adora y reverencia con una
gama amplia de imgenes, entre ellas Nataraja, el rey de la danza.
El seor Shiva es concebido como Sadashiva, o aquel que est ms all del
tiempo y ms all de kalpa la extensin o duracin del tiempo previsto de
lo manifestado, es decir, la extensin exacta de lo manifestado y lo no
manifestado, lo que no quiere decir que es la medida del seor Shiva.
Para comprender esta afirmacin es importante aclarar lo siguiente: En la
cosmolgica Hind, el tiempo de vida del seor Shiva es el doble del seor
Vishnu, y el tiempo de vida del seor Vishnu es el doble del seor Brahma.
As que, en un kalpa, Brahma emerge en dos ocasiones, la duracin de
Vishnu dura toda una kalpa, mientras que la duracin del seor Shiva
termina ms all de la kalpa.
La vena mstica subyacente en la adoracin Shivaita, trabaja de manera
efectiva en el culto al seor Shiva, al igual que una semilla es la fuente de
todas las cosas y todos los seres, hombre o mujer, y otorgo su imagen en el
arte, con diferentes aspectos, as como consagrar un lugar sagrado, con una
imagen nueva conocida como Ardhanarishvara - la mitad hombres y mitad
mujeres. Los msticos sostenan que despus que seor Shiva se divide, es
cuando surge la vida y la materia - pran y bhuta. El Rig-Veda proclamada en

uno de los Suktas: l (el Rig-Veda no relaciona este "l" con Shiva, pero se
generaliza) es tanto masculino, como femenino. La filosofa Advaita
tambin sostiene que toda la creacin es simplemente la extensin del Uno.
Todas las formas de danza iniciadas
La ira y el deleite son dos tendencias expresivas bsicas de la mente,
incluyendo el buen gusto y el disfrute de la belleza. La danza
posteriormente fue clasificada como tandava y lasya, es decir, lo que revelo
la ira se clasifico como tandava, y el deleite se revelo como lasya, O sea,
que tandava revela el animo destructivo, y lasya revela el animo creativo.
Los telogos sostienen que la danza, por lo tanto, es el instrumento de
Shiva para crear y disolver. Sostienen que su cuerpo se volvi iracundo
como en la danza cuando destruy Tripura - el racimo de tres ciudades que
albergan tres hermanos demonios.
Tambin sostienen que la inmensidad de su ira era absoluta cuando el
universo entero se disolva. Por lo tanto, la inmensidad de la ira determina la
clase de 'tandava', si era la danza de la disolucin o la danza que destruy
una persona o algn objeto en particular. Shiva recurri a una forma de
danza similar a 'anandatandava tambin al destruir elefante demonio Gaya,
demonio Andhaka y cuando el cumplimiento de Trailokyavijaya - victoria de
tres mundos.
They also contend that immenseness of his ire was absolute when in it the
entire universe dissolved. Thus, immensity of wrath determined the class of
tandava, if it was the dance of dissolution or the dance that destroyed an
individual or some particular object. Shiva resorted to a dance form similar
to 'anandatandava' also when destroying elephant demon Gaya, demon
Andhaka and when accomplishing Trailokyavijaya victory of three worlds.
In similar vein metaphysicians hold that universe, his manifestation,
creation and dissolution, wherever occurring, occur in him. If a leaf falls and
decomposes, it is he who decays, and if a new shoot bursts, it is he who reemerges. It is he who effects creation as also dissolution and is yet above
both.
Thus, unlike a conceptual deity-image for sanctum an image of Shiva
engaged in dance, despite that it also involves a lot of symbolism and is
highly artistic, portrays an essential aspect of his being. Dance illustrates
one of the ever-first cosmic acts with which Shiva seems to have tamed
violent motion and separated from it rhythm, moves that communicated
emotions and states of mind human mind and the cosmic, and disciplined
and defined pace. Cosmos emerged with roaring horizons, tempestuous
winds, turbulent oceans, rocking mountains and moving earths. Shiva
arrested their unruliness into his limbs and noises into the beats of his drum.

His feet re-cast the unruly skies and violent waters, and all their cries and
commotion. Thus, unruly sounds were set to syllabic discipline, and cosmic
disorder, having been reduced to measured pace, was transformed into
ordered movement. A man of stage from his body gestures and movements
he revealed, and perhaps guided how to reveal, different emotions and
states of mind. He danced in delight as also to destroy. Thus in his case
neither a dance-image nor any is an artistic manipulation or just an image
for sanctum. Each of his images represents one of his aspects, an aspect of
mind but more truly that of the flesh.
Dimensions of tandava and lasya manifesting in Shiva
Shaivite thought metaphysical as well as devotional, abounds in numerous
myths of dance performed by Shiva and his consort Devi in her various
manifestations.
Unlike Vishnu who resorted to dance for accomplishing a contemplated
objective, Shiva has been conceived more or less as a regular dancer
performing for accomplishing an objective as also for pure aesthetic delight.
The tradition hence reveres him, besides as 'Adi-nratya-guru' the
originator and the first teacher of dance, also as Natesh or Nataraja the
king of dance.
In him revealed both faces of dance 'lasya' as well as 'tandava', of which
all subsequent dance forms were offshoots. 'Lasya', the dance of aesthetic
delight revealed beauty, grace, love and all tender aspects of existence.
'Lasya' is the mode that defined many of Shiva's iconographic forms
Kalyana-Sundara, Vrashavahana,
Yogeshvara,
Katyavalambita,
Sukhasanamurti, Chinamudra, Anugrahamurti, and Chandrashekhara.
Vyakhyanamurti
Chinamudra, Anugrahamurti, and Chandrashekhara.
'Tandava' more correctly 'ananda-tandava', was the dance of absolute
bliss, for after the Great Age had ended and dissolution had become
imperative, He the Great Shiva, Who alone remained to effect 're-birth' of
life on the cosmos, danced in absolute bliss over the head of dissolution. In
visual arts dissolution has been represented as Apasmarapurusha, the
demon of forgetfulness and darkness, which prevailed after dissolution.
Sound, which vibrated the space the first of the five elements the basic
constituents of creation, fire, the symbol of final conflagration as also of the
re-birth of energy the main source of life, and gestures of re-assurance,
fearlessness, release and liberation, accompanied 'ananda-tandava' as its
organs. These aspects largely concretized also his image in ananda-tandava

as it manifested in art and worship tradition especially in South where Shiva

is widely worshipped as Nataraja.
In ananda-tandava imagery Shiva carried a damaru double drum
suggestive of sound an essential component of ananda-tandava.
Ananda-tandava conceived Shivas image with flames of fire bursting from
one of his palms and as running through entire cosmos symbolized in
Shaivite imagery in the form of a fire-arch.
Similarly, assurance, freedom from fear, release are revealed in the
gestures of Shivas hands. It was in 'ananda-tandava' that the fivefold
activity creating, maintaining, veiling, unveiling, and destroying, and the
six celestial 'bhavas': 'shrishti' creation; 'sanhara' dissolution; 'vidya'
knowledge; 'avidya' ignorance; 'gati' motion; and 'agati' inertness,
revealed. 'Ananda-tandava', thus, encompassed the entire cosmos and its
phenomenal existence.
Informal image
In almost all manifestations Shivas images are informal though in a dance
form such aspect is best revealed. In a dance form the impassioned Shiva is
as a rule portrayed as passionately engaged in it each body-part involving in
its ecstasy. Unfurling locks of hair and his snakes floating into space portray
the dynamics of the act. Usually he his right leg planted on the figure of
Apasmarapurusha, and the left, turned to the right and shot with sublime
force into the space.
Shiva is usually a figure with normal two arms though his images portraying
him as engaged in dance are often four-armed.
Besides the normal right and left hands held in abhayand varad, the
upper right hand carries a double-drum, and the upper left, a flame of fire.
The term Nataraja, composed ofNata and Raja literally means king of
natas. However, in its width the term nata, an acrobat, means stageperformer. Thus, Nataraja means king of stage-performers or dancers. Shiva
danced to destroy and to create or to delight, but containing unruly motion
and to make it the instrument of expressing bhavas, an impulse that
required him to teach it to others, also made him the ever first teacher
'Adiguru' of dance.
Some other significant image forms of Shiva in dance
Later, Shiva was celebrated also as Nratya Dakshinamurti one who is
'daksha' or expert in dance and also as Natesh. Though the terms Natesh
and Nratya Dakshinamurti had greater breadth for these terms also included
lasya, besides tandava, his form that the term Nataraja denoted is largely

rigidified, has a better defined iconography and in common perception is

seen as better representing Shiva in 'Ananda-tandava' the dance of
dissolution. Various forms of Apasamarapurusha as variously decoded by
Shaivite thinkers, present also some variants of this form. Though ruthlessly
trampled under the feet in most cases the image of Apasamarapurusha lies
well contented as if awaiting the end of the dance and complete dissolution
of the cosmos for after the dissolution is absolute its reign the reign of
inertness, begins. Sometimes Apasamarapurusha is thoughtfully inclined as
if meditating on how it shall act after dissolution has taken place, and
sometimes carries a flower or some object assuring that soon the process of
re-creation shall begin.

This article by P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet

For Further Reference:

Rigveda : (ed.) Vishvabandhu : Vishveshvananda Vedic Research Institute,

Hoshiyarpur

Shiva Purana, Gita Press, Gorakhpur

Upanishad-anka, Gita Press, Gorakhpur

Linga Purana : (ed.) J. L. Shashtri, Delhi

Natyashashtra by Bharata Muni

A Concise Encyclopaedia of Hinduism, Ram Krishna Math, Benglore

Shivaramamurti : Nataraja in Art, Thought and Literature

V. S. Agrawal : Shiva Mahadeva, The Great God : Varanasi

Stella Kramrisch : The Presence Of Shiva : Delhi

Devdutt Pattanaik : Shiva, an Introduction