Shiva is also regarded as the patron god of yoga and artsShiva meaning "The Auspicious One. Mahadeva, Mahesh or Bholenath, is a popular Hindu deity and
considered the Supreme God within Shaivism, one of the three most influential
denominations in Hinduism. Shiva is regarded as one of the primary forms of
God, and "the Destroyer" or "the Transformer"
Shiva of the highest level is limitless, transcendent,
unchanging and formlessHowever, Shiva also has many benevolent and fearsome
forms. In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient yogi who lives an
ascetic life on Mount Kailash, as well as a householder with wife Parvati and
two sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya or as the Cosmic
Dancer. In fierce aspects, he is often depicted slaying demons. The most
recognizable iconographical attributes of the god are a third eye on his
forehead, a snake around his neck, the crescent moon adorning and the river
Ganga flowing from his matted hair, the trishula as his weapon and the damaru
as his instrument.
Tandav as traditionally known, is a dance form promoted by
Shiva in his Nataraj avatar. As Nataraj, Shiva is believed to assume two states – the super-conscious state (samadhi),
also known as the unmanifest (nirgun) and the tandav, also known as the
manifest (sagun). As Nataraj, Shiva is the dancer as well as the observer. The
role that Nataraj plays is to bring about activity in the Universe with the
commencement of Tandav and to merge all creation into him when he stops it. In
short, Nataraj is the manifest representation of all activity of God. In other
words, Natraj is the metaphysical representation of "Being Divine" in the physical
realm.
Lord Shiva is also known as Nataraj, the Dancing God. This
divine art form is performed by Lord Shiva and his divine consort Goddess
Parvati. The dance performed by Lord Shiva is known as Tandava. Shiva’s Tandava
is a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation
and dissolution. Tandava depicts his violent nature as the destroyer of the
universe.
Characteristics of Tandava Dance
According to
scholars, ‘Characteristics of the Tandava Dance’ have been described in the
fourth chapter of Bharat Muni’s Nata Shastra, which is referred to as fifth
Veda and an expression of Lord Shiva’s eternal dance - Tandava. It says that
Shiva’s Tandava is embellished with 108 karanas and the 32 anghaharas - the
composite parts of the dance. Bharat Muni further says that Lord Shiva
conceived the dance, as he was very much fond of dancing every evening. Shiva
further mentioned that 108 karnas included in tandava could be employed in the
course of dance, fight, and personal combats and in other special movements
like strolling.
Types of Tandava
Some scholars believe
that there are seven different types of Tandava. The tandava performed with joy
is called Ananda Tandava and that which is performed in violent mood is called
Rudra Tandava. The other types of tandava identified are Tripura Tandava,
Sandhya Tandava, Samara Tandava, Kaali Tandava, Uma Tandava and Gauri Tandava.
However, there are few people who believe that there are 16 types of Tandava.
Significance of Shiva's Tandava Nritya
According to
religious scholars, the cosmic dance of Shiva, called 'Anandatandava,' meaning,
‘the Dance of Bliss’ symbolizes the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction,
as well as the daily rhythm of birth and death. The dance is a pictorial
allegory of the five principle manifestations of eternal energy - creation,
destruction, preservation, salvation, and illusion.
The dance of Shiva also represents his five activities
namely,
'Shrishti' - creation, evolution
'Sthiti' - preservation, support
'Samhara' - destruction, evolution
'Tirobhava' - illusion
'Anugraha' - release, emancipation, grace
THE GOD of Love, Dance and Purity is Shiva. He Loves Dancing in every mood
and expression .
God Shiva give us the best way to control and express our
views and emotions.
