Shiva is commonly portrayed dancing within a circle of fire to symbolize his creative and destructive powers. Japan's capital was moved to Heian-ko between 784 and 794 to
The holy men acknowledged Shiva as their master. Thus, Lord Shiva, through his divine act of dance, in the form of Nataraja, takes away the ignorance from our minds. The representation of Shiva’s dance, Tandava can be interpreted in multiple ways.
The combination of the lower left hand pointing towards the raised upper right foot is a reflection of the entire symbolic meaning. Shiva gestures towards the raised foot as though to say, “See.”
In the upper left hand, Shiva holds a flaming torch. Scholars tend to call this torch, “the flame of extinction,” because of Shiva’s ability to destroy ignorance and delusion with fire. However, we already see this concept expressed in the ring of 29 flames. My view is that the torch denotes the gaining of wisdom.
Here we see that Shiva has defeated the demons of bondage and illusion through the discovery of self-knowledge. The combination of the lower left hand pointing towards the raised upper right foot is a reflection of the entire symbolic meaning. Shiva gestures towards the raised foot as though to say, “See.”.
The statue could actually be called “the dance of Shiva and Shakti” as it represents the reunion of Shiva and Shakti from Hindu mythology. Shiva is the male power representing consciousness together with the elements of fire and air. His consort, Shakti is the female quality and represents energy and the elements of earth and water.
The goal of hatha yoga is to bring balance to the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of the self. It is a discipline of self-control, perseverance and strength. All these qualities are reflected in the dance of Shiva and Shakti.
Ancient symbolism teaches us many lessons that are as pertinent today as they were thousands of years ago . The Gods are merely personifications of the human mind and the Nataraj playfully shows us how we can liberate our minds and become master of our emotions, thoughts and actions.
In the statue of the dancing Shiva, the fiery ring of the outer edge features 29 burning flames. In Hindu myth, Shiva often uses fire from his trident or his third eye to destroy enemies.
Symbolically, the ‘Nataraj’ represents enlightened persons that have mastered their emotions, nurtured a balanced personality and understand the True Self.
The dance the Gods are performing is a form of hatha yoga. Ha means Sun, Tha is Moon and yoga means union. In ancient symbolism, the sun represents the power of fire in masculine energy and the moon represents the soothing waters of the female energy.
A dance within the cosmic circle of fire. Here, Shiva embodies those perfect physical qualities as he is frozen in the moment of his dance within the cosmic circle of fire that is the simultaneous and continuous creation and destruction of the universe. The ring of fire that surrounds the figure is the encapsulated cosmos of mass, time, and space, ...
Shiva’s upper left hand holding the agni, the flame of destruction (detail), Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja), c. 11th century, Copper alloy, Chola period, 68.3 x 56.5 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) His lower right hand with his palm raised and facing the viewer is lifted in the gesture of the abhaya mudra , which says to the supplicant, ...
From the eleventh century and onwards, Hindu devotees carried these statues in processional parades as priests followed chanting prayers and bestowing blessings on people gathered for this purpose. Sometimes the statues would be adorned in resplendent red and green clothes and gold jewelry to denote the glorious human form of the gods. In these processions The Shiva Nataraja may have had its legs wrapped with a white and red cloth, adorned with flowers, and surrounded by candles. In a religious Hindu context, the statue is the literal embodiment of the divine. When the worshiper comes before the statue and begins to pray, faith activates the divine energy inherent in the statue, and at that moment, Shiva is present.
Bronzes of the Chola period such as Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja) arose out of a need to transmute the divine into a physical embodiment of beauty.
In a religious Hindu context, the statue is the literal embodiment of the divine. When the worshiper comes before the statue and begins to pray, faith activates the divine energy inherent in the statue, and at that moment, Shiva is present.
The Metropolitan Museum’s Shiva Nataraja was made some time in the eleventh century during the Chola Dynasty (ninth-thirteenth centuries C.E.) in south India, in what is now the state of Tamil Nadu. One of the longest lasting empires of south India, the Chola Dynasty heralded a golden age of exploration, trade, and artistic development.
His lower right hand with his palm raised and facing the viewer is lifted in the gesture of the abhaya mudra , which says to the supplicant, “Be not afraid, for those who follow the path of righteousness will have my blessing.”