Hi,
I have doubts about Lord Natraja and his pose. I thought I should understand really well before explaining to my kids.
1. Shiva is shown with four arms. I was just reading that it symbolises 4 directions(North, south, east and west). Is this right? Can somebody explain more on this.
2. He holds the damaru which creates sound. The sound can mean the birth of something. - hope I am right
3. He holds the fire - meaning destruction. What is destruction mean here. Is it destruction of the evil? When explaining I can't talk things like death, so is it ok to say destruction of bad people.
4. What does the demon signify? I know it is pride, ignorance. How is it different from the fire? That is also destruction and this is also more like destruction.
5. Some sites have mentioned about snake and some have also mentioned about cobra around his waist.
What does snake and cobra signify here.
What does his loose hair signify.
Would be happy if somebody answers this.
Thank you.
Lord natraja's Pose and its meaning
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rshankar
- Posts: 13754
- Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26
Re: Lord natraja's Pose and its meaning
The iconography of Siva as natarAja is rather complex and here's some of what I've understood.
I hope people like Rajani, Keerthi, Umesh, Sachi and others will add/correct to these:
Siva is depicted as holding a battle axe (mazhu), a deer (mAn), a ball of fire, and a damaru in his hands, with a cobra for a garland, and tiger-skin as his lower garment.
All of these were invoked from the sacrificial fire by the 3000 (tritIya sahasra) ascetics (dIkshta) of the taDavana of cidambaram and thrown at the sky-clad (digambara - in other words, naked) youth that had the rishi-patnis following him. They did not realize that it was Siva who had come to teach them the error of their ways. He grabs the cobra and uses it as a garland, the deer with sharp horns is tamed and held in his hand, as are the battle-axe, the ball of fire, and the damaru - as Siva rattled the damaru, all the languages of the world emerged (vAcikam sarva vAngmayam), and he kills the tiger, skins it, and covers his lower body. The final assault from the ascetics comes in the form of an evil dwarf called muyalakan - Siva subdues him and dances on his back - and as he does that, the amazed ascetics realize their folly and lose their ego and ignorance and become enlightened- so the dwarf symbolizes ignorance and by dancing on him, Siva destroys ignorance.
Another aspect to the iconography is the reference to the five elements (panca bhUta):
He holds the fire
The gangA symbolizes water
His long locks capture the wind/air
His feet are on the dwarf who rests on the earth
The moon symbolizes the sky/ether.
I hope people like Rajani, Keerthi, Umesh, Sachi and others will add/correct to these:
Siva is depicted as holding a battle axe (mazhu), a deer (mAn), a ball of fire, and a damaru in his hands, with a cobra for a garland, and tiger-skin as his lower garment.
All of these were invoked from the sacrificial fire by the 3000 (tritIya sahasra) ascetics (dIkshta) of the taDavana of cidambaram and thrown at the sky-clad (digambara - in other words, naked) youth that had the rishi-patnis following him. They did not realize that it was Siva who had come to teach them the error of their ways. He grabs the cobra and uses it as a garland, the deer with sharp horns is tamed and held in his hand, as are the battle-axe, the ball of fire, and the damaru - as Siva rattled the damaru, all the languages of the world emerged (vAcikam sarva vAngmayam), and he kills the tiger, skins it, and covers his lower body. The final assault from the ascetics comes in the form of an evil dwarf called muyalakan - Siva subdues him and dances on his back - and as he does that, the amazed ascetics realize their folly and lose their ego and ignorance and become enlightened- so the dwarf symbolizes ignorance and by dancing on him, Siva destroys ignorance.
Another aspect to the iconography is the reference to the five elements (panca bhUta):
He holds the fire
The gangA symbolizes water
His long locks capture the wind/air
His feet are on the dwarf who rests on the earth
The moon symbolizes the sky/ether.
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Umesh
- Posts: 361
- Joined: 04 Jun 2006, 12:59
Re: Lord natraja's Pose and its meaning
I have always loved this series about Nataraja and the image's (theorized) underlying philosophy.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... iraPNpbHfh
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... iraPNpbHfh
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Rsachi
- Posts: 5039
- Joined: 31 Aug 2009, 13:54
Re: Lord Nataraja's Pose and its meaning
Laya2,
We need to understand the iconography of deities always at three levels: 1 Mythology 2. Metaphysical symbolism 3. Aesthetics. There is perhaps no end to possible interpretations of such a glorious image!
I quote two beautiful sources. The first is from Ananda Coomaraswamy, the authority on Shiva and iconography. From his book, The Dance of Shiva, 1918:
The second I scanned from my copy of E.B.:
The key takeaways for me, as Americans say, are:
1. ABHAYA OR GRACE.
2. GOD's SPORT(dance) OF CREATION AND DESTRUCTION
3. ANNIHILATION OF OUR IGNORANCE CAUSED BY MAYA.
The demon under his foot, Apasmara, is also shown in the iconography of Dakshinamurti. So the demon obviously represents ignorance.
About Devadutt Pattanaik, I find him always Bollywoodising our mythology. I would take all his stories and messages with a lot of salt. Just my opinion!
We need to understand the iconography of deities always at three levels: 1 Mythology 2. Metaphysical symbolism 3. Aesthetics. There is perhaps no end to possible interpretations of such a glorious image!
I quote two beautiful sources. The first is from Ananda Coomaraswamy, the authority on Shiva and iconography. From his book, The Dance of Shiva, 1918:
The second I scanned from my copy of E.B.:
The key takeaways for me, as Americans say, are:
1. ABHAYA OR GRACE.
2. GOD's SPORT(dance) OF CREATION AND DESTRUCTION
3. ANNIHILATION OF OUR IGNORANCE CAUSED BY MAYA.
The demon under his foot, Apasmara, is also shown in the iconography of Dakshinamurti. So the demon obviously represents ignorance.
About Devadutt Pattanaik, I find him always Bollywoodising our mythology. I would take all his stories and messages with a lot of salt. Just my opinion!
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Rajani
- Posts: 1229
- Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 19:52
Re: Lord natraja's Pose and its meaning
I heard another lovely idea from Suki Sivam : Dance is probably the only art form that can never be seen separate from the dancer. Hence Nataraja performing the five Krityas (creation, protection etc.) is shown as a dancer in accordance to the Advaitic philisophy that creation is not separate from the creator.
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Rsachi
- Posts: 5039
- Joined: 31 Aug 2009, 13:54
Re: Lord natraja's Pose and its meaning
True! Rajani, both music and dance are spontaneous, in the moment, expressions of the creative energy available instantly to us, and they do not require to be first "finished" and unveiled like a sculpture or a painting. IN fact I suspect that is what Coomaraswamy says when he uses the word "plastic" vs "verbal". Something in the moment, impacting us instantly, is verbal, whereas something created and then unveiled, is plastic.