Shiva Lord of the Dance

The first time that I traveled around Europe, in the summer of 1986, I started my journey in Amsterdam, and made a trip to the Rijksmuseum there. While wandering through the halls of the museum, I was struck by a particular image; I stood staring at this bronze statue, unable to look away. Although I did not know it at the time, this was a depiction of the god Shiva as “Lord of the Dance,” the Nataraja in Sanskrit (nata, “dance”; raja, “lord”). My chance encounter with that fascinating image was the first step in my learning about Indian mythology, a topic that is often not well known or widely studied in America. In this article, I’d like to consider some of the stories that are embodied in this image of Shiva. Before you learn about the stories, however, take a moment to look at the image and see what effect it might have on you: view larger image of this statue.

Shiva, 12th century bronze. More information »

At the most fundamental level, the image tells the story of Shiva, the god who presides over the cosmic cycle of creation and destruction. The dancing Shiva is enclosed within a circular mandala of flames (prabhamandala) shown on a flat, two-dimensional plane, while the gestures of Shiva’s arms and legs describe a circle in space, in three dimensions. With your imagination, you need to supply the fourth dimension — time — which cannot be expressed in the static image: if you stare at the image and let the dancer begin to move, he will start to whirl in a circle, in the direction shone by his left leg which is lifted up and moving towards the right, as is his lower left arm. In addition to the whirling body of the god, you can also see his locks of matted hair whirling around, unbound; Shiva’s hair plays an important role in the god’s iconography and also in the stories told about him.

So what we see here is a cycle, a circle, a whirling dance in which opposed forces are in perfect balance. To read the story of the forces that are both unleashed here and held in check, we need to look at Shiva’s arms (four of them) and his legs. They tell the story of creation and destruction which has happened not just once but over and over again, and not just in the world outside, but in the world within, especially within the hearts of Shiva’s worshipers. Statues like this were of course not originally intended for museums, but instead were venerated in temples and carried in processions during holy days in honor of the god, inspiring dances performed by his followers.

In Shiva’s upper right hand, there is a small hourglass-shaped drum, called a damaru, which provides the music for the dance, and which also symbolizes the act of the creation of the world through sound. The role of sound is an essential force in Hindu cosmology: the Sanskrit language came into being, syllable by syllable, from the sound of Shiva’s drum beating.

Shiva’s drum (detail). More »

In Shiva’s upper left hand, there is a vessel of fire, which symbolizes destruction and dissolution.

Shiva’s fire (detail). More »

Yet while the upper hands hold the drum of creation and the fire of destruction, Shiva shows the gesture of fearlessness (the abhaya mudra) with his lower right hand. This gesture assures us of the stability of the world. There is a balance at work here, a profound one, and the dancing Shiva stands upright, even as the forces of creation and destruction are whirling around him.

Shiva’s hands (detail). More »

The lower left hand, meanwhile, turns our attention towards Shiva’s feet, where again we see the balance of two opposing forces. With his right foot, Shiva presses downward, expressing his veiled incarnation in the bodily world (tirobhava). Yet at the same time, with his left foot, Shiva is moving upwards as he bestows a blessing upon his followers, freeing them from the illusion of the world (maya) in an uplifting enlightenment.

Beneath the foot is a demon called Apasmara, who is simultaneously both an enemy of the god being crushed underfoot but also a worshipful devotee who gazes up reverently at the lord. On either side of the demon are two makaras, mythical river beasts like crocodiles. The circle of flames, which seems paradoxically to flow both into and out of their mouths, is another sign of the unbroken circularity of creation and destruction.

Shiva’s foot (detail). More »

Shiva’s face, meanwhile, is peaceful and impassive, expressing the balance of the interplay of forces, up and down, left and right, in and out, which are set in motion during the dance.

This general sense of balance and motion is immediately clear to anyone who gazes at the image; I think it is the sheer beauty of that basic visual impression which captured my rapt attention when I first saw the statue. Then, in addition to the visual language of the statue’s form, there are also symbols (far more symbols than I could cover in this brief article) incorporated into the image which allude to other stories about the god Shiva. Just to take one example, if you look closely, you can find the river goddess Ganga in Shiva’s hair.

Shiva’s hair (detail). More »

This figure alludes to the descent of the goddess Ganga — the river Ganges — through the hair of Shiva. Here is a brief account of that story: The 60,000 sons of King Sagara were chasing a sacred horse which they discovered at the hermitage of the great sage Kapila. Angry at being disturbed in his meditation, Kapila burned them all to ashes. The only way to purify their ashes would be to wash them in the river Ganga, but at that time Ganga was nowhere to be found on the earth; she lived in heaven with the other gods. King Sagara’s pious grandson Bhagiratha prayed to the gods for a thousand years until finally the god Brahma agreed to send Ganga down to earth. Yet Brahma warned Bhagiratha that the force of Ganga’s descent would destroy the world, so Bhagiratha then begged the god Shiva to break the river’s fall. Moved by Bhagiratha’s extreme penances, Shiva agreed to do this, and the floodtide of the Ganga crashed into the locks of his hair, and then splashed safely onto the earth, purifying everything in her path.

The goddess Ganga is just one of the objects shown in the whirling locks of Shiva’s statue. There are other objects there in his hair, and many other stories that the statue tells in this way, calling those myths to mind  for audiences who are already familiar with the god and his stories. Yet even without knowing the symbols or the allusions, you can still be swept away by the visual story itself — at least I was, as I gazed for the first time upon the Nataraja in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

 

Legend of Shiva Linga

II  Somvar (Somwar) Vrat Katha (Story) II
II सोमवार व्रत कथा II

This story is connected with Monday fast. Monday fast is practiced to propitiate Lord Shiva and Parvati. The panchakshara Mantra "Om Namah Shivaya" should be repeated on this day. The Monday fast is up to the third phase.

There are three types of Monday fast.

1. Simple every Monday fast.
2. Som pradosh fast
3. 16 weeks Monday fast.

The rituals are same for all the three fasting. After doing the Shiva puja the story must be read or heard. The stories of Pradosh fast and 16 Mondays are separate and are given here.

II Somya Pradosh Vrat Katha II Solah Somvar Katha II

Somvar Vrat Katha   

                                                                                        

II  Somvar (Somwar) Vrat Katha (Story) II
II सोमवार व्रत कथा II

 

Shivaratri

Shivaratri By Sri Swami Sivananda

Introduction

The Story of King Chitrabhanu

Spiritual Significance of the Ritual

Lord Shiva's Assuarance

Introduction

This falls on the 13th (or 14th) day of the dark half of Phalgun

(February-March). The name means "the night of Shiva". The ceremonies take

place chiefly at night. This is a festival observed in honour of Lord Shiva.

Shiva was married to Parvati on this day.

People observe a strict fast on this day. Some devotees do not even take a

drop of water. They keep vigil all night. The Shiva Lingam is worshipped

throughout the night by washing it every three hours with milk, curd, honey,

rose water, etc., whilst the chanting of the Mantra Om Namah Shivaya

continues. Offerings of bael leaves are made to the Lingam. Bael leaves are

very sacred as, it is said, Lakshmi resides in them.

Hymns in praise of Lord Shiva, such as the Shiva Mahimna Stotra of

Pushpadanta or Ravana's Shiva Tandava Stotra are sung with great fervour and

devotion. People repeat the Panchakshara Mantra, Om Namah Shivaya. He who

utters the Names of Shiva during Shivaratri, with perfect devotion and

concentration, is freed from all sins. He reaches the abode of Shiva and

lives there happily. He is liberated from the wheel of births and deaths.

Many pilgrims flock to the places where there are Shiva temples.

The Story of King Chitrabhanu

In the Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata, Bhishma, whilst resting on the bed

of arrows and discoursing on Dharma, refers to the observance of Maha

Shivaratri by King Chitrabhanu. The story goes as follows.

Once upon a time King Chitrabhanu of the Ikshvaku dynasty, who ruled over

the whole of Jambudvipa, was observing a fast with his wife, it being the

day of Maha Shivaratri. The sage Ashtavakra came on a visit to the court of

the king.

The sage asked, "O king! why are you observing a fast today?"

King Chitrabhanu explained why. He had the gift of remembering the incidents

of his previous birth.

The king said to the sage: "In my past birth I was a hunter in Varanasi. My

name was Suswara. My livelihood was to kill and sell birds and animals. One

day I was roaming the forests in search of animals. I was overtaken by the

darkness of night. Unable to return home, I climbed a tree for shelter. It

happened to be a bael tree. I had shot a deer that day but I had no time to

take it home. I bundled it up and tied it to a branch on the tree. As I was

tormented by hunger and thirst, I kept awake throughout the night. I shed

profuse tears when I thought of my poor wife and children who were starving

and anxiously awaiting my return. To pass away the time that night I engaged

myself in plucking the bael leaves and dropping them down onto the ground.

"The day dawned. I returned home and sold the deer. I bought some food for

myself and for my family. I was about to break my fast when a stranger came

to me, begging for food. I served him first and then took my food.

"At the time of death, I saw two messengers of Lord Shiva. They were sent

down to conduct my soul to the abode of Lord Shiva. I learnt then for the

first time of the great merit I had earned by the unconscious worship of

Lord Shiva during the night of Shivaratri. They told me that there was a

Lingam at the bottom of the tree. The leaves I dropped fell on the Lingam.

My tears which I had shed out of pure sorrow for my family fell onto the

Lingam and washed it. And I had fasted all day and all night. Thus did I

unconsciously worship the Lord.

"I lived in the abode of the Lord and enjoyed divine bliss for long ages. I

am now reborn as Chitrabhanu."

Spiritual Significance of the Ritual

The Scriptures record the following dialogue between Sastri and Atmanathan,

giving the inner meaning of the above story.

Sastri: It is an allegory. The wild animals that the hunter fought with are

lust, anger, greed, infatuation, jealousy and hatred. The jungle is the

fourfold mind, consisting of the subconscious mind, the intellect, the ego

and the conscious mind. It is in the mind that these "wild animals" roam

about freely. They must be killed. Our hunter was pursuing them because he

was a Yogi. If you want to be a real Yogi you have to conquer these evil

tendencies. Do you remember the name of the hunter in the story?

Atmanathan: Yes, he was called Suswara.

Sastri: That's right. It means "melodious". The hunter had a pleasant

melodious voice. If a person practices Yama and Niyama and is ever

conquering his evil tendencies, he will develop certain external marks of a

Yogi. The first marks are lightness of the body, health, steadiness,

clearness of countenance and a pleasant voice. This stage has been spoken of

in detail in the Swetaswatara Upanishad. The hunter or the Yogi had for many

years practised Yoga and had reached the first stage. So he is given the

name Suswara. Do you remember where he was born?

Atmanathan: Yes, his birthplace is Varanasi.

Sastri: Now, the Yogis call the Ajna Chakra by the name Varanasi. This is

the point midway between the eyebrows. It is regarded as the meeting place

of the three nerve currents (Nadis), namely, the Ida, Pingala and the

Sushumna. An aspirant is instructed to concentrate on that point. That helps

him to conquer his desires and evil qualities like anger and so on. It is

there that he gets a vision of the Divine Light within.

Atmanathan: Very interesting! But how do you explain his climbing up the

bael tree and all the other details of the worship?

Sastri: Have you ever seen a bael leaf?

Atmanathan: It has three leaves on one stalk.

Sastri: True. The tree represents the spinal column. The leaves are

threefold. They represent the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna Nadis, which are the

regions for the activity of the moon, the sun and fire respectively, or

which may be thought of as the three eyes of Shiva. The climbing of the tree

is meant to represent the ascension of the Kundalini Shakti, the serpentine

power, from the lowest nerve centre called the Muladhara to the Ajna Chakra.

That is the work of the Yogi.

Atmanathan: Yes, I have heard of the Kundalini and the various psychic

centres in the body. Please go on further; I am very interested to know

more.

Sastri: Good. The Yogi was in the waking state when he began his meditation.

He bundled up the birds and the animals he had slain and, tying them on a

branch of the tree, he rested there. That means he had fully conquered his

thoughts and rendered them inactive. He had gone through the steps of Yama,

Niyama, Pratyahara, etc. On the tree he was practising concentration and

meditation. When he felt sleepy, it means that he was about to lose

consciousness and go into deep sleep. So he determined to keep awake.

Atmanathan: That is now clear to me; you certainly do explain it very well.

But why did he weep for his wife and children?

Sastri: His wife and children are none other than the world. One who seeks

the Grace of God must become an embodiment of love. He must have an

all-embracing sympathy. His shedding of tears is symbolical of his universal

love. In Yoga also, one cannot have illumination without Divine Grace.

Without practising universal love, one cannot win that Grace. One must

perceive one's own Self everywhere. The preliminary stage is to identify

one's own mind with the minds of all created beings. That is fellow-feeling

or sympathy. Then one must rise above the limitations of the mind and merge

it in the Self. That happens only in the stage of Samadhi, not earlier.

Atmanathan: Why did he pluck and drop the bael leaves?

Sastri: That is mentioned in the story only to show that he had no

extraneous thoughts. He was not even conscious of what he was doing. All his

activity was confined to the three Nadis. The leaves, I have said before,

represent the three Nadis. He was in fact in the second state, namely, the

dream state, before he passed into the deep sleep state.

Atmanathan: He kept vigil the whole night, it is said.

Sastri: Yes, that means that he passed through the deep sleep state

successfully. The dawning of day symbolises the entrance into the Fourth

state called Turiya or superconsciousness.

Atmanathan: It is said that he came down and saw the Lingam. What does that

mean?

Sastri: That means that in the Turiya state he saw the Shiva Lingam or the

mark of Shiva in the form of the inner lights. In other words, he had the

vision of the Lord. That was an indication to him that he would realise the

supreme, eternal abode of Lord Shiva in course of time.

Atmanathan: So it appears from what you say that the sight of the lights is

not the final stage?

Sastri: Oh no! That is only one step, albeit a difficult one. Now think of

how the story continues. He goes home and feeds a stranger. A stranger is

one whom you have not seen before. The stranger is no other than the hunter

himself, transformed into a new person. The food was the likes and dislikes

which he had killed the previous

Story behind SivalayaOttam

Story behind SivalayaOttam

Sivalayaottam is a traditional custom practiced by Hindus in South-Kerala during MahaSivaratri. Devotees visits 12 Siva temples in the southern tip of India, Kanyakumari. These temples are-

1. Tirumala

2. Tikkurissi

3. Triparappu

4. Tirunanthikara

5. Tiruponmana

6. Tripannipakam

7. Tiruneelakandam

8. Tirumelakodu

9. Tiruvidaykodu

10. Tiruvithamkodu

11. Tripannikodu

12. Tirunattalam

There is an interesting story behind Sivalayaottam. One which happened in the Mahabharath era.
It all started when the Pandavas decided to arrange a Yaga in their sacred yard. Dharmaputra, being the eldest, invited all the Saints and Rishis of the country including the Siva devotee sage Vyakrapada. But he ignored the invitation. Bhima learning this felt humiliated and he consulted Lord Krishna for a solution. Lord Krishna ordered Bhima to bring Vyakrapada to the yaga by himself. Not knowing of Vyakrapada's real power, Bhima thought this was an easy task. When he visited Vyakrapada's ashram, Bhima saw him outside meditating. Bhima shouted, but the sage didn't move. Bhima carried on with him disturbance until he felt burning. Bhima found out that this was Vyakrapada's super power. Bhima fled to Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna said that Bhima should solve this problem but he will not hesitate to help and then Krishna gave Bhima 12 Sivalingas and told him to move on.
Bhima once again entered Vyakrapada's ashram and started disturbing his meditation. But this time, Vyakrapada became more violent and decided to chase Bhima down. Bhima started running. When he was exhausted he put down a Sivalinga. Being a Sivadevotee, Vyakrapada forgot about Bhima and started doing puja on the Sivalinga. Bhima used this time to catch up his breath. When Vyakrapada finished his prayers, Bhima started running. When he was exhausted again, he put down the second Sivalinga and Vyakrapada started to do puja on it again. This carried out until Bhima ran out of Sivalinga and Vyakrapada was just inches away from killing him. But just then, Hari and Haran came as one. It was both Vishnu and Siva. At that moment Bhima realised that his God Vishnu is Siva and Vyakrapada realisedthat Siva is Vishnu. They both understood that all Gods are one. Vyakrapada forgives Bhima and Vishnu and attended the yaga and Bhima forgives Vyakrapada for disturbing him when he was worshiping Siva.
Legends says that the Sivalingas present at those 12 temples are the ones put down by Bhima. Thats not all, near the 12th temple, there is a Vishnu temple indicating his appearance with Siva at the last moment.

 

Daksha insults Siva

 

 

Once Durvasav Rishi meditated, praying to Devi Jagatambika. She became very satisfied with this that she gave him a flower chain necklace from her body to him. One day, he went to the palace of Daksha wearing this flower necklace. Daksha was very much fond of this necklace that he let know Durvasav his wish to own it. Thus, Durvasav gave him the necklace without any hesitation. With extreme happiness, Daksha took the necklace and placed it inside his bedroom. But one night he performed sex with his wife in front of the holy necklace thus making it polluted. Lord Siva came to know about this incident and  he scolded Daksha immediately. Being humiliated by Siva, Daksha developed an anger against Siva and swore revenge against him.

Later, several saints decided to conduct a grand Yajna. They selected a place called Prayaga as a venue for it. Several important personnel such as BrahmaDev, Sanatanists, scholars, devas, kings. Pundits etc gathered to take part in it.  There were many competitions and debates going on in the venue. Most of them were related to science, mathematics, art, dance and music. 

Lord Siva arrived there with his wife Sati. Everyone stood up in respect to the Lord of All and sat back discussing how lucky they are to have Lord Siva with them . At that time, unexpectedly, Daksha arrived . Everyone came to him to show gratitude and respect whereas Lord Siva didn't move from his seat knowing that Daksha is an egoist having pride to own all the luck and fortune without deserving it. Whereas Daksha seeing that Lord Siva immobile became angry.

"See his pride. Claiming to be a great person. Always hanging out with ghosts and demons while residing in a graveyard, yet he don't have respect towards me. This is adharma. Everyone walking, talking, sitting, befriending you will become sinners. You will become a transgender. I'm cursing you. From this day forward you will be kicked out of all four casts. You will become terribly ugly and won't have a proper life. " By hearing Daksha's words all those saints present there agreed to his opinion. They misunderstood Rudra as a cruel. Devas joined with Daksha and began insulting Siva. But Siva didn't sat silently hearing all this without any reply.

Being a witness to the insult of Daksha and others towards Siva, Nandi became very angry. His eyes turned red. He shouted out," Insulting the person who balances creation,protection and destruction you fool? What do you have to insult my master like this? You are attacking against the person who is the main cause of this Yajna to be successful. How dare you make fun of him?"

Daksha became uncontrollable hearing the words from Nandi. He once again started to insult and curse Siva. Nandi replied with equal force and cursed all Brahmins including Daksha as an anger towards him. Lord Siva cracked a smile seeing Nandi's aggression towards Daksha. He calmed Nandi and said,"Hey Nandi, you are a scholar. Therefore, aggression is not appropriate for you. You have just cursed Brahmins because of slight misunderstanding. Whoever can curse us but that will not affect us. Daksha's curse will never do a slight harm to us ever. You can believe me. Therefore, be cool.". Nandi turned calm hearing Siva's philosophy. They went back to Kailas.

Angry Daksha returned to his palace yet he had his aggression towards Siva building up in his mind. He spent most of his time planning to take revenge on Siva. He even started to insult those who pray to Lord Siva. He thus became a arch enemy of Siva. Thus he decided to conduct a grand Yaga and swore not to invite Siva and Sati to it.

Sati sets for Daksha-Yaga

Sati sets for Daksha-Yaga

 

 

 

Mt.Gandhamadan is a mountain in Kailas. Sati was having conversation with her friends in one of the valleys. At that time, she saw Chandra with Sati's sister Rohini going somewhere. Sati wasn't aware about Daksha conducting a Yaga. So, she wanted to know where her sister was going. She asked her favorite servant Vijaya, " Vijaya! I saw my sister Rohini dressed up beautifully walking with her  husband Chandra. Usually she tells me before going somewhere. I don't know why she didn't do that today. Is there anything special happening in home? No way without my knowledge. Anyway, you should go and ask her where she is heading to."

After hearing Sati, Vijaya went to Chandra and asked," ChandraDev! I'm a servant of SatiDevi. She wanted to ask you where you and Rohini are going."

"Oh then, Sati don't know about it? Daksha is conducting a grand Yaga. There are many festivals going on around there related to this Yaga. He had called everyone to attend it. That is where we are going. I wonder why he didn't call Sati?". Vijaya became a bit confused hearing this. She then without a reply ran back to Sati and said," Devi Sati, your father had done a terrible wrong.". " Wrong? What wrong? I don't understand.",she asked desperately.

"Your father is hosting a grand Yaga with much celebrations. This occasion is known to every single being in this world except you. He had invited everyone to attend it as well. They are all going there. It is wrong that your father didn't invite you." Sati was shocked still hearing Vijaya's words. She thought for a minute," Why didn't my father inform me about hosting a big Yaga? Why didn't he ignore me and my husband while inviting all Devs and Saints". She became depressed. She went to Siva.

Seeing his wife coming with unhappiness on her face he asked," Dear, what happened to you? You're looking so depressed and disappointed. What is it behind your unhappiness?"

"I came to know that my father is hosting a grand Yaga at the moment. Everyone including Devas , saints, Brahma and Vishnu are attending this celebration. But, he didn't invite us to it. My sister already gone there. I'm just sad hearing this. I don't know why he didn't invite us while doing so to everyone else."

"SatiDevi, you shall get rid of your wish to attend the Yaga right now."

"No, we should go there no matter what", Sati replied. "Sati, it is wrong to attend an uninvited Yaga.",Siva said. "Why didn't he call us?"." SatiDevi, your father had been disturbing with his arrows of words and all those who are attending your father's Yaga are egoists and idiots. They are all proud of themselves. If we go there we will become a target to the insult of Daksha in the eyes of all those people. It is better to die than that. Therefore, we mustn't go."

Sati replied," How can the Yaga become successful without the presence of you, the God of many. My father is cruel. I must know why he didn't invite you. I should also find out the opinions of those who gathered there. Therefore, you should let me go. I don't think an invitation is necessary for a daughter to attend her father's Yaga.". After hearing what Sati had to say Siva replied," Devi! I'm not blocking you if you wish to go that badly. I already said what I have to say. You can do whatever you want. You shouldn't go alone, take Nandi with you. You must go with all the looks of a queen. Don't go empty handed, take some gifts for your father."

Sati became happy after Siva allowed her to attend the Yaga. Thus, Sati dressed up with lots of jewels, silk clothes and gone to the Yaga with pride.

 

Siva marries Sati

Siva marries Sati

With the instructions from BrahmaDev, Daksha decided to marry his daughter with Siva. BrahmaDev went to Kailas and told Siva about the marriage. Siva was perfectly happy with the marriage.

At that time, Vishnu arrived there with Devi Laxmi. After some time, Kailas was filled with the arrival of Devas who came to hear the happy news. When the auspicious time came, Siva went out to Daksha's palace.

With BrahmaDev, Vishnu and other Devas on his side, Siva arrived at Daksha's palace. Daksha was waiting at the front palace door to welcome Lord Siva. Daksha was extremely happy to see Siva coming with all Devas. Daksha arranged all the practices required to the marriage, given charity to Brahmins, arranged food for every visitors and welcomed everyone to the wedding.

Lord Siva became very pleasant. He said to BrahmaDev,"Acharya! I am very happy that you have arranged all the wedding ceremonies perfectly. Please ask for anything in return from me. I will give anything you wish. Please ask..."

BrahmaDev replied gladly,"Lord Mahadev! I am very much glad that you found my work as an asset. If I deserve to seek a wish, then here is my wish......Your presence should always be here. I wish to establish a temple and pray you. People from all over the word will come to this temple and as soon as they pray you, you should bless them and burn all their sins away. This is all I want. Bless me by granting this wish."

"Your wish is granted. Everything you wished for will happen immediately.",Siva blessed. After some time, Siva went to Kailas with Sati.