Introduction
Cosmic dance of Lord Shiva is also known as the Cosmic Dance of Lord Nataraja. Nata means Dance and Raja is the King or Lord and hence “Nataraja” means the King of Dance. During the night of “Mahāshivarātri or “Great night of Shiva”, when Shiva puts his trident down & performs his dance, he becomes “Nataraja”. Night signifies darkness or ignorance and Mahāshivarātri is the night that destroys ignorance leading to realization of the Self. Dance cannot exist without a Dancer, but a Dancer can exist without dancing. Therefore, Dancer is the cause & Dance is the effect! When this Cosmic dance stops, dissolution of the universe happens. This dissolution then makes the way for further Creation or Rebirth.
The substratum of this world is Brahman or Supreme Consciousness (< click here to know more, if required). But due to the veil of Maya covering it, we mistake the world to be only in name (Nama) or form (Rupa). Atman or Brahman is our core, pure being or consciousness which is surrounded by our body, mind & intellect. A man who has understood this concept of Brahman knows that he is actually “pure consciousness”, uses his body, mind & intellect to merely to go about his daily activities & tasks and eventually becomes detached. He is not influenced by this material world caused by Maya. In doing so, his mind becomes peaceful, while at the same time his body remains active & dynamic.
All the Gods or Deities of Sanatana Dharma are personified and each of them convey a subtle & divine message about universe or existence, spirituality & humanity. They are shown with multiple hands carrying different weapons & devices. Multiple hands are only symbolic, so that remarkable qualities and concepts of each of the Deities can be understood. It is to be noted that Sanatana Dharma is steeped in metaphor & allegory and so it will be unwise to arrive at any literal interpretation, as this will only result in misunderstanding its real message.
As per quantum physics, the world is nothing but vibrating energy. This is beautifully brought out by the sculptor (Shilpi) in the idol of Nataraja and I have made an attempt to explain each aspect below.
1.Damru or hour-glass shaped drum in the rear right hand:
Damru represents the primal sound of Creation. It also controls & provides the Rhythm to this creation of the universe. The beating of the Damru produces a vibration that causes a pressure wave that propagates in a medium (air for example) and it transmits this vibration to the surrounding particles and it is this “disturbance” that produces Sound. (Particles only oscillate, but do not move along the wave. Only the disturbance is transmitted). Changing the rhythm or the movement pattern will change the vibration and the corresponding sound. Modern physicists have used particle accelerators to understand more about particles & subatomic particles that make up matter. Atoms in the modern world are referred to as particles.
So essentially, all vibrating particles indulge in a dance and produce sound! We can therefore say that every particle (atom) in our universe sings its own “mantra or chant”!
All particles that make up matter(mass) in our universe have movement & rhythm as their two main aspects. Because of this dynamic nature they cannot be viewed only as isolated particles. They are understood in the particle world in terms of their continuous interactions with other particles or in other words “dynamically” and as structures in space & time combined into 4D – four dimensional continuum (3D as space + 1D as time) . In relativity theory, space and time are connected and never discussed as separate entities. Particles are viewed as “packets of energy” and since energy is related to activity, they are “inherently dynamic”. This dynamic pattern gives the particles both “space” aspect “appearing” to give them mass and the “time” aspect due to their energies. Thus studying the properties of subatomic particles during their collision is how physicists understand its mass & energy.
Illusion of substance in particles:
The packets of energy contained in the particles form stable atomic structures (electrons, protons & neutrons) & nuclear structures (protons & neutrons within the nucleus are together called nucleons) gives shape and solidness to matter and an illusion that is made up of a material substance or body. But in fact matter is made up of particles that have “minuscule” mass. It is the forces of attraction & constantly changing energies within the particles that cause a substance to appear solid, liquid or gas. As per Einstein’s equation E=mc², mass is just energy. Collision of particles results in change in their velocities and momentum, transfer of kinetic energy, creation of new particles & destruction of existing particles.
Particle physicists study particles based on their motion, interplay & change and not isolated particles as only their mutual interactions can given them the complete picture! Our universe therefore consists of mutually interacting particles that are alive, throbbing & with vibrating energy, indulging in a PERPETUAL DANCE – NOT STATIC BUT ALWAYS DYNAMIC! This idea is portrayed in the idol of the Cosmic Dance of Shiva. It is the “DAMRU” whose sound as vibration jump starts creation. The same is mentioned in Genesis 1.3 when God said “Let there be light, there was Light” which meant His spoken word or sound created light in a world that was engulfed in total void and had no form earlier.
2.Fire in the rear left hand:
Fire is a symbol of Destruction! But Fire also provides light, illumination & energizes its surroundings. When there is creation there will be destruction as well in order for the cycle of birth & death to continue. Upanishads call it “SAMSARA” – the continuous cycle of birth, death & further re-birth. In other words Samsara means “unending motion or ceaseless change”. Bhagavad Gita says – Change is the law of life. When there is continuous change both on a macroscopic & microscopic level, there is no point in resisting change as there is nothing to hang on to. The universe was realized by the ancient sages of the east, as consisting of constant movement, flow & change. When there is movement, there is change!
It is well known that Fire requires three elements to burn: Fuel, Oxygen & Heat. Fire produces Heat & Light and we all know from Physics that Light, because of its wave – particle duality is considered a paradox or rather a concept that we do not currently understand. Pure light is that which cannot be broken down into various colors. It is not visible to our naked eye. Only when light falls on an object can we see it. So we see only objects and not light! Pure Light is invisible. We can see only gross light which is a blend of three elements – Fire (Light), Water & Earth, where light is the dominant portion. It can be therefore said that after creation happens, there is no pure or unpolluted light!
Moreover, both heat & light are essentially electromagnetic radiation that transmits energy through photons and photons have dual properties of both wave and particle and they are known to carry some hidden information of which we currently know little. When light is emitted, it is absorbed as photons by the atoms or molecules contained in any material, but when it travels through space it behaves like waves or vibrating electromagnetic radiation/fields.
3.Face of Nataraja:
The serene & smiling face of Nataraja or Shiva represents his calmness and detachment, in the midst of two opposing forces of Creation & Dissolution. Birth of a child brings us joy, but death brings us sorrow. The serene face of Shiva conveys that in this world we are always faced with opposites – love/hate, kindness/cruelty, birth/death, hope/despair, war/peace and so on. The message conveyed here is that in the midst of these opposites, one who is calm & composed will not be influenced by either of the situations. These two opposite facets are like two sides of the same coin which is Supreme Brahman. Both opposites being part of the same Brahman means there is a constant interaction & interplay between the two. If there is joy, there will be sorrow and vice-versa.
A man who is well poised & in control of himself makes sure that neither joy nor sorrow will influence his life. Chinese call these opposite aspects as YIN (female) & YANG (male) and the interplay between the two as “TAO”. This aspect is beautifully brought out since ancient times by Indian sculptors in a three headed sculpture of Lord Shiva. (< click here to view the sculpture). The female head showing compassion, love & a calming posture signifying creation. The male head that shows the virile, angry & fierce side associated with the destruction & the head at the center, showing the tranquil & transcendent side of Shiva – a peaceful merger between the two. https://harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/200467
Modern physics has merged space & time, both of which are different from each other into a 4D space-time continuum. Matter can appear either as separate particles (atoms & subatomic particles) or as a continuous field. What we see in three dimensions (3D) are completely different in four dimensions (4D) as humans our thought processes are tuned to 3D only. The challenge faced by physicists today is combining quantum theory (which deals with understanding behaviour of atoms & subatomic particles) & relativity theory (studying gravitational impact of large bodies and how they distort space time that further impacts other objects around them).
Verse 2.45 - Bhagavad Gita on liberation from opposites:
Comments: Every person is bound by three Gunas – Tamas, Rajas & Sattva (<Click here to know more from my previous blog, if required). The goal is to move ultimately to Sattva Guna. Once we reach this stage of pure Sattva, this stage is further transcended to merge with the Supreme Brahman. In this stage liberation from the “pairs of opposites” (called DVANDVAS in Sanskrit) is achieved. The word Yoga-Kshema means possession of material things and keeping them to oneself. But once a man becomes blissful and established in Atman, material objects are of no use to him.
4.Abhaya Mudra:
The front right hand indicates a blessing or a protection. Shiva says “Have No fear, I am here for you”. “Bhaya” is fear and “Abhaya” is fearlessness. Front Left hand directed at the raised left foot is to rise above evil and ignorance. Actions performed by men are threefold: 1) those performed with ego & selfish interests in mind that lead to anxiety & sorrow 2) those performed without any selfish motives that result in pure happiness and a tranquil mind & 3) those performed without any desires or attachment, which eventually leads to realization of the Supreme Self! This realization only happens when one rises above ignorance (by seeking knowledge), as indicated by the left hand.
Ego manifests due to ignorance which is personified as “Apasmara” or the little demon (detailed under point #8 below). Fear emanates from ignorance and attachment. Having an “illusion of knowledge” is also ignorance . But we live in a world of “opposites” as stated in the segment above, we need to know that when there is fear in us there is fearlessness as well. When one starts merging with the Supreme Brahman, he sheds fear. This fear is because man, controlled by his senses always associates himself with his body and is constantly attached to this material world and not with his Atman. Thus, all deities in the Hindu pantheon convey this message of fearlessness
5.Crescent moon:
Crescent Moon represents the time cycle of the moon which is the waxing (phases from new moon to full moon) and waning (phases from full moon to new moon) indicating cyclical nature of our universe. Waning of the moon signifies the ending or destruction of the old phase and then looking forward to the creation of the next phase which is waxing. Maha Shivaratri or the “Night is Shiva” is celebrated during the waning dark half of the moon. This period is meant for internal reflection. Darkness (new moon) & Light (full moon) are again the opposites! When darkness goes away, light has to emerge and the cycle goes on endlessly.
In Purusha Suktam (<click here to know more from my earlier blog, if required) that deals with the creation of our Universe, Verse 10.90.13 mentions that it is from Purusha’s mind the moon was born. (Purusha is interpreted as a Cosmic Being and his divine expressions are described in these Hymns). Moon has always been associated with the MIND and mind controls our emotions. Just like the ever changing phases of the moon from full moon to new moon & vice versa, our mind too is constantly wavering. Sea tides on earth are affected by the gravitational pull of the moon. Some eastern gurus say the these lunar phases also impact the mind of people, though the same is not scientifically proven.
Indra-Agni-Soma:
Since ancient times, among the Vedic Gods there are three that are considered the foremost: Indra-Agni-Soma. Indra is known as the Lord of Thunder, Lightning & Rain. Lighting which comes before thunder, creates moving charged particles that create light. Light is electromagnetic radiation and it propagates as waves in space. Fire is known as Agni from which Light emanates. Moon is known by few names like Chandra, Soma, Indu etc. and gives off light reflected from the Sun. The entire 9th Mandala of Rig Veda is dedicated to Soma which is also believed to be the juice extracted from a psychotropic plant that grows on earth which gave immense power, immortality & courage to whoever consumed it. Many have tried to identify this Soma plant, but it’s true identity has not been conclusively established yet.
Soma therefore means both the Moon & a nectar that gives immortality! Immortality is nothing but supreme ecstasy & bliss achieved after the final merger with the Supreme Brahman. This merger is exactly the purpose of our life on earth. Hence Indra-Agni-Soma would correspond to “Existence or Truth-Light of Consciousness-Supreme Bliss”. Soma is enlightenment of the inner self – the inner light! All three are essentially LIGHT that comes with the mystery of wave-particle duality. As per Brahma Sūtras – Light is Supreme Brahman!
As explained before, the entire universe is one interconnected and interwoven fabric. Similarly, the deities of Indra-Agni-Soma are connected with one another. As per ancient history or Itihasa, Indra is known to have an insatiable desire to consume Soma so that it can give him courage, strength & immortality in his battles. Soma juice is offered to Agni during the fire sacrifice known as “Yagna” to energize it. Agni is the “medium” that carriers the intentions of us humans to Indra, Lord of all Gods from earth. Agni is the mediator between the two! Hence, the meaning conveyed is that the universe is simply an interplay of particles!
6.Ganges Water:
Water is the basis of Life! (Human body is 75% water). Shiva holds the river Ganges in his matted locks to channelize or regulate it so that its huge force does not cause destruction to earth as per ancient texts. This implies that Shiva is considered as a symbol of protection. Water is a purifier in the eastern world. The cosmic equivalent of Ganges is the Milky way galaxy which is called Akasha-Ganga. It’s continuous flow signifies the ever changing nature of our universe. Each strand of hair in the matted locks indicate a desire. A man has numerous desires in his life time. Matted locks indicate that his negative desires are locked in and under control. The matted locks that are shown flying around are caused by Shiva’s blissful dance.
In my two of my blogs mentioned below, I have discussed the importance of Water & also the interplay between Fire & Water in greater detail.
Hindu Temples (Final Part): (<Click here for more information, if required).
Journey of the Soul (Final Part): (<Click here for more information, if required).
7.Veil tied around the waist of Shiva:
This veil represents ‘” Maya” which can be loosely translated in English as “Illusion”. In order to merge with the Supreme Brahman this veil of Maya has to be removed. As per Bhagavad Gita our world is merely “Lila” which means “Divine Play”. We mistake this divine play as something which is real. This is because we do not realize that the substratum or the underlying nature of this reality is Supreme Brahman, due to the enchantment caused by MAYA. Moreover, it is veil of Maya that causes “Avidya or Ignorance” that leads us to believe that all things that we see are separate, distinct & discrete while in reality they are an inseparable part of the whole cosmos!
This Divine play is not static or fixed but is dynamic and moving. This causes Maya to also change constantly. I have dedicated one blog on Maya (<Click here for more information, if required) which details further the deception caused by Maya.
8.Muyilagan or Apasmara:
The demon dwarf is shown below the right foot of Shiva is is known as Apasmara (Muyilagan in Tamil language). Apasmara which literally translated means forgetfulness. It is actually “Ego” which springs forth due to Avidya or ignorance as stated in the previous topic. above. Ego has an invincible or unconquerable quality as it cannot be totally removed, only subdued! Hence Shiva’s right leg is bent delicately to suppress this demon which is ignorance and eventually gaining dominance over this egoistic demon . In order to attain liberation or “Moksha”, our ignorance has to be controlled as a first step.
Left leg of Shiva that is raised up signifies moving away from this evil of ignorance and at the same time maintaining a perfect balance of body & mind. In essence, the veil of Maya envelops the mind causing Ignorance or Avidya, which in turn manifests as Ego. Because of ego man thinks that whatever is happening around him as separate and distinct occurrences but in fact all phenomena is actually interconnected to cosmic whole!
9.Serpent or Cobra:
The serpent coiled around Shiva’s neck has been interpreted in various ways.
- The most common interpretation is that it is symbol of desires, ego & senses turned outward. It is coiled around Shiva’s neck and is always in a perfect state of alertness implying total control of his ego, desires & senses.
- The serpent represents fear or death. A self realized man who is in total control of his inner self has no fear of death.
- Hissing of the serpent represents Air, a giver of life. Air is one of the five elements called “Pancha Bhutas”. I have published a blog on the subject of “Prana or the Vital Life Force” (<Click here for more information, if required).
- A serpent sheds its skin periodically as it outgrows its body. This represents discarding the old and is indicative of rebirth, change and a new phase in life – a regeneration!
- Serpent represents the Kundalini Shakti, where “Kunda” means a cavity where “Shakti” or power resides. The end of our spinal cord (known as coccyx) looks like the coiled body of a serpent where 3 to 5 vertebrae (mostly 4) are fused together. This is where the primal creative force resides hidden within us known as Kundalini Shakti. Yoga & meditation energizes this latent power or energy which slowly rises up and this is represented by the hood of the serpent covering the head of various Vedic deities.
10.Space & Time:
The entire statue of Lord Nataraja is enclosed inside a circle also known as the ring of cosmic flames, indicating Space (also called Akasha or Ether) & Time. The same circle denotes the wheel of time or Yugas. This “Circle of Flames” is divided into 4 quadrants which are: Satya or Krita Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga & Kali Yuga – the continuous cycle of Yugas (meaning a time period). The space between two flames is the portion that denotes the manifest world. Flames denote death & the space in between these flames denotes birth and this cycle goes on. As sated earlier, modern physics (relativity theory) also says that both space & time have to be viewed together & not as separate entities.
The first of the “Pancha Bhutas” or Five Elements is “ Akasha” (an approximate translation in English is Space) and is the most subtle. It is subtle because Space has only one quality or property which is Sound. Thus, Sound is also considered the most subtle among the objects of perception (the other objects of perception are: Sight, Smell, Taste & Touch). “Akasha” is not empty space or void or nothingness. Here subatomic & virtual particles are born and vanish in an instant and endlessly in a seamless dance of motion & energy! Just like SAMSARA – the cycle of birth & death on earth. In space therefore, nothing is static & permanent – everything exists in in a dynamic & transient state – a Dance!
11.Third eye
Third eye here does not mean a physical eye. It represents intuition, divine vision and one that looks inward. This eye is known as “jnana-cakshu” which means “eye of wisdom”. It can see beyond the normal vision of the two human eyes. This happens when we surpass the limitations of the body, mind & intellect.
12.Lotus Pedestal:
This Lotus Pedestal is shown under the Demon dwarf – Muyilagan or Apasmara. Lotus symbolizes purity, spirituality, enlightenment & rebirth and has a very prominent & profound meaning in Santana Dharma or Hinduism. The Lotus blooms into a very beautiful flower while growing in dirty muddy water! Secondly, it grows only in water and is different from other flowers that grow on earth. It is untouched by the dirty water surrounding it as it is a hydrophobic plant (repels water). This is a message to mankind not to be influenced by dirtiness or evil that is sometimes surrounds us. We need to live our life in detachment and understand that the ultimate goal of our existence is merging with the Supreme Brahman.
Lastly, the Cosmic Dance of Shiva is the dance of mass, energy, space & time, of continuous creation, preservation & destruction of the five elements that constitute of our body, of birth & death, of Maya which causes illusion, the ever changing & transient world & understanding our inner self (Supreme Brahman). There is perhaps no other Idol of a Deity in our entire world that showcases these principles so perfectly as the Cosmic Dance of Lord Shiva!
CONCLUSION:
- The law of conservation of energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only be converted or transformed from one form to the other. The cycle of creation, existence & destruction in the cosmic world is only a transformation of energy which is symbolized as the Cosmic Dance of Shiva. In our terrestrial world there is a continuous process of birth, existence & death of beings. All forms around us is because of Maya or Illusion and these forms are constantly created & destroyed in an unending movement of Shiva’s dance.
- Fritjof Capra author of the book “The Tao of Physics” says that Shiva’s dance is the dance of subatomic particles. Subatomic particle is a particle smaller that an atom. It can be composite particle which is composed of other particles (two or more elementary particles) or an elementary particle that is not composed of other particles. Subatomic particles are created in the universe when sufficient energy is available. It is also created by scientists at the Large Hadron collider at CERN, Switzerland. Inside the accelerator, two high-energy particle beams travel at close to the speed of light before they are made to collide, thus generating subatomic particles.
- All particles have an anti-particle as well, of equal mass but opposite charge. Photon has its own anti-particle, anti-particle of electron is called positron, similarly there are anti-proton, anti-neutron & anti neutrino. All matter (solid, liquid & gas), are made up of particles. So when there is matter, we have anti-matter also. When anti particle meets particle, they destroy each other and disappear in a burst of light. Likewise, when matter made up of particles meet anti-matter, they destroy each other with a huge energy release.
- Furthermore, there is a great “Mystery in Physics” (< click here for more, if required) – Our universe has a small surplus of matter than anti-matter! Scientists believe that soon after the Big Bang “something” would have caused the formation of more matter than anti-matter. This “something” could be dark matter, new dimensions or unknown forces etc. This is unclear right now and research is ongoing. In Hinduism, creation is described as Lord Vishnu lying on a serpent who is shown floating on the primordial Cosmic Waters. This serpent is called Shesha Naga or Ananta Shesha. Ananta means “infinite or endless”. Shesha means “whatever remains, remainder, balance, surplus or excess”. Perhaps the ancients already knew about this paradox of matter!
- The quantum field is present throughout space where particles come and go like a dance of energy. They lose their individual identity only to merge into the substratum of this quantum field and re-emerge. What we see as physical matter are only particles quickly coming in & going out of existence in this substratum of “Reality”. Lab experiments done by particle physicists have shown that “virtual particles” emerge out of void (emptiness) & go back into void without any interaction with other particles. It is difficult to measure these virtual particles as they exist only for a short time (less than millionth of a second).
What is sated above is in line with the Eastern view that the void is actually teeming with life and is nothing but “Supreme Brahman”. Form is formlessness & formlessness is form! Void is the womb of creation! Meanwhile, we humans are trying our best to decipher the “Paradoxical”(< click here to know more) nature of our universe. But we, as three dimensional beings have certain limitations as wonderfully put forth by Theoretical Physicist Michio Kaku below:
I end this blog with a video shown below of a bright moving Orb, shot by me in the night sky. Frame 1 shows an Orb which looks like a circle (static – unmanifest- can be equated to void or the universe before creation) and when it moves (as shown in Frame 2) it takes the shape of an ellipse (in motion – manifest – can be equated to being dynamic or the universe after creation). In two dimensions (2D) a moving circle looks like a ellipse as is evident in the video. Shiva Lingam has many shapes and out of these the most common shape is that of an ellipsoid which is the extension of 2D ellipse in 3D (three dimensions).
The cross section of an ellipsoid is an ellipse when cut along its major axis and a circle when cut perpendicular to this axis. A circle has no beginning, middle or end just like “Supreme Brahman”. It is therefore infinite or unmanifest. An ellipse depicts movement – manifest – just like the planetary movements. An ellipse has two Foci (a sphere has one focus) located on its longest axis or major axis. The sum of the distance from any point of the surface of the ellipse to the two Foci is the same or constant. Three aspects of the ellipsoidal Shiva Lingam are highlighted below:
- In the Shiva Lingam one of the Foci is located (hidden) inside the base indicating the unmanifested aspect of Shiva and the other visible portion containing the second Foci, is the manifested aspect. Hence, Unmanifest is Shiva & Manifest is Shakti!
- Secondly, an ellipsoid has an interesting property where both Light & Sound will bounce off from one Focus to the other! This indicates the reflective property of an ellipsoid where sound & light from one focus of the ellipsoid will travel to the other focus.
- Thirdly, the manifested portion – the visible portion of the ellipsoid of the Shiva Lingam indicates its dynamic aspects of Motion or movement, Flow & Change” as discussed already in this blog. We can therefore conclude that the manifested portion of the Shiva Lingam represents motion, interplay & transformation – a transitory process – A Dance of Particles!