Shiva as Lord of Dance

Shiva is one of the Hindu gods. Indeed, Shiva is one of the most important Hindu gods. In the trinity of Hindu gods, there is Brahman, Shiva, and Vishnu. Typically, Brahman represents the creation of the universe, Vishnu represents the preservation of the universe, and Shiva represents the destruction of the universe. As the BBC puts it, "Shiva's role is to destroy the universe in order to re-create it."[footnoteRef:1] Shiva is therefore the "source of both good and evil."[footnoteRef:2] However, these distinctions are not absolute in Hinduism. As the Metropolitan Museum of Art points out in its description of the statue "Shiva Lord of Dance," Shiva is sometimes representing all three aspects of the Hindu god as "creator, preserver, and destroyer of the universe."[footnoteRef:3] When the god Shiva is shown to be dancing, the image is called "Shiva Nataraj." This statue has formal and contextual elements that show how the dancing Shiva is complex, creative, and energetic. [1: BBC. "Who is Shiva?" Retrieved online: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/deities/shiva.shtml] [2: BBC. "Who is Shiva?"] [3: Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Shiva as Lord of Dance." Retrieved online: http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60006319]

As Das puts it, the Nataraj is "a symbolic synthesis of the most important aspects of Hinduism, and the summary of the central tenets of this Vedic religion."[footnoteRef:4] This is the context that has to do with " the rhythm and harmony of life."[footnoteRef:5] Dancing and music are rhythmic activities, and they represent harmony. Harmony is shown both in the fact that Shiva cannot dance without music, and in the fact that Shiva is shown to be in harmony with the universe by dancing with it. [4: Das, Subhamoy. "Nataraj: The Dancing Shiva." About.com. Retrieved online: http://hinduism.about.com/od/lordshiva/p/nataraj.htm] [5: Das, Subhamoy. "Nataraj: The Dancing Shiva." About.com. Retrieved online: http://hinduism.about.com/od/lordshiva/p/nataraj.htm]

There is more to the statue "Shiva Lord of Dance" than just its content, though. The formalism is symbolic too. Shiva is shown with his left foot raised in the air. The foot that is on the ground is stepping on a mythical figure. This figure is "the personification of illusion and ignorance over whom Shiva triumphs."[footnoteRef:6] In the statue, it is hard to make out the figure, but it looks dead. Yet from this dead figure rises a ring of many flames. The Metropolitan Museum of Art calls it a "flaming halo."[footnoteRef:7] This means that from death comes rebirth. Shiva destroys only that which is bad, in order to make way for that which is good. While some may believe that Shiva's destruction is scary, it is actually a good force because it kills bad things like illusion and evil. The god is balanced very well on the one foot, too, which represents the symbol of balance, harmony, and stability in the universe. Other symbols in the "Shiva Lord of Dance" statue include what Shiva is holding in each hand. In the left hand is fire, which destroys the universe.[footnoteRef:8] In Shiva's right hand is a hand gesture called a "mudra," which eliminates all fear in the universe.[footnoteRef:9] Moreover, Das points out that Shiva's hair looks like snakes, representing egotism.[footnoteRef:10] [6: Das, Subhamoy. "Nataraj: The Dancing Shiva." About.com. Retrieved online: http://hinduism.about.com/od/lordshiva/p/nataraj.htm] [7: Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Shiva as Lord of Dance." Retrieved online: http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60006319] [8: Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Shiva as Lord of Dance." Retrieved online: http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60006319] [9: Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Shiva as Lord of Dance." Retrieved online: http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60006319] [10: Das, Subhamoy. "Nataraj: The Dancing Shiva." About.com. Retrieved online: http://hinduism.about.com/od/lordshiva/p/nataraj.htm]