The Dance Divine

THE DANCE DIVINE

By P.

R. KRISHNASWAMI IYER

S.

- (1981)

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600 033]

In Thillais Court a mystic Dance the Lord performs,

Whomso that sees it torment not Samsaric storms;
Thillais Court is Human Heart and Siva is the Soul,
Whom the Yogis do in Bliss behold with senses in control.
Lord Siva as Nritta Murti is called Nataraja the Sovereign Dancer. On the Arudra
day of the Margazhi month (Dhanurmas) every year a festival is celebrated in every Saivite
temple in propitiation of Sri Nataraja and the votaries of Siva will throng in thousands for
the sacred Arudra Darsana on the occasion.
The grandest celebration, attracting the largest number of devotees for the most soulstirring sight, is at Chidambaram. Nearer Madras, the festival is performed with equal grandeur
at Thiruvalangadu the Vataranya where, according to some, the Lord performed the
exquisite Dance originally, and vanquished Kali in Her Rival Dance by His Urdhva Tandava
pose (in which one leg rests on the ground and the other is lifted up straight parallel to the
resting leg).
The history, science, art and philosophy of the Divine Dance have appealed to the
greatest minds of the world and have been elaborately dealt with by both Indian and European
scholars and Nataraja is viewed as the symbol of the synthesized science, art and religion.
The occasion of Sivas Dance according to Koil Puranam was as follows: Once Siva went to confute a set of heretical sages of the Mimamsa school of thought
who were living in the forest of Tharaka. The sages made mad attempts to destroy Him by all
kinds of incantations and sacrificial fires and out of the latter emerged one by one, a tiger, a
serpent and a malignant dwarf. Siva danced all along and after killing the tiger wore its skin.
He made a garland of the snake and broke the dwarfs back by the tip of His foot.
The five well-known Sabhas or Theatres of Sivas Dance are Thiruvalangadu (Ratna
Sabha), Chidambaram (Kanaka-Sabha), Madura (Rajata-Sabha), Tinnevelly (Tamra-Sabha)
and Kutralam (Chitra-Sabha). Darsana (sight) of the Dance on the occasion of the annual
celebrations at any of the above centres on the Arudra day of the Margathi month is believed
to purge the beholders of all their sins, alleviate their sufferings and liberate from the sorrowful
cycle of birth and death.

The Dance Divine

The Nataraja Dance first revealed to the Rishis is known as Nadanta Dance and
besides this there are two other well-known dances of Siva the Deity Evening Dance and the
Dance on the Smasana or the cremation grounds. The daily dance at night-fall in Kailasa is
described in the Pradosha Stotra as follows: Siva dances to the accompaniment of Veena (lute), flute, Tala (cymbals) and Mridanga
(clay tomtom) respectively played on by Saraswathi. Indra, Brahma and Vishnu, Goddess
Lakshmi (the Spouse of Lord Vishnu) singing; while the Gandharvas, Yakshas, Vidyadharas
and hosts of all other beings dwelling in the three worlds and His Consort, Gauri the Mother
of the worlds seated on a throne of gold and precious stones witness the dance. The worship
of Siva at Pradosha time every day means the worship of all deities collecting around Siva at
the time and the worshipper becomes happy and prosperous.
The Smasana Dance is considered by some as primitive and pre-Aryan and is attributed
to Sivas Tamasic aspect at Bhairava or Virabhadra and constitutes the mid-night revels of Siva
and Kali on the cremation grounds. It is known as Tandava and its esoteric meaning according
to Sakti and Sakta literature is destruction of mans illusion and all other evils to which
humanity is heir.

THE RENAISSANCE OF DANCE

Dance is an ancient art of universal appreciation and patronage. India is famous for its
Bharata Natya. There are 108 kinds of dance according to the Natya Sastra. Dance is
considered to be the most perfect physical exercise. Set to musical hymns in praise of God, it
contributes at once to the physical suppleness and spiritual elevation of the dancer. The lofty
ideals and noble effects of dance had been gradually receding from the human mind. In India
the art was, till recently, practically relegated to professionals and dancing-girls dedicated to
temples. The awakening of the Dance consciousness followed by the abolition of the
Devadasi class has restored the art to its legitimate dignity and noble standard, with the result
that it is now looked upon as an enviable attainment of girls and a wholesome recreation for
body, mind and spirit.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF SIVAS DANCE

The mystic dance of Siva is the manifestation of primal rhythmic energy. It denotes the
kinetic aspect of the Cosmic Energy and the effulgent vitality of all creation. The divine Chit
sustains and vitalizes everything. In the Universal Spirit the entire universe is born, borne and
buried. The supreme consciousness permeates the entire universe and all creation and is the
one underlying Reality in all beings, known as Chit or Atma. The Chidakasa of the
Supreme Self is the Hridayakasa of the Atma and the ecstasy of the Dance of Siva at
Chidambaram (the centre of the universe) is experienced by every soul which is no other than
the Divine Chit dwelling in the hearts of beings but perceived by only those who have curbed
their passions and desires and controlled their senses and mind and turned them inwards upon
the Almighty within. Nataraja is the most perfect image of the energy above-described and

The Dance Divine

no artist of today, however great, could more exactly or more wisely create an image of that
energy, which science must postulate behind all phenomena.

THE GLORY OF HINDU ART AND CRAFT

In the case of the Nataraja images in bronze the very best South Indian genius and talent
of artistic smithery have been exercised and the various modes of dance have been skillfully
reproduced in them. The sculptural exhibition of the various poses of Dance in temple
Gopurams are also marvellous. The image of Siva in every one of these Forms has the demon
Apasmara-Purusha under the foot, the damaru or the drum in one of the right hands and fire
in one of the left hands. The image is the form of the Omkara Pranava Swarupa of God and
suggestive of (i) the union of Prakriti and Purusha, (ii) the five Divine Functions of creation,
preservation, dissolution, embodiment and gracious release (Srshti, Sthiti, Samhara, Tirobahva
and Anugraha) and (iii) the meaning of the Holy Panchakshara Mantra Namah Sivaya. His
creative drum, protective hand, destructive fire and liberating foot, plunge the beholding souls
into Beatitude and merge them into Himself. The Nataraja Dance is thus the emblem of Divine
Bliss, Divine Functions and Human Salvation. The ethics and aesthetics of the dance are
appealing to every sensitive soul and eminent scholars have dwelt on the meaning of the dance
of Siva and the Nataraja image, which reveal the glory of the Hindu art and philosophy.
Dr. Anandkumaraswami says: The essential significance of Sivas dance is three fold. First it is the image of His
Rhythmic Activity as the source of all movements within the cosmos, which is represented by
the Arch; secondly the purpose of the dance is to release the countless souls of men from the
snare of illusion; thirdly, the place of dance, Chidambaram, the centre of the universe, is within
the heart. The conception of Sivas Dance is a synthesis of science, religion and art. In the night
of Brahma nature is inert and cannot dance till Siva wills it. He rises from His own rapture and
dancing sends through inert matter pulsing waves of awakening sound and Lo! Matter also
dances appearing as a glory around about Him. Dancing, He sustains its manifold phenomena.
In the fullness of time still dancing. He destroys all forms and names by fire and gives new
rest.
In His Heart of Aryavaita the Earl of Ronaldshay says, The Nataraja is the plastic
presentation of a whole philosophy. In the whirl of dance one sees the Primal Energy which
gives life to all existence and so sustains the universe. Other aspects of the figure speak of
destruction of desire and the attaining of salvation there is a synthesis of Science, Art and
Religion therein.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

LATE P. R. KRISHNASWAMY IYER
A true devotee of the Holy Scriptures Bhagavad Gita and knower of English, Tamil,
Telugu, Sanskrit and Grantham languages, he is the author of the Book Gleanings from the
Gita for which forewords have been given by Late Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, Sir, C. P.
3

The Dance Divine

Ramaswami Iyer, Justice P. Venkataramana Rao, Prof. P. Sankaranarayanan and which was
published posthumously by his son Sri. P. K. Venkataraghavan. After the publication several
appreciations from great scholars like Dr. T. M. P. Mahadevan, K. Sankara Menon etc., poured
in and several reviews appeared in the newspapers and journals.