Nataraja | The Lord of Dance

Art : Nataraja by Satheesh Kanna

All the reverberations of the world nestled

In a tiny speck that glowed bright,

Like beads in a necklace, It united with

The mighty hands of a violent Lord.

The speck, moved along like a Cobra,

It wrestled to be released, A space

Overpowering, yet calm waited

For the Cobra to taste his infinity.

The Lord held the flames of wrath on his left hand,

He clutched onto it with a rage unmatched,

With it all powers shall crumble down,

With it all creations shall see annihilation.

Umbraged, liberated and fearsome,

The speck escaped his hands, Fire

Spread all around the Lords' head, For once

The speck was here, next it was there.

It encircled the Lord in a heavenly tune,

The frenzy uplifted the Lord,

His hands moved to push the flame,

Onto the circling speck.

In a flash of ambrosial light and sound,

The speck exploded and whizzed all around,

The Lord went onto a fury of power,

He felt his waist circling with divine force,

He saw his hands moving to the exalted hymn,
His legs making steps against ignorance,

He found the world pay prostrations as he,

The Shiva discharged his fury by performing the cosmic dance,

The Tandava.

Notes

Fritjof Capra, a renowned physicist in a search for connection between Eastern mysticism and modern Physics suggested a revolutionary idea, that Shiva's Tandava was a sub atomic phenomenon. I have tried to portray the beginning of the universe in connection with the Tandava. Here the speck is a point that existed before the big bang. The speck being seen 'here and there' marks its dual nature which is an exciting behavior of sub-atomic particles. Shiva is an image of a power that provides for the big bang. If any clarifications are required do ask.

Here is the extract from Fritjof Capra's essay :

"Modern physics has shown that the rhythm of creation and destruction is not only manifest in the turn of the seasons and in the birth and death of all living creatures, but is also the very essence of inorganic matter and for the modern physicists, then, Shiva’s dance is the dance of subatomic matter.  Hundreds of years ago, Indian artists created different forms of visual images of dancing Shiva in a beautiful series of bronzes. In our time, physicists have used the most advanced technology to portray the patterns of the cosmic dance. The metaphor of the cosmic dance thus unifies ancient mythology, religious art and modern physics."

For more visit :  http://www.spaceandmotion.com/Philosophy-Fritjof-Capra.htm

And here is a good article on the Nataraja :  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nataraja