Chandralekha
Shiva-Nataraja's
ananda tandava is among the most widely depicted and interpreted
compositions in the classical South Indian dance repertoire, with
abundant and copious textual and sculptural references. The research
work for my 1995 dance production Mahakal (Time), made me take a
closer look at the Nataraja symbology for insights into this timeless
image of classical equipoise. The primary question, of course was,
Why did the Gods dance? For better comprehension of the form and
kinetics of this 'Lord of the Dance', I studied hundreds of Nataraja
icons. It became clear that while the sculptural detailing of the
dancing deity had been virtually standardized and perfected into
an iconographic consistency, there was exciting diversity and vari
ation in the casting of the little crawling figure below Shiva's
foot. It is to control and regulate this dwarf-demon, Apasmara,
symbolizing egotism, ignorance, and sullen arrogance, that Nataraja
dances.
In the fantasy
of the ninth and tenth century bronze-casters, every Apasmara assumed
a different gestural form and sculptural weight. They were able
to build in an exquisite tension between the upturned, agitated,
agonized figure pinned to the ground by Nataraja's balancing foot,
fixed in a slippery, stubborn mood of escape, and Nataraja's expression
of bliss (ananda) at fulfilling the purpose of his dance-to contain
the dehumanized forces through the energy and awakening of dance,
and restore balance to the universe.
The idea of
integrating this crouching, distorted, prone figure of the dwarf-demon
in my choreography was, in itself, an unconven- tional and contemporary
direction for me as it necessitated opening out an area neglected
in our classical dance, the floor level. It also enabled a direct
addressing of contemporary issues of false consciousness. Most importantly,
it enabled me to present the icon in its totality and draw attention
to Shiva Nataraja's precarious balancing act which infuses dynamic
tension to his form, while celebrating the sheer joy of combating
negative energy.
Gita Mehta
Nataraja is Shiva as the Lord of the Dance, in the ananda tandava,
the Dance of Bliss. A ring of flames around the god depicts the
whirling energy of nature's cycles of birth and death and rebirth,
a dancing cosmos brought into motion by the dancing god within,
yet the wild movement of Shiva's dance is in counterpoint to the
stillness of his smiling face, deep in meditative consciousness.
This is Shiva
as the Destroyer and Shiva as the Destroyer of Destruction: as two
forms of time - kala, temporary time, and mahakala,
eternal time.
In one hand
he holds a drum-symbol of the sound of Om and of the vibration which
is the origin of creation. In another he holds a flame to incinerate
the cosmos and permit creation of the next. A hand points to a foot
dancing on a dwarf, symbolic of the evil which yokes men to the
wheel of existence through heedlessness, inattention, oblivion.
The raised foot offers release, through awareness, from endured
time, kala, the endless cycle of rebirth. A raised hand indicates
the sublime consciousness that results from union with mahakala,
eternal time.
Containing the
most complex philosophical perceptions in a single simple image
the Nataraja is, for me, the defining icon of India.
Malavika Sarukkai
This icon speaks of the ever dancing cosmos. I am awed by the iconographic
representation of Shiva as Nataraja, the cosmic dancer. His face is radiant
with serenity and the energy of stillness while his body pulsates with
the energy of cosmic activity in the cycle of Mahakal or Great Time. There
is a simultaneity-of stillness and movement, of creation and dissolution.
And the dance goes on… To Nataraja, Lord of the Dance, I pay homage.
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