The Dance of Shiva

By Dr. Ram Sriram

This is a reprint of the article that appeared under Culture in Chandamama, U.S. and Canada Edition

In most Indian houses, you find an idol or a picture of the dancing Shiva -- dancing on a lotus pedestal with one leg raised and crushing a baby-like demon by his foot. A semi-circle arch of flames surround the dancing Shiva. Shiva’s hair is flying all across. A cobra sits on top of his head and the goddess Ganges and a crescent moon also adorn his hair. He wears a man’s earring on his right ear and a woman’s earring on the left ear. He is wearing tight fitting breeches, necklaces, a jeweled belt, and toe-rings. He has four hands. On his left hand, he is holding a fire and on his right hand a musical instrument called udukkai (a small drum). His third hand gestures that he is blessing the universe or saying “do not fear” and his fourth hand is pointing in the direction of the demon under his feet.

Why is Shiva depicted this way – ferocious, violent, and scary? Why Hindu gods and mythological figures are often shown in such unusual and bizarre ways? What is the purpose of such representations? In Hindu mythology, it is a common practice to tell stories about gods, people, and animals and indirectly use the stories to convey complex ideas and important messages. The stories are narrated through dance. Because there was no television or cinema at this time, Hindu saints and philosophers used dance as a medium to tell stories. Ancient Hindus, similar to Greeks and other Western philosophers, believed that dance was created by nature. The orderliness of the stars and constellations, the movement of the rivers, the waves in the seas, and the gentle fluttering of the leaves in the trees – produced images of dancing in their minds. For them, dance represented nature and movement of the universe.

Dance is also a visual medium. It can be used to illustrate not only religion and religious beliefs but also emotions such as anger, love, bravery, sadness, and kindness. In this sense, dance is somewhat like a television show or a movie. It can attract and influence an audience. When you watch a television show or a movie, you are fascinated by the images that you see on the screen. If the program or the movie you are watching is produced well and has a powerful story to tell you, it leaves a lasting impression on your mind. Similarly, the mythological stories and the images created by ancient Hindus were very appealing to the people. The messages that these stories and images conveyed attract us even today. We can relate to these stories, interpret them according to our modern age and learn from them. In this sense, they have universal appeal.

The dance of Shiva is one of the greatest examples of this tradition – using images to convey great truths and values. Before we interpret the meaning behind the dancing Shiva, let us briefly talk about the God Shiva and who he is. In Hindu mythology, the gods Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu are known as the Trinity. The three gods are associated with three important concepts of the universe: Brahma is the creator of the universe; Shiva is the destroyer (of evil and ignorance); and, Vishnu is the preserver of life. Unlike Vishnu who always appears in rich and majestic surroundings, Shiva always appears in simple environments. Shiva lives alone in the Himalayan Mountains, sits on a tiger skin with ashes covering his body and a cobra decorating his neck like a garland. He appears to be a recluse, far removed from the world. In other Indian temple sculptures, Shiva is also shown as Bhikshatana -- a person who is begging, as Bhairava, a horrific destroyer or as Nataraja, a dancer standing on one leg and appearing ferocious. These sculptures create strange images of Shiva. However, when you read the stories behind these images, you get a different impression. Shiva comes in these different disguises only to help his sincere devotees and bless them and also, destroy evil things taking place in the world. He is a very benevolent and loving person and his objective is to destroy the evil and preserve the good.

Shiva is considered the master of dance. His dance is called the cosmic dance. In the picture of the dancing Shiva, Shiva is dancing at a great speed with flying arms and legs. This creates an illusion of energy -- the energy that is associated with the creation of the world, its destruction, the changes and evolution. Shiva is carrying an hourglass shaped musical instrument called uduakkai in his right hand. The uduakkai or drum represents sound and sound is the basis for speech and communication. In Hindu mythology, sound is also associated with the atmosphere. Atmosphere is one of the five important elements of the universe, fire, water, air, and earth being the other four. Therefore, the drum symbolizes outer space and sound – the universal elements. In the opposite hand, Shiva carries the fire. Fire is an instrument of destruction. That is, through the symbols of drum and fire, Shiva is pointing to the creation and the destruction that follow each other in the universe. His third hand is held in the posture of blessing, to indicate protection and peace while his fourth hand points to his lifted foot. The lifted foot is a symbol of salvation - if you have faith and if you follow your faith with sincerity and dedication, you will be saved from misery. Shiva is also surrounded by flames. The flame is a bright object that gives out light and therefore, represents wisdom and truth. Only a person of wisdom and truth can destroy evil things and preserve good things. Shiva is wearing a man’s earring on one ear and a woman’s earring on the other ear. The different earrings point to the equality and importance of both men and women in the conduct of the world.

Shiva is dancing on a dwarf-demon. The demon’s name is Apasmara-Purusha, the name when translated into English means a forgetful and lazy demon. The demon is supposed to be highly ignorant and a trouble creator. He was causing lots of problems to people and they prayed to Shiva to save them from the demon’s bad deeds. Shiva appears on the world and kills him. Apasmara-Purusha is a symbol of laziness, forgetfulness, bad feelings, and evil thoughts that all of us have within us. The important message in this story is not whether a demon by the name Apasmara-Purusha existed or whether a god called Shiva appeared on the world and killed him and then danced on him. It is a symbol to communicate to us a greater message -- get rid of your dark thoughts – jealousy, envy, hatred and laziness. If you do so, you will live happily and peacefully. This is a message that appealed to the ancient Hindus and it is a message that is useful to us even today, after thousands of years later. The Shiva’s dance is just an attractive way to convey this message.