Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Nataraja

 Eastern mysticism recognizes only one Reality as the Transcendent, and yet It is conceived in many forms. ‘Advaita’ (Non-Dual) Vedanta recognizes Brahman as the Ground of Reality, or as the Ultimate Reality whereas the phenomenal world is ultimately unreal (maya or mithya).

The theistic or devotional schools of medieval India accepted God not only as Formless but often worshipped the Lord in many forms. Therefore, God in Advaitic understanding was Formless and One, a conception that became remote in the myriad forms that many Hindus worshipped in ardent devotion in daily life.

The Hindu tradition tried to synthesize these myriad forms into the Trimurti (the Hindu trinity). As a coin has two faces, likewise the Divine has three presiding phases, attributes, or deities: Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (maintainer), and Mahesvara (change, destroyer i.e. Shiva).

The Nataraja concept of Shiva contains simultaneously his creative, sustaining, and destructive activities. His Nataraja form is consistent with religious, philosophical, and scientific investigation. Creation and dissolution are taking place each moment and are symbolized by the Rudra-Shiva dance. The universal dancer is considered to be Nataraja whose dancing creates the outflow and inflow of the universes, and encompasses all with His eternally still presence as a multidimensional aspect of the cosmic dance (159). In this supreme cosmic dance:



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