Etymology:-
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| Tandava |
The word Nataraja is a Sanskrit term,
from नट Nata meaning
"act, drama, dance" and राज Raja meaning "king,
lord"; it can be roughly translated as Lord of dance or King
of dance. According to Ananda Coomarswamy, the name is related
to Shiva's fame as the "Lord of Dancers" or "King of
Actors".
The form is known as Nataraja in Tamil
Nadu and as Narteśvara or Nṛityeśvara in North
India, with all three terms meaning "Lord of the dance". Narteśvara stems
from Ná¹›tta same as Nata which means
"act, drama, dance" and Ishvara meaning "lord". Natesa (IAST: Naá¹eÅ›a)
is another alternate equivalent term for Nataraja found in 1st-millennium
sculptures and archeological sites across the Indian subcontinent.
Depiction:-
The dance of Shiva in Tillai, the
traditional name for Chidambaram, forms the motif for all the depictions
of Shiva as Nataraja. He is also known as "Sabesan" which splits as
"Sabayil aadum eesan" in Tamil which means "The Lord who dances
on the dais ". This form is present in most Shiva temples, and is the
prime deity in the Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram.
The two most common forms of Shiva's dance
are the Lasya (the gentle form of dance), associated with the
creation of the world, and the Tandava (the vigorous form of
dance), associated with the destruction of weary worldviews - weary
perspectives and lifestyles. In essence, the Lasya and the Tandava are
just two aspects of Shiva's nature; for he destroys in order to create, tearing
down to build again.
According to Alice Boner, the historic
Nataraja artworks found in different parts of India are set in geometric
patterns and along symmetric lines, particularly the satkona mandala
(hexagram) that in the Indian tradition means the interdependence and fusion of
masculine and feminine principles. Nataraja is also shown with his
wife parvati as they dance together.
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