Part 1
physical qualities as he is frozen in the
UNDERSTANDING SHIVA’S
GESTURES
Is the statue below familiar to you?
The statue is the representation of
Shiva as Lord of the Dance, or also
called “Shiva Nataraja”. It is a popular
representation of Shiva dancing to
prepare the universe for its destruction
and rebirth.
The image represents religious
significance rooted in Indian
philosophy. Sculptures of Shiva dancing
survive from at least as early as the fifth
century. However, its popularity started
and evolved during the Chola dynasty
era.
REPORTER: Good day, everyone! We
are the gr 2. And we are here today to
help you understand what are, and
what the Shiva’s gestures mean in the
dance within the cosmic circle of fire,
and give you some insights into the
world of Indian Arts.
A dance within the cosmic circle of
fire
Here, Shiva embodies those perfect
moment of his dance within the cosmic
circle of fire that is the simultaneous
and continuous creation and
destruction of the universe. The ring of
fire that surrounds the figure is the
encapsulated cosmos of mass, time,
and space, whose endless cycle of
annihilation and regeneration moves in
tune to the beat of Shiva’s drum and
the rhythm of his steps.
The depiction of Shiva as Nataraja
(“Nataraja”—nata meaning dance or
performance, and raja meaning king or
lord=lord of dance/cosmic dancer), is
shown by the following gestures:
In his upper right hand, he holds the
damaru, or the hand drum which
symbolizes the ancient vibrating sound
of creation and the passage of time. It
looks like this:
In his upper left hand he holds the agni,
a consuming fire of dynamic
destruction. The flame of destruction
that annihilates all that the sound of the
damaru that has drummed into
existence. It looks like this:
His lower right hand with his palm
raised and facing the viewer while lifted
shows the abhaya, the hand that
removes fear, gives protection, and
preservation. This says to the
supplicant, “Be not afraid, for those
who follow the path of righteousness
will have my blessing. ” The gesture
looks like this:
Shiva’s lower left hand stretches
diagonally across his chest with his palm
facing down towards his raised left foot,
which signifies spiritual grace and
fulfillment through meditation and
mastery over one’s baser appetites.
Prahamandala, the surrounding
effulgence that encircles Shiva is a
flaming body halo that only establishes
the visual limits of this complex and
dynamic composition but also
symbolizes the boundaries of the
cosmos.
These gestures impart the lesson that
through belief in him, the soul can be
moved or elated from the bondage of
illusion and ignorance to salvation and
eternal serenity.
Part 2
(Indian arts)

His raised left leg exhibits the gaja

hasta,

while his right leg that is pointed to his

lifted leg, is to provide refuge for the
troubled soul. It stands upon the
huddled dwarf, the demon Apasmara,
the embodiment of ignorance.