My response regarding Nataraj segways from two perspectives. The second is the obvious religious aspect in the context of Living Hinduism. But the first may even seem “un-Hindu” and comes from the perspective of an “artistic” continuance of the Human Psyche where the MURTI of Nataraj is a World Treasure of Human expression of the Divine.
Firstly, there are certain images, art treasures, great works, timeless images that live on as part of the greatest contributions of the human expression. These are the World Treasures of the deepest beauty and art of the human mind even though they are inspired by the Divine in the Divine’s own Presence.
We may think of, for example, the Statue of David. Now, in this example, there is only one originally sculptured by Michelangelo in the year circa 1502 AD. It is a World Treasure. If not destroyed (by Shiva Himself eventually at some marker in Time, otherwise even at the hands of some crazed religious zealots who oppose the nakedness of this Statue of David), hundreds of years from now it will still be a world treasure. It is one of a kind. Or we may think of the great oil painting “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” by Vermeer painted circa 1665 AD. Again one of a kind. Such world treasures will follow humans into time, into the future, and for whatever reason had, and have great impact upon the human psyche.
There are other world treasures which are not one of a kind. They are reproduced many times over, but based on a timeless template that has become hardwired into the very ethos and psyche of the human expression.
That is the Murti of Nataraj. Who and when the first human made this image of the Murti of Nataraj, who can say? Perhaps it was a God who made the first. But humans now have been making Murtis in the Image of Nataraj, and empowered by Nataraj, for a long time.
Among all the world treasures of the human experience, I would say Nataraj is definitely of the top Five, if not the pinnacle of such expression itself. Thousands of years from now, when humans enter that future “museum” of the greatest World Treasures of “human expression”, there you will find the Murti of Nataraj. There is no question in my mind, this will be the case.
I have observed the effect, affect, and impact of the Murti of Nataraj first hand on several occasions when this image, sculpture of metals, is exhibited in some museum. When someone enters the room, where various “works of art” are displayed, and if that Image of Nataraj is standing far off at the other end of the room, they stop. Their eyes fixate on Nataraj. They only look left and right briefly, then … they go directly to that Image. They stop… and gaze. And are “taken over” by the impact. They stand, sometimes their mouths half open, they just … stare. Powerfully, they are “engulfed”. There is no question about it. Then the next enters the room, the same. Now two are standing side by side. Looking. Looking. Looking.
The humans know.
This is what the Murti of Nataraj is. It is the greatest “art” and expression of the very pinnacle of human expression of “art”, a world treasure, if not the most important world treasure of all time. One million years from now, it will still be so.
What and Who is Nataraj?
He is the Paradox of Time and Change – He dances, and all is motion. Nothing is the same one nano-second later. We all see that. In Him. And in this frenzy of dance and change, He holds the time, tick tick tick drum drum drum, the beat, the rings of fire, many rings expanding out into the Universe, many Universes, He dances in It, He is Behind Time itself, you see? When you see that, you have destroyed ignorance, the little midget He stands upon with One Foot. The other foot is raised, and His graceful hand points down to that Foot. It is but one moment in the Dance, soon we know the Foot will move, the Eyes, the Hair, the Moon is in His Hair, fire and time, motions and change. He is Behind it All. Now you know, you can crush ignorance by knowing. Why fear the frenzy of change, when you see He stands Behind it. Now you see His feet. Love your Lord of Dance. Surrender to his Feet. It isn’t very hard. All things will spin around you, no matter what. Time will take you. Change will come. But you will know one thing for sure, now. He Stands Behind all that Frenzy. There is Nothing to Fear Anymore.
This is Nataraj. He will bring rings of Fire, and then one ball of flame all begins. When will He throw that ball of Flame? Where are YOU in this Time of Change?
Outside the European Center for Particle Physics in Switzerland, there stands Nataraj. He is the greatest of “Art”. He is between Us and all the cosmic forces, all things, changing, and He is the Father of the Cosmic Family of Shiva, Shiva the Auspicious One. We are seeing Him all around, the Lord of Animals, the Great Lord, the Great God, the Beneficent, Shiva!
From the Religious view, to me and so many, Nataraj is exactly the same as in the eye of the human seeing the Murti of Nataraj as one of, if not the, greatest of World Treasures, the Greatest Art of Humans ever. I can tell you, many, many having seen this Murti, came to the Path of Hinduism. After seeing this Image, even only one time. Many, many, many came and come. This is the power of the This Image.
Yes, the Frenzy. Rudra. There is sound, too. When the rings spin, the howl. The sound like a million tornadoes. Rudra. And then in Nataraj, the Paradox of Time and Change, the Frenzy of Motion, the Dance. One Hand, the Hour-Glass DRUM. Time is marked. The other Hand, a Ball of Flame. It does NOT burn His hand. When will He throw it? At what Time? One Hand says “Do not Fear”. The Other points to His raised Foot, “Take shelter here”. He stands on the dwarfish Apasmara Purusha, that is the man who forgets. The inertia of the dwarf is crushed by the Paradox of Time and Change. Rings of fires around The Lord, the Light and the Universes.
The Paradox of Time and Change. The Paradox is, He is also Eternity.
That is Nataraj, to me. I think, to most. And His Image will be with humans now – forever into the future.
