Article of the Month - Apr 2002

This article by Nitin Kumar

(Viewed 2497066 times since Apr 2002)


It is said that man danced before he spoke. He certainly danced before he painted and sculpted reliefs on his walls. All cultures of the world have given dance a ritual status before any formal ritual or liturgy was codified in texts, or recreated through relief or paint.

Yoga, like dance, is much more than a mere physical exercise. It is a holistic way of relating to the body that involves an increasing awareness on all levels: the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. Yoga unites the functions of each of these aspects of our personality. This is true for dance also. Certainly any successful dance performance is characterized by a balanced harmony between the body and spirit.

What is suggested here is that dance, like yoga, is a conscious attempt at integrating all the tiers of our existence. It does not negate but on the contrary affirms the sensual nature of our objective physical being, and treats it as fundamental to any attempt at spiritual awareness as our subjective intangible soul.

Lord Shiva in Ecstatic Dance

He is the god of destruction, his dance too is thus essentially of a similar nature. A ring of flames encircles him. These are the cremation fires which are ultimately going to consume our mortal bodies. But on the other hand dance is also an act of creation. It brings about a new situation and transforms the perpetrator into a higher realm of reality and personality. Thus the forces gathered and projected in his frantic, ever-enduring gyration are both of creation and annihilation.

The Hair of Shiva

Shiva's tresses are long and flowing, and dark as the night is. Supra-normal energy, amounting to the power of magic, resides in such a wildness of hair untouched by the scissors. The celebrated strength of Samson, who with naked hands tore asunder the jaws of a lion and shook down the roof of a pagan temple, was similarly said to reside in his uncut hair.

Nandi the Bull of Shiva

Shiva rides on the bull. Only those who are masters of their own impulses can ride on the bull. As Mahayogi, the god is master of the bull. This is true even when he is with his shakti, and his images therefore often represent him sitting upon its back, poised gracefully and fully in control.

Large Size Nandi, Lord Shiva’s Mount

"Among those who have mastered the bull you are the bull keeper. O Lord! Riding on the bull, you protect the worlds." --- Lingopasana-rahasaya

Kundalini and the Marriage of Shiva

The metabolic energy called Kundalini is symbolized as Parvati. She is conceived as the serpent power which lies coiled in the lowest chambers of the human body. Kundalini when properly quickened, unfolds her vibrating hoods and by an upward sweep enters the spinal cord and then the brain, and finally unites above the head with Shiva.

In mythology, Shiva's wedding with Parvati is the entrance of this serpent power into the Higher Mind which is compared to the snowy mountains of Kailash. Kailash is the symbol of the highest mind and Shiva has his abode on this mountain where silence reigns eternally.

Lord Shiva Taking his Bride Parvati Home with His Baraat

The analogy is between a human wedding which releases the highest ecstasies of the flesh, and the wedding of Kundalini with Shiva, which is a symbol of the highest bliss attainable by an individual soul.

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  • All the people must understand that lord shiva is not form human origin he is a yaksha swaroopa which means he is a celestial being,et or ufo what u guys name it...he helped animal called human to evolve from their 5 sense of reality higher to know the profoundness of life not to reproduce talk nonsense and die like an animal.....
    Ratish July 20, 2011
  • I completely agree with luke! Revelations talks about this. And it has deceived too many people already. People need to know the truth, and that the truth is Jesus Christ. And having a relationship with him! That is the only way to true peace, the only way to reach heaven after death. GOD BLESS
    Jon July 06, 2010
  • I AGREE WITH YOU.. THIS ARTICLE IS COMPLETE RUBBISH.
    BALAN January 22, 2010
  • article is beautiful.It demonstrates the true meaning and the depth of knowledge of the author.it exhibits the advances made by the civilization.it is unfortunate that we have moved miles and miles(cannot surmise what figure to put)away from such wisdom and aping the ones who hardly know an iota.The Vedic culture has fathomless wisdom and the taker(comparatively difficult to add the alphabet 'S') are the fewest of the few.
    madhusudan June 19, 2009
  • Awesome Article on Shiva. I really like the quote from kamasutra "detachment is the way to liberation, and there can be no detachment unless there is attachment". simply Beautiful.
    Indian June 10, 2009
  • It's nice to know if a Christian indeed was interested in other religions/cultures. All cultures should try to understand each other. However, the moon on Shiva's head is a symbol of the "IDA" the cooling lunar nerve (thus the moon) which extends from the reproductive & energy storing groin area till the nostrils. This is the nerve that yogis use to pull-up energy from the nutritious semen for use in the brain & other organs in the body when consciousness expands during Kundalini Yoga. This process happens automatically as mind/body consume energy & if it's not readily available when the expansion happens, the semen is the fastest way to bring nutrition to the body. You can't drink, Bile nor Sulphuric Acid nor possibly any other enzyme produced by the body as it will either hurt or kill you. But you CAN drink Semen (ever have a blowjob?) So, the linga is a representation of the penis of Yogi Shiva (who was probably a real person) in ancient times who used Kundalini Yoga to concentrate on the "Crown Chakra" at the top of the head during meditation to pull energy (Shakti) from the base of the spine (Muladhara Chakra) into the spinal canal (Sushumna, the snake) through all 7 chakras upwards to unite with the Crown Chakra & the frontal cortex in the brain (to open the 3rd eye i.e. 6th sense.) There's nothing gross about this. It's a feature of your body if you decide to use it toward rapid enlightenment. (However, I wouldn't dry blowjobing on shit - LOL!) Om namah Shivai -k-
    Kenz D. December 05, 2008
  • Jai Shiva Shankar! Aum Namah Shivaya!
    bhakt November 25, 2008
  • Luke, you are honestly one of the biggest idiots I've ever come into contact with. You don't even know what gender Shiva is (--->HE<--- is male, as is stated in this article, you dumbass), but you think you can give your 'expert Christian opinion' on --->HIM<---, when you clearly know nothing of --->HIM<---. And, where does Shiva promise that we're all going to burn in a fiery hell? Please, quote one Hindu scripture that you've read where Shiva says, "All my devotees will burn in hell forever... so, of course everyone will want to worship me." Can you quote one? Oh, that's right, you know nothing of Shiva or the Hindu tradition. Maybe you should just keep your idiotic ramblings to yourself next time... okay?
    Om Namah Shivaya November 25, 2008
  • Wonderfull article! And LUKE. Are you blind? How the bejez can this article strengthen your faith in the Bible? Did you not notice RUDRA, the pillar of fire? The same pillar that helped Moses out of "egypt"? And did you not understand, that grinding up the bull, as moses does, is to transmute the bull? To transmute the sexual power into GOLD? My God man, the Jews celebrate the exodus with the feast of balsheva .. Baal (lord) Shiva! They shall see and see and not understand....
    Jon Lennart Aasenden October 20, 2008
  • God is. religon is cultural understanding/misunderstanding. Christ was buddah nature. "christians" are usually ignorant of christ conciousness, And if you hate another for calling the same GOD a different name you've missed the point of all divine knowledge.muslims and christians and hidus who fight each other are only giving themselves more bad karma. A true Brahma forsakes petty human foolishness.
    j October 18, 2008