Cosmic dance

 

Cosmic dance

 

The old donkey who was transporting goods in India was traveling on the snowy mountain road with his donkey pack team when he met his old acquaintance Agudengba. Agudengba and the old donkey chatted about Indian religion, culture and Lord Shiva. legends.

The old donkey told Agudengba:

If you look through the religious, philosophical, artistic, and scientific works in the Western world, an image will appear repeatedly, which is the dance of Shiva. Shiva is one of the three main gods of Hinduism and the king of the universe. The dance of Shiva is the dance of the universe.

In a certain sense, the cross is a symbol of Christianity and the crescent moon is a symbol of Islam, so the Dance of Shiva is a symbol of Indian culture. The dance of Shiva can be a winding path into the fascinating and colorful Indian culture.

According to a modern concept of history and ideological evolution, human thought has evolved from primitive witchcraft, to polytheism, to monotheism, to science and philosophy. The iconography related to the evolution of this thought corresponds to the bizarre images of primitive witchcraft, to the rational images of polytheistic religions, to the abstract images of monotheistic religions. From these two aspects, the Dance of Shiva is not only a weird image of three eyes and four arms that is connected with primitive witchcraft, but also presents a polytheistic idea. Therefore, using the dance of Shiva as a symbol of Indian culture has raised a series of problems for scholars around the world. But it is these troubles that allow us to understand Indian culture from India’s own perspective.

The old donkey began to tell the historical origin of Shiva’s Dance:

The origin of the image of Shiva's dance can be traced back to 3000 BC. At least in the 5th century BC, this image of the dance king with various images that has been passed down to this day was formed. Look at Shiva, the dancing king of the universe. He wears a fan-shaped feather crown on his head. His hair is as hard as vertebrae and as soft as ribbons. It spreads out beautifully on both sides. His face has three eyes and his hands are four arms. He is burning a circle of flames. dancing gracefully in.

In the Indian concept, the universe is constantly being born and destroyed. Different myths all tell the story of this Indian cosmic consensus. In the myth of Brahma, when Brahma wakes up from his sleep in the morning and opens his eyes, the universe and everything comes into being. At dusk, when Brahma falls asleep and closes his eyes, the universe enters destruction. In this way, one day in Brahma is the creation and destruction of a universe in the world. Brahma wakes up and sleeps, sleeps and wakes up again every day, and the universes are constantly being reborn, destroyed, and reborn again. However, one day in Brahma is equal to 4.32 billion years in this world. The movement of the universe from birth to destruction is regular and rhythmic, which is also reflected in the dance of Shiva. The rhythm of Shiva's dance is the rhythm of the universe. Therefore, Shiva is the dance king of the universe.

The basic characteristics of Shiva's dance are "creation, maintenance and destruction."

Shiva, as the main god, ascends the throne of Hindu temples together with Brahma and Vishnu. For Indians, the universe is in constant birth and death, and its operation includes three basic characteristics: creation (the universe is created), maintenance (the universe maintains itself), and destruction (the universe is destroyed), so there are three main gods. : Brahma is mainly about creation, Vishnu is about preservation, and Shiva is mainly about destruction. Here, the Indian logic is presented. Brahma and Shiva overlap, but the focus is different. The creation of the universe means that there is no universe yet and needs to be created, so Brahma highlights the birth of the universe from nothing; the destruction of the universe means that it will be re-created, and destruction is linked to regeneration. Therefore, Shiva is the god of destruction and at the same time the god of regeneration.

Therefore, Shiva's dance is a dance that combines the three characteristics of the universe. Shiva dances in a circle filled with fire, which is the universe. The neat flames on the edge of the circle, on the one hand, show the inevitable direction of the universe: toward destruction, and destruction is the most prominent feature of Shiva among the three main gods; on the other hand, it shows the rhythm of the universe. In the dance of Shiva, the flames burn rhythmically, showing the order of the universe.

If the movement of the universe is like a dance, then the diversity of the universe also presents the diversity of dances. Shiva, as the ancestor of dance, can dance 108 kinds of dances. 108 is a sacred number in Indian culture. It can be said to be both a symbol of infinite "many" and a shorthand for infinite "many". These 108 should be further classified into basic categories, which can be divided into soft dances belonging to women and vigorous dances belonging to men. The highest state of dance is bliss. Therefore, what Shiva is best at is the blissful dance in the state of bliss.

The old donkey told Agudengba:

Shiva, the Lord of Dance, is said to have performed six dances, each expressing a specific aspect of his being. The Dance of Bliss is the seventh dance he dances and is considered the most auspicious.

Shiva, the Lord of Dance, has a third eye on his forehead. His right foot steps on Apasmala, the personification of "ignorance", and supports his body to maintain balance. The two arms above are stretched out to both sides, and the right hand holds a bronze drum. The bronze drum represents the rhythm of the cosmic dance, and the cosmic dance symbolizes life or creation, which is what Shiva is in charge of.

The right hand under Shiva is in the fearless posture, which bestows peace to its worshippers and also represents his ability to maintain the universe. The upper left hand holds a flame. This most important force of nature represents his destructive side. The lower left hand makes an elephant gesture and points to the left foot. Lifting the left foot to perform a dance movement is also a sign of liberation for the soul. This form of cosmic dance implies his five great characteristics: creation, protection, destruction, elimination of ignorance and bondage, and liberation of the soul.

Shiva, the Lord of Dance, wears tiger skin garb, fastened by a wide belt studded with jewels and tied at the waist. Wearing earrings, plain necklaces, bracelets, bracelets, rings, anklets, and a snake wrapped around his right arm. Wearing a bun crown with skull ornaments on it. The hairstyle is fan-shaped, with a crescent moon on the left and Ganga, the goddess of the Ganges, on the right.

At the feet of Lord Shiva, Apasmala is holding a snake in his left hand, showing a fearful expression. He is wearing knee-length trousers, wrist bracelets, arm bracelets, anklets, belts, necklaces, large disc-shaped earrings and Headband.

In order to give Agudengba a more vivid interpretation, the old donkey danced the dance of bliss and sang the "Song of Paradise":

 

Ah, let us dance the blissful dance together,

Ah, let us sing songs of bliss together.

We follow the dance steps of the great god Shiva,

Gaze at Shiva's fan-shaped feather crown.

 

The skull in the feather crown,

Symbolizing life and death on earth;

The crescent moon in the feather crown,

A metaphor for life and rebirth in heaven;

And the winding giant snake,

Symbolizes the power between heaven and earth.

 

The earrings on both ears swayed from side to side,

Responding to natural rhythms and music.

Fan-like vertebrae swaying in the music and dance,

The locks of hair are slowly sliding down,

It is divided into seven branches along the hair.

It was the arrival of the beautiful goddess Ganges,

Let me feel the Ganges water coming from heaven.

 

Ah, let us dance the blissful dance together,

Ah, let us sing songs of bliss together.

The waves of the holy river are slowly flowing to the world,

The Ganges water is purifying our souls.