Statue of Nataraja form of Lord Shiva.
Image Credit source: CERN
Shivaratri, Lord Shiva (Lord Shiva) The biggest festival of It is believed that Mahashivratri (MahaShivratri) Shiva and Parvati on the same day (Shiv Parvati) The marriage took place and the essence of all the Shrutifals associated with this festival is to please Lord Shiva. Shiva is more than God in Indian culture. They leave an impact on different aspects of culture in different ways.
While Krishna is believed to be the God of yogis, on the other hand, Shiva is the yogi raj, that is, the best yogi. Along with this, he is also a teacher for the seekers of music and worshipers of dance. Let us know some such aspects of Indian culture where Shiva is more than adorable.
Not only cannabis, datura and milk
The pop culture of North India has popularized a particular image of Lord Shiva. It has bhang, datura, kanwar and certain types of herbs that take man into trance, but there are many things in the food that is culturally favorite of Shiva. If Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge and Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, then Parvati is considered as Annapurna. That is why, Kheer is offered to them every night at 10 o'clock in the Kashi Vishwanath temple. With the belief that Parvati feeds her husband every night by making kheer. To avoid rice on the day of Ekadashi, fruits and nuts are offered. Naivedya bhog of Trimbakeshwar includes daily food like lentils and rice, a dry juicy vegetable, curry, roti and kheer.
Similarly, the local influence is seen in the food of Lingaraja temple in Orissa, which is rich in rice. There, khichdi is offered in the enjoyment. There is moong dal. All the things made from paddy, there are vegetables cooked by grinding mustard in it. Parwal vegetables and chickpeas are also enjoyed. The enjoyment of the Arunanchaleshwar temple in Tamil Nadu is very different from that of North India. There is moong dal emulsion, sambar, appam and curd. Similarly, Plain Dosa and Pongal are also dedicated to the Lord in the Tyagaraja Temple of Tamil Nadu. At the same time, there is a different tradition in the Jurareshwar temple of Kanchi. In Tamil it means God of fever. Hot Milgu Rasam is offered to the deity there. This rasam is the diet of people suffering from fever. It is believed that by this Shiva removes the diseases of his devotees. Apart from these, cow grass is also offered to Lord Shiva and Nandi in many places and it is believed that this increases the ability of their animals to give milk.
Nataraja
There is a statue of Nataraja at the Institute of CERN (Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire), Sweden, which houses the Large Hadron Collider. You may have read on social media that the basis of quantum physics is given in the Vedas and that is why this idol has been erected. The truth is completely different from this. This statue of Nataraja was gifted by India to this institution. The reason is that the idol of Shiva in the form of Nataraja is a symbol of creation in the midst of destruction in the universe. Nataraja is in a dancing posture amidst the flames.
According to CERN, Shiva's Tandava Cosmic Dance and Shakti's Life Force are merely metaphors for quantum physics' study of 'cosmic dance', and the institute has chosen and accommodated such artistic metaphors from different cultures. Going to the literal meaning, Nataraja means 'Lord of the Stage'. According to this, the universe is a stage and everything that happens in it is part of their performance. The history of the Nataraja idol is linked to the Chola dynasty of South India. In the Chola rule from the 9th to the 13th century, it was believed that Lord Shiva had performed his tandava in the city of Chidambaram.
Since that time, brass and bronze sculptures of Shiva in dance posture are in vogue. The earliest statue of Nataraja, built during the time of the Chola dynasty, is currently kept in the National Museum of Delhi. If you want to see the most spectacular examples of the artistic history of India, then once you can visit the National Museum and see it. Anyway, the government's plan is to demolish it and build a separate museum. Then no one knows where this idol will be seen or when it will be seen.
Bhairav, Bhairavi and Shivranjani
The association of Shiva with words and sounds is believed to be from ancient times. It is believed that at the end of the tandava, Shiva played the damaru 14 times, on the basis of which Panini composed 14 Maheshwara sutras, from which the alphabet and all the compositions were made. In today's DJ era, a special kind of music has been associated with Lord Shiva with Kanwar, but there is an association of Shiva in classical music. There are many ragas in Hindustani classical music which are dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is said that these are the favorite creations of Shiva. You must have heard all the versions of Shiva-Tandav made on the beat of Damru. Raag Bhairav sung in the morning is considered to be one of the favorite ragas of Lord Shiva. There are many soft tones in it and it is believed that it is a raga that awakens the soul.
Hindi cinema has often used this raga while showing the Guru Shishya tradition. The song 'Albela Sajan Aayo Re' from the film 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' and 'Bajirao' Mastani is based on Ahir Bhairav. Apart from this, many songs like 'Ae Malik Tere Bande Hum' from 'Do Aankhen Barah Haath' are based on this. . Similarly, there is raga Bhairavi, which is considered to be always a pleasant raga, that is, its songs can be sung at any time. Bhairavi can be called the most beloved raga of the Hindi film industry. From 'Hum Tumse Pyaar Kitna' to 'Bol Radha Bol Sangam Hoga or Nahi', 'When the heart is broken', 'Friend is not a friend', 'Aye my heart goes somewhere', 'Ramaiya Vastavaiya,' Jiya Jale Jaan Bhairavi is the basis of 'Jalle' and 'Challa Gali-Gali Hansata Phirre'.
In this sequence, there is Raga Shivranjani, which is considered as the midnight raga. Songs like Baharon Phool Barsao, Jaane Kahan Gaye Woh Din, Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein Tujhko Bithakar and the film's superhit 'Tere Mere Beech Mein Kaisa Hai Yeh Bandhan Anjaan' for Ek Duje Liye are also compositions based on Shivranjani. Overall, Lord Shiva is a deity who is closer to culture and art than to religious rituals. They have all kinds of forms. Even though the name Rudra denotes raudra rasa, but there is only sweetness in the voices of Rudraveena. Late Bismillah Khan sahib used to say that the tone of morning's Azaan and Raag Bhairav sounded the same. Worship with this Shivratri, Belpatra etc., then also remember their diverse form.
(The author is a senior journalist, the views expressed in the article are the personal of the author)
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