Every individual has its own point of view and perspective about looking at things in a given situation. Some people are optimistic about everything that happens to them while others always hold a negative perspective. When we talk about the spiritual world there are millions of God or say millions of forms of one God. Hindu religion especially believes that there is one God and he is perceived in many forms by millions of devotees depending upon their faith, thought process and knowledge.
The main Hindu Gods are Trinity Gods mainly Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver) and Mahesh (the destroyer). These three Gods are the major idols worshipped by Hindus in numerous forms. There are again thousands of forms and names given to one God whether it is Lord Vishnu or Lord Shiva.
Now when it comes to Lord Shiva there are various incarnations of Lord Shiva in which he appears in the universe. The names of incarnations of Lord Shiva are Piplaad, Nandi, Veerbhadra, Sharabha, Ashwatthama, Bhairav, Durvasa, Hanuman and more.
There are numerous names given to Lord Shiva like Mahadev, Neelkantha, Bholenath, Shankar and more.
Other than these there are forms of Lord Shiva like Nataraj, Rudra, Pingala, Pashupati and more.
The Nataraj form of Lord Shiva is extremely famous who appears as the cosmic dancer often represented in metal and stone. The common form of Nataraj idol is seen with four arms, one leg flying in the air and other leg stomping on a devil known as Apasmara and the entire statue is encircled with the flame of fire.
The statue depicts the three major roles of creation, preservation and destruction all in one. There are some of the very exquisite images of Nataraj which reflect unique features as perceived by beholders.
Cosmic dancer: The static Natya Shastra pose shown by Nataraj idol in Tillai, the traditional name for Chidambaram. This idol represents Nataraj as the cosmic dancer and the pattern for all the other depictions of Shiva as Nataraj.
The "Sabesan": The explanation of this term in Tamil which expands to "Sabayil aadum eesan" means "The Lord who dances on dias".
Destroyer: The image of Nataraj encircled with the flames of fire depicts Lord Shiva as the destroyer of the universe. In this image Nataraj appears in bronze and metal at many places especially south temples and reflects the fiery form of Nataraj.
The idol shows the devil Apasmara being crushed under the leg of Nataraj. Devil Apasmara depicts spiritual ignorance.
The fire symbolises that it is capable of destroying anything that is ignorant of spirituality and ethics.
Tandava and Lasya: The two dance forms by Nataraj show Lord Shiva in two different roles. The Lasya is the soft dance form which indicates the creation of the universe by Shiva. Whereas, Tandava is the vigorous dance form which signifies the destruction of the universe done by Shiva.
In these two forms Lord Shiva is depicted as a creator and a destroyer both. It signifies that he creates to destroy and tears down to build again.
Ananda Tandava: Tandava form of dance is not only violent but it is also done to spread happiness and remove sorrow from the world.
As per the Hindu texts Lord Shiva performed Ananda Tandava when too much sorrow was there in the universe. He danced blissfully to the drum beats and spread happiness in the air.
Snake and moon: Lord Shiva carries a crescent moon on his head and a snake in the neck. Both these give a special appearance to him and add to his personality.
Crescent moon imparts energy of being merciful and full of love.
The snake depicts that ego should always be in control if one wants peace in life.
Sound of creation: There is a damru in one of the hands of Lord Shiva in Nataraj idol. As perceived, this damru depicts the first sound of creation of the universe.
Also according to others the damru shows that Lord Shiva loves dance and music.
Abhay Mudra: The Nataraj statue of Lord Shiva has four hands. The front right hand shows the Abhay Mudra which signifies the fearlessness and protection of devotees. It symbolises that the one who follows the path of Dharma and is always keen to be truthful is not harmed by any devil as Lord Shiva himself provides protection to that person.
Gajahasta: The front left hand is in the form of an elephant trunk. It is pointed towards the foot raised in the air which indicates upliftment and liberation from materialistic life. At the same time it is also pointed towards the next foot stomping over the demon, which is the symbol of an elephant that leads its life through a jungle of ignorance.
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