The most beautiful Tattva (a fundamental underlying element or principle) known to man is the ‘Shiva Tattva’, and in particular, is the form of Lord Shiva as ‘Nataraja’ – the Lord of Dance.

Nataraja’s dance is eternal, and has been constantly in motion in this creation. It isn’t that the Divine performed this cosmic dance some 10,000 or 20,000 years ago. It cannot be dated back in time. People have a wrong notion about this when they say that this dance happened on a particular day, at a certain time. That isn’t the case. The Purush Tattva, or God (the Cosmic Being as the substratum and most fundamental principle of Existence) is that which pervades and permeates every particle of this Creation – and that is Nataraja.

In the idol representation of Lord Nataraja, you will see Lord Shiva standing with one foot on top of an asura (demon) called Apasmara. Apasmara refers to the disease; it also represents ignorance and inertia. When one overcomes the inertia and negativity, one dances in pure bliss – and that is called ‘Ananda Tandava’.

Inertia comes up when the mind relies on the world outside for happiness and strays outwards through the five senses. When the mind overcomes this inertia and turns inwards to repose in the Self, when it returns to the real source of joy, then it is a sign of being established in the Shiva Tattva.

Dance can only happen when your feet lightly touch the ground. If your feet are buried in the ground, dance cannot happen. You can only dance in a green pasture. So first of all, remember, the world is not a muddy place. If it is a muddy place, don’t get in there. Look for a green pasture and dance your way through it.

Life itself is a dance. Your one foot is on the ground, and one is up in the air. You have to be flexible to dance properly. Let go of your stiffness. The more egotistic you are, the stiffer you become. The more natural and free you are, the closer you are to the Divinity and to Mother Nature. Then your existence becomes an act of dance.

The dancer and the dance cannot be separated. So also the creator and his creation. The whole creation is the dance of Nataraja, the dance of one consciousness. From inertness to humaneness and from humaneness to Divinity is the flow of life.