Thursday, December 3, 2015

The cosmic dance of Shiva!

Why is creation depicted as a dance? Why not an art/painting? If you think about it both forms: dance and art are creative. I think it is because of the fact that in a dance, the dancer and dance merge. You cannot see the dance without the dancer and vice versa. The cosmic dance not just signifies the creation of the world but also that the phenomenonal world that we perceive and the noumenon (Brahm, some call it) that creates it are the same. The same way other traditions in Hinduism perceive all This as 'lila'.. a play or a drama.. signifying that the actors and the act are inseparable! How insightful!



Science and Hindu Dharma - FB page

"In his manifestation as Lord of the Dance, the Hindu god Shiva dances the dance of creation. In this tenth-century Chola bronze Shiva's aureole of fire (the prabhamandala) represents the rhythm of the universe and emanates from a lotus pedestal, the Hindu symbol of enlightenment. Shiva dances on the prostrate form of the Apasmarapurusha, a symbol of human ignorance. The back right hand carries the damaru, a small drum symbolizing creation. The back left hand holds Agni, the fire of destruction. The front left hand is in the gajahasta ("elephant truck") position. The front right hand is held in the abhaya-mudra pose (literally, "do not be afraid")."

- Carl Sagan (1934-1996), astronomer, cosmologist, astrophysicist

Sagan was the 20th century's most prominent science popularizer. His work was pivotal in creating NASA's SETI programme. He received the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal (1977) and the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction (1978).

Each year, the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP) presents the Carl Sagan Award for Public Understanding of Science. The award was first presented in 1993 to Carl Sagan himself.



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