Tag Archives: Nataraja

Friday Poem: Solitude

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nataraja 1

Late in the night
a single candle

Nataraja dances
in his circle of flame

Bright jewels

The silence rings

Outside, the empty stars
late moon
cold in the dark.

Inside the room
beautiful shadows

Beside the candle
Lord Shiva is dancing
by himself.nataraja 2

In Indian cosmology, it is Lord Shiva, in his Nataraja form, who dances the world into being. He is also the destroyer, acknowledging that creation and destruction are inextricably linked. Sometimes when I am in a melancholy mood, I like to light a candle and lie in the semi-darkness, contemplating life, death and the whole damn thing. Which is an excellent and pleasurable pursuit for an introvert like myself. It’s OK to be sad sometimes, and that’s where the poem came from. As my sister would have been fifty years old tomorrow, I’ve been trying to imagine her as a fifty year old woman, and I can’t do it. After almost twenty three years, I am accustomed to her not being here and I am rarely assailed by grief, but her birthday (which is also one of our brother’s – he was six when she was born) will always be a time to wonder – what if? Who would she have become if she hadn’t fallen ill and died so young?

nataraja 3

What I want to say is – enjoy life as it is. My mother -in-law is dying at 87 after a good and full life, my sister died at 27, after a full life that didn’t seem nearly long enough. And you never know how much time you or yours are going to have – so live it, and love while you can! Dance alone sometimes…

Peace Love Empathy – they make the world worth living in.

Friday Poem:Dancer

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A couple of weeks ago, I visited the Australian National Gallery in Canberra, with my daughter, her partner and little Juniper. We went through the splendid Asian section, where we saw a beautiful Natarajah – Lord Shiva in the form of Lord of the Dance. I was very impressed with it. Since then, it has been revealed that the dealer from whom the Gallery purchased it -at great expense – was  not all he seemed. The Shiva who danced in pride of place in Canberra had been -ah- removed illicitly from a tiny temple in a village in Southern India. The gallery has now said the image will be returned. I hope it gets back eventually to it’s proper home, because it’s devotees really miss it…a shiva 2

Wrist bones and hip bones
Dancing for me
Ribcage and spine bones
Dance in the dark.

Dance, dance for me
Thigh bones and ankles!
Collar-bones, skull bones
Come dance for me;
The flame of life flickers
Dancing the bones.

Bound up with muscle
Wrapped in the skin
With a sweet crown of hair
Spirit dances within.
My bones and your bones
Dance in the dark:
Spirit, our spirits
Dancing the bones.a shiva 3

I wasn’t actually thinking of Natarajah when I wrote the poem – after all, he is dancing the universe into being, not just having a good time -but it seems apt. Nor are the Shivas in these photos the one in the NGA; they are much smaller (and legally mine) but the posture (asana?) is the same. I’m not a huge Bruce fan, but how can I not add this song to this post?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=129kuDCQtHsa shiva