Shiv Tandav Pic

[Venice Sassone]

Whatan amazing description of Lord Shiva! Such descriptions are usually written by those who are steeped in love or devotion. Have you wondered who the composer of this beautiful Shiva Tandava Stotram is? It was King Ravana!

He was one of the most ardent devotees of Lord Shiva. Shiva Tandava Stotram was written by Ravana centuries ago. Ravana was infamous in the great Indian epic Ramayana for abducting Sita, wife of Lord Rama. Most know the arrogant, egoistic side of Ravana, but only a few know about his devotion to Lord Shiva. Here, we take a deeper look at Ravana, who was a great devotee and an artist.

Shiv Tandava Stotram is a hymn written and sung by Ravana in praise of Lord Shiva. The Shiv Tandav Stotram represents the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva that eliminates all negative energies. The hymn includes 15 verses and each verse describes the fearless Shiva and his eternal beauty in great detail.

In India, every dominant divine energy has many forms and names. Among the many virtues of Lord Shiva, the most popular one is where Shiva is addressed as Bholenath; it means one who is innocent and easy to please.

The legend goes like this: Lord Shiva granted a boon to anyone who praised him, or performed penance with faith and devotion. All the demons took undue advantage of this and worshiped Lord Shiva as they knew that it was easy to please him and then receive a boon.

The story of Shiv Tandav Stotram begins on a day when Ravana tried to lift the Kailash mountain in his hand to take Lord Shiva along with him to Sri Lanka. As a consequence, Lord Shiva pressed his toe, and in the process, crushed the fingers of Ravana. Ravana cried in pain. To escape from the wrath of Lord Shiva, Ravana sang a hymn which came to be known as the popular Shiva Tandav Stotram.

It is said that music is the most powerful tool to please the Lord. Lord Shiva was engrossed in the music of Ravana and became immensely pleased. When Lord Shiva told Ravana to ask for a boon, Ravana requested that the Lord confer him with the most powerful tool and thus, became indestructible.

There are innumerable benefits of Shiv Tandav Stotram. Chanting or listening to Shiva Tandava Stotram confers one with immense power, beauty, and mental strength. It is said that chanting the stotram removes all negative energies and makes the atmosphere pious.

1) During an eclipse: It is said that when you chant Om Namah Shivaya or Shiva Tandava Stotram during the time of an eclipse, it reduces all the ill effects of planets. During the eclipse, chanting, meditating, or praying is a hundred times more effective than at other times.

2) During dawn and dusk: It is said that whatever activity you do during Brahma Muhurta, its impact is manifold more. It reduces the amount of energy consumed and doubles the productivity. During dusk, lamps are lit in every house and prayers are offered in many households. Some even conduct satsangs to soak in the positive vibrations.

3) Pradosh Vrat: Pradosh Kaal is the time of the month that falls on the 13th day and is also known as Trayodashi tithi. This tithi falls fortnightly. It is said that chanting Shiva Tandava Stotram on every Trayodashi tithi helps burn sins. Note that Pradosh Kaal varies according to different locations.

To learn Shiv Tandav Stotram, you must first listen to it 5-6 times to understand the meaning and pronunciation. After listening, keep practicing and playing the stotram simultaneously. It is recommended to learn the stotram while singing, as it will help you remember it quickly.

Salutations to Lord Shiva, who is the sporting consort of the daughter of the mountain king (Parvati),

In whose mind the universe with all the living beings exist,

Whose all-pervading, compassionate glance removes all hardships,

Who wears the directions as His apparel.

(May my mind find bliss in Him!)

May Lord Shiva, who devoured the God of Love with the fire burning on His forehead,

Who is revered by the celestial leaders,

Whose forehead is enticing with the gleam and cool rays of the crescent moon,

Shower His blessings on us, so we obtain the wealth of the Siddhis.

Salutations to Lord Shiva, whose forehead burns with a dhagad-dhagad sound,

Who offered the five arrows (of the God of Love) to the fire,

Who is the only artist capable of tracing decorative lines on the tips of the breasts of Parvati, the daughter of the mountain king.

(May we repose in him!)

Navina megha mandali niruddhadurdharasphurat

Kuhu nishithinitamah prabandhabaddhakandharah

Nilimpanirjhari dharastanotu krutti sindhurah

Kalanidhanabandhurah shriyam jagaddhurandharah 8

Salutations to Lord Shiva, whose neck is as dark as layers of dark clouds on the night of the full moon,

Who is enchanting as He wears the moon and celestial river on His head,

Who bears the weight of this universe.

(May He bless us with prosperity!)

Praphulla nila pankaja prapajnchakalimchatha

Vdambi kanthakandali raruchi prabaddhakandharam

Smarachchidam purachchhidam bhavachchidam makhachchidam

Gajachchidandhakachidam tamamtakachchidam bhaje 9

Salutations to Lord Shiva, who has a fire on His forehead, that is ever-increasing

Because of the breath of the snake wandering in the sky,

Whose Tandava dance is in tune with dhimid-dhimid,

Victory to Lord Shiva!

Drushadvichitratalpayor bhujanga mauktikasrajor

Garishtharatnaloshthayoh suhrudvipakshapakshayoh

Trushnaravindachakshushoh prajamahimahendrayoh

Sama pravartayanmanah kada sadashivam bhajamyaham 12

When can I be happy, living in a cave near the celestial river Ganga,

Clasping my hands together on my head all the time,

Devoted to the Lord with a glorious forehead and with vibrant eyes,

Washing away my impure thoughts with the mantra of Shiva?

इमं ह नत्यमेवमुक्तमुत्तमत्तमं स्तवं

पठन्स्मरन्ब्रुवन्नर वशुद्धमेतसंततम्

हरे गुर सुभक्तमशु यत नन्यथ गतं

वमहनं ह देहनं सुशङ्करस्य चन्तनम् १४

Anyone who reads, remembers, and recites this stotram

Is purified forever and immerses in deep devotion to the great Guru Shiva leading to salvation.

There is no other way or refuge,

Just the mere thought of Lord Shiva removes the delusion and detachment.

One who recites this song composed by Ravana

At the end of prayer to Lord Shiva early in the morning,

Gets wealth of chariots, elephants, horses.

Lord Shambhu always gives such people prosperity.

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Lord Shiva performs two types of Tandava, the Rudra Tandava (dance of destruction) and the Ananda Tandava (dance of bliss). Rudra Tandava is the fierce form of Tandava which symbolizes destruction (in order for re-creation) and Ananda Tandava is when the intrinsic nature of the Lord is displayed, which is pure bliss or Satchidananda. The Rudra and the Ananda Tandava reflect two very distinct and diverse nature of Lord Shiva.

Lord Shiva performing Tandava is depicted as Lord Natraja wherein He is surrounded by a ring of flames, standing on a lotus pedestal trampling upon a dwarf demon named Apasmara or Muyalaka who symbolizes ignorance or Maya. He has four arms, His front two arms depict various Mudras such as gajahasta (elephant hand), dandahasta (stick hand), or Abhaya (fear not) Mudras, and the back ones hold Agni (fire) and Damru.

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Meaning : Then Shiva remembered and showed the uddhat dance (that He had performed earlier) to Sage Bharat through the chief of His attendants (known as Tandu). He also made Parvati perform the lasya dance with great enthusiasm in front of Sage Bharat. Lasya is a dance performed by women, wherein the hands remain free. Realising that the dance performed by Tandu was tandav, Sage Bharat and others later taught these dances to mankind. The dance form in which the sound emitted by every cell in the body is Shivatattva-predominant, is known as the tandav dance. It is a dance performed by males and consists of mudras; for instance, the dnyanmudra is performed by touching the tip of the thumb to the index finger. As a result, the mounds of Jupiter and Venus get joined, meaning, the male and female unite.

Of the seven types mentioned above, the Gouritandav and Umatandav are fearsome in depiction. In these dances, Shiva assumes the form of Bhairav or Veerabhadra and is accompanied by Gouri or Uma. He performs this fearsome dance with the spirit attendants in a smashan where the corpses burn.

Jayatvadabhravibhrama bhramadbhujangamasafur,

Dhigdhigdhi nirgamatkarala bhaal havyavat

Dhimiddhimiddhimidhva nanmrudangatungamangala,

Dhvanikramapravartita prachanda tandavah shivah 11

Imam hi nityameva muktamuttamottamam stavam,

Pathansmaran bruvannaro vishuddhimeti santatam

Hare gurau subhaktimashu yati nanyatha gatim,

Vimohanam hi dehinam sushankarasya chintanam 14

Shiva was so pleased and enamored listening to this music. As he sang, slowly, Ravana started climbing Kailash from its Southern Face. When Ravana was almost on top, and with Shiva still engrossed in this music, Parvati saw this man climbing up.

It is a little inappropriate to distinguish or to discriminate between one face of Kailash and the other, but the South Face is dear to us because Agastya Muni merged into the South Face. It is just a South Indian prejudice that we like the South Face and I think it is the most beautiful face! It is definitely the whitest face because it is very snowy there.

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