Lasya – Dance Of Parvati

Two of the traditional and most revered dances in India are known under the Sanskrit denominations – Tandav (ताण्डव) and Lasya (लास्या).

These unique and graceful dance routines are mainly associated with the Hindu deity of creation and destruction – Lord Shiva (he is part of the triad, including Brahma and Vishnu, called “Trimurti” which symbolizes the creation, the balance and the destruction of the Universe) and his wife – goddess Parvati (she is considered to be an earthly embodiment of Shakti Devi – the goddess of the creative feminine force and the primary cosmic energy that moves the entire Universe and resides in the souls of all living beings).

Along with Shiva, Parvati symbolizes the harmonious union between the masculine and feminine forms of existence or the inextricable male and female beginning (In the Indian mythology, this union is called Shiva – Ardhanarishvara – this kind of iconography is symbolic and shows the inseparability of the female and male energies. These depictions of Mahadev (Shiva) and his consort Parvati (in a combined and inseparable form) are one of the most well known and very significant images of the two major Hindu deities and are also an expression of the indivisible fusion of both the male and female energies without which the Universe can not exist.

The earliest known iconography records of Ardhanarishvara can be traced back to the time of the Kushan Empire and the Gupta Empire. Historically, the statues of Ardhanarishvara came into being during the Kusana period and were slowly perfected during the Gupta era. The oldest depiction of Shiva – Ardhanarishvara is that of Rudra – the Puranic male aspect of Lord Shiva or the static masculine energy (perfect neutrality) and Prakriti – the dynamic and creative feminine intellect. Shiva – Ardhanarishvara embodies Lord Shiva and goddess Shakti (when they are together, Shiva and Shakti represent the masculine and the feminine beginning that shapes the integrity of the Universe) who is a personification of the creative feminine energy and the primordial cosmic energy and also represents the creativity, fertility and the power of creation of the whole cosmos).

This harmony is particularly well expressed in both dances – the Tandava and the Lasya performed by Shiva and Parvati.

When Shiva is angry, he starts to perform the dance of destruction – Tandava, which incorporates the destruction, the creation and the preservation of the world, with both aspects of the God: Rudra Tandav who represents the darker side of Shiva as a creator and destroyer who can sow death and Ananda Tandav – transmitting the joy of the God from the creation of the world. However, the most common image of Lord Shiva is that of the divine dancer – Nataraja.When Mahadev is in the form of Nataraja he performs his divine dance of destruction by destroying the old existing Universe and this way making preparations for Brahma to start the process of creation all over again.

The name of this dance comes from the name of the companion of Lord Mahadev called Tandav who helped Bharata Muni in the creation of the “Natya Shastra”. Tandav was considered the author of an older piece of literature dedicated to the dramatic dances, which is contained in the basic Mudras or the ritual gesture in the Hinduism and Buddhism, bearing a semantic meaning and which are used in the traditional Indian dances.

The dance of Shiva – Tandav reflects the five principles of the energy contained in the Universe:

• Srishti – Evolution, creation;
• Sthiti – Preservence, support;
• Samhara – Destruction, evolution;
• Tirobhava – Illusion;
• Anugraha – Grace, mercy, freedom.

Apart from being a symbol of the cosmic creation and destruction, Tandav dance is also perceived as a symbol of the natural cycle of both life and death. This dance is often performed by dancers in southern India as part of the shows with highly religious plots.

In contrast of the Tandav dance is the dance called Lasya or the dance moves of goddess Parvati. Its name means beauty, grace, happiness and compassion. The rhythmical steps of this dance are full of harmony, grace and tenderness and are supplementing to the brute male energy of the dance of Shiva. It is a symbol of the harmony of the ancient tempo of the creation of the world.

In the iconographic images of Parvati, her gestures express the intellect, the power of nature and the protection of the believers.

The two cosmic dances, which Shiva performs, are those which determine his true nature – Lasya (a gently, elegant and emotional dance that is associated with the creation of the whole world and which is performed by Parvati) and Tandava (a vigorous dance which incorporates the destruction and which is performed by Shiva).

The statues depicting Shiva as the god of dance have their own symbols and meanings:

• A large cobra uncoils from his lower right forearm and in his crown are woven skull and a crescent moon.
• The god dancing in the middle of an arch of flames – His dance (Dance of Bliss) is a symbol of the eternal movement of the Universe and the liberation of the soul from the snare of Maya or the illusion. The center of the Universe where Shiva is dancing is actually a symbol of the human heart. The surrounding flames represent the manifest Universe.
• The upper right hand of the God holds a little drum called damaru which is a representation of the the pridominal sound (Om) of both the creation and the elapsed time. The drum symbolizes the sacred words of the Vedas given to the people by the Gods (these words are believed to have the power to guide the people through the path of life). Mahadev holds the drum with a specific hand gesture called ḍamaru-hasta.
• The upper left hand holds Agni or the fire – the symbol of destruction.
• The symmetrical position of the both arms symbolizes the origin of life.
• The second right hand is placed in the position of Abhaya mudra (fearlessness).
  This hand represents protection from both evil and ignorance to all those who have chosen to follow the path of Dharma.
• The second left hand is pointing towards the raised foot which symbolizes the upliftment and the liberation of the soul from ignorance.
• The demon Apasmara on which Shiva dances is a symbol of the victory of good over evil and ignorance. This also describes the passage of the soul from the divine to the material.
• The snake wrapped around the waist of Shiva is called kundalini and it symbolizes Shakti. It is associated with the cords of life worn by Brahmins as a symbol of the second rebirth (The inceptive members of the Indian caste system or the Brahmins are being given the sacred title “Dvija” or “twice-born” because of their birth as humans from the womb of their mother and their second spiritual “birth” through the detailed understanding of the Vedic texts.
• The static facial mimicry of Shiva represents his neutrality and the balance in the Universe.

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Image Courtesy: FineArt

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