Hindu inançlarında dansın yeri: “Dansın kralı Śiva”

Abstract

This paper elaborates the character and dance of Shiva, one of the principle deities in the Hindu pantheon. Shiva is from the gods celebrated for their dance, for which he also came to be called Śiva Natarāja. Mentioned in almost every phase of Hindu mythology, Shiva holds a particularly important place among the deities. Within his part in the Hindu trinity, he is considered to be the destroyer. Yet, apart from this position, he has also been subject to a variety of alternate descriptions. Among these, there are narrations which do not quite fit the deity paradigm. The portrayal of him as a homeless bagger or as wearing the personally flayed skin of a tiger, may serve as expressions of patterns that do not tend to agree with the image of a god. This paper seeks to adress Shiva’s diversified activities, as well as his famous act of ‘dancing’. As such, it will provide insight into the Hindu belief system and into the significance of dance in its art.

Keywords

• shiva
• dance
• natarāja
• king of dancers
• mythology