English

Rudra - The Dancing Destroyer

It is said that the Natya shastra was derived from the Natya veda, supposed to be the fifth veda, and contained nearly 36,000 verses or shlokas. The Natya shastra as we now know it, contains 6,000 shlokas attributed to Bharataâs rendition and understanding of the Natya veda and the knowledge received from Shivaâs attendant, Tandu. It is said that Shiva had himself blessed the sage with the name, Bharata, signifying â bha for bhava (mood), ra for raaga (melody) and ta for taala (rhythm). Bharata is supposed to have written the Natya shastra in response to other munis or sages asking him about the Natya veda, and is depicted in a dialogue form. The rendition also informs that Bharata accepts that his knowledge is due to the blessings of Brahma and that his own hundred sons would carry forward the knowledge of the Taandava Nritya, the dance of the destroyer, the depiction of the anger of Shiva, in his rudraroopa. The rudraroopa of Siva, the creator of the cosmos, and the taandava nritya, the array in the puranas of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Parvati, Daksha, Bhairava and Mahakali is included in this book. The scope is awesome and enormous, and this book is but only a very small beginning.

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