Editing Nataraja (section)

==Interpretation ==
Coomaraswamy summarizes the significance of Shiva's entire dance as an image of his rhythmic or musical play which is the source of all movement within the universe, represented by the arch surrounding Shiva. Secondly, the purpose of his dance is to release the souls of all men from illusion. And third, the place of the dance, [[Chidambaram]], which is portrayed as the center of the universe, is actually within the heart.<ref name=":0" />

James Lochtefeld states that Nataraja symbolizes "the connection between religion and the arts", and it represents Shiva as the lord of dance, encompassing all "creation, destruction and all things in between".<ref>{{cite book|author=James G. Lochtefeld|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC&pg=PA147|year=2002|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-8239-3179-8|pages=147, entry for Chidambaram}}</ref> The Nataraja iconography incorporates contrasting elements,<ref name="narayanan208">Gomathi Narayanan (1986), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/40874102 SHIVA NATARAJA AS A SYMBOL OF PARADOX], Journal of South Asian Literature, Vol. 21, No. 2, pages 208-216</ref> a fearless celebration of the joys of dance while being surrounded by fire, untouched by forces of ignorance and evil, signifying a spirituality that transcends all [[dvaita|duality]].<ref>{{cite book|author=James G. Lochtefeld|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z|url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc0000loch|url-access=registration|year=2002|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-8239-3180-4|pages=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc0000loch/page/464 464]–466}}</ref> Furthermore, Carole and Pasquale note that the deity showcases the eternal cycle of life ([[Jiva]]) from [[Saṃsāra|death to rebirth]], and how a human being should conquer spiritual ignorance and attain [[Samadhi|self-realization]].<ref name="erec_ed_gov" />

In the hymn of [[Manikkavacakar]]'s [[Thiruvasagam]], he testifies that at [[Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram]] had, by the pre-[[Chola]] period, an abstract or 'cosmic' symbolism linked to [[Pancha Bhoota|five elements (Pancha Bhoota)]]. Nataraja is a significant visual interpretation of [[Brahman]] and a dance posture of Shiva. The details in the Nataraja artwork have attracted commentaries and secondary literature such as poems detailing its theological significance.<ref name="jharle309" /><ref name="coomarados" /> It is one of the widely studied and supreme illustrations of Hindu art from the medieval era.<ref>{{cite book|author=David Smith|title=The Dance of Siva: Religion, Art and Poetry in South India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fTLlcGlkdjkC&pg=PA1|year=2003|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-52865-8|pages=1–4}}</ref><ref name="Craven1976">{{cite book|author=Roy C. Craven|title=A concise history of Indian art|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FqQVAQAAIAAJ|year=1976|publisher=Praeger|isbn=978-0-275-22950-4|pages=144–147, 160–161}}</ref>

Srinivasan notes that Nataraja is described as [[Satcitananda]] or "Being, Consciousness and Bliss" in the [[Shaiva Siddhanta]] text ''Kunchitangrim Bhaje'', resembling the Advaita doctrine, or "abstract monism" of [[Adi Shankara]], which holds the individual Self ([[Jiva|Jīvātman]]) and supreme Self ([[Paramatman|Paramātmā]]) to be one, while "an earlier hymn to Nataraja by Manikkavachakar ... identifies him with the unitary supreme consciousness, by using Tamil word '<nowiki/>''Or Unarve''<nowiki/>', rather than [[Sanskrit]] '''chit''<nowiki/>'." This may point to an "osmosis" of ideas in medieval India.{{sfn|Srinivasan|2004|pp=447}}

According to [[Ian Crawford (astrobiologist)|Ian Crawford]], professor of [[planetary science]] at [[Birkbeck, University of London|University of London]], the cosmic dance of Shiva as Nataraja represents [[particle physics]], [[entropy]] and the dissolution of the universe.<ref>{{cite journal |author=[[Ian Crawford (astrobiologist)|Ian Crawford]] |date=December 2019 |title=Expanding worldviews: cosmic perspectives |url=https://academic.oup.com/astrogeo/article-abstract/60/6/6.36/5625006 |journal=Astronomy & Geophysics |publisher=[[Royal Astronomical Society]], [[Oxford University Press]] |volume=60 |issue=6 |page=6.38 |doi=10.1093/astrogeo/atz195}}</ref>