The Dance of Shiva

Nataraj, the dancing form of Lord Shiva, is a symbolic synthesis of the most important aspects of Hinduism, and the summary of the central tenets of this Vedic religion. The term 'Nataraj' means 'King of Dancers' (Sanskrit nata = dance; raja = king). Nataraj is the "clearest image of the activity of God which any art or religion can boast of…" In modern physicists, Shiva's dance can be compared with the dance of subatomic matter for "every subatomic particle not only performs an energy dance, but also is an energy dance; a pulsating process of creation and destruction…without end."