Philosophy of Music

Ask the flower why it blooms in spring. Ask nightingale why she sings when flower blooms. Ask peacock why he dance when see the black cloud in rainy season. Ask a tree why it dances with the wind. Nature speaks herself that music and dance is the best expression to show ones passion.

Human is a part of this musical and dancing nature. How he can be un-touched from this wonderful blessing of the Mother Nature. Dance is the rhythmic physical movement prompted by feelings and emotions. The rhythmic movement may be of any or all parts of the body in accordance with some scheme. Every beast and human being dances to express its innermost passions.

There are three essential features in a dance. One- a spontaneous movement of the muscles and limbs under the influence of some strong emotion, feeling or passion, such as joy, pleasure, anger or religious exaltation. Two - pleasure de-rived both by the dancer and the spectator due to a definite combination of such graceful movements and Three - the vivid representation of emotions in other peo-ple watching the dancer, due to such carefully trained movements. In modern societies dancing a savage dance to give vent to their feelings and emotions, but dancing is now-s-days practised as a social pastime.

Indian civilisation is very old and ancient. In 'Reg Veda' which was composed before 1400 BC historians says there is mentioned that has been made of dance and musica instruments such as Mridanga, Vina, Bansi Damru etc.

Shiva is the first dancer according to Hindu conception. A great motif in religion or art, any great symbol becomes all things to all men; age agter age, it yields to men such treasure as they find in their own heart. And so Shiva's dance as handed down to the Hindus is something excellent and supermely-beautiful.

Shiva Pradosha strotra narrates the Sandhya Tandava as follows: " placing the mother of the three worlds upon a golden throne, studded with precious gems, Shulpani dances on the heights of the Kailasa, and all the gods gather round him. Saraswati plays on the Vina, Indra on the flute, Bramha holds the time marking symbols, Laxmi begins a sond. Vishu plays o the drum and all the gods stand round about. Gandharvas, Yskshas, Patagas, Uragas, Sudhdhas, Sdhyas, Vidyadharas, Amaras, Apsaras and all the being dwelling in the three worlds asemble there to witness the celestioal dance and hear the music of the divine choir at the hour to twilight.

Shiva does not merely destroy the heavens and earth at the close of a world cycle, but the fetters that bind each separate soul. The burning ground is not the place where our earthly bodies are cremated but the hearts of his lovers and worshippers laid waste and desolate. The place where the ego is destroyed signifies the state where illusion and deeds are burnt away that is the crematorium where Nataraja dances.

A legend says that once there was s dispute between Shiva and Kali as who was te better dancer. Shiva danced and Kali successfully followed him. On perceiving that he would be defeated, Shiva lifted one of his ligs on the top of his crown and began dancing. Kali's feminine modesty stopped her from folloing her husband in that, so Shiva was acknowledged as the champion dancer by the gods. This particuler dance was known as 'Urdhava Tandava'.

There is also the dual aspect of Mahadeva. Mahadeva's half is Uma and hi is known as Ardhanarishwara. He is four armed in this image.

Now to summarise the whole interpretation we find the essential significance if Shiva's dance is three fold: first- it is the image of his rhythmic play as the siurce of all movement within the cosmos, which is represented by the arch; second- the purpose of his dance is to release thecountless souls of men from the snare is illusion; third - the place of the dance chidambaram, the centre of the universe, is within the heart.

Srishti - The creation and evolution
Sthiti - Maintenance and presevation
Samhara - Destruction and involution, drawing again into his own self
Tirobhava - Embodiment of souls
Anugraha - Their release from the cycle these separately considered as the activities of the deities, Bramha, Vishnu, Rudra, Maheshwara and Sadashiva.

In this symbolic dance the five activities mentioned above are represented. The first movement is that of creation. Shiva danced and the very first rhythm of his dance produced this universe. The second rhythm is that of preservation. By its rhythm the equilibrium of the universe is preserved. The third one is that of destruction. By its rhythm, the living are destroued and things yet unborn are made to appear. The fourth movement is that of embodiment. the rhythm produced by this movement embodies in itse,f thigs real and unreal like illusions this of past, present and fuure. The fifth and last one is that of release. The thythm produced here is just opposite to the one produced by the first movement. It enables living thigs to attain complete salvation or Nirvana.

Shiva is serious and Krishna is full of pathos and love. Krishna is known as Natwar as Shiva is Nataraja. At the time of holi festival even now at Mathura the women and men dance. at Barsana women and Men of Nandgram dance and stage a sham fight and also the Jats indulge in a more elaborated danceing performance at Kosi. According to Agamic teachings Shiva is known as Pashupati or the lord of animals. The men are Pahus or animals and shiva is their Creator. Man's body is unconscious but his soul is conscious. Pashy is the abode of eternal and omnipresent 'Chitshakti' - mind or energy. Pashu is bound and limited by Pasha or bond which is Maya Pasha or the material cause of the world which hinders a man's progress to salvation. Tje bpnd is three fold, Agyana, ignorance and Karma, Pashu is finite, the soul is led to liberation by Shakti.

In Bhagwad Gita, which is held to be the most sacred scripture amoungst the Hindus, Lord Krishna in his dialogue with Arjuna states that dancing is the chief activity of all the gods. In the buddhistic art there are numerous sculptures of dancing goddesses representing Kali and Parvati in a general way. Dances of victory are attributed in the Silapadigram to Subramanya, the God of War. The legend says and according to the commentator Adiyarkunallai, Subramanya having slain the Surapadmasura, danced the dance of rriumph. The ocean wa his stage, and the waves the platform, the accompaniment was the rattle of his drum. Kartikeya dance is another example and also that of Shakti of Kartikeya. Mention has been made of Vishnu dancing in the disguise of a woman ( Mohini), at the time when the ocean was being churned to raise amrita ( Nectar) for the god, but there is no dancing image in his original form. The again, we come across the references of the dance of Indra, but unfortunately the statue of dancing Indra is not renerally seen in the museums.