Tag: narmada stone

Dancing is an ancient form of magic. The dancer becomes amplified into a being endowed with supra-normal powers. His personality is transformed. Like yoga, the dance induces trance, ecstasy, the experience of the divine, the realization of one’s own secret nature, and, finally, mergence into the divine essence. In India consequently the dance has flourished side by side with the terrific austerities of the meditation grove- fasting, breathing exercises, absolute introversion. To work magic, to put enchantments upon others, one has first to put enchantments on oneself. And this is effected as well by the dance as by prayer, fasting and meditation. (Heinrich Zimmer from his book “Philosophies of India.”) Shiva, therefore, the arch-yogi of the gods, is necessarily also the master of the dance. Nataraja , King of Dancers echoes the same thought process. The only important thing to note here is that this is not an ordinary, mortal dance.