Inhaling a long drag from his chillum
Waiting for the smoke to clear up,
Stood the lithe figure of Neelkanth.
Dark majestic hair cascading down,
His broad, muscular shoulders,
Like the gentle flow of the Ganges.
Battle scars gleaming in the moonlight,
Off his tranquil back, he waited.
A sudden roll of thunder rumbled overhead.
It must be time.
As the lightning came crashing down,
He flared his third eye open,
Unleashing his wrath;untamed energy,
Into burning a circle of fire around him.
The tongues of the flames,
Resembling those of the serpents
Around his divine neck,
Nataraja commenced the Tandav.
His necklace of skulls jangling in vigour,
The bells of his ghungroo chimed in unison
To the cosmic dance of death.
Its rhythm resounded so masterfully,
Holding the balance of the universe.
Destroyer of the evil,
Symbolic of all contradictions.
Representing everything and its opposite,
Yet reconciling all of them into one.
Protector of the three realms,
The true benefactor of change.
Praise thee Mahadeva!
The ever consummate, celestial dancer.
– Shuba Murthy for MTTN
– Art by Shraddha Jathan
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