Spirituality

Nataraja -The Dancing form of Shiva at CERN

Biblical floods, black plague, Y2K, or Mayan calendar. Humanity has always been intrigued with the end of the world scenarios. On June the 10th, 2008, once again, the entire world was holding its breath as the CERN was about to experiment, recreating the immediate aftereffects of the big bang. CERN stands for European Council for Nuclear Research, an organization in Europe established in 1952 to carry out fundamental physics research. 

Few filed lawsuits, few wrote research papers, and few filed cases in the human rights commission to stop the experiment, which might create a black hole, ending up sucking the entire earth in it. Of course, nothing of such sort happened, and the experiments continued, enlightening the creation of the universe. 

This experiment was responsible for confirming subatomic particles, which led to enhancing our understanding of the universal creation. 

On the fine morning of June the 18th, 2004, CERN unveiled an unusual bronze statue in its premise. That statue was a gift from the government of India, celebrating its association with CERN over the past few decades. 

Nataraja

The bronze statue was none other than Nataraja – A four-handed deity, in a dance position, standing on one foot, crushing a demon under it. He is Nataraja, the dancing form of Shiva. The Sanskrit word Nataraja comprises two words, Natya meaning the dance, and Raja means the Lord. So, Nataraja means the Lord of the Dance. He stands in a circle, creating a halo-like effect, with flames coming outwards, representing the circle of mass, energy, space, and time. In this world, the Nataraja, the Shiva, is dancing.

The circle represents the ever-expanding universe, and you can see the Nataraja is reaching to every part of the circle, telling us that Leela or the illusion reaches even the farthest corner of the universe. His hair strands are touching to the limits of the universe, representing His unmeasurable Yogic knowledge.

Everything in between Nataraja and the circle represents Shakti. When Shiva and Shakti combine, the universe is created, nurtured, and eliminated. Here, you must look beyond the statute of Shiva, at space in between, representing the raw celestial power Shakti, governing the universe.

In Shiva’s upper right hand, he is holding a drum, making the sound of existence. It’s creating sound energy, which helped create the universe. He is holding Agni (Fire) in his left hand, representing the dissolution of the cosmos. Simultaneously, his lower right hand is in Abhay Mudra, showing that he bestows his protection on the universe.

He is dancing on a demon named Apasmara, representing darkness and ignorance, which cannot be killed or destroyed. Only the light of knowledge can keep him down. Here, Shiva has created a very delicate balance between existence and non-existence. One wrong movement and everything will collapse.

According to quantum field theory, there is no creation without destruction. When each and every subatomic particle resonates, or, we can say it dances, it emits the energy. The same energy is responsible for the process of creation and destruction. Lord Shiva represents the same energy. His dance represents the movement of the subatomic particles, the base of existence.

Scientists at CERN put plaque beside the statue, which says, “Modern physics has shown that the rhythm of creation and destruction is not only manifest in the turn of the seasons and the birth and death of all living creatures, but is also the very essence of inorganic matter,” and that “For the modern physicists, then, Shiva’s dance is the dance of subatomic matter.”

Like the ancient wisdom it represents, the statue was made in India and exported to the west. Some say Nataraja represents an exploding star. As it destroys itself in the supernova event, expelling its elements out into space with the speed of light. With an enormous gravitational force, elements like hydrogen, helium, carbon, and oxygen are created. These elements are the base of life in the universe. Thus, a dying star, even when dying, opens a gateway for new creation.

Legendary astronomer Carl Segan says Hinduism is the only religion in the world, which states that the cosmos undergoes an immense and infinite number of deaths and rebirths. CERN employs the most brilliant brains on this planet. Nataraja idol at CERN is a gentle reminder to those working there that creation and destruction are dual in nature, and they happen simultaneously.

Ancient Tantric texts Agama say the universe was created with an explosion, separating Shiva (divine consciousness) from Shakti (energy of creation). To understand the true nature of the cosmos, one must unite Shiva’s creative energy and consciousness.

The ancient tradition of tantra recognizes the human body as a mini version of the universe itself. To understand our place in this vast existence, one must create a delicate balance like Nataraja.    

We hope this blog helped you understand the place and importance of Nataraja at CERN. Please feel free to write to us at info@chamundaswamiji.com for any queries.