Religion
| Dances Of India - Dances Of Kali - Chapter [III] |
| By : Ajit Hari Sahu | Previous | Next |
| Posted on : 29 Aug, 2005 | Total Views : 410 |
Besides the dances of Shiva, those of Kali, the stark naked dark and fierce goddess of pestilence and destruction who receives blood sacrifices, are equally significant. She is also the recreative life-force, and in this aspect she represents the power without which no creativity, whether spiritual or physical is possible. As Kali, she represents all the forms and forces that destroy evil and promotes good and well-being of the world. In this fierce form, she once killed the Demon Daruka, the tormentor of gods and their overlords and performed a frenzied dance, which grew violent and still violent till the world could not bear it, and the whole world became sick with its rage. Then, Shiva took the form of a boy by his maya and began to weep and cry aloud in the cremation ground full of ghosts and goblins. When she saw the child thus crying and howling, she took it up and offered him her breast to suckle. The illusory child drank up her fury with the milk and she was ultimately weaned of her violence and anger. Then Shiva performed a renized tandava to win her favour, accompanied by his various ganas, ghosts and goblins. Delighted to the extreme with Shiva’s nectarean dance recital, the supreme goddess Kali herself dance with joy in the burning ground. All the gods together Kali and recited her praises.
On another occasion, Shiva mingled himself among the demons that Kali was butchering and allowed himself to be trampled upon to assuage her wrath. Having killed the demon Raktavirya, she began her violent victory dance, which nothing could contain. And so Shiva had to resort to this trick.
The dances of gods and divine beings have inspired all these ages the numerous dancers and other artists. The scintillating and picturesque dances of Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu, are equally important. Krishna is one of the most significant dancing divinities of the Hindus. His supreme divinity finds expression in many works of literature, painting, sculpture and dance recitals. As the manifestation of the Supreme Being, he delivers the message of Bhagvad Gita to Arjuna. In this sacred treatise he enumerates the circumstances, which necessitates the descent of Vishnu-Whenever Dharma declines, and unrighteousness flourishes, then I incarnate Myself, O Bharata.
I incarnate age after age,
for the protection of the good, and
for the destruction of the wicked, and
for re-establishment of Dharma.
