Nataraja and Sri Ramakrishna

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Swami Brahmananda, a

most intimate disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, once went into an ecstatic mood at

the sight of an image of Lord Nataraja (dancing Shiva) at the Madu­rai

temple in South India [Mother Meenakshi temple]. Nataraja literally means the

King of Dancers. Shiva is portrayed as a majestic dancer who dances his

dazzling dance poised wonderfully on one foot in an act of supreme balancing.

Usually, it is the left foot that He raises in the air, keeping the right foot

on the ground, and thus he does his balancing act standing on one foot.

 

The story goes that

the Pandya king ruling over Madurai empathetically felt the Lord’s pain

in the right foot and fervently pleaded with Nataraja to change His posture: to

dance, for a change, with the left foot on the ground and the right one in the

air. The compassionate Lord at once obliged and started dancing as requested!

This image of Nataraja dancing the reverse way is seen only in Madurai and is considered a unique posture of the dancing Shiva.

 

When Swami Brahmananda

saw it, he at once went into ecstasy and exclaimed that he had seen Sri

Ramakrishna dance exactly in the

same posture!

 

[This excerpt is taken from the article, ‘Let Ramakrishna Dance His Rapturous Dance’.

The entire article is very inspiring. It can be read at http://www.eng.vedanta.ru/library/prabuddha_bharata/let_ramakrishna_dance_his_rapturous_dance_nov2004.php]

 

 

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