Nata Raja Stotra
Composed by Patanjali Maharshi
A praise extolling Nataraja – the king of dancers, who dances, clad in consciousness, in our hearts
This stotra describes Shiva as Nataraja who dances at the time of destruction of the three cities (metaphors for the three realms of consciousness, viz dream, sleep and awake). He dances in merriment at the total annihilation of creation and has the ego under his feet. He reigns supreme as the turiya (lit. "4th state") "Unborn one" and as the symbol for nirvana – blowing off the flame. He is depicted as the king who gets ready to demolish those cities using the gods himself as his weapons and arms. This stotra includes many references to tales from the Shiva Puranas like the episodes of Markandeya, Gajasura, Sura Sadas, Sanaka Anugraha, Samudra Manthana etc.
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The Tale
The origin of the stotra is interesting and humorous. Once upon a time, the devas and other rishis were busy in a meeting with Shiva. Patanjali Maharshi comes from the south, exhausted, to the Himalayas to meet his beloved god – Shiva. But Nandi prohibits him from going ahead as Shiva is busy with beings who have legs and horns and don't have elongated bodies (taunting Patanjali, as he was said to be in his original form, a snake). So Patanjali distraught, propitiates Shiva himself, from where he is standing, by lauding his achievements, in a stupendously hard meter (called Charana Sringa Rahita – a meter without 4X (legs) or 2X (horns) multiple longs guru or shorts laghu), and using his grammatical abilities composes it fully without "long vowels."
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The Verses
Pray to the Dancer in your heart, who is clad in transcendental consciousness.
His feet is embellished by existence and joy. His splendid armlet waves around jingling "jhal", "jhal". He, the blemish-less unmoving destroyer of births, is the "apple of Patanjali's eye". Shining white like a swan, clad in the cosmos, having a neck resembling the trunk of Kadamba tree, the Supreme reality shines in the hearts of the wise. He is the pearl of the ocean of consciousness!
Pray to the Dancer in your heart, who is clad in transcendental consciousness.
He is Hara, the destroyer of the three cities. He wears infinite bracelets. His compassion flows uninterrupted. Verily he is without an end. His feet are worshipped by the likes of Indra, Brahma and the entire pantheon. He wears for his crown the young moon. He is the Supreme being who killed Yama (Markendeya episode). He having extinguished the flame of Lust, adorns his body with those ashes. This Dancer is the eternal being who is the ocean of the primordial sound "Om".
Pray to the Dancer in your heart, who is clad in transcendental consciousness.
He resides in the middle realms. Nay, everywhere. He survives even after the universe collapses. His virtues are extraordinary. He has no religion. Wearing the moon and the multitude of splashing waves of heavenly river Ganga in his matt-locks. He was the one who nipped the pride of Yama, and in fact robbed this world of its existence. Shiva, the auspicious is the controller of all animals (which is symbolised by) holding the deer in his hands. Oh! Shiva has his hands intimidatingly spread out in all the 10 cardinal directions. Shiva, Hara has for his three eyes, the sun, moon and fire. Worship him, Hara the Dancer.
Pray to the Dancer in your heart, who is clad in transcendental consciousness.
Wow! He sports infinite armlets, anklets embellished with nine gems, which are clanking jhal jhal jhal. He is the Dancer for whom Brahma and Vishnu themselves become the drummers and accompanists for the routine of dissolution, sounding "Dhimid, dhimidh". He rides a chariot of peacocks and jays which is pulled by Nandi and accompanied by ghouls like Bhringi, Riti, etc. But he can take away your fears. The greatest Atma-jnanis like Sanaka and Sananda worship his feet. To him, you should pray.
Pray to the Dancer in your heart, who is clad in transcendental consciousness.
He enjoys infinite glory and fame. Hence even the heavens bow down to his feet. He, the pure, lives in the innermost hearts of the sages. His covetable physical body is made up of the eight elements – water, Space, moon, earth, air, fire, sun and the swan-ego. He, the three-eyed God, who revels in countless manifestations, and is hidden within the three worlds like a gem, is busy annihilating the three cities. Sananda is prostrating at his feet, (begging) for compassion (towards the world).
Pray to the Dancer in your heart, who is clad in transcendental consciousness.
He is unthinkable. Yet he can be described as having a throat similar to a goose surrounded by sparkles like bees. He is totally fair like the bunch of stems of corn. He plays around, as he is being prostrated to by Vishnu, Indra, Yama, and the other gods. He holds the Kundali serpent. He is without compromise. Yet he empathises with Rati. He is a treasure of good for the good. He, the lord of animals and slayer of Gaja asura, is extolled by Lord Agni. He is occupied entertaining those who have submitted to him. Pray to him.
Pray to the Dancer in your heart, who is clad in transcendental consciousness.
Pashupati, the best among Gods, the Supreme, who fathered Ganesha and Skanda, the destroyer of the cities, is easily pleased. His matted hair glows golden-red. Upon seeing him, Sanaka blooms like the lotus to the Sun. He has a favourable disposition. He glistens like the Himalayas. His mind has no attachments, hence gulped down even the deadliest poison which arose from the ocean. Oh, indeed he, the ocean of virtues, is beyond any comparison. He gives boons to saints like Sananda. His serene face calm like the moonlight, is pleasing. Bow down to him.
Pray to the Dancer in your heart, who is clad in transcendental consciousness.
The unborn One, has the earth for his chariot, the fiercest serpent king Ananta for the string of the golden bow-Nandi. Wielding the axe, which was as wide as the elephant king-Airavata; adorned with Kumkuma on his forehead; beating the damaru-drum; making Vishnu who had surrendered, his ever-striking flawless arrow; making the Vedas his chariot-horses; alongside goddess Chandika; the Unmatchable One within a moment's time, demolished the three cities. (Wow! The entire scene of Tripura as an imagery in just one scene!)
Pray to the Dancer in your heart, who is clad in transcendental consciousness.
He, the unborn, was the enemy of Kama – desire. He bears the weight of mother earth. He, the pure, the all-pervading takes pity. Indra and the gods submit to his will for he is the foe of death, and holds the inextinguishable hell-fire in his bare hands. His body is so fragrant and infatuating (to me, Patanjali) like the flock of hundreds of geese swimming around lotus blooms mesmerised by its glow. Patanjali has surrendered to him, who is the parrot in the cage of the praNava sound Om.
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Conclusion
Thus ends the praise composed by the "bull" (chief) among "serpents" (Patanjali). The one who recites this everyday, having focussed his mind, shall indeed go to the supreme abode which is easily accessible, wherein there is no need for "legs and horns" to get the darshana of the lord's two feet, even if he is engaged in a meeting. Those feet of Shankara are divine and worshipped by Brahma (born of lotus), Sun-surya (lord of grass), Vishnu (hari) and others. The reciter verily goes there and does not ever return to this ocean of birth, supreme sorrow and mishaps.
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