SHIVA:: NATRAJ

Shiva as Nataraj (Lasya and Tandav) -Nataraj, as I mentioned earlier, is another dual aspect of Shiva. Nataraj literally means the God who dances but Nataraj means much more than that! Basically the type of Shiva's "dances" can be divided into two forms - Lasya and Tandav.Lasya is related to the beginning of the universe while Tandav relates to the end of the universe. Most people know of only Tandav but Lasya is just as important in understanding the true nature of Nataraj. Again, I should note that Shiva represents the duality of nature in various ways and the Nataraj aspect of Shiva is one way of understanding this Hindu philosophy.