
The ''Shiva Tandava Stotra(m)'' () is a
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
religious hymn (''
stotra
''Stotra'' (Sanskrit: स्तोत्र) is a Sanskrit word that means "ode, eulogy or a hymn of praise."Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'Stotra'' It is a literary genre of In ...
'') dedicated to the
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
deity
Shiva
Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
, one of the principal gods in Hinduism and the supreme god in
Shaivism
Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Para Brahman, supreme being. It is the Hinduism#Demographics, second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million H ...
. Its authorship is traditionally attributed to
Ravana
According to the Mahakavya, Hindu epic, ''Ramayana'', Ravana was a kingJustin W. Henry, ''Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below'', Oxford University Press, p.3 of the island of Lanka, in which he is the chief antag ...
, the ruler of
Lanka
Lanka (; ) is the name given in Hindu epics to the island fortress capital of the legendary Rakshasa king Ravana in the epics of the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata''. The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks kn ...
, considered a devotee of Shiva.
Etymology
In Sanskrit, ''
tāṇḍava'' (
nominative case
In grammar, the nominative case ( abbreviated ), subjective case, straight case, or upright case is one of the grammatical cases of a noun or other part of speech, which generally marks the subject of a verb, or (in Latin and formal variants ...
: ''tāṇḍavam'') means a frantic dance; ''stotra'' (nominative case: ''stotram'') means a
panegyric
A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens.
Etymology
The word originated as a compound of - ' ...
, or a hymn of praise. The entire
compound
Compound may refer to:
Architecture and built environments
* Compound (enclosure), a cluster of buildings having a shared purpose, usually inside a fence or wall
** Compound (fortification), a version of the above fortified with defensive struc ...
can be translated as "Hymn of praise of Shiva's dance".
Verse
The
stotra
''Stotra'' (Sanskrit: स्तोत्र) is a Sanskrit word that means "ode, eulogy or a hymn of praise."Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'Stotra'' It is a literary genre of In ...
has 16 syllables per line of the quatrain, with ''laghu'' (short syllable) and ''guru'' (long syllable) characters alternating; the
poetic meter
In poetry, metre ( Commonwealth spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of ...
is
iambic octameter by definition. There are 17 quatrains in total.
Both the ninth and tenth quatrains of this hymn conclude with lists of Shiva's epithets as destroyer, even the destroyer of death itself.
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of syllable-initial consonant sounds between nearby words, or of syllable-initial vowels if the syllables in question do not start with a consonant. It is often used as a literary device. A common example is " Pe ...
and
onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia (or rarely echoism) is a type of word, or the process of creating a word, that phonetics, phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Common onomatopoeias in English include animal noises such as Oin ...
create rolling waves of resounding beauty in this example of Hindu devotional poetry.
In the final quatrain of the poem, after tiring of rampaging across the earth, Ravana asks, "When will I be happy?" Because of the intensity of his prayers and ascetic meditation, of which this hymn was an example, Ravana received great power from Shiva, as well as a celestial sword called
Chandrahas
In the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'', the Chandrahasa is an indestructible sword that Shiva gifts Ravana.
Ravana lifting Mount Kailash
The ''Uttara Kanda'' of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' records that the ten-headed, twenty-armed mighty King Ravana ...
a.
Legend
The ''Uttara Kanda'' of the
Hindu epic
Mahākāvya (lit. great kāvya, court epic), also known as ''sargabandha'', is a genre of Indian epic poetry in Classical Sanskrit. The genre is characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of phenomena such as scenery, love, and battles. Ty ...
''
Ramayana
The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...
'' records that the ten-headed, twenty-armed mighty King Ravana defeated and looted
Alaka
Alaka (), also called Alakapuri or Alkavati, is a city featured in Hinduism. It is the home of Kubera, the king of a race called the yakshas and the god of wealth. The Mahabharata mentions this city as the capital of the Yaksha kingdom. This ...
– the city of his half-brother and god of wealth
Kubera
Kubera (, ) also known as Kuvera, Kuber and Kuberan, is the god of wealth, and the god-king of the semi-divine yakshas in Hinduism. He is regarded as Guardians of the directions, the regent of the north (''Dikpala''), and a protector of the ...
, situated near
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; ; ; , ) is a mountain in Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It lies in the Kailash Range (Gangdisê Mountains) of the Transhimalaya, in the western part ...
. After the victory, Ravana was returning to Lanka in the ''
Pushpaka Vimana
Vimāna are mythological flying palaces or chariots described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. The "Pushpaka Vimana" of Ravana (who took it from Kubera; Rama returned it to Kubera) is the most quoted example of a vimana. Vimanas are also menti ...
'' (the flying chariot stolen from Kubera), when he spotted a beautiful place. However, the chariot could not fly over it. Ravana met Shiva's demigod-bull attendant
Nandi
Nandi may refer to:
People
* Nandy (surname), Indian surname
* Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe
* Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi
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(Nandisha, Nandikeshvara) at the place and asked the reason behind his chariot's inability to pass over the place. Nandi informed Ravana that
Shiva
Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
and
Parvati
Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...
were enjoying their dalliance on the mountain, and that no one was allowed to pass. Ravana mocked Shiva and Nandi. Enraged by the insult to his master, Nandi cursed Ravana that
Vanaras
In Hinduism, Vanara () are either monkeys, apes, or a race of forest-dwelling people.
In the epic the ''Ramayana'', the Vanaras help Rama defeat Ravana. They are generally depicted as humanoid apes, or human-like beings.
Etymology
There ...
would destroy him. In turn, Ravana decided to uproot Kailash, infuriated by Nandi's curse, and his inability to proceed further. He put all his twenty arms under Kailash, and started lifting it. As Kailash began to shake, a terrified Parvati embraced Shiva. However, the omniscient Shiva realized that Ravana was behind the menace, and pressed the mountain into place with his big toe, trapping Ravana beneath it. Ravana gave a loud cry in pain. Advised by his ministers, Ravana sang hymns in praise of Shiva for a thousand years. Finally, Shiva not only forgave Ravana, but also granted him an invincible sword called the
Chandrahas
In the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'', the Chandrahasa is an indestructible sword that Shiva gifts Ravana.
Ravana lifting Mount Kailash
The ''Uttara Kanda'' of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' records that the ten-headed, twenty-armed mighty King Ravana ...
a. Since Ravana cried, he was given the name "Ravana" – one who cried. The verses that Ravana sang were collected and became known as the ''Shiva Tandava Stotra''.
In popular culture
Parts of the stotra was recreated as a song in the following Indian films:
* ''
Bhookailas'' (Telugu, 1958)
* ''
Sita Rama Kalyanam'' (Telugu, 1961)
* ''
Bala Ramayanam'' (Telugu, 1997)
* ''
Thandavam
''Thandavam'' is a 2002 Indian Malayalam-language action film directed by Shaji Kailas, written by S. Suresh Babu, and produced by Johny Sagariga. It stars Mohanlal, Kiran Rathod, Nedumudi Venu, Vijaykumar, Sai Kumar, Jagathy Sreekumar,Manoj ...
'' (Malayalam, 2002)
* ''
Nandanam
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'' (Malayalam, 2002)
* ''
Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyo
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'' (Hindi, 2004)
* ''
Aabra Ka Daabra
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Plot
Shanu, a 12-year-old boy, lives with his mother Shivani Singh and father Rahul Singh. Rahul is a magician a ...
'' (Hindi, 2004)
* ''
Risk
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'' (Hindi, 2007)
* ''
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'' (Hindi, 2009)
* ''
Singham
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'' (Hindi, 2011)
* ''
The Attacks of 26/11
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'' (Hindi, 2013)
* ''
Lingaa
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'' (Tamil, 2014)
* ''
Rana Vikrama
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'' (Kannada, 2015)
* ''
Dharam Sankat Mein
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'' (Hindi, 2015)
* ''
Baahubali: The Beginning'' (Telugu, 2015)
* ''
Shivaay
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'' (Hindi, 2016)
* ''
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion'' (Telugu, 2017)
* ''
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'' (Tamil, 2017)
* ''
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* ''
Satyameva Jayate
Satyameva Jayate (; ) is a part of a ''mantra'' from the Hindu texts, Hindu scripture ''Mundaka Upanishad''. Following the independence of India, it was adopted as the national motto of India on 26 January 1950, the day India became a Republic ...
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* ''
Ravana
According to the Mahakavya, Hindu epic, ''Ramayana'', Ravana was a kingJustin W. Henry, ''Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below'', Oxford University Press, p.3 of the island of Lanka, in which he is the chief antag ...
'' (Sinhala, 2018)
* ''
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi'' (Hindi, 2019)
* ''
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'' (Telugu, 2019)
* ''
Nani's Gang Leader
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'' (Telugu, 2019)
* ''
Pattas
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'' (Tamil, 2020)
See also
* ''
Shiva Mahimna Stotra
The ''Shiva Mahimna Stotra'' () is a Sanskrit composition (stotra) in praise of Shiva. According to tradition, the hymn is believed to have been composed by a ''gandharva'' (celestial musician) named Pushpadanta. The hymn lists Shiva's various ...
''
* ''
Shiva Stuti''
* ''
Mahishasura Mardini Stotra
The ''Mahishasura Mardini Stotra'' (, ) is a Hindu ''stotra''. Comprising 21 verses, the work extols the goddess Durga, a principal aspect of the supreme goddess Mahadevi, and her act of slaying the asura Mahishasura.
Etymology
''Mahiṣāsurama ...
''
*
Tandava
Tandavam (also spelled as ), also known as , is a divine dance performed by Hindu god Shiva. Shiva is depicted as dancing the Tandava in his form of Nataraja.
The ''Natya Shastra'', a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts, describes variou ...
References
{{Shaivism, state=collapsed
Hindu devotional texts
Shaiva texts