This concept of Nataraja is probably a unique one and the statue of Nataraja is probably one of the finest pieces of sculpture in the whole world as it reflects the ideas and tenets of Hindu art and philosophy. To quote Lord Ronald, later the Marquis of Zetland, “for the Indian, the Nataraja is the plastic presentation of the whole philosophy. In the whirl of dance he sees the primary energy which gives life to one’s existence and so sustains the universe”. 

J.E.Carpenter looks upon Nataraja as “A happy blend of characters of the ascetic and the dancer in one figure and as the expression of that unstinted joy which Indian thought associates with Infinity, Reality, and Intelligence”. Dr. Ananda Coomaraswamy sees in the Nataraja “a synthesis of science, religion and art”. Let us now visualize the science aspect of this cosmic dance of Shiva generally known as Ananda Tandava Murti and which is eulogized and danced to in the various ‘padam-s such as ‘Natanamadinar’, ‘Ananda Natana’, ‘Kalai Tooki’, ‘Adidanadida Aha Shankara’ and many such compositions. 

All these dances are described as cosmic dances. The dictionary describes cosmic as relating to the cosmos or orderly or synthetic whole (as opposed to chaos). As such cosmic dance is the orderly dance of the world literally speaking the orderly rhythmic movement of the whole universe which is governed by scientific laws discovered by man.