Your Blissful Soul - * THE FIERCE TANDAVA DANCE OF LORD SHIVA *

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As His neck was consecrated by the showers
Of Heavenly river Ganga flowing from the thick
Forest-like locks of His matted hair,where a lofty snake
Was hanging like a garland, when the rhythmic sounds of
Damat, Damat, Damat, were made by His Damaru drum,*
The Great God Shiva, who performed the fierce Tandava
Dance, May shower His auspicious blessings all upon us!
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My heart goes to the Great God, whose head is crested
With the rows of moving waves of Ganga, the river of light
Agitating in the deep caverns amid His matted hair-locks,
With cosmic fire blazing on the surface of His forehead,
And who has the Crescent Moon* as a jewel on His head!
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My mind seeks happiness in Shiva, the Great Lord,
In whose mind all living beings of the glorious universe
Exist; who sports with His consort Parvati, the daughter
Of the King of Mountains; who controls worldly hardships
With the flow of His merciful glances and who pervades all!
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I seek bliss in great God Shiva, the supporter of the world's
Life, whose ornaments are great snakes with reddish brown
Hoods shining with lustrous gems, spreading out variegated
Colors on the lovely faces of the maidens of the quarters, and
Whose garment is the shining Sky, the skin of a huge elephant!
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May Lord Shiva grant us prosperity, who has the crescent as
His crest jewel, whose locks of hair tied by garlands of snakes,*
Whose foot-stool is grayed by the pollen dust from the flowers
Like rows of the heads of the gods like Indra,Vishnu and others!
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May we get the wealth of divine Powers from Shiva's matted
Hair locks; from whose fore head flamed out the cosmic fire
To devour the God of Love, who is ever bowed by the leaders
Of heavenly spheres, and who is beautiful with moon crescent!
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My interest is in Shiva, who has three eyes, who had burnt
The God of Love with flames of fire dazzling Dhagad, Dhagad
On the flat surface of His forehead and who is the expert artist
In drawing decorative lines on the tips of the breasts of Parvati,
The Mother of the universe and the daughter of the Mountain!
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May Lord Shiva give us prosperity, who bears the burden
Of the universe, who sees the universe as His own self, and
Whose throat is dark as midnight covered by the layers of clouds.
Who wears a garland of full-bloomed blue lotuses which looked
Like the dark heads of the ignorant, who is the destroyer of Cupid,
Who destroyed the Three cities of demons, destroyed the bonds
of worldly existence, who destroyed the sacrifice, who destroyed
The demon Andhaka, and who controlled Yama, the God of death!
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I pray to Lord Shiva, who has the bees flying over His lofty bosom
Because of the sweet honey dripping from the garlands of auspicious
Kadamba flowers, He is the killer of Cupid, the destroyer of Tripuras,
The destroyer of sacrifice and the bonds of worldly life, who destroyed
The demon Andhaka, and who controlled Yama, the God of death!
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Lord Shiva, whose dance of Tandava is in tune with the series
Of loud sounds of Dhimid, Dhimid made by His drum, who has fire
On His wide forehead which is spreading out because of the breath
Of Cosmic snakes wandering in a whirling motion in the glorious sky!
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When will I be at the lotus feet of Lord Shiva, the eternally auspicious God,
Who has lotus like eyes with equal vision towards an emperor, or a blade
Of grass, towards both the friends and enemies, towards the diamonds
Or the lumps of dirt, towards a snake or a garland of Kadamba flowers!
When will I be happy, living in a hollow place near the Heavenly river
Ganga with folded hands on my head all the time uttering holy mantra of
Lord Shiva and watching the glorious beauty of God with vibrating eyes!
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Whoever reads, remembers and utters this best hymn gets purified for ever,
And obtains devotion in the great God Shiva, and by its mere remembrance
It removes the delusion of the world. After sunset, at the end of the worship,
Whoever utters this prayer dedicated to Lord Shiva, he will be blessed with
Great prosperity with all richness of cars, horses, elephants and divine powers!

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OM NAMAH SHIVAYA OM

-venkat
some symbols used:
* Damaru drum: Cosmic Time
* Crescent Moon: Eternal bliss
* Garlands of snakes : Spiraled galaxies
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*Based on the ancient Sanskrit hymn composed by Ravana, a great devotee
Of Lord Shiva, who was portrayed as a Demon King in the Epic Ramayana!