Shiva: The Vedas claim that the five natural elements make up the material world.
In Sanskrit literature, the five syllables Om-Namah-shi-va-ya stand for the five elements, or Bhoota, that harmonise the five elements of the cosmos. The Rig Veda describes Rudra as the God of the raging storm and the soul of animals. He is Shiva's ancestor in the Vedas.
Natraj is the manifestation of the cosmos, which is dancing. The two great poets Tagore and Nazrul, who described Natraj in their poems in a wonderful manner, did the same. When Neelkanth, the saviour, saw the Asuras and the Devas eagerly pursuing Amrit, then the poison slowly began to spread throughout the ocean, Shiva saved them all by consuming the poison. He therefore became Neelkanth, the rescuer.
Guru Dipa Chaudhuri is a First-Class Postgraduate in Indian Classical Dance Forms, from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, and Senior Diploma Holder in Indian Classical Dance Form, Kathak from Surer Maya Sangeet Samaj, Kolkata. She is a disciple of Guru Bandana Sen of Lucknow Brindadin Gharana.