Aldous Huxley Describes the Dancing Shiva Image 

The symbol of Nataraj has a meaning. It tries to say that the dancer and the dance are not two things . So long as the dancer is there the dance is also there. It tries to say that the creator and its creation are not two things . They are one. So one should not try to separate them . when the creator and the creation are one, a different term can be given, that is creativity. So GOD is creativity. Dance is the creation, and the dancer is the creator. Hence the word creativity.

I am not religious but since childhood this image of Nataraja has always had a hold on me. Have no freaking idea why!!! It's at a rudimentary level the most aesthetic and fluidic representation generated out of metal.

Dwarf under Shiva's right foot is "Apasmara" (aka " Muyalaka") is a demon representing ignorance/evil/ego.

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley.

Very interesting. I am a Sculptor living in the West of Europe and I'll admit my total ignorance when it comes to understanding this sculpture but now that I have heard the interview it is astonishing to me how many times i have seen modern western sculptures and artwork that clearly have been influenced by this.

Huxley was the one of greatest philosophical minds in the 20th century. A truly enlightened individual.

NIELS BOHR “I go into the Upanishads to ask questions.”

Dwarf is called Apasmara, and represents "forgetfulness" which is the root of ignorance itself. It's so pleasant to listen to Aldous, what a guy.

Will never look at Indian symbols the same thanks to explanations like this. Much thanks🖖🏽🙏🏽🕊🔥

It is wonderful that the audio recording of Huxley's discussion of the Nataraj was preserved for posterity and the world.

The wealth of symbolism in this single very ancient image is truly staggering. This is how Hinduism has survived for over 9,000 years now (based on latest archaeological excavations showing religious artefacts in Bhrrna, Haryana, India).

the most wise, inclusive and cosmic symbol on this earth. i have many in my apartment. i give small ones as gifts. the best possible gift.

The symbol of endlessness, boundless energy, that can create millions of world and destruct millions of worlds too, he is Lord Shiva....

‘Lord of a thousand worlds am I, And I reign since time began. Night and Day in in cyclic sway, Shall pass while their deeds I scan. Yet Time shall cease afore I find release, For I am the Soul of Man.’ 🕉

Hello there. Everyone relax, everything is unraveling as Planned. Thank u

Aldous would be pleased to see Shiva Nataraja at CERN.

👌🏽. Damn RU-vid recommended something actually important and deep.

The wisdom of Huxley is astounding; such men are scarce nowadays. Great posting.

Thankyou Sir, for this gem of a recording!! Please keep them coming!

I had a dream of Shiva, since then I cannot change that image, it had nothing to do with the other interpretations, be blessed.

The ego, along with the world, isn't a mistake committed by Brahman. It's a product of Desire, which is the generator of the Leela. It cannot and should NOT be destroyed! What is needed is its attenuation. Neither expect the cessation of Dukkha or suffering. It is the price we must forever pay for our awareness in this relative world. The sooner we realize this, the sooner we'll eradicate our hopeless expectations, and embrace the wonder, beauty, and love of life within the playful mAyA of the Plenum.

The motionless figure of Vishnu with his meditative wisdom is my favorite. He is the cause of the evolution of the world.

Hinduism is a deeply symbolic set of philosophies. Take this, for instance: "In our legends it is said that the goddess Ganga’s descent from the heavens would have split the earth had Lord Shiva not tamed her torrent by tying it into his ash-smeared locks. To hear this story is to see the river in a certain way: as a heavenly braid, for instance, an immense rope of water, unfurling through a wide and thirsty plain. That there is a further twist to the tale becomes apparent only in the final stages of the river’s journey-and this part of the story always comes as a surprise, because it is never told and thus never imagined. It is this: there is a point at which the braid comes undone; where Lord Shiva’s matted hair is washed apart into a vast, knotted tangle. Once past that point the river throws off its bindings and separates into hundreds, maybe thousands, of tangled strands." - Excerpt from The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh on the Sunderbans Delta.

This Is IT! This Is IT! This Is IT! Forever and ever, only one thing . . ..

Just finished reading “Brave New World”! A lot of food for thought in that one, and it’s an easy read. I think it took me four nights.....but a very good book!

Aldous Huxley. What a fine intellectual. A deep thinker. An insightful story-teller. And a humble person.

One mustn't neglect Vasuki-Shiva's serpent-coiled 'round Shiva's neck and indicative of His mastery over Kundalini Shakti.

Thank you for this beautiful piece of his interview.

Great video. Thanks for uploading!

Thank you for publishing this!

verrrry timely,thanks for the upload,all paths end up over "there"

My understanding of the nataraja symbol (everytime I see it) is that the eternal dance of nataraja represnting the eternal cosmic dance in the macroscopic scale of stellar objects to the microscopic scale of atomic particles. Not simply a dance but such a graceful, artistic periodic motions. Just imagine in a single picture, the harmonic movement of sub atomic particles across atoms, atoms making objects, objects moving on planets, satellites across planets, planets across stars, stars in galaxy, galaxies in space. And not for a finite period of time but for eternity and thus the gigantic amount of energy this universe possess And a tiny human mind (which seems an invisible point in the scale of space and universe) contemplating this grandeur. And all this makes me adore and bow before the idol not by submission but by pure admiration. There are two emotions of nataraja's dance as I know. The aananda tandava which is a dance of joy which signifies motion and life on universe and the rudra tandava (the angry, violent dance) which represents destruction of universe in form of explosions and collisions. In one line, the idol explaining all the science of motion, energy, creation, destruction. How spirituality melds and merges with science. Can never stop admiring and reverring it

Excellent talk by Aldous Huxley. Very interesting, informative and worthwhile.

shiva's dance is the vibration om inside the deepest depths of the atoms, from which forms the basis of all existence. Shiva is dancing right now inside each and every atom of the universe and that is what is the universe. Om namah shivaya.

Nice voice and explanations, a great perennial philosopher... A pionner in the comparative studies and in the ecumenical path, as his " Perennial Philosophy " shows so well...

Thank you for explaining it to us. Om Namah Shivay 🙏🙏🙏

Well commented. Happy to know that you have understood the meaning of Nataraj

Har Har Mahadev

I am always amazed when I read comments about the placement of the Shiva statue at CERN, as if that was some demonic homage. So obvious is its formal connection to the site's geometry: CERN is a very large ring, and this dancing Shiva is inscribed within a bounding circle. Why is that so difficult to get? That is not its only symbolic reference but clearly it is a part of its relevance. There is a far richer symbolic connection in relation to that specific placement of the Shiva, but not many people are knowledgeable with Hindu deities, the concept of archetypes, materiality and non-materiality etc.

I love Aldoes Huxley’s mind, the way he thought and articulated his knowledge.

We DO have a symbol like this! The world has THIS! This was a beautiful explanation of it!

The Shiva is non other than you, you are the Shiva. The Master. But you have to realize it!

One of the most beautiful and important recommendations by RU-vid! ♥️

Fascinating !!!! Thank you for this...very appropriate!

Thx, and also simply as Art, the Dancing Shiva is just such a timeless piece of *_sculpture._*

We are now living in Kali yuga end of times or time to change

Thanks so much for posting really interesting

What a lovely treat to hear. Big thank you

Such a beautiful description, I first came accross this in Huxley's book the island. It's amazing to hear his actual voice.

Blesseth be the the algorithm.

Wonderful! Eternal balance as dance! A fine reminder! Energy, space and time. Contemplation. I’ve always loved this image, and now find that love enhanced and better understood.

I at times wonder why there is a statue of "Dancing Shiva" (in the picture) outside CERN which hosts the world's most powerful particle accelerator /smasher - perhaps to remind us something...

This should be on the Accidental ASMR playlist

thanx for great explanation

Hindu gods represents the universal forces and factual realities of universe. Other religious gods is about the historical human beings characters.

Symbols encode knowledge. Amazing understanding!

i love this art .. you can almost hear the music .. 😀

~~Brilliant ! A gift from the universe . A humble thanks .

My first impression, intuitively speaking, is that the being inside the circle is dancing through time and space via a wormhole or cosmic portal to convey that transversing the universe was and is possible in ways that most modern humans do not remember

Absolutely love Huxley s description of lord Shiva?om namo shiviya.

5:53 human mind is a symboliphic instrument. It exists to manifest symbols, to turn the immediate experience into symbol to manage it in a convenient way. Every godly sculpture in bharatiya dharma is full of symbols.

In my search for truth within religion and science, Hinduism seems to have more correct than anyone else. At some point science may catch up, but I doubt it will occur in my life time. One of my biggest goals is to live in india a couple years before I die, and learn ashtanga in mysore. GREAT VIDEO!!! THANKS!

Thank you soooo much 🌻🌹⚘

A hidden gem. Thank you ever so much.

Interesting! I was hoping he would speak about the belt that flows (like his hair) not just to the edges of the universe, but a little past its bounds. It also reminded me of a road or a path.

The drum is called damru, it has only one string with a single stone at end. Each flick of the drum flings the weighted string for a strike producing only one dum i.e one bang i.e one big bang i.e one om i.e ik onkar. It represents the creation of a universe at each flick in this celestial dance of Shiva.

Great 👍 analysis. Thanks 🙏 for posting ☯️🕉🙏🙀🐾

Great explanation... I'm now speechless ... 🙏🙋

I experienced a dancing shiva on my first DMT experience... it was mind blowing. No language, all telepathy communication. She asked me if I knew what love was when I was at a very low point of my life and then gave me an almost electromagnetic blanket of love waving through me. Something I’ll never forget and am extremely grateful to have experienced.

i enjoyed that, thanks

The circle is Eternity. The Dancer is Pure Benevolence, Creative Energy, You as the Entire Universe.

Great explanation!

Wonderful explanation..bravo to the artist who created it way back when.

Really humbled to know these aspects of Hinduism, whats scary is the violence that is created out of comparisons with other beliefs and eventually end up deviating from what a belief(in this case-hinduism) is actually trying to convey.

Excellent post.

The cobras, which rise up behind Shiva‘s head in most representations of Nataraj, are said to represent the awakening and arising of the kundalini, and it’s apex accent at and through the topmost chakra, the Sahastara.

M Ex Muslim just counvertived to Hinduism. My family don't like me but now I love myself.

That does it!!! I'm now going to have to read "The Doors of Perception" which is where Jim Morrison got the name "The Doors". I have read "Brave New World" with essays. There's a good reason why It is considered classical literature and is often required reading in college. And it's not necessarily because of the sex and or orgies (Ford have mercy!). But I'm now getting a real feel for who Huxley was. Thanks for posting this.

Wish they taught this in schools, highschools in India!! This should be part of our curriculam

Hats off to you Sir! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

MARK TWAIN Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India.ROMAIN ROLLAND If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.

Hindu thought is very ancient, Aldous is right, what a symbol this is.

Very interesting! Loved it!

thanks for this

A similar symbol and concept in the Andean religion is the Chacana expression of time-space dynamics. Marvellous!!!

Shiva is a life complete, from creation till death, cosmic, psychologically humane well admired by this great writer of all time Aldous Huxely. My village name is Kade/Shiv/Alaya = Kadeshivalya.

Amazing that a large Shiva Nataraj statue is at the CERN !

Seeing this idol puts and end to all my worries

Shiva is best explained in a Prayer composed by Saint Shankaracharya called "Nirvana Shatakam". The prayer is available in RU-vid and it's meaning is also available only be on many websites.

this makes me want to listen to Behemoth

Thank you more of him please

Profound explanation of aspects Shiva represents .

Now 58, grew up in a progressive house, so we had one of these around. Sure that it left an indelible impression. Some time after an enlightenment intensive I realized " I am the One dancing", must have been implanted by Nataraja thirty years earlier.

Sanatan Dharma followers are natural seekers... What if number of sages and scriptures and religion has said. Finding the almighty my own way

The statue here is from CERN, where the world's largest particle accelerator is. I used to work there a few years back, and yes, we used to open the gates of hell every Thursday on our lunch break. Best time of my life!

Thank you 🙌

Shiva. Great effing Dude. Met him at a Grateful Dead show.

I had one of these in my house back in India. I used to play with it and have a lot of fun with it, until I cut myself on those flames then I kept my distance and appreciate it from a distance

Perfect description of Nataraja. Ohm Namah Shivai.

Thank you. Huxley is arguably "our smartest guy" ever so the more we all listen to him the better. R. Buckminster Fuller, too. Fight through his scratchy New England accent and listen to him. Development begins with humility: shutting the mouth and opening the ears.