Chidambaram - The Cosmic Lingam

The myths and legends of Chidambaram state that Siva was compelled to continue his dance at Chidambaram, rather than in the Tarakam forest (Tarukavanam), because he could see that the original site could not sustain the powerful energies of the dance. Invoking a yogic parallel, he identified the snaking ida and pingala currents in the subtle body with geographical locations north and south of Chidambaram, and then said that the central channel [natuvinadi] passed directly through Tillai, making it the centre of the world and the site of the original cosmic lingam.

It is through this analogy that Chidambaram, according to local tradition, became the centre of the cosmos, the axis mundi around which all the rest of the universe rotates. The dance is so powerful, only the true centre, the heart of the spiritual and material universe, can support and sustain it. According to this tradition, Chidambaram becomes the world centre on the physical plane; on the spiritual plane, the central shrine becomes the Heart-lotus, the still centre out of which emerges the primal dance of creation in the form of Siva's dance of bliss.

The dance is beyond the vision of even the greatest of sages and adds that only Siva's consort is naturally able to witness the dancing movements of the Lord.

- Suta Samhita (8, 9, 47)

Devi in her great mercy witnesses what is impossible for others to see. Like the mother who partakes of the medicine that the baby cannot directly taste, though through the mother would benefit by it, she gazes and passes on the benefit of the vision to the children, her devotees.

- Suta Samhita (3, 4, 6)

How then did the sages and gods get to see the dance? 

In the Tarakam forest it was Siva himself who graciously granted divine sight to the assembled gods and rishis so that they could watch him dance. Without that grace, even they would not have been able to see him. 

In addition to Devi, known as Sivakami in Chidambaram, there are two sages who have been granted the boon of being able to witness Lord Nataraja's dance: Patanjali, who is the incarnation of the cosmic serpent Adiseshan, and Vyaghrapada, the father of the boy Upamanyu for whom Siva created the ocean of milk. Patanjali and Vyaghrapada were worshipping the original lingam at Chidambaram with such devotion that Siva appeared before them and said that he would grant them a boon. They both asked to be eternal witnesses to his dance of bliss at Chidambaram, a request that Siva granted.

The dance of nature proceeds on one side; the dance of enlightenment on the other. Fix your mind in the centre of the latter. 

- Tiru-Arul-Payan (IX, 3)

Chidambaram signifies both the physical centre of the world and its spiritual Heart-lotus, that space of consciousness in which physical creation appears, and the place where the surrendered mind has to subside and die in order to get a true knowledge of Siva. The Heart is the place out of which creation manifests, and it is also the place where enlightenment takes place. The Heart-dance expresses itself phenomenally as the world and the power that sustains it, but it must be remembered that the place of its origin is the centre into which the jiva must withdraw in order to transcend creation and attain enlightenment.

What exactly does this dance symbolise and signify? 

- "Unmai Vilakkam" (Saiva Siddhantam)

• The arch [over Lord Nataraja's head] indicates Omkar, and the torches that fill the space with light are the [five] letters that are inseparable from Omkar. Those who have given up their egoism know that this is the dance of the Lord, and knowing this, they will be released from the cycle of births and death. 

• Understand that creation emanates from the drum, preservation from the hand of hope, destruction from the fire held in one hand, veiling from the foot which presses down, and liberation from the foot held aloft. 

• Our Lord's dance consists of scattering the darkness of maya, burning the strong karma, stamping down the soul's impurity, showering grace and lovingly plunging the soul in the ocean of bliss. 

• The silent jnanis, destroying the three-fold bond, are established where their selves are destroyed. To such jnanis, the dance of Lord Nataraja, the embodiment of grace, is the visible fountain of bliss in which they deeply drink. 

• The one who is beyond word and thought becomes absorbed in grace, takes the form of the unsurpassed panchakshara mantra [Nama Sivaya] and dances on the base of parasakti, witnessed by his consort, the daughter of Himavan. Those who understand this mystic dance and cherish his memory have no further births. 

Courtesy: http://davidgodman.org/asaints/gurunam3.shtml