43 - Dancing With The Gods

Summary

In this episode of 'Stories from India,' host Narad Muni, a mythological character with eternal life, narrates the tale of Shiva's dance, the Tandava. The story unfolds with dark rishis causing mischief, leading villagers to pray for Shiva's intervention. Shiva, disguised as a beggar, outwits the rishis and their demon creation, Aasas, through his dance. The episode concludes with the villagers building a temple for Shiva and the significance of his dance in various scientific contexts, including astrophysics.

Takeaways

• 🎙️ The podcast 'Stories from India' is hosted by Narad Muni, a mythological character with the gift of eternal life and knowledge.
• 💃 The episode discusses the Tandava, a dance performed by Shiva, the destroyer in the Holy Trinity, which is said to cause earthquakes.
• 🌲 The story begins in a dark forest where dark rishis, similar to the Sith or dark Jedi, are plotting evil deeds.
• 🍰 One dark rishi is tempted by the local bakery's cakes, while another wants to hide villagers' belongings, and the third wants to rob a bank.
• 🙏 The villagers, believing in dark magic, pray to Shiva for help, and he appears to them, questioning the necessity of his intervention.
• 💰 Shiva agrees to help but asks for an additional cost, promising not to destroy the dark rishis but to bring them to the light.
• 🤵 Shiva disguises himself as a handsome beggar and impresses the dark rishis' wives, leading them to consider begging as a noble profession.
• 🐍 The dark rishis, disturbed by the stranger's influence, send dangerous animals like snakes, a lion, and an elephant to scare him off, but Shiva tames them all.
• 💃 In response to the dark rishis' final attempt to create a demon of ignorance and arrogance, Shiva performs the Tandava, symbolizing the crushing of these negative traits.
• 🏛 The villagers build a temple in honor of Shiva, featuring an idol of Nataraja, a form of Shiva performing the Tandava dance.
• 🌌 The episode ends with a teaser for the next mini-episode, featuring a character from the Mahabharat, the son of Bhima known for his bald head shaped like a pot.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the podcast episode?

The main theme of the podcast episode is the dance called 'Tandava,' performed by Shiva, the destroyer in the Holy Trinity.

Who is the host of the podcast?

The host of the podcast is Narad Muni, a mythological character with the gift of eternal life and knowledge of the past, present, and future.

What are the two versions of the Tandava dance mentioned in the script?

The two versions of the Tandava dance are the happy one and the sad one, both resulting in earthquakes.

Who are the antagonists in the story?

The antagonists in the story are the dark rishis, who are like Sith or dark Jedi, using the dark side of the force to terrorize the villagers.

How does Shiva initially respond to the villagers' prayers?

Shiva initially appears before the villagers and questions if their problems are serious enough to warrant his intervention, but eventually agrees to bring the dark rishis to the light instead of destroying them.

How does Shiva disguise himself to interact with the dark rishis?

Shiva disguises himself as a handsome beggar to interact with the dark rishis and their wives.

What strategies do the dark rishis use to try and get rid of the disguised Shiva?

The dark rishis try to get rid of the disguised Shiva by sending dangerous creatures like snakes, a lion, and an elephant, but Shiva effortlessly handles them and even turns them into useful items.

What is the ultimate plan of the dark rishis to defeat Shiva?

The ultimate plan of the dark rishis is to create a demon named Aasar, who personifies ignorance, arrogance, and ego, to defeat Shiva.

How does Shiva defeat the demon Aasar?

Shiva defeats the demon Aasar by dancing and casually hopping on him, binding the demon to the ground and symbolically crushing ignorance and arrogance.

What is the significance of the Nataraja statue mentioned in the script?

The Nataraja statue, depicting Shiva in a dancing pose, is significant as it represents the dance of creation and destruction. It has been widely recognized, including its presence at the Russian space station and the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva.

Outlines

00:00

🎶 Introduction to Stories from India Podcast 🎶

The script opens with the host, Narad Muni, introducing the 'Stories from India' podcast, which explores Indian myths, legends, and folk tales. As a character with eternal life and omniscience, Narad is also a traveling musician and storyteller. The episode's focus is on a unique dance called the Tandav, performed by Shiva, the destroyer in the Holy Trinity. The dance, associated with earthquakes, is not a common spectacle but has two versions: a happy and a sad one. The episode begins with a story set in a dark forest where dark rishis, akin to Sith or dark Jedi, are plotting evil deeds. The villagers, unable to prove the rishis' misdeeds, pray to Shiva for help, leading to his immediate appearance and a promise to bring the dark rishis to the light instead of destroying them.

05:01

🤔 Shiva's Disguise and the Dark Rishis' Dilemma 🤔

In a clever disguise as a beggar, Shiva interacts with the dark rishis' wives, impressing them with his begging skills and causing them to consider a change in profession for their husbands. The rishis, disturbed by this influence, decide to take action against the stranger. They attempt to scare him away with various dangerous creatures like snakes, a lion, and an elephant, but Shiva effortlessly handles each threat, turning them into gifts or decorations. These encounters reveal Shiva's divine nature to the rishis, who realize they are no match for him.

10:04

💃 The Tandav Dance and the Dark Rishis' Redemption 💃

Frustrated by their failed attempts to intimidate Shiva, the dark rishis unite to create a demon named Aasar, embodying ignorance, arrogance, and ego. However, Shiva counters this by performing the Tandav dance, a powerful act symbolizing the crushing of negative traits. The dance's significance is such that it is depicted in various forms of art and science, including a statue at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva and a comparison to high-energy astrophysics. The story concludes with the dark rishis renouncing their evil ways and the villagers completing a temple in Shiva's honor. The episode ends with a tease of the next character from the Mahabharat, the bald-headed pot-shaped son of Bhima.

Keywords

💡Narad Muni

Narad Muni is a mythological character from Hindu mythology, known for his eternal life and omniscience. In the script, he serves as the host of the podcast, embodying the role of a storyteller and musician, which aligns with his traditional role as a sage who travels and shares wisdom. His character sets the tone for the podcast's exploration of Indian myths and legends.

💡Tandava

Tandava is a type of dance performed by the Hindu god Shiva, known as the destroyer. It symbolizes the cycle of creation, preservation, and destruction of the universe. In the script, the Tandava is the central subject of the story, highlighting its significance in Hindu mythology and its power to counteract negative forces, as demonstrated when Shiva dances to subdue the demon Aasas.

💡Shiva

Shiva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism, part of the Holy Trinity, and is associated with destruction and transformation. In the script, Shiva is portrayed as a powerful figure who intervenes to protect villagers from dark Rishis, ultimately using the Tandava dance to overcome evil and bring enlightenment.

💡Dark Rishis

Dark Rishis are depicted as malevolent beings who use dark magic for their own purposes, similar to Sith or dark Jedi in other mythologies. In the script, they are the antagonists who cause trouble for the villagers and are eventually reformed by Shiva's intervention, illustrating the theme of the triumph of good over evil.

💡Aasas

Aasas is a demon personifying ignorance, arrogance, and ego in the script. It is created by the Dark Rishis as a last-ditch effort to overcome Shiva. The concept of Aasas represents the vices that need to be overcome for spiritual growth, which is a central theme in Hindu philosophy.

💡Podcast

A podcast is an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to listen to or watch. In the script, the podcast serves as the medium through which the story of Shiva and the Tandava dance is shared with the audience, reflecting modern ways of storytelling.

💡Nataraja

Nataraja is one of the names of Shiva when he is depicted as the cosmic dancer. The script mentions a temple being prepared for an idol of Nataraja, which is a common representation of Shiva in the form of a dancer, symbolizing the dynamic interplay of the universe.

💡LHC

LHC stands for the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator. The script humorously mentions a statue of Nataraja at the LHC, drawing a parallel between Shiva's cosmic dance and the high-energy physics that takes place within the collider, suggesting a connection between ancient mythology and modern science.

💡Ego

Ego, in the context of the script, is one of the vices embodied by the demon Aasas. It represents the inflated sense of self-importance that can lead to ignorance and arrogance. The script uses the concept of ego to illustrate the obstacles that must be overcome through spiritual practices like the Tandava dance.

💡Purana

Although not explicitly mentioned in the script, the term 'Purana' refers to a genre of sacred Hindu and Buddhist literature that narrates ancient stories and myths. The script's content is reminiscent of the storytelling style found in the Puranas, which often includes tales of gods, demons, and the eternal struggle between good and evil.

💡Feedback

Feedback in the script refers to the comments, reviews, or suggestions from the podcast's listeners. It is a way for the host to engage with the audience and improve the content, showing the interactive nature of modern media and the importance of audience participation in shaping the narrative.

Highlights

Introduction to the podcast 'Stories from India' which focuses on myths, legends, and folk tales.

Host Narad Muni, a mythological character with the gift of eternal life and knowledge, presents the show.

The unique dance form 'Tandav' is discussed, known to be performed only by Shiva, the destroyer.

Two versions of Tandav exist: a happy and a sad one, both causing earthquakes.

A dark forest setting introduces a group of dark rishis with powerful, dark magic.

Dark rishis' evil plans include teleporting food, hiding villagers' items, and robbing a bank.

Villagers pray to Shiva for help against the dark rishis' terrorizing actions.

Shiva agrees to confront the dark rishis but decides to bring them to the light instead of destroying them.

Shiva disguises himself as a beggar to interact with the dark rishis and their wives.

The dark rishis' wives are influenced by Shiva's beggar disguise, considering begging as a noble profession.

Dark rishis plot against the stranger (Shiva) by sending dangerous animals and a demon.

Shiva effortlessly handles the dark rishis' attempts to harm him, turning their attacks into gifts.

The creation of the demon 'Aasas' by the dark rishis to embody ignorance, arrogance, and ego.

Shiva's Tandav dance subdues the demon Aasas, symbolizing the triumph over negative traits.

The dark rishis realize Shiva's identity and promise to reform, pledging to use their powers for good.

The villagers build a temple in honor of Shiva's dance, with the idol depicting Nataraja.

Nataraja's image is widespread, including visits to the Russian space station and a statue at CERN's LHC.

A physicist from CERN compares Shiva's Tandav to high-energy astrophysics, drawing a scientific parallel.

Invitation for listeners to comment, review, and subscribe for new episodes, with acknowledgment of feedback.

Music credit to Purple Planet, providing the podcast's soundtrack.

A teaser for the next mini-episode featuring a character from the Mahabharat, the son of Bhima.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

hello and welcome to stories from India

a podcast where we talk about myths

Legends and folk tales from

India I'm your host narad money and I'm

a mythological character myself I have

the gift of eternal life and knowledge

of the past the present and the

future by profession I'm a traveling

musician and a

Storyteller so the way I'm doing my job

is by

podcast I've had a listener specifically

request today's story so this week we

are going to talk about

dancing and no I'm not accidentally

reading a script from the wrong

podcast the dance we are talking about

is an earth chattering one quite

literally it's called the

tand but this isn't a dance that anyone

can perform so don't expect to see it on

Dancing With the Stars or Strictly Come

Dancing anytime soon the only one who

can perform it is Shiva the destroyer in

the Holy Trinity

there are two versions of this dance

there's the happy one and the sad

one there isn't much of a distinction to

be made between the two because both of

them result in

earthquakes Our Story begins in a dark

Forest where a few dark rishes met for a

dark

purpose now if you have seen Star Wars

or seen or red Harry Potter you can

easily imagine what dark Ries

are they are like the Sith or the dark

Jedi or like

tetas they use the dark side of the

force and their magic is generally

pretty powerful

magic they can do things that ordinary

Ries

can't in this particular

case that included

terrorizing the villagers near the

forest three of the dark rishes were

plotting their next move chatting about

what morally objectionable action to try

next dark Rishi one wanted to teleport

food from the local

bakery because they bake the most

delicious cakes and he had a sweet

tooth dark rishy too wanted to hide

people's

stuff you know car keys TV

remotes dark rishy 3 wanted to rob the

bank but that wasn't evil enough so he

was voted down

easily the villagers had absolutely no

proof that their problems were caused by

the dark

Ries nevertheless they prayed to the

gods to rescue them from these obviously

evil

fishes they made the right call in

praying to Shiva the

Destroyer Shiva appeared before them

right

away a very different situation from the

individual people we have met before on

this podcast who had to wait hundreds

and thousands of years for an

audience there is power in numbers after

all Shiva appeared before them I don't

know guys he said to the

villagers this is iffy you want me to

destroy the dark rishes just because you

can't find your TV remotes and your car

keys have you even looked under the

couch but the villagers had and they

were convinced that this was dark magic

at

work fine said Shiva but it's going to

cost you extra and I won't destroy the

dark Ries I'll just bring them to the

light I know there's still some good in

them that was acceptable to the

villagers who immediately began

preparations for a temple on that

spot meanwhile Shiva disguised himself

as a handsome

beggar note that begging wasn't nearly

as bad a profession then as it is now

in fact there were highly sought after

coaches and trainers who would teach you

the right posture the right begging Bowl

to pick and to train your voice and

tailor your begging techniques to the

audience Shiva needed none of the

instructions of

course being part of the Holy Trinity

automatically gave him Supreme

knowledge in his disguise Shiva walked

around around the forest

casually accidentally stumbling upon

each of the dark rishy

Huts conveniently at a time when the

dark Ries were away cooking up new

Mischief Shiva made quite the impression

on the dark rishi's

wives even in just the couple of minutes

of their

interaction of him holding out his bowl

and a dark rishy wife pouring rice in it

so much so that when their respective

husbands got home that

evening the wives began nagging them to

try and switch to the begging

profession it's Noble work said one

wife it's easy work said

another and we won't have to eat cakes

all the time said the

third this went on for a while with a

stranger visiting the wives daily for

food this is

unacceptable said a dark Rishi later

when the three Ries got together to

discuss their

problems this beggar stranger who's been

visiting us is a bad

influence pretty soon our wives will

have independent

thoughts something we have long work to

suppress we must

act the other two

agreed dark rishy 1 said it's my turn to

act dark rishy 3 got to put sand in the

villager's dinner last night so I'm up

next at the

bat he thought for a moment and then

laughed an evil

laugh oh yes he said black mamba from

Africa taipans from

Australia and some local cobras and some

rattlesnakes should do the

trick he waved his wand and magically an

angry set of snakes appeared inside a

bag by Magic he sent the bag of hissing

and spitting snakes towards the part of

the forest that the stranger was

in even the other two dark rishes looked

at each other

nervously and not just because of the

ecological effects of introducing using

an invasive non-native

Predator they were worried their

colleague had gone over the

edge next morning dark Rishi one decided

to go see the results of his

handiwork as he approached The Stranger

On The

Ground he was surprised when the

stranger woke up with a smile and good

morning

him oh hey hi said the Rishi

awkwardly I am your new

neighbor The Stranger

replied then you must be the one who

left those nice belts and necklaces for

me last night I loved your gifts thank

you with horror the dark Rishi realized

the stranger's belt was

wiggling it was the Black

Mamba the cobras and the rattlesnakes

were around the stranger's

neck this was too much for dark Rishi W

he ran away in

Fright dark Rishi too decided to try

next this time he sent a ferocious

lion but the next morning The Stranger

thanked him for the comfortable lion

hide

blanket though he had had to kill the

lion and skin it and make the blanket

himself

self dark rishy 3 tried an angry

elephant but the stranger merely ended

up with nice Ivory decorations for his

hat made him look like a viking in

everything frustrated and itching for

Revenge the dark Ries tried to do

something

different they would work

together they created something

a demon who personified ignorance and

arrogance and the

ego because the way to defeat a strong

opponent is obviously to make them

ignorant arrogant and

overconfident that was not going to work

on

Shiva the demon who was called

aasar walked towards the handsome

beggar and then the beggar suddenly

wanted to

dance he snapped his fingers and they

were disco lights

everywhere as Shiva started dancing in

one move he casually hopped on

aasar that bound the demon to the

ground the reasoning of course is that

ignorance and arrogance must be crushed

underfoot to keep them in check

otherwise they have have the potential

to crush

you when they saw the dancing Shiva the

dark Rish realized who he

was given that Shiva has the title of

the Destroyer it's easy to see why the

Ries were eager to not displease him

they swore off any mischief and promised

to use their power for

good the villagers finished making the

temple and the idol in it was obviously

going to be that of

nutraj a version of Shiva doing the

dance this image is quite

widespread it has visited the Russian

space station

May there is also a statue of the nutraj

at the LHC the large hedron collider

which is the biggest machine and largest

science experiment on Earth located at

CN in

Geneva a physicist fridge of cpra has

famously compared shiva's dance the tand

with high energy

astrophysics given my complete and

eternal knowledge of everything I can

say he's mostly

right do check the links in the show

notes for more links to images of the

netr that's all for now if if you have

comments or suggestions please leave a

comment or a review on the site SFI

podcast.com or tweet @ SFI podcast you

can also find me on Instagram and

Facebook be sure to subscribe to the

show to get notified automatically of

new episodes thanks to all you listeners

for your continued support and your

feedback the music is from purple

planet.com that's

purple-planet.com in the next Mini

episode we'll meet a character from The

Mahabharat he's the son of beem the

strongest of the panda Brothers his name

literally means bald

pot because his head was shaped like a

pot and it was completely

hairless way to get creative there I'll

see you

[Music]

later

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