Translation and Meaning of the Shiva Tandava Stotram The hymn has 16 verses, and each of them describes Shiva‘s eternal beauty and power in great detail. The Stotram highlights how every part of Shiva resonates when he dances and impacts nature too. Ravana’s pride and reckless disrespect angered Shiva, and his Thandava, an aggressive dance, releases destructive energies and destroys creation. The ‘Maha Pralaya’ (great holocaust) starts when Shiva starts his Thandava, his cosmic dance. These verses form the Shiva Thandava Stotram.Ĭreation is drawn back into the Great Void, and it ends.
To appease Shiva, Ravana composed and sang the verses, dedicating them to Shiva. He then realized Shiva’s power and his own folly. Shiva was angered and placed his big toe on Kailasa, which crashed onto Ravana. Legend has it that once he tried to take over Kailasa, the abode of Shiva. Ravana’s power made him greedy, wanting to attain more wealth and power. The story goes that Ravana was a mighty king and a consummate Sanskrit scholar who was renowned for his knowledge. Ravana, the King of Lanka, was an ardent devotee of Shiva and an accomplished scholar in Navavyakarana (nine forms of Sanskrit grammar). The Stotram resonates with the description of Shiva’s power and beauty. The Shiva Thandava Stotram, a Hindu hymn, was written in praise of Shiva, one of the Trimurti (one among three) of Hindu Gods.