Shiva Tandava Stotram — Verse 1

Sanskrit

Transliteration

jaṭāṭavīgalajjala pravāhapāvitasthale gale'valambyalambatāṁ bhujaṅgatuṅgamālikāmḍamaḍḍamaḍḍamaḍḍaman nināda vaḍḍamarvayaṁ cakāra caṇḍatāṇḍavaṁ tanotu naḥ śivaḥ śivam

Word Meanings

jaṭā-aṭavī—the forest of matted locks; gala—flowing; jjala—water; pravāha—streams; pāvita—purified; sthale—on the surface; gale—on the neck; avalambya—hanging; lambatām—hanging loosely; bhujaṅga—of serpents; tuṅga—tall/great; mālikām—garland; ḍamaḍ ḍamaḍ—the sound of the ḍamaru drum; ninādava—resonant sound; caṇḍa—fierce; tāṇḍavam—the Tandava dance; tanotu—may He bestow; naḥ—us; śivaḥ—Shiva; śivam—auspiciousness.

Translation

On the places purified by the flow of water cascading from His forest of matted locks, with great serpents hanging loosely like garlands around His neck, resounding the boom of the ḍamaru drum — may Shiva, who performed the fierce Tandava dance, bestow auspiciousness upon us.

Commentary

This opening verse was composed by Ravana to praise Shiva's cosmic dance. The matted locks (Jata) hold the sacred Ganga. The serpents represent conquered fear and time. The ḍamaru drum's sound (Ḍamaḍ) is the primordial sound from which creation emerges. Each image encodes a dimension of Shiva's nature: creator (drum), sustainer (Ganga), and destroyer (dance).