Notice the fourth hand. If you could look at the image sideways, you would see that the raised foot is in a different plane from the rest of the image. That would be assurance in this world. Ask students to summarize the meaning of the Nataraj in their own words. Dance represents the symbolic of the movement of the universe.
Dance is an important aspect in Indian life.
Two-sided drum held by the first right hand is a symbol of creation. It is beating the pulse of the universe. The drum also provides the music that accompanies Shiva's dance. The drum represents sound as the first element in an unfolding universe. Sound is a vehicle of speech, conveyer of revelation and Truth.