The Shiva Tandava Stotram is a hymn that unleashes the fury and passion of Shiva.

The Shiva Tandava Stotram is a hymn that unleashes the fury and passion of Shiva. But a fact that's not very well known is that it was composed by none other than Ravana, the Lanka king, who was an ardent devotee of Shiva. The Shiva Tandava Stotram is a stotra which describes Shiva's power and beauty.

Scriptures provide many different versions of the episode. As per one legend, Ravana being Shivas devotee wanted to have one of the most glorious lingams of Shiva in his backyard so he could worship him. A brilliant yet arrogant idea crossed his mind, he thought what lingam could be more glorious than mount Kailash itself. So he set out on his flying chariot to Kailash where Shiva and Parvati were residing. Suddenly the whole mountain began to shake and they realised that it was Ravana trying to lift mountain. To teach him a lesson for his arrogance, Shiva rested his toe on the ground which was so powerful that it trapped Ravana under the mountain. Ravana who was a great devotee of Shiva realised that his actions and arrogance had upset the almighty. So he grew repentant and began praying for forgiveness. For years he tried to please Shiva. He then composed and recited Shiva Tandav Strotam in praise of Shiva, which convinced shiva of his humility and released him from under the mountain. Through shiva tandav strotam Ravana won over Mahadev himself and proved he was a true devotee of shiva.

According to another version, Because of the intensity of his prayers and ascetic meditation, Ravana received from Shiva supernatural powers as well as a celestial sword. The sword is known as the chandrahas, or moon sword. As per legend, Ravana went travelling in his chariot and came across Mount Kailash. He became furious as his chariot could not cross over this mountain. So in a state of fury he ordered the mountain to give way to him. The mountain refused as it was the residing place of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Ravana stepped down the chariot and lifted the mountain to remove it from his path. Lord Shiva placed his toe on the mountain to put it back into place. This caused Ravana's little finger to crush under the mountain. Ravana realised his mistake and to impress Lord Shiva sang the Shiva Tandava Stotram. Lord Shiva, impressed by his devotion, gifted him the Chandrahasa sword which is indestructible. ✨💀🔱🕉📿👁🐍🌀🌷🌙🔔🐚🌿🎨✨

Hari Om Tat Sat ~ Har Har Mahadev 🕉🐚🕉