Lord Shiva Dancing within the Skin of an Elephant Chola Bronze,11th Century AD
Gajasura, a demon in the form of an elephant attacked Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva not only killed him, but also flayed him. Dancing within his skin, He stretched the skin as far as the end of the universe. He punctured the skin with His thumb and/or fingers. Astonished, Goddess Parvati stands and stares at his infinite height and at His feat.
The story has a philosophical meaning: divinity is beyond the material world. The mind can travel beyond matter. Beyond the realities of the finite world, there still exists the realities of the infinite.
The Chola artist was not merely depicting a dancing God, he was portraying a complex metaphysical concept.
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