Timeless and Boundless Dance of Shiva

He is the rhythm of life. He dances with timeless, boundless energy. His movements are extraordinary, like one posses-sed. He leaps like a leopard. He slides and slithers like a snake. He stamps like thunder.
He moves swiftly like the whirlwind. His dance is so vibrant that the earth trembles. The whole world is electrified.
He is: "Nataraja,/ the rhythm of life,/ The pulse that sets the beats,/ The measured mathematical monitor,/ The taal that sets the pace,/ Tat-dhit-tom-nam Tat-dhit-tom-nam".
Why does Shiva dance? Today's young would probably say: "To have a blast!" Exactly! Shiva dances to enjoy himself, to play and to have a ball. He plays and dances at his own will. At his own will, again, he stops dancing and playing. So, it is all nothing but kreeda, a mere sport.
Tirumular, the author of Tirumantiram describes the dance of Shiva in verse in Tamizh or Tamil, emphasising the principles of Shaiva Sidhanta. Tirumular says when Shiva dances alone he dances in four varied states of dance:
"The Nada-Nadanta-Natana-Nadananta,/ He dances through the Vedas,/ He dances through the fire of Kundalini,/ He dances in Bodha, the pure consciousness,/ He dances in all three worlds,/ He dances with gods,/ He dances with celestial beings,/ He dances with rishi-munis,/ He dances with Parashakti,/ He dances with jivas,/ He is the supreme dancer!"
What kind of adavus or steps does he execute while dancing? He does it all. He can stamp, kick and jump. He can twist, turn and twirl. He can raise his legs at any angle.
He can assume any dancing pose. He has no barriers or boundaries. Tirumular says: "He performs the dance of Atbudha — the dance of wonder. It is also called the dance of Sadashiva. It consists of both: dance of form and dance of the formless. The form is that of guru while the formless is that of Uma, the Shakti that glows within Shiva. Shiva is incomplete without Shakti while Shakti is incomplete without Shiva. When Shivashakti dances it is Atbudha or the dance of wonder".
Tirumular was a Siddha Yogi who lived in the Himalayas. Once he made a journey to the southern regions to meet Muni Agastyar.
At Podigai Hills in Tamizhnadu, he witnessed a pitiful sight. A herd of cows was standing and crying around the dead body of the cowherd, Mulan.
Moved with compassion for the cows, Tirumular left his own body and entered the body of Mulan. When Mulan came alive, the cows were overjoyed.
Mulan then led the cows to their village. On returning to the spot where he had performed the supernormal feat, he was taken aback to see that his body was missing.
He attributed this to the grace of Shiva. Accepting his fate, he remained in the same village of Thiruvavaduthurai and became a recluse. He meditated under a Peepal tree.
People in and around the village noted the saint in samadhi. In the state of samadhi, he would utter verse in Tamil.
This was written and recorded by his followers. Thus, Tirumular during his life span uttered 3,000 verses of high philosophy and came to be known as the Tirumantiram.
Tirumular says: "Chanting 'Shivaya Namaha', again and again, will make your body red, then gold, and in time, shall behold the golden feet of the Lord and fin