The narrative that all Sanskrit alphabets (varnamala) originated from the fourteen sounds of Lord Shiva’s Damaru (drum) during his cosmic dance (Tandava) is primarily found in the preface to Pāṇini’s Ashtadhyayi, specifically within the Maheshwara/Shiva Sutras.
नृत्त्तावसाने नटराजराजो ननाद् ढक्कां नवपञ्चवारम्।
उद्धर्तुकामः सनकादिसिद्धाने तद्विमर्शे शिवसूत्रजालम्॥
An AI generated translation:
“At the dance’s end the supreme dancer (Natarāja) raises a mighty drum‑cry through five new rounds; the aspirant who wishes to uplift (others), before the perfected sages such as Sanaka, in that contemplation weaves the Shiva/auspicious‑net of sutras.
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- Some compounds (नटराजराजः, नवपञ्चवारम्, सनकादिसिद्धाने) admit variant internal sandhi and interpretive choices. Context (poetic or ritual) would decide whether नव = “nine” or “new”; पञ्चवारम् usually means “five times” or “fivefold.”
- ननाद could be simply न‑नाद (intensive) or a poetic form of नाद् “sound/uproar.”
- शिवसूत्रजालम् is a clear compound: threads/cords (सूत्र) woven as a net (जाल) that are auspicious/Śiva‑like — metaphor for a sacred binding or protective network.
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The points to be carefully understood are:
- According to one scholar, the above shloka is an interpolated one, added at a later date to Ashtadhyayi, which is a debatable issue. .
- Even if we consider the above shloka was incorporated by Pāṇini himself, the shloka as such does not directly referring to Shankara, the husband of Parvati, as the word शिव - Śiva in the above shloka does indicate auspiciousness only, as per Rig Veda, which was composed in the Vedic Sanskrit.
- As per Rig Veda, there is no mention of Shankara, the husband of Parvati. And, Sanskrit was in existence from Rig Veda itself, but not newly invented by Pāṇini, except making it structural. Hence, the word नटराज in the above shloka may not indicate Shankara, the husband of Parvati.
If we strictly go by Rig Veda, which was composed in Vedic Sanskrit, we can find that Indra, an epithet to BRAHMAN, was mentioned as the Dancer.
तंतमिद्राधसे मह इन्द्रं चोदामि पीतये । यः पूर्व्यामनुष्टुतिमीशे कृष्टीनां नृतुः ॥
taṃ-tam id rādhase maha indraṃ
codāmi pītaye | yaḥ pūrvyām
anuṣṭutim īśe kṛṣṭīnāṃ nṛtuḥ ||
English translation:
Him and him alone, Indra, do I impel to drink, for the sake of his great generosity— the dancer, who holds sway over the wise men, according to the ancient praise that follows him.
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So, it was from the formless BRAHMAN that everything emanated.
