The five cosmic acts or duties of the Hindu deity Shiva, as embodied in the anandatandava performed by Nataraja, a dancing form of Shiva. The five acts are srishti (creation, evolution), symbolised by the damru (drum); stithi (preservation), symbolised by Shiva’s front right hand in the abhayamudra gesture; samhara (destruction, withdrawal) symbolised by fire; tirobhava (embodiment, illusion or veiling), symbolised by the trampling of the dwarf Apasmara; and anugraha (benediction, salvation), symbolised by the left foot held aloft. According to historians, the five acts are further individually linked to the Hindu deities Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Mahesvara and Sadashiva.