“DEV”… IL!!

Man’s Idea about what is good and what is auspicious is surprising. In the whole world wherever good has been conceptualized, it has always been against the evil. That is why all the religions born outside India, accepted the concept of two Gods. What I mean by two Gods is that they call one as ‘God’ and the other as ‘Devil’. There is this word in English – ‘Devil’. It has its root from the Sanskrit word ‘Dev’ meaning God. So Devil is also a God but a God of Evil. So outside India people have accepted separate Gods for Goodness and Evils. But India and Hinduism have Genius beyond ocean bed. And they accepted Shiva- The Mystic.

The GITA

In chapter 10 Verse 23 of Bhagvad gita, Krishna says “Of all the Rudras I am Lord Shiva; of the Yaksas and Raksasas I am the lord of wealth-Kuvera; of the Vasus I am Fire [Agni], and of the mountains I am Meru.” Amongst all the Rudras he choose himself as Shiva. So with this selection, arises a curiosity- What is it that made him choose Shiva?  Bhagavad Gita mentioned about it and also chosen by Krishna like Rama, there has to be a mystery behind it surely.

SHIVA- The Divine

For me Shiva is a wonderful symbol. It is symbol of Infinity. As far as the word divine is concerned, Shiva has no parallel in this whole world. And there are a few reason for the same.

Shiva means good, auspicious, but all that what we can be called “bad” is present in Shiva’s personality. Word Shiva means auspicious but he is called as the God of Destruction. It is through him that the world would come to an end. Isn’t it surprising that one who symbolizes goodness and auspiciousness would be the god of Destruction? It is indeed a mystic but a valuable thought.

Mankind cannot accept the world to end by the hands of Evil. In fact the world should end with perfection. It should not be just an end, but a perfect completion. The end should not be just death but the ultimate pinnacle of life. Hence the auspicious is also the God of Destruction.

Shiva for me is a mysterious puzzle. When you say that a person is a saint, then it become difficult to conceive that anything in him could become angry. But Shiva can be angry. And it is no ordinary anger, but the anger that can turn everything into ashes. Yet Hindus say that no one is as compassionate as Shiva, he is very simple and innocent, he is Bholenath. He might agree to grant anything, any wish that even can get Shiva himself in trouble. Shiva definitely seems mystic.

Duality … REALLY ?

India and Hinduism have never accepted Good and evil as two separate things. Acceptance of Opposites gives rise to duality. If there are these two energies in the world, then there will always be a conflict between them. But India thinks differently, Hinduism doesn’t consider the evil to be opposite of good. Hindus absorb evil into goodness. Let us think it this way; we don’t consider anger as necessarily bad. If anger is in the service of good, it becomes good. Energies are neutral. It can be good if in service of good and it can be evil if in the service of evil.

Suppose there is a sword in my hand, sword itself isn’t good nor bad. It can cut the throat or rob someone, it can prevent someone from being robbed or getting his head chopped. Sword is neutral. Same way Energies are not dual but neutral.

The MYSTIC

And we have poured all the energies into the personality of Shiva. He is beyond death, he is victorious over death, but there is poison in his throat, He is Neelkanth. Shiva is the equilibrium of all duality. He is soft spoken with a poisonous throat. He is a highest level of Sage with highest level of anger. Nataraja can dance as gently as in the form of Lasya or as vigorously as in the form of Tandava.

Shiva is the only deity in whom man and woman are perfectly balanced – Ardhanarishwara. Whereas in the west God is considered to be a male and woman have originated from his ribs making it a secondary phenomenon. Shiva is the highest love for Uma and highest hatred for Uma’s father- Daksha. He is beyond the duality which the two eyes of mankind have created. He is Trilochan, the third eyed one. Shiva is the midpoint of the duality of two eyes of mankind.

Shiva is an exception to universal laws or shall we say he is himself the universal law? Whatever he is, for me Shiva is a Mystic.