Full text of "The Cosmic Dance of the Lord Shiva"

Gita Society of Belgium Branch of International Gita Society (IGS/USA) © 2001-2012 Cosmic Dance of Lord Shiva Written and also arranged from various manuscripts and articles by Philippe L. De Coster, B.Th., D.D. Gita Satsang Ghent, Belgium © November 2012 - Philippe L. De Coster, Ghent, Belgium (Non commercial, for personal and satsang use only) Cosmic Dance of Lord Shiva Review along the author's two E-books: Shiva Devotion and Meditation As It Is; and, Shiva The Destroyer and the Restorer, A Study in Psychosynthesis and Meditation, both published on Scribd and Internet Archives. In the twenty-first century, the image of Shiva Nataraja has become popularised and repurposed across the globe. There is a natural tension when such a powerful deity in Hindu belief is brought into new secular contexts. People worldwide are seeing Nataraja through a multitude of lenses — commercial, personal, scientific, and artistic — and finding deep but differing meanings. One striking example has its roots in twentieth-century physics. After physicist Fritjof Capra's book The Tao of Physics was published in 1975, Shiva Nataraja became a symbol of the movement of matter in the pattern of creation and destruction. A large sculpture of Nataraja stands outside the European Centre for Research in Particle Physics (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland, underlining the link between cosmic forces and subatomic matter. In this context, Nataraja is also a political symbol for India's contribution to the sciences. Along with appearing as a popular image on merchandise, Nataraja has been reinterpreted by artists to address issues in today's global society. Israeli artist Izhar Patkin, for example, created a glass sculpture fusing the deity with Brazilian entertainer Carmen Miranda and African-American performer Josephine Baker. The work, titled "Where Each is Both", explores the confluences of these three figures as dancers and as boundary-crossers, creating and destroying on cosmic and human scales. Indian- American graphic designer Sanjay Patel has depicted Nataraja in his unique illustration style, which is partly inspired by Japanese cartoons and comics. His brightly colored, two-dimensional deities sport large heads, big eyes, and stubby limbs. In his collection of illustrations and information on the Hindu pantheon, The Little Book of Hindu Deities, Patel uses this style to bring a deliberate playfulness to the exploration of Hindu gods and epics. LORD SHIVA is the Father of all that is was and Shall be, he is Creator Preserver and Destroyer, the Great Lord Of Immortality giver of Immortality, Supreme Conciousness. Representing male divinity, He is Rudra Lord of the sky. Lord Shiva's Holy day of the week is monday and Holy day of month according to the lunar calendar is the fourteenth day of the dark half of the month usually the eve of the new moon, known as Masa Shivaratri and ofcourse Lord Shiva's great Festival Maha Shivaratri on the fourteenth day of the dark half of the month in the Hindu Month of Phalguna usually febuary or march on the western calendar. Lord shiva is Propritiated for Healing, Cleansing, for stimulating the third eye, and for wisdom as he is the great teacher Dakshinamurthi. Shiva (or Siva ) is one of the chief deities of Hinduism. His name means "Auspicious One." Devotees of Shiva are called " Saivites ." Shiva is known by many other names, including Sambhu ("Benignant"), Samkara ("Beneficent"), Pasupati ("Lord of Beasts"), Mahesa ("Great Lord") and Mahadeva ("Great God"). Shiva is a paradoxical deity: "both the destroyer and the restorer, the great ascetic and the symbol of sensuality, the benevolent herdsman of souls and the wrathful avenger." In the most famous myth concerning Shiva, he saves humanity by holding in his throat the poison that churned up in the waters and threatened mankind. For this reason he is often depicted with a blue neck. In the Vedas, shiva is an aspect of the god Rudra, not a separate god. However, a joint form Rudra-Shiva appears in early household rites, making Shiva one of the most ancient Hindu gods still worshipped today. By the 2nd century BCE, Rudra's significance began to wane and Shiva rose in popularity as a separate identity. In the Ramayana, Shiva is a mighty and personal god, and in the Mahabharata he is the equal of Vishnu and worshipped by other gods. Shiva became associated with generation and destruction; sometimes fulfilling the role of Destroyer along with Vishnu (the Preserver) and Brahma (the Creator) and sometimes embodying all three roles within himself. In the Mahadeva image in the Elephanta caves (on an island off of Bombay), which dates to between the 5th and 7th centuries CE, Shiva is shown in his threefold form. This triple aspect of Shiva, which has become a dominant form, is rich with symbolism: Shiva's female consort is variously manifested as Uma, Sati, Parvati, Durga, Kali, and sometimes Shakti. Their sons are Skanda, the god of war, and the beloved elephant-headed Ganesh, remover of obstacles. Shiva is especially associated with the Ganges River, which flows through his hair in images, and Mount Kailasa in the Himalayas. Shiva's symbols are the bull and the linga . The latter symbol is historically associated with the phallus, but is not generally perceived as such by worshipers. Other depictions of Shiva have his hair in matted locks and piled atop his head like an ascetic and adorned with the crescent moon and the Ganges River (according to legend, he broke the Ganga's fall to earth by allowing her to trickle through his hair). The Shiva Lingam is normally a naturally occurring stone formation or a man- made stone sculpture, usually on a square or circular mounting, that is treated as a powerful symbolic object in the Hindu faith. The structure is cylindrical with either a flat or rounded top and is a common feature in Hindu temples, where it is worshiped for its association with the deity Shiva. Hindus believe that the Shiva Lingam possesses metaphysical powers — qualities inherent to the object but not traceable to its physical substance. Male Energy The form of the stone itself — strongly phallic in shape — is meant to suggest an inherent, if undetectable, masculine energy. It is believed that the hot-tempered 4 nature associated with the god Shiva is manifested in the volatile energy of the stone itself. Large Shiva Lingam structures are therefore often bathed in water and sandalwood paste to calm this energy prior to worship. Female Energy The base of the Shiva Lingam is shaped like a yoni, a symbol suggestive of both the female reproductive organ and the female divinity that is the origin of life. Carvings and markings on the stone are also said to contain divine female energy. The fact that this feminine symbol underlies the strongly masculine stone results in the metaphysical ability of the stone to be a force of balance, unifying opposing energies. Healing Properties Another property attributed to Shiva Lingam is a healing force that derives from a cosmic or universal source. As a result, some believers in alternative healing methods, related to the ancient concept of chakras or subtle energy centers, purchase and wear small Shiva Lingam amulets and pendants as jewelry. In particular, polished stones gathered from the Narmada River in India are believed to be potent with metaphysical healing powers. Shiva the Hindu god of destruction is also known as Nataraja , the Lord of Dancers (In Sanskrit, Nata means dance and raja means Lord). The visual image of Nataraja achieved canonical form in the bronzes cast under the Chola dynasty in the 10th century AD, and then continued to be reproduced in metal, stone and other substances right up to the present times. The Chola Nataraja is often said to be the supreme statement of Hindu art. The Sanskrit word "Shiva" is an adjective meaning kind, friendly, gracious, or auspicious. As a proper name it means "The Auspicious One", used as a euphemistic name for Rudra. In simple English transliteration it is written either as Shiva or Siva. In English it is pronounced as - eiva (IPA). The adjective Shiva meaning "auspicious" is used as an attributive epithet not particularly of Rudra, but of several other Vedic deities. In the Rig Veda, Indra uses this word to describe himself several times. (2:20:3, 6:45:17, 8:93:3) The Sanskrit word saiva means "relating to the god Shiva", and this term is the Sanskrit name both for one of the principal sects of Hinduism, and for a member of one of those sects. It is used as as adjective to characterize certain beliefs and practices, such as Shaivism. There is an interesting legend behind the conception of Shiva as Nataraja. In a dense forest in South India, there dwelt multitudes of heretical sages. Thither 5 proceeded Shiva to confute them, accompanied by Vishnu disguised as a beautiful woman. The sages were at first led to violent dispute amongst themselves, but their anger was soon directed against Shiva, and they endeavoured to destroy him by means of incantations. A fierce tiger was created in sacrificial fires, and rushed upon him; but smiling gently, he seized it and, with the nail of his little finger, stripped off its skin, and wrapped it about himself like a silken cloth. Undiscouraged by failure, the sages renewed their offerings, and produced a monstrous serpent, which however Shiva seized and wreathed about his neck like a garland. Then he began to dance; but there rushed upon him a last monster in the shape of a malignant dwarf. Upon him the god pressed the tip of his foot, and broke the creatures back, so that it writhed upon the ground; and so, his last foe prostrate, Shiva resumed the dance. To understand the concept of Nataraja we have to understand the idea of dance itself. Like yoga, dance induces trance, ecstasy and the experience of the divine. In India consequently, dance has flourished side by side with the terrific austerities of the meditation grove (fasting, absolute introversion etc.). Shiva, therefore, the arch-yogi of the gods, is necessarily also the master of the dance. Shiva Nataraja was first represented thus in a beautiful series of South Indian bronzes dating from the tenth and twelfth centuries A.D. In these images, Nataraja dances with his right foot supported by a crouching figure and his left foot elegantly raised. A cobra uncoils from his lower right forearm, and the crescent moon and a skull are on his crest. He dances within an arch of flames. This dance is called the Dance of Bliss (anandatandava). These iconographic details of Nataraja are to be read, according to the Hindu tradition, in terms of a complex pictorial allegory. The most common figures depict a four-armed Shiva. These multiple arms represent the four cardinal directions. Each hand either holds an object or makes a specific mudra (gesture). The upper right hand holds a hour-glass drum which is a symbol of creation. It is beating the pulse of the universe. The drum also provides the music that accompanies Shivas dance. It represents sound as the first element in an unfolding universe, for sound is the first and most pervasive of the elements. The story goes that when Shiva granted the boon of wisdom to the ignorant Panini (the great Sanskrit grammarian), the sound of the drum encapsulated the whole of Sanskrit grammar. The first verse of Paninis grammar is in fact called Shiva sutra. The hour-glass drum also represents the male and female vital principles; two triangles penetrate each other to form a hexagon. When they part, the universe also dissolves. The opposite hand, the upper left, bears on its palm a tongue of flames. Fire is the element of destruction of the world. According to Hindu mythology at the end of the world, it will be fire that will be the instrument of annihilation. Thus in the balance of these two hands is illustrated a counterpoise of creation and destruction. Sound against flames, ceaselessness of production against an insatiate appetite of extermination. The second right hand is held in the abhaya (literally "without fear") pose and so a gesture of protection, as an open palm is most likely to be interpreted. It depicts the god as a protector. The left leg is raised towards the right leg and reaches across it; the lower left hand is stretched across the body and points to the upraised left foot which represents release from the cycle of birth and death. Interestingly, the hand pointing to the uplifted foot is held in a pose imitative of the outstretched trunk of an elephant. In Sanskrit this is known as the gaja-hasta-mudra (the posture of the elephant trunk), and is symbolic of Ganesha, Shivas son, the Remover of obstacles. Shiva dances on the body of a dwarf apasmara-purusha (the man of forgetfulness) who embodies indifference, ignorance and laziness. Creation, indeed all creative energy is possible only when the weight of inertia (the tamasic darkness of the universe) is overcome and suppressed. The Nataraja image thus addresses each individual to overcome complacency and get his or her own act together. The ring of fire and light, which circumscribes the entire image, identifies the field of the dance with the entire universe. The lotus pedestal on which the image rests locates this universe in the heart or consciousness of each person. The Nataraja image is also eloquent of the paradox of Eternity and Time. It shows us that the reposeful ocean and the racing stream are not finally distinct. This wonderful lesson can be read in the significant contrast of the incessant, triumphant motion of the swaying limbs to the balance of the and the immobility of the mask-like countenance. Shiva is Kala, meaning time, but he is also Maha Kala, meaning Great Time or eternity. As Nataraja, King of dancers, his gestures, wild and full of grace, precipitate the cosmic illusion; his flying arms and legs and the swaying of his torso produce the continuous creation- destruction of the universe, death exactly balancing birth. The choreography is the whirligig of time. History and its ruins, the explosion of suns, are flashes from the tireless swinging sequence of the gestures. In the beautiful cast metal figurines, not merely a single phase or movement, but the entirety of this cosmic dance is miraculously rendered. The cyclic rhythm, flowing on and on in the unstayable, irreversible round of the Mahayugas, or Great Eons, is marked by the beating and stamping of the Masters heels. But the face remains, meanwhile in sovereign calm. Steeped in quietude, the enigmatic mask resides above the whirl of the four resilient arms and cares nothing forthe superb legs as they beat out the tempo of the world ages. Aloof, in sovereign silence, the mask of gods eternal essence remains unaffected by the tremendous display of his own energy, the world and its progress, the flow and the changes of time. This head, this face, this mask, abides in transcendental isolation, as a spectator unconcerned. Its smile, bent inward, filled with the bliss of self-absorption, subtly refutes, with a scarcely hidden irony, the meaningful gestures of the feet and hands. A tension exists between the marvel of the dance and the serene tranquillity of this expressively inexpressive countenance, the tension, that is to say, of Eternity and Time. The two, invisible and visible, are quintessentially the same. Man with all the fibers of his native personality clings to the duality; nevertheless, actually and finally, there is no duality. Another aspect of Nataraja rich in a similar symbolism is his lengthy and sensuous hair. The long tresses of his matted hair, usually piled up in a kind of pyramid, loosen during the triumphant, violent frenzy of his untiring dance. Expanding, they form two wings, to the right and left, a kind of halo, broadcasting, as it were, on their magic waves, the exuberance and sanctity of vegetative, sensuous life. Supra-normal life-energy, amounting to the power of magic, resides in such a wildness of hair untouched by the scissors. The conceptualization here is similar to the legend of Samson who with naked hands tore asunder the jaws of a lion. His strength was said to reside in his hair. Also central to understanding the symbolism behind Natarajas hair is the realization that much of womanly charm, the sensual appeal of the Eternal Feminine, is in the fragrance, the flow and luster of beautiful hair. On the other hand, anyone renouncing the generative forces of the vegetable -animal realm, revolting against the procreative principle of life, sex, earth, and nature, and entering upon the spiritual path of absolute asceticism, has first to be shaved. He must simulate the sterility of an old man whose hairs have fallen and who no longer constitutes a link in the chain of generation. He must coldly sacrifice the foliage of the head. 8 The tonsure of the Christian priest and monk is a sign of this renunciation of the flesh. (Clergymen of denominations in which marriage is not considered incompatible with the saintly office do not wear a tonsure.) These Worthy Ones, representing the victory of yoga-spirituality, have overcome all seduction by their taking of the monastic vows and following of the ascetic formula. With their voluntary baldness they have broken through to the peace beyond the seasons of growth and change. Thus by donning long, luxurious hair, Shiva dispels the notion of the conventional ascetic and reiterates that the image of Nataraja assimilates and harmonizes within itself apparently contradictory and conflicting aspects. Shiva is thus two opposite things: archetypal ascetic and archetypal dancer. On the one hand he is total tranquillity-inward calm absorbed in itself, absorbed in the void of the Absolute, where all distinctions merge and dissolve, and all tensions are at rest. But on the other hand he is total activity- lifes energy, frantic, aimless and playful. The Nataraja image represents not simply some event in the mythic life of a local deity but a universal view in which the forces of nature and the aspirations and limitation of man confront each other and are blended together. The curator of the Indian collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art has rightly written that: "If one had to select a single icon to represent the extraordinarily rich and complex cultural heritage of India, the Shiva Nataraja might well be the most remunerative candidate." Shiva, like some other Hindu deities, is said to have several incarnations, known as Avatars. Adi Shankara, the 8th-century philosopher of non-dualist Vedanta was named "Shankara" after Lord Shiva and is considered to have been an incarnation of Shiva. In the Hanuman Chalisa, Hanuman is identified as the eleventh avatar of Shiva. Lord Shiva - The Sensuous Yogi Lord Shiva (or Siva) is considered as the destroyer and the restorer of the world. Shiva is one of the most popular gods of the Hindu religion. Lord Shiva forms the part of the Trimurti (Trinity), the other being Brahma, the creator and Vishnu, the preserver. Shiva is known for the complexity of his nature, representing contradictory qualities. He is the destroyer and the restorer, the great ascetic and the symbol of sensuality, the kind herdsman of souls and a wrathful avenger. Lord Shiva is a God for our time, for today's human behaviour, free and disconnected from established old beliefs. There once dwelt in a dense forest a community of hermits engaged in meditation and applying the most difficult of austerities. The hermitage had a large number of knowledgeable and mighty sages, but they were for the most part ritualists, more involved in the actual process rather than appreciating the symbolic significance behind the liturgies they performed. Lord Shiva in his role of an ascetic mendicant once approached this community of recluses to beg for alms. The force of the Lord Shiva's tapas or meditations 10 glowed forth from his auric body. Combined with the spectacular flicker in his eyes, it presented him as extraordinarily handsome. This comely young ascetic, his naked body smeared with ashes, exerted a powerful influence upon the womenfolk of the hermitage. The wives and daughters of the sages rushed out to greet the naked yogi. The hermits were utterly shocked at the sight of this naked monk who drove their well-born wives and mothers to a demented level of desire. The women came with offerings of fruits and flowers. When they approached the Lord Shiva the sensuous yogi, they shed all restraint, taking hold of his hands, pleading for his attentions. They shed away their inhibitions, their ornaments, their clothes, and embraced the naked stranger with the skull in his hands. The saints were left speechless. Their years of solitude and penance and the hard monastic life were all repudiated by the inexplicable aberrations of their noble wives. Confused, pained, bewildered and also very angry, the sages asked the stranger for his name and identity. Lord Shiva greeted their queries with a silence. Driven to a level of frenzy the same as their chaste women, these sages in their uncontrolled outrage tore off Shiva's organ of generation from his body. But Lord Shiva, the first amongst yogis, remained supremely unaffected both by the women's adoration and the sages' anger. As soon as Lord Shiva's organ fell to the ground it assumed a gigantic proportion, making everyone aware of the divine status of this handsome ascetic. Thus is said to have originated the emblematic worship of Lord Shiva's organ, popularly known as the Shiva linga. The rapture of love, the moment of euphoria in which we forget everything else (reason, wisdom, prudence, social rules, human interests etc), is but an image of the mystical bliss. The lover ceases to be himself and becomes one with the object of his/her desire. Indeed, for an instant, he/she ceases to exist as an individual, merging with the other being in totality. The sole reality at that defining moment is the voluptuousness of desire that unites them: "Just as in the embrace of his beloved, a man forgets the entire world, all that exists within himself and without, so in union with the Being of knowledge, he no longer knows anything, either within or without" (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 4.3.21). For an instant, one achieves one's true goal, forgets one's own interests, ambitions, problems, and duties, and participates in that feeling of bliss that is one's true and immortal nature. Mystical rapture is a marvellous feeling of 11 pleasure, similar to the effect produced by bhang, the Indian hemp and favourite drink of Lord Shiva. In order to be genuine, love and rapture of pleasure must be absolutely irrational. They must not be "useful," "normal," or according to law." They must not be a mere procreative act used to beget children for the continuance of our house, to look after us and defend our property. They must not be the outcome of marriage, which stabilises our social position and represents a communion of interests. True love must be wholly useless and disinterested, far from any idea of family, progeny, or social order. Only then it is pure, true love. This is why the mystical poets sing of illicit love, the love of what does not belong to you (parakiya) and not of what you already possess (svakiya). Loving a wife, or someone who belongs to us, is part of what binds us to the world of forms and not of what can free us from it. According to Alain Danielou (1907 - 1994) 1 , only adulterous, abnormal love can be considered pure and truly free from all ties, and only it can give us some idea of the mystic experience - it is absurd, disinterested, and destructive of all that is human. So, we should not wonder at the fact that representations of human love - the search for voluptuous pleasure - recognize none of the limits that social ethics wish to impose. Hence the conduct of the virtuous ladies in the hermitage though shocking at first sight, is perfectly understandable from the above viewpoint. In fact the story also brings our attention to the fact that these women were more spiritually advanced than their men folk, who were engaged in endless itineraries of rituals whose symbolic significance they were unable to fathom and were so far away from the true import of these spiritual practices. The ladies on the other hand were more intuitively fine tuned to appreciate the true nature of physical desire, sprung naturally from their archetypal inner being and in harmony with their primordial nature uncontaminated by man-made constructs, including both social and moral. The canonical iconography of Lord Shiva further shows him with certain characteristic attributes which emphasise his sensuous nature, while retaining his essentially yogic profile. Some of these traits making up the character and personality of Shiva are: 1 Alain Danielou (1907-1994) spent more than 15 years in the traditional society of India, using only the Sanskrit and Hindi languages and studying music and philosophy with eminent scholars. He was duly initiated into esoteric Shaivism, which gave him unusual access to texts transmitted through the oral tradition alone. He is the author of more than 30 books on the religion, history, and arts of India and the Mediterranean. 12 The Dance of Shiva It is said that man danced before he spoke. He certainly danced before he painted and sculpted reliefs on his walls. All cultures of the world have given dance a ritual status before any formal ritual or liturgy was codified in texts, or recreated through relief or paint. Yoga, like dance, is much more than a mere physical exercise. It is a holistic way of relating to the body that involves an increasing awareness on all levels: the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. Yoga unites the functions of each of these aspects of our personality. This is true for dance also. Certainly any successful dance performance is characterised by a balanced harmony between the body and spirit. What is suggested here is that dance, like yoga, is a conscious attempt at integrating all the tiers of our existence. It does not negate but on the contrary affirms the sensual nature of our objective physical being, and treats it as fundamental to any attempt at spiritual awareness as our subjective intangible soul. Dance is therefore a spiritual channel, an opening of both metaphysical and sensuous doorways. Whirling his limbs, gracefully carved as if a woman's, Shiva as Nataraja gyrates to the rhythms of his essentially fleshy dance - an outpouring of sensual stimulation in free and unrestrained exuberance. His dance is both supremely sexual and sublimely spiritual. He is the god of destruction, his dance too is thus essentially of a similar nature. A ring of flames encircles him. These are the cremation fires which are ultimately going to consume our mortal bodies. But on the other hand dance is also an act of creation. It brings about a new situation and transforms the perpetrator into a higher realm of reality and personality. We observe that Lord Shiva's dance of death and regeneration is nothing but the recreation of the sexual act itself, which is composed of an interplay of desire, sensuality, highs and lows, and of course an overriding sensation of ecstasy, all an integral part of Shiva's dance. A poet has beautifully described dance as "nature struggling to express itself, in terms of the joy of the dance." Hence by extension, in the frenzy of the actual physical act of mating can be discerned the ultimate truth of all manifested existence. This truth is that of birth and inevitable death. These are the defining 13 qualities of Shiva's dance, as also of the sexual act, both of which communicate through an exhilarated appreciation of the body, for its own sake. The Hair of Shiva Shiva's tresses are long and flowing, and dark as the night is. Supra-normal energy, amounting to the power of magic, resides in such a wildness of hair untouched by the scissors. The celebrated strength of Samson, who with naked hands tore asunder the jaws of a lion and shook down the roof of a pagan temple, was similarly said to reside in his uncut hair. Shiva's hair also supports a crescent moon, a symbol of the female reproductive cycle. Indeed much of womanly charm, the sensual appeal of the Eternal feminine, is also in the fragrance, the flow and luster of beautiful hair. On the other hand, anyone renouncing the generative forces of the vegetable-animal realm, revolting against the procreative principle of life, sex, earth, and nature, to enter upon the spiritual path of absolute asceticism, has first to be shaved. He must simulate the sterility of an old man whose hairs have fallen and who no longer constitutes a link in the chain of generation. He must coldly sacrifice the foliage of the head. This is most significantly evidenced in the first act carried out by the Buddha when he renounced the royal palace. He severed his long and beautiful hair with his princely blade. But though the spiritual and even earthly rewards of this ascetic attitude are high, Shiva does not shave or shear his hair, said to be "sweet with many a pleasant scent." Refusing to take advantage of the symbolical and potent devices of self-curtailment and deprivation, the arch-yogi is forever the unshorn male. Shiva thus accepts the essentially sensual nature of the manifested world. He makes us aware that we can free ourselves from our attachments through the very attachments themselves and not otherwise. According to the Kama Sutra "those that seek liberation achieve it thanks to detachment, which cannot occur except after attachment, since the spirit of humankind is by nature attracted by the objects of the senses." 14 Nandi the Bull of Shiva The vehicle of Shiva is a bull (vrishabh or vrisha in Sanskrit). He is the great sprinkler of the seed, and represents the fecundating energy of Kama the God of love. The bull which wanders about, anxious to find a mate, is taken as the embodiment of the sex impulse. Most living creatures are governed by their instincts; they are ridden over by the bull. They are merely the appendage of their reproductive powers. But Shiva is the master of lust. He rides on the bull. Only those who are masters of their own impulses can ride on the bull. Thus the image of Shiva atop his bull represents the sexual drive brought under control, though not weakened, through asceticism. As Mahayogi, the god is master of the bull. This is true even when he is with his shakti, and his images therefore often represent him sitting upon its back, poised gracefully and fully in control. "Among those who have mastered the bull you are the bull keeper. O Lord! Riding on the bull, you protect the worlds." Lingopasana-rahasaya A primary aim of yoga is to transform our mighty sexual potency into spiritual power. Yogis believe that sex energy is the very energy that man can utilize for the conquest of his own self. The sexually powerful man, if he controls himself, can attain any form of power, even conquer the celestial worlds. On the other hand, men of weak temperament are unqualified for great adventures, physical or mental. The sex impulse must therefore never be denied or weakened. Yoga thus opposes exaggerated austerities. According to Zimmer, noted Indologist, a deity's animal mount is the manifestation of the god's divine essence. Indeed the man of strong powers is the vehicle of Shiva, through whom the deity reveals his own virile nature and powers. The bull of Shiva is hence also called the joyful (Nandi), correspondingly Shiva himself is known as the lord of joy (Nandikeshvara). Kundalini and the Marriage of Shiva The metabolic energy called Kundalini is symbolized as Parvati. She is conceived as the serpent power which lies coiled in the lowest chambers of the human body. Kundalini when properly quickened, unfolds her vibrating hoods and by an upward sweep enters the spinal cord and then the brain, and finally unites above the head with Shiva. In mythology, Shiva's wedding with Parvati is 15 the entrance of this serpent power into the Higher Mind which is compared to the snowy mountains of Kailash. Kailash is the symbol of the highest mind and Shiva has his abode on this mountain where silence reigns eternally. The analogy is between a human wedding which releases the highest ecstasies of the flesh, and the wedding of Kundalini with Shiva, which is a symbol of the highest bliss attainable by an individual soul. Conclusion Our body is the instrument of our destiny. Our intellectual mechanism and spiritual being are not independent of the body that shelters and nourishes them. If we wish for success in anything whatever, we must take care of our body: cherish, satisfy, and content it. Yogis condemn abstinence, just as they condemn excess, since both cause imbalance in the physical and intellectual being. A healthy, vigorous, satisfied body, one that is pleasant to inhabit, is the best vehicle and instrument for human and spiritual accomplishment. Eroticism and pleasure in all its forms are vital for man's intellectual and physical balance. Life is transmitted through the sexual act, and the giving of life is a duty, a debt to be discharged by whoever has received it. Besides its practical utility, however, physical pleasure plays an essential role in our inner development. It is the image of divine bliss and prepares us and aids us to attain it. A man who strives to be chaste and who fears, condemns, and thwarts physical love can never free himself from the prison of the senses. He weaves around himself a web of obscure frustrations, which will hinder him from realizing his transcendental destiny. On the other hand, the man who has tasted all kinds of sensual pleasure can gradually turn aside from them, finding greater sensual pleasure in union with the divine. This is no longer renunciation, but liberation. In discovering the divine, the realized man gradually loses interest in earthly things, virtue, honor, vice, and pleasure. He considers the human act of love in the same way that he breathes the perfume of flowers or listens to the song of birds. Indeed the remark of the saint who said "I have never renounced any vice: it is they who have left me" summarizes the message of Shiva. In the Puranas, which collect the most ancient mythological and historical legends, Shiva appears as a mysterious and lascivious deity of the primeval forest. He is naked, and his beauty seduces all beings. The sages practicing austere asceticism are disturbed by the charms of this unconventional god. His virile power is described as limitless. Wandering through the forest, the symbol 16 of the cosmos, always ithyphallic, he scatters his seed. From his seed are born plants, metals, and precious stones. God of eroticism, Shiva is also the master of Yoga, which is described as the method used to sublimate virile power and transform it into mental and intellectual power. He is therefore the "great Yogi." Fittingly therefore, the Kama Sutra designates the various positions adopted in the act of love as asanas, the same term used to describe the postures of Hathayoga. Although both Shiva and his goddess Shakti are creator deities, the true scope of their union is not procreation, but pleasure and voluptuousness (ananda). A whole world of legend and myth narrates their love. The two opposites, the positive and the negative pole, acquire reality only in their relations with each other. They exist solely in what unites them, in the spark of pleasure that jumps from one to the other. In other words, the immanent cause of the universe, substance, and creation, is voluptuous desire. The spermatozoid substance placed in the female has a fecundating action, but the same substance, when reabsorbed through sexual abstinence, nourishes the cerebral matter. Rising, according to yogic formula, through the subtle channels flanking the backbone, it renders the intellectual faculties more acute. The Yogi perceives sexual energy as though it were coiled up at the base of the spine, which is why it is called kundalini (coiled) and likened to a sleeping snake. When, by means of mental concentration, it awakens and unwinds its coils, it rises like a column of fire toward the zenith, toward the top of the skull - the image of the heavenly vault - and pierces it to reach the transcendent worlds inhabited by Shiva. Shiva's liberated phallus represents this illuminating power rising heavenward beyond the material world. Thus is the linga likened to a pillar of light, guiding us to true knowledge. 17 Cosmic Dance of the Lord Shiva Shiva, the Lord of the Lingam, the consort of Shakti-Devi, also is Nataraja, the King of Dancers. Dancing is an ancient form of magick. The dancer becomes amplified into a being endowed with supra-normal powers. His personality is transformed. Like yoga, the dance induces trance, ecstasy, the experience of the divine, the realization of one's own secret nature, and, finally, mergence into the divine essence. In India consequently the dance has flourished side by side with the terrific austerities of the meditation grove- fasting, breathing exercises, absolute introversion. To work magick, to put enchantments upon others, one has first to put enchantments on oneself. And this is affected as well by the dance as by prayer, fasting and meditation. 18 The Lord Shiva, therefore, the arch-yogi of the gods, is necessarily also the master of the dance. The dance is an act of creation. It brings about a new situation and summons into the dancer a new and higher personality. It has a cosmogonic function, in that it rouses dormant energies which then may shape the world. On a universal scale, the Lord Shiva is the Cosmic Dancer; in his Dancing Manifestation (nritya-murti) he embodies in himself and simultaneously gives manifestation to Eternal Energy. The forces gathered and projected in his frantic, ever- enduring gyration, are the powers of the evolution, maintenance, and dissolution of the world. Nature and all its creatures are the effects of his eternal dance. Shiva-Nataraja is represented in a beautiful series of South Indian bronzes dating from the tenth and twelfth centuries A.D. The details of these figures are to be read, according to the Hindu tradition, in terms of complex pictorial allegory. The upper right hand, it will be observed, carries a little drum, shaped like an hour-glass, for the beating of the rhythm. This connotes Sound, the vehicle of speech, the conveyer of revelation, tradition, incantation magic and divine truth. Furthermore, Sound is associated in India with Ether, the first of the five elements. Ether is the primary and most subtly pervasive evolution of the universe, all the other elements, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. Together, therefore, Sound and Ether signify the first, truth-pregnant moment of creation, the productive energy of the Absolute, in its pristine, cosmogenetic strength. The opposite hand, the upper left, with a half-moon posture of the figure (ardhacandra-mudra), bears on its palm a tongue of flame. Fire is the element of the destruction of the world. At the close of the Kali Yuga, Fire will annihilate the body of creation, to be itself then quenched by the ocean of the void. Here, then, in the balance of the hands, is illustrated a counterpoise of creation and destruction in the play of the cosmic dance. Sound against flame. And the field of the terrible interplay is the Dancing Ground of the Universe, brilliant and horrific with the dance of the god. The "fear not" gesture (abhaya-mudra), bestowing protection and peace, is displayed by the second right hand, while the remaining left lifted across the chest, points downward to the uplifted left foot. This foot signifies Release, and is the refuge and salvation of the devotee. It is to be worshipped for the attainment of union with the Absolute. The hand pointing to it is held in a pose imitative of the outstretched trunk or "hand of the elephant" (gaja-hasta- mudra), reminding us of Ganesha, Shiva's son, the Remover of Obstacles. 19 The divinity is represented as dancing on the prostrate body of a dwarfish demon. This is "Apasmara Purusha," The Man or Demon (purusha) called Forgetfulness, or Heedlessness (apasmara). It is symbolical of life's blindness, man's ignorance. Therein is release from the bondages of the world. A ring of flames and light (prabha-mandala) issues from and encompasses the god. This is said to signify the vital processes of the universe and its creatures, nature's dance as moved by the dancing god within. Simultaneously it is said to signify the energy of Wisdom, the transcendental light of the knowledge of truth, dancing forth, from the personification of the All. Still another allegorical meaning assigned to the halo of flames is that of the holy syllable of AUM or OM. This mystical utterance stemming from the sacred language of Vedic praise and incantation, is understood as an expression and affirmation of the totality of creation. • A — is the state of waking consciousness, together with its world of gross experience. • U — is the state of dreaming consciousness, together with its experience of subtle shapes of dream. • M — is the state of dreamless sleep, the natural condition of quiescent, undifferentiated consciousness, wherein every experience is dissolved into a blissful non-experience, a mass of potential consciousness. The silence following the pronunciation of the three, A, U, and M, is the ultimate un-manifest, wherein perfected supra-consciousness totally reflects and merges with the pure, transcendental essence of Divine Reality-Brahman is experienced as Atman, the Self. AUM, therefore, together with its surrounding silence, is a sound-symbol of the whole of consciousness-existence, and at the same time its willing affirmation. Shiva as the Cosmic Dancer is the embodiment and manifestation of eternal energy in its 'five activities' (panch-kriya) 1 . Creation (sristi)-the pouring forth or unfolding 2. Maintenance (sthiti)— the duration 3. Destruction (samhara)-the taking back or reabsorption 4. Concealment (tiro-bhava)-the veiling of True Being behind the masks and garbs of apparitions, aloofness, display of Maya, 5. Favor (anugraha)-acceptance of the devotee, acknowledgment of the pious endeavor of the yogi, bestowal of peace. 20 In the Shiva-Trinity of Elephanta Caves it is seen that the two expressive profiles, representing the polarity of the creative force, were counterpoised to a single, silent, central head, signifying the quiescence of the Absolute. And we deciphered this symbolic relationship as eloquent of the paradox of Eternity and Time: the reposeful ocean and the racing stream are not finally distinct; the indestructible Self and the mortal being are in essence the same. This wonderful lesson can be read also in the figure of Shiva-Nataraja, where the incessant, triumphant motion of the swaying limbs is in significant contrast to the balance of the head and immobility of the mask-like countenance. Shiva is Kala, 'The Black One' 'Time'; but he is also Maha Kala, 'Great Time', 'Eternity'. As Nataraja, King of Dancers, his gestures, wild and full of grace, precipitate the cosmic illusion; his flying arms and legs and the swaying of his torso produce- indeed, they are-the continuous creation-destruction of the universe, death exactly balancing birth, annihilation the end of every coming- forth. The choreography is the whirligig of time. History and its ruins, the explosion of suns, are flashes from the tireless swinging sequence of the gestures. In the medieval bronze figurines, not merely a single phase or movement, but cyclic rhythm, flowing on and non in the unswayable, irreversible round of the Mahayugas, or Great Eons, is marked by the beating and stamping of the Master's heel. But the face remains, meanwhile, in sovereign calm. The Lord Shiva is the personification of the Absolute, particularly in its dissolution of the universe. He is the embodiment of Super-Death. He is called Yamantaka — 'The Ender of the Tamer' , He who conquers and exterminates Yama the God of Death, the Tamer. Shiva is Maha-Kala, Great Time, Eternity, the swallower of Time, swallower of Ages and cycles of ages. The Lord Shiva is apparently two opposite things, archetypal ascetic, and archetypal dancer. On one hand , he is Total Tranquility — inward calm absorbed in itself, absorbed in the void of the Absolute, where all distinctions merge and dissolve, and all tensions are at rest. But on the other hand, he is Total Activity — life's energy, frantic, aimless, and playful. Lord Shiva in the Sacred Scriptures One of the most revered texts of the Hindu tradition is the Rg Veda, a collection of more than one thousand hymns dating to 1200-1000 BCE. The Rg Veda describes the power of multiple deities (such as Agni, the god of fire) and the centrality of sacrifice in religious ritual. The religious ideas of the Vedas form an important thread in Hindu belief and tradition. Hindu priests still perform many rituals by chanting the Sanskrit verses of the Vedas. 21 In the Rg Veda, Shiva was understood as the deity Rudra, "the howler," a lesser but feared god who is connected to the wild, uncontrollable aspects of animals and nature. Between 300 and 700 CE, a new understanding of Shiva emerged from texts called the Puranas, which recount the adventures and challenges of the gods. The Shiva Parana describes Shiva as performing two critical and interconnecting roles as the destroyer and the creator, periodically destroying the universe so that it can be remade again. These texts also contain stories of Shiva as a yogi, dweller in cremation grounds, husband to the goddess Parvati (Uma), and father to the gods Ganesha and Skanda. Around the ninth century, a school of thought emerged around Shiva that described the deity as having two distinct aspects. In one, Shiva is supreme and without form. In the other, Shiva takes form and can be embodied, seen, and interacted with on Earth. Portable bronze images were seen as vehicles for Shiva's divine power and physical presence to be shared with his devotees. It is important to note that Shiva must be ritualistically invited to descend to Earth from his formless, supreme state into the physical form of a ritual bronze. Following that ritual, puja can be performed for the deity. When puja is over, the "sending away" ritual is performed and Shiva may depart. Lord Shiva in Poetry Tamil poet-saints of the seventh through ninth centuries CE offer an important perspective on the south Indian worship of key Hindu deities. Their devotional perspective is known as bhakti. These saints and devotional poets wrote numerous hymns dedicated to Hindu gods, especially Shiva and Vishnu. Written in Tamil — as opposed to Sanskrit, the language used in Brahmanic Hindu ritual — the poems were performed throughout the region, generating deep devotion and even inspiring the construction of temples. A number of poet- saints were from the lower classes. Without access to temple worship, poems — suffused with affection and awe for the deities — were their primary way to express devotion and establish personal relationships with the divine. Rich in visual imagery, these hymns were later used by the Cholas to inform sculptures of Shiva and Vishnu. An excerpt from a devotional poem to Shiva by Saint Appar — a poet-saint of seventh-century Tamil Nadu — includes the visual attributes that would become characteristic of Shiva Nataraja in the Chola period: If you could see the arch of his brow the budding smile 22 on lips red as the kovvai fruit cool matted hair, the milk-white ash on coral skin, and the sweet golden foot raised up in dance, then even human birth on this wide earth would be a thing worth having. — From Indira Viswanathan Peterson, Poems to Siva: The Hymns of the Tamil Saints (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1989), 118. Later in the poem, Appar writes of Shiva's dance in the Chidambaram forest (described as the "hall of TillaT): The very foot he raised to dance the dance in the little hall of Tillai — it claimed me as a slave. — From T.V. Gopal Iyer and Francois Gros, eds., Teveram: Hymnes Sivaites du pays Tamoul, vol. 2 (Pondicherry: Institute Francais d'Indologie, 1985), 8. Appar 4.81.10. Translation by Vidya Dehejia. Saint Sundarar, who lived in the eighth century, also produced hymns to Shiva replete with similarly vivid imagery: The Lord who holds fire and bears the broad river on his head dances, trailing strands of fire-red matted hair. Shiva's Sacred Dance As a fleeting art form in which the human body is the medium, dance of the past can only be understood through images, written accounts, oral histories, and information gleaned from dance and movement today. Understanding Shiva Nataraja and the temple culture of the Cholas offers useful perspectives on dance in that period. The significance of dance in the image and narrative of Shiva Nataraja relates to his cosmic power, which is represented in a dynamic pose that appears to radiate energy. It recalls the narrative of Shiva's victorious "dance of bliss" (ananda tandava) in the forest near Chidambaram. In addition, it links Shiva to the Chola tradition of triumphant warrior dances. So important was the dance of Shiva to the Cholas that Rajaraja I (r. 985-1014 CE) named a weight unit (adavallan) after Nataraja. 23 Dance, one of many offerings to the deity, was performed by temple dancers or devadasis, women who dedicated their lives to sacred movement. These women lived in the temple towns of the Cholas, and were considered married to the temple deity. Under Rajaraja I, the Bhrihadishvara temple in ThanjavurTanjore was believed to have employed up to four hundred temple dancers. Regarded with suspicion by British rulers, temple dance was banned in the early twentieth century. However, a group of artists recreated the dance into a stage art known today as Bharata natyam. In fact, Bharata natyam is based on the 108 positions of Shiva's dance of triumph, which are described in the Natya Shasta (ca. second-sixth centuries), a text focused on the art of performance. Images of these positions — karanas — still exist on temples of Tamil Nadu today. Shiva's Image of the Cosmic Dance The visual qualities of a Chola-dynasty bronze sculpture of Shiva Nataraja depended on a number of factors, particularly the skill and experience of the artist. Chola artists did create religious sculptures with distinctive variations. However, the sacred importance of Shiva Nataraja required sculptors to follow guidelines from key religious and artistic texts. During the Chola period, a series of texts called the Agamas described appropriate temple rituals and iconography related to Shiva. These texts also described the aniconic, or non-representational, image of Shiva, in the form of a pillar, or lingam as we have already discussed. Many Chola temples held linga, along with other movable bronze representations of Shiva for processional purposes. To achieve the perfect anatomical proportions for the sculpture, Chola artists would have consulted the shilpa shastras. These texts recommend flora and fauna and material objects as models for parts of the human body. For instance, a male torso must trace the outline of a bull's face viewed frontally, giving it a narrow waist. A female torso would emulate the hourglass-shaped damaru drum and her arms would evoke bamboo stems. The goal of the shilpa shastras was not to communicate how to achieve a realistic human form but the idealized, divine body prized in Indian art. Bronze Casting for Sacredness Every bronze in a south Indian temple is unique. Each is created using the lost- wax (cire perdue) process, in which molten metal is poured into a hand- fashioned clay mold that is later broken apart to yield the final work of art. 24 Shiva in this time and age From its origins in the tenth century, during the Chola Empire, the image of Shiva Nataraja has become an integral part of modern India's multicultural, religiously diverse landscape. Nataraja's significance has expanded beyond the Cholas' religious, political, and cultural understandings of the deity. It is now layered with many more meanings, including Tamil identity, the origins of Indian dance, and — more broadly — India Itself. Shiva as "Lord of the Dance" evokes the same powerful devotion for many Hindus today as he did during the Chola period, and he is still honored in and around south Indian temples with rituals similar to those of the medieval period. Now, however, worshippers can experience darshan — the ability to attain blessings by seeing and being seen by the deity — through a temple poster or online Over the years, Shiva Nataraja has become a general symbol for dance, as well as the inspiration for Bharata natyam, a reconstructed stage form of south Indian temple dance. In Bharata natyam, an image of Shiva Nataraja is often placed on the stage to honor the deity. This symbolism is echoed in the large, brightly lit silhouette of Nataraja that dominates the stage on the Indian television show Nach Baliye L Similar to the U.S. program Dancing with the Stars, Nach Baliye features teams of Bollywood actors in an ongoing dance competition. Even the program's logo and trophy honor Nataraja, depicting silhouettes of two dancers surrounded by a ring that recalls his cosmic flames. Lord Shiva through the Ages and Cultures In the twenty-first century, the image of Shiva Nataraja has become popularized and repurposed across the globe. There is a natural tension when such a powerful deity in Hindu belief is brought into new secular contexts. People worldwide are seeing Nataraja through a multitude of lenses — commercial, personal, scientific, and artistic — and finding deep but differing meanings. One striking example has its roots in twentieth-century physics. After physicist Fritjof Capra's book The Tao of Physics was published in 1975, Shiva Nataraja became a symbol of the movement of matter in the pattern of creation and destruction. A large sculpture of Nataraja stands outside the European Center for Research in Particle Physics (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland, underlining the link between cosmic forces and subatomic matter. In this context, Nataraja is also a political symbol for India's contribution to the sciences. 25 Along with appearing as a popular image on merchandise, Nataraja has been reinterpreted by artists to address issues in today's global society. Israeli artist Izhar Patkin, for example, created a glass sculpture fusing the deity with Brazilian entertainer Carmen Miranda and African-American performer Josephine Baker. The work, titled Where Each is Both, explores the confluences of these three figures as dancers and as boundary-crossers, creating and destroying on cosmic and human scales. Indian- American graphic designer Sanjay Patel has depicted Nataraja in his unique illustration style, which is partly inspired by Japanese cartoons and comics. His brightly colored, two-dimensional deities sport large heads, big eyes, and stubby limbs. In his collection of illustrations and information on the Hindu pantheon, The Little Book of Hindu Deities, Patel uses this style to bring a deliberate playfulness to the exploration of Hindu gods and epics. Lord Shiva, a God of All Times "Ta-dum, ta-dum, ta-dum..." beats the drum in Nataraja's hand, as he shakes it, giving rhythm to his dancing feet and sound to his image. Shiva, the auspicious one, is manifest here as the Lord of the Dance, a form he has taken not to entertain but perform cosmic work. Shiva Nataraja is crushing ignorance, presented by the sculptor as a demon under his feet who looks up benevolently at the god, even as his own ruin is in progress. Nataraja is one of the most important, visually thrilling forms of the Hindu god Shiva. Artists in the Tamil region of southern India began to make this form of Shiva in the early tenth century, with the patronage of kings, inspired by poetry written by ardent devotees and using skills in metal craft developed over hundreds of years. Once made and brought to life through ritual, Nataraja lived in the temple, moving out daily and during festivals, gracing his devotees within the temple and in the streets, as he processed through the town with song and ritual. Appearing more than a thousand years ago, Nataraja's importance has endured as a god and a popular icon. Today he is worshipped in major temples and circulates in public life. Nataraja represents Indian tradition, cosmic principles, Tamil identity, and classical dance. Artists use his image to sell products, critique society, and present philosophical concepts. Nataraja is truly a god for all time. In fact, the cosmic dance of Shiva symbolises the interplay of dynamic and static divine energy flow, containing the five principles of eternal energy - creation, preservation, destruction, illusion and emancipation. 26 Shiva dances in 'Rudra Tandava' or the dance of destruction in an aureole of fire, creating wild thunder storms all around the universe, even shattering the Sun, the Moon and stellar bodies with his matted hair, marks of ash on the forehead, trident and drum, lifting his left leg and balancing over a demon of ignorance, with snakes crawling over his arms, legs and braided hair that depict egotism. His upper right hand holds an hourglass drum or 'dumroo' standing for the male- female vital principle, while the lower gestures us to "Be fearless". A skull on his head depicts conquest over death. Goddess Ganga, epitomising the holy river, sits on his hairdo. His third eye represents omniscience, insight and enlightenment. Na mrityur na shanka na jatibhedah Pita naibo main naibo mata na janma Na bandhurna mitrang gururnaibo shishyah, Sachchidanandarupa Shivohom Shivohom Na punyong na papong na shaukhyong na dukhong Na mantro na tirtha na vedah na yagah Ahang bhojanang naibo bhojyong na bhokta Chidanandarupah Shivohom Shivohom Translation for pondering: I am beyond death, I am beyond doubts I am beyond divisions. No one is my father, none my mother, nor was I born Neither brother nor friend, neither teacher nor pupil, I am only truth, ecstasy and consciousness, I am Shiva. I am Shiva Nothing is sin for me, nothing is holy, sadness and happiness are not known to me I don't need chanting, nor holy places, no veda no yagna I am neither food, nor do I eat nor am I the enjoyer of these My abode is always a conscious happiness. I am Shiva... I am Shiva. Commentary: The third aspect of the Supreme Being is the process of dissolution of all creation, a precursor to the fresh beginning of the process of creation. This aspect is represented by Lord Shiva - the third of the Hindu Trinity. He represents darkness or Tamas and is often called the angry God (Rudreshwar). 27 Even though associated with destruction and dissolution, since Hinduism believes in the inevitability of creation following destruction, Lord Shiva is also associated with being a cause of creation. As a result, the Linga or phallus is said to be his symbol - the symbol of regeneration. According to some schools of thought, Shiva represents the entire cosmos. This of course is to be distinguished from the concept of Vishwaroop as described in the section on Vishnu in the sense that while Shiva might represent the cosmos, Vishnu in his Vishwaroop form contains the cosmos and sustains it as well. Shiva or Maheshwara is the Divine Lord and in him are concentrated the three energies of understanding (Gyana), the will (Ichha) and action (Kriya) - thus forming the fountainhead of all knowledge. The nature of Shiva as representing the entire cosmos has led to his having 1008 names in the various Hindu scriptures extending the Vedic concept of multiple forms of a single divine power. The Vedas do not mention Shiva as the name of the god in question - instead he is named Rudra - the lord of songs, sacrifices, nourishment, the healer of diseases and the provider of property. The Vishnu Purana (religious Hindu text) describes the origin of Lord Shiva. It says that Brahma was initially unsuccessful in his attempts of creation. He meditated for a child, after which a child sprang forth from his forehead and divided itself into a male and female part. The male part started crying inconsolably. On being asked the reason for crying the child said it did not have a name, at which, Brahma named him Rudra - which also means the one who howls. However Brahma had to give him seven more names - for the seven more times that the child cried, giving Shiva his eight forms: Rudra, Sharva, Bhava, Ugra, Bhima, Pashupati, Ishana, and Mahadeva. The Shiva Purana then goes on to describe how each of these names is associated with an element - the earth, water, fire, wind, sky, a yogi called Kshetragya, the sun, and the moon respectively. The female part of the child born from Brahma's forehead is believed to be Parvati - Shiva's eternal consort. There is also a different indication of the origin of another manifestation of Shiva as Ardhanarishwara - where he is depicted as half -male and half-female - the union of substance and energy, the Being and his Shakti (force). The right half - depicting the male - is his own form and the left half - depicting the female part - is his consort Parvati. This depiction represents Shiva as Sadashiva, Adishiva or Adipurusha - the primeval Being - as being the unity of existence. It underlines the fact that division in nature between male and female, between material and energy is only superfluous and in reality all is one. Shiva 28 shows himself as being all that is male and all that is female - through this form of being the inseparable unity. The attributes of the Lord Shiva Unclad body smeared with ashes: This form of Lord Shiva symbolizes the transcendental aspect of his nature and indicates that his presence is much higher than this physical phenomenon. The ashes on the Lord's body is cemetery ash, which points to the philosophy of the life and death and shows that death is the ultimate reality of the life. Most things in the universe reduce to ashes when burned and this aspect of nature is suggested by the ash-smeared appearance of Lord Shiva, who is held to be the God of destruction in Hindu mythology. The Lord is beyond the cycle of birth and death. Jata (Matted Hair): The flow of his matted hair represents Shiva as the Lord of Wind or Vayu, who is the subtle form of breath present in all living beings. It shows that Shiva is Pashupatinath, Lord Of All Living Beings. Sacred Ganga: The river Ganga (or Ganges) is the most sacred river for pious Hindus. According to a legend, the river Ganga has its source in Shiva and flows from his matted hair. This is symbolically represented by depicting Ganga as a jet of water sprinkling out of the head of the Lord and falling on the ground. Legend has it that the Lord allowed an outlet to the great river to traverse the earth and bring purifying water to human being. Hence, Lord Shiva is often referred to as Gangadhara or "Bearer of the river Ganga". The river Ganga also denotes fertility, one of the creative aspects of the Rudra. It also indicates that Shiva is not only the Lord of destruction but also the bestower of knowledge, purity and peace on the devotees. The Third Eye: In the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Lord Shiva is depicted as a three-eyed God. Hence, he is often referred to as Tryambaka Deva, meaning "three-eyed Lord". The sun is said to be his right eye, the moon the left eye 29 while fire is his third eye. While his other two eyes indicate his activity in the physical world, his third eye in the center of his forehead looks beyond the obvious. It stands for spiritual knowledge and power, and is thus called the eye of wisdom or knowledge. Like fire, the powerful gaze of Shiva's third eye can search evil from anywhere and annihilate it completely. This is the reason why evil-doers fear his third eye. Half-Open Eyes: The half-open eyes of Lord Shiva convey the idea that the cycle of universe is in process. When the Lord opens His eyes a new cycle of creation begins and when He closes them it signifies the destruction of the universe for creation of the next cycle. The half-open eyes signify that creation is going through an eternal cyclic process, with no beginning and no end. Crescent: Lord Shiva is typically pictured as wearing a crescent-shaped ornament on one side of his head. This is why he is often called 'Chandrasekhara' meaning "Having the moon as his crest". The Crescent is actually the moon in its fifth day phase and symbolizes the time cycle through which creation evolves from the beginning to the end. The moon is a measure of time, and thus the Crescent on Lord Shiva's head signifies his control over time. The Lord is the Eternal Reality and He is beyond time. Thus, the crescent moon is only one of His ornaments, and not an integral part of Him. The Snake around the neck: Lord Shiva is often shown with a snake curled three times around His neck and looking towards His right side. The three coils of the snake symbolize the past, present and future - time in cycles. The snake looking in the right direction of Lord Shiva signifies that the Lord's perpetual laws of reason and justice preserve natural order in the universe. The snake is believed to be the Vasuki Naga, a deadly cobra. The Lord wearing the deadly snake like an ornament signifies that He is independent of time and death. It also suggests the dormant energy, called Kundalini Shakti, that resides within him. Vibhuti: The three line of ashes drawn on the forehead of the Lord is known as the Vibhuti. It signifies the Immortality of the Lord and his manifested glory. Tiger Skin: Hindu mythology states that the tiger is the vehicle of Shakti, the Goddess of power and force. Lord Shiva is often shown seated upon or wearing a tiger skin, which emphasizes the fact that he is the master of Shakti and is beyond and above any kind of force. Tiger is also the emblem of lust. The Lord's sitting on Tiger skin indicates that he has conquered lust. Tiger also represents energy. Lord Shiva is the source of the creative energy that remains in potential form during the dissolution state of the universe. He activates this energy using his own Divine Will to project the universe in endless cycles. 30 The Elephant and Deer Skin: The Lord also wears elephant and deer skins. Elephants stand in for pride while deer represent the flickering mind. Wearing elephant and deer skin shows that Lord Shiva has conquered both these vices. Rudraksha Necklace: He is almost always shown as wearing a necklace having 108 beads made with seeds of the Rudraksha tree. The beads represent the elements used in the creation of the world. The Rudraksha necklace points to the 'Rudra' aspect of the Lord, which is also His other name. The word 'Rudra' means "strict or uncompromising" and aksha means "eye." It illustrates the fact that Lord Shiva is firm about His cosmic laws and strictly maintains law and order in the universe. Damaru (Drum): It is the small hourglass-shaped drum that the Lord holds in one of his hands in a specific gesture called 'damaru -hasta'. The two sides of the drum separated from each other by a thin neck-like structure represents the two utterly different states of existence, unmanifest and manifest. When a damaru is shaken, it produces Nada, the cosmic sound of AUM, which can be heard during deep meditation. According to Hindu scriptures, Nada is the source of creation. This is one of the attributes of Shiva in his famous dancing representation known as Nataraja. Trishul (Trident): The trident, or the spear with three prongs, is one of the accessories of the Lord and symbolizes His three fundamental powers iccha(will), kriya(action) and jnana(knowledge). It also signifies His power to destroy evil and ignorance. As His weapon and instrument of punishment the trident represents Lord Shiva's manner of punishing the evil doers on all the three planes - spiritual, subtle and physical. Kamandalu: The water pot (Kamandalu) often shown adjacent to the Lord is another of his accessories. It is said to be made from a dry pumpkin and containing amrit (nectar). Indian Yogis and sages are seen to carry the Kamandalu as an item of basic necessity. The carrying of the Kamandalu shows the yogic nature of the Lord. But it has a deeper significance. As a ripe pumpkin has been plucked from a plant, its fruit removed and shell cleaned for containing the nectar, an individual too must give up his attachment to the physical world and clean his inner self of egoistic desires to experience the bliss of the Self, symbolized by the nectar in the Kamandalu. Kundalas: The Kundalas refer to the two ear rings, Alakshya (meaning "which cannot be shown by any sign") and Niranjan (meaning "which cannot be seen by mortal eyes"), worn by the Lord. The ornaments in the ears of the Lord signify that He is beyond ordinary perception. It is noteworthy that the kundala in the 31 left ear of the Lord is of the type used by women and the one in His right ear is of the type used by men. The dual type of Kundalas represent the Shiva and Shakti (male and female) principle of creation. Mount Kailasa: Lord Shiva is most often shown to be seated with the beautiful Himalayas serving as his backdrop. Mount Kailash in the Himalayas is said to be His traditional abode. In Hindu mythology, Mount Kailasa is said to represent the center of the universe. This denotes that Lord Shiva is 'Kailas' - the bestower of peace and also 'Kailashadhipati' meaning "Lord Of Mount Kailash". Nandi, the Bull: Nandi is the Bull of Lord Shiva and is said to be his vehicle. The bull is a symbol both of power and ignorance which suggests that Lord Shiva removes ignorance of his devotees and gives them the power of wisdom. In Sanskrit a bull is called "Vrisha" which also means "righteousness". The Nandi bull beside Lord Shiva indicates that He is the eternal companion of righteousness. Om Namah Shivaya This mantra has no approximate translation. The sounds related directly to the principles which govern each of the first six chakras on the spine. . .Earth, water, fire, air, ether. Notice that this does not refer to the chakras themselves which have a different set of seed sounds, but rather the principles which govern those chakras in their place. A very rough, non-literal translation could be something like, 'Om and salutations to that which I am capable of becoming.' This mantra will start one out on the path of subtle development of spiritual attainments. It is the beginning on the path of Siddha Yoga, or the Yoga of Perfection of the Divine Vehicle. 32 The Sacred Feast Mahashivratri When the Lord Shiva principle descends to Earth a thousand times more than usual, on this day, to obtain the full benefit of Lord Shiva's principle, one should chant as much as possible. OM NAMAH SHIVAYA MANTRA Key of C Di j,. 1 1 | j j i j, j j i j g§ | Om Na-mah Shi - va - ya G C Om Na-mah Shi - va - ya G7 C ft, h h : ^ ^=^ ^^ Om Na-mah Shi - va C A in ya Om Na-mah Shi - va - ya Dm K^= ^ J- J $ | i ^ J 4 1 J Om G 7 15 N a- ma h Shi ■ ■ va - ya C Om G - Na- mah Shi - va_ C _ - ya -Je . irs — S 1 ^ \ s — . \ ' ^ S \ 1 "v * • i m J * • • • - • • • * I -d Oi c 9 11 N a-ma k h Shi VJ i - ya Om F — K — Na-n — fe lah K 1 Shi - va Dm - ya -jt r^ i n K — _H — — P< -} ■ rm m d • m m \mj • m «J § Om Na-mah Shi - va G C ya Om Na-mah Shi - va_ - ya G7 C ^^ ^=^ t ^^ Om Na-mah Shi - va_ >a Om Na-mah Shi - va - ya "Shivratri" is the time when Shiva takes a rest. Shiva rests for one "prahar" (three hours) of the night. This "prahar" is referred to as the Shivratri. When Lord Shiva takes rest, the function of "Shivtatva" (Shiva Principle) ceases,i.e. Lord Shiva goes into a meditative state. 33 X T I * Rays of Chaiianya (Divine Consciousness} Tcj-tattva (Fire Element) Shakti (Divine Energy) Shantl {Eternal Peace) Chait&nya Subtle Vision of Shiva in Meditative stale en the day ef Mahashivratri Shiva's meditative state is the time when He is engrossed in His own spiritual practice. During that time, the 'Shivtatva' does not accept any tamogun (most base of the 3 elements in us - sattva, raja and tama) or any halahal (venom churned from the ocean) coming from the Universe. As a result,the ratio of halahal or the pressure of the negative energies increases. For protection from this pressure, things like'bilva patra', white flowers, 'rudraksha' beads etcare offered to Lord Shiva. These things attract the 'Shivtatva' from the atmosphere, thus providing protection from the increasing effect of the negative energies. The Earth is a gross object. Gross objects have very low velocities i.e. they require more time to cover a specific distance in space. Gods on the other hand, are subtle hence they are capable of traversing space within a few seconds. That is why one year on the earth is equivalent to just one day of heaven. Science in the worship of Lord Shiva on Mahashivratri. The function of the "Shivpindi": 34 1. Emitting waves of Knowledge, Devotion and renunciation. Predominantly 'sattva' waves of knowledge, 'raja' waves of devotion and 'tama' waves of Renunciation (Vairagya) are emitted by the 'Shivpindi'. During Mahashivratri, the emission increases by 30 percent. 2. The "Shivpindi" emits subtle vibrations of chaitanya, bliss and peace. During the Mahashivratri, the emission increases by twenty-five percent. This helps purify the subtle-body of one who worships the Shivpindi on this day. The "sun" or the "moon" channels in the body get activated as per necessity. The capacity to absorb the sattvaguna and chaitanya also increases. Due to the presence of the unmanifest Shiva principle in the Shivpindi and the vibrations of peace emitted, the Shivpindi remains cool and the mind too experiences peace. Worship of Shivpindi with devotion, activates the dormant Shiva principle. An offering of puffed rice and milk reaches Lord Shiva in the subtle form. 3. Receiving the "tarak or marak tatva (element)" as required. There is a confluence of the manifest and the unmanifest elements along with the "tarak and marak tatva" in the Shivpindi. (Tarak = Saviour; Marak = Destroyer). That is how worshipers receive the required element. The temperature of the Shivpindi increases due to the emission of the marak tatva and there one experiences bliss. Similarly, when the tarak tatva is emitted, the temperature drops and one experiences peace and bliss. The best definition of the Lord Shiva worship is to practice it at the Sacred Feast Mahashivratri, but also daily. The best definition of Shiva worship is to experience it soulfully. While, the best definition of yoga is to live it sincerely. However, the best definition of the God, the Lord Shiva is to love Him, and only Him, unconditionally. 35 Bilvapatra (Bel leaves) Particles of BtiBPti (Eternal Peace) emanating from Skivi'tatbf* Generation of Siiakli (Divine Energy) frequencies Shiva-tattva Trigvriatfiiak frequences (\ Tki]iKTitif> cuinprKEnj; of Sum<it r i','..','"i'. Jama rtunjiWrtfiUs} Subtle Drawing of Bet Leaf Bilvapatra contains two percent Shiva tatva. By offering bilvapatra to the Shivpindi on Mahashivratri, the manifest Shiva tatva near the stalk of the bilvapatra gets activated. Due to this, waves of chaitanya as well as Shiva tatva are emitted by the bilvapatra. The bilvapatra attracts twenty percent of the Shiva tatva present in the Shivpindi towards itself. By immersing this bilvapatra in water or by placing it in grains, the Shiva tatva present in the bilvapatra is transmitted to them. The Shiva tatva in the bilvapatra is activated to a larger extent on Mondays when it transmits ten percent of the Shiva tatva and sattvikta. On other days only one percent of the Shiva tatva is activated in the bilvapatra. Bilvarchan Offering bilvapatra to the Shivpindi and chanting the mantra, with each offering is known as bilvarchan. Continue offering the bilvapatra until the pindi is completely covered. Offer the bilvapatra from the lower part of the pindi. By starting from the feet of the idol, more benefit is derived and the idol can be covered completely. Chanting on Mahashivratri: U Om Namah Shivaya" 36 What does the name Shiva mean? a. The word Shiva has been derived by reversing the letters of the word vash. Vash means to enlighten; thus the one who enlightens is Shiva. He remains radiant and also illuminates the universe. b. He is the auspicious and prosperity-bestowing principle. 37 The Unique Attributes of Lord Shiva For Meditation and Contemplation When in meditation, we concentrate; we focus our attention on one particular subject. But when we meditate we feel that we have the capacity deep within us to see many things while visualising the Lord Shiva, dealing with many things as His personality, the Entity, He now is, welcoming all what is His. When we meditate, we try to expand ourselves, like a bird spreading its wings. We try to expand our personal consciousness and enter into the Collective or Universal Consciousness where there is no fear, jealousy or doubt but only joy, peace and divine power. Meditation means our conscious growth into the Divine Consciousness. Through concentration we become one-pointed; while through meditation we expand our consciousness into the "Vast" and enter into its consciousness. However in contemplation we grow into the "Vast" itself, and its consciousness becomes our very own. In contemplation we are at once in our deepest concentration and our highest meditation. The truth that we have seen and felt in meditation, we grow into and become totally one with in contemplation. Contemplation means our conscious oneness with the Lord Shiva and the eternal Absolute or Supreme. If we meditate on the Lord Shiva as a specific divine quality of the Supreme, we find ourselves in the light, peace and bliss of the Supreme. Our mind is calm and quiet in the vastness of Infinity. In contemplation it is not like that. In contemplation through the Lord Shiva as our devotion now goes to Him, we feel that we are holding within ourselves the entire cosmos with all what it contains. In contemplation there is no thought, form or idea. In contemplation everything is merged into the oneness of the Cosmic or Universal Consciousness. The Lord Shiva, if you are his devotee, is your Master, next to your human guru if you have one. But, first of all the Lord Shiva is your and mine Eternal Guru as part of the Supreme (the Absolute). If you chant "OM (AUM)" as in "OM Namah Shivaha" soulfully, it will help you to link higher up into the Highest. Gratitude is always of paramount importance. If you are a sincere devotee of the Lord Shiva or the Lord Krishna, or any other God or Goddess, you enter in the spiritual boat. The Lord Shiva becomes then the boatman to take you to the Golden Shore. 38 Meditate on His best loved picture, or having Him in your mind, while as such you enter into His Consciousness. Do not feel you are entering a foreign element or a foreign human or entity, but that you are as such entering into your highest part, your true self. The beautiful picture of Lord Shiva as God, your God and part of the Supreme, only serves as inspiration. When you meditate on the effigy of the Lord Shiva, whether it is His representation or Lingam, you enter into His Consciousness, and entering in His Consciousness is the highest form of meditation for those who consider themselves His devotees. Dedicated service is another form of meditation as plainly discribed in the Bhagavad Gita. When you work for the Supreme along the Lord Shiva or any other God or Goddess, the Divine Consciousness enters your consciousness, and you become innerly and spiritually elevated. Never be afraid to come to the Lord Shiva. Physical Attributes Ganga Just as the sun is the focal point of the solar system and the soul that of the body, the focal point of divine consciousness (chaitanya) in every object and pure particles (pavitrakas) is ga-aum. The flow from which ga- aum originates is gan gaha = Ganga. Ga-aum flows from Shiva's head. This is called the descent of the Ganga from Shiva's head. Since the river Ganga has a fraction of the principle of the spiritual Ganga, no matter how polluted it becomes, its purity is perpetually retained. Therefore, when compared to any other water in the world, the water from the Ganga is the purest. This is realised not only by those who can perceive the subtle dimensionbut also by scientific researchers. Moon Shiva adorns the chandra (moon) on His forehead. The point where the three frequencies - affection (mamata), mercifulness (kshamashilata) and motherly love (vatsalya) originate is referred to as the chandra (moon). Consequently, one can conclude that chandrama (the moon principle) is the state in which the three attributes of affection, mercifulness and motherly love are present. Third-Eye Shankar is three-eyed, i.e. He can perceive events of the past, present and future. According to the science of Yoga 39 the third eye means the Sushumna nadi (channel). Serpent One of the Names of Lord Shankar is Bhujanga-patihari. Bhujang means a serpent or pure particles (pavitrakas), pati means the nurturer and hari means one with a garland around His neck. Bhujangapatihari thus means the One who nurtures pure particles and wears them like a garland. Various serpents represent groups of pure particles. Though externally they appear like serpents, internally they are a kind of ladder. To make spiritual progress one has to climb up holding onto the tail of the serpent. Lord Shankar adorns serpents at nine points on His body - one on the head, one around the neck, one on each arm, one on each wrist, one around the waist and one on each thigh. This implies that His body is comprised of pure particles or that serpents of pure particles play all over the body of Lord Shankar who has the universe as His form. Spiritual Attributes One performing severe austerities and the great yogi Shiva is always seated in a bandha or a mudra. His temperature rises due to heat generated by performing severe austerities. Therefore, He uses the Ganga, the moon and serpents which endow a cooling effect and lives on the snow-clad Kailas mountain. Short tempered. If someone disturbs His meditation the radiance generated by spiritual practice will be suddenly expelled and whoever is in front of Him will not be able to tolerate it, and gets destroyed. This is referred to as being 'reduced to ashes by Shankar's opening of the third eye. One who is willing to undergo any distress for the sake of imparting happiness to others The poison generated during the churning of the celestial ocean (samudramanthan) was burning the entire Universe but no deity came forward to accept it. At that time Shiva drank that poison and saved the world from destruction. One who has both, deities and demons, as His 40 worshippers. Neither demons did Neither did demons like Banasur, Ravan, etc. worship Lord Vishnu nor did Lord Vishnu bestow any boon upon any demon. However, they worshipped Lord Shiva who blessed them. Master of the Since Lord Shiva is the master of spirits, His worshippers Spirit are generally not possessed by them. All science in the idol and the human form DrviTHt Ertrtrgy This represents the Brahman in the form of the word (shabda Brahman). Alphabets consisting of the sounds of fifty-two basic letters and the forms of fourteen Maheshvar verses (sutras) have generated from it. Later the universe was created from these. Trident The Trident represents the following - The three components - sattva, raja and tama. The root of creation, sustenance and dissolution. Volition, knowledge and action Noose (pash) The noose represents the noose of time (kalpash) (The rope in Lord Ganapati's hand too is the same). Worship Application of holy ash (Bhasma). Tripundra refers to the three horizontal stripes of holy ash applied to the forehead. These stripes symbolise spiritual knowledge, 41 purity and penance (spiritual practice of Yoga), so also they represent the three eyes of Lord Shiva. Wearing a rudraksha. Wearing a rudraksha when worshipping Lord Shiva is ideal. A rudraksha is reddish in colour with yellow stripes and is flat like a fish. On one side it has a slight opening which appears like an open mouth. The rudraksha converts light frequencies of deities from the universe into sound frequencies in the body of humans and vice versa. As a result, humans can absorb frequencies of deities and thoughts can get converted into the language of deities. A Genuine The rudraksha absorbs sama (sattva) frequencies. Rudraksha Similarly sama frequencies are emitted by its crests. A real rudraksha can be recognised by the vibrations felt by holding it in the hand. At that time the body absorbs thesama frequencies emitted by the rudraksha. Nowadays, mostly Vikrutaksha is sold as a rudraksha. This is the seed of a type of wild berry. Vikrutaksha is used for sacrificial fires of tantriks, black magic etc. by sorcerers. Ritualistic worship of the pindi. Only cold water and bel is offered to Lord Shankar's pindi. Neither is it bathed with milk and panchamrut (a mixture of milk, curds, ghee, sugar and honey) nor offered turmeric, vermilion (kumkum) or white consecrated rice (akshata). Milk and clarified butter (ghee) symbolise sustenance while turmeric is an underground stem and represents fertility of the soil that is creation. Vermilion is prepared from turmeric. Since Lord Shiva is the deity of dissolution, substances such as milk, vermilion and turmeric are not used in His worship. 42 Circumambulation (pradakshina) When circum-ambulating one should begin from the left side and continue till the channel of the shalunka from where the water offered during the ritualistic bathing (abhishek) flows. Without crossing it one should complete a circum-ambulation by moving in the reverse direction up to the other side of the channel. The flow of a shalunka is not crossed as it is the flow of energy which adversely affects the formation of semen and the five internal vital energies (pran vayu). Chanting Name of Shiva the "Namaha Shivaya" is Shiva's five-syllabled mantra. The Lord spiritual meaning of each of the five syllables is: na = Foremost deity of all the regions (lokas) ma = Bestower of supreme spiritual knowledge (gyan) and redeemer of the greatest of sins shi = Benevolent, serene and responsible for initiation by Lord Shiva va = Symbolic of a bull as the vehicle and Vasuki and Vamangi energy (shakti) ya = Auspicious abode of Supreme Bliss and Lord Shiva. Hence, obeisance (namaskar) to these five syllables. Dharmo Rakshati If you protect Dharma, Dharma will in turn protect you. Rakshithaha Hinduism is more a way of life than a method of worship. 43 Spirituality, Myths, Legends and Ritual Theory Among the many theories of myths, legends in all world religions without exception, the myth and ritual work together. The theory claims not that myths and rituals happen to go hand in hand but that they must. In its most uncompromising form, the theory contends that myths and rituals cannot exist without each other. In a milder form, the theory asserts that myths and rituals originally exist together but may subsequently go their separate ways. In its mildest form, the theory maintains that myths and rituals can arise separately but subsequently coalesce. In the stage of sheer magick there are rituals, and the routines involved is that of carrying out the prescribed directions, but no myths if there no gods or goddesses. In the stage of religion there are both myths and rituals, but they are barely connected. Myths describe the character and behaviour of gods and goddesses. Rituals seek to curry divine favour. Rituals may presuppose myths, which would suggest what activities would most please the gods and goddesses, but they are otherwise independent of myths. Whatever the actual nexus between myths and rituals turns out to be, the myth- ritualism theory remains absolutely valuable. It suggests aspects of myth that might otherwise be overlooked, notably, the relationship between "faith" (belief) and practice, between narrative and action. The theory also suggests parallels between myth and other cultural phenomena like science and literature that might otherwise get missed. Cosmogony is not a myth, or preferably it is no longer a myth. It has advanced so far along the road of rationalisation that only a very thin partition divides it from world systems which historians will innocently treat as purely rational constructions. Comparison with those systems shows that, when once the cosmic order has been formed, the next chapter should be an account of the origin of life. In the world philosophies, life arises from the interaction or intercourse of the separated elements: animal life is born out of the action of the heavenly heat on the moist slime of earth. The Gods and Goddesses are supernatural persons (entities), with human forms and characters, well-known in the world religions. So at this point we turn back into that world of mythical representation which the rationalised cosmogony had left so far behind. Sky and earth are re-transformed into Gods and Goddesses, whose love and hate, black and white are depicted in all human forms. New Year has an intensely dramatic character, reflected in particular sham fights between groups of cultic actors who represent the powers of chaos and the 44 powers of the cosmos. In this battle, God (king or ruler) is the central figure, as head of those who represent the powers of order and life, as the Buddha Gautama, Lord Shiva, Krishna, Abraham, Moses, Jesus of Nazareth, etc. However, the dramatic presentation also characteristically includes a portrayal of the state of chaos which precedes the victory of cosmos. The destructive powers enjoy a temporary victory. Chaos reigns, either in the form of an unbridled frenzy, often of an ecstatic sexual type like a "Witches Sabbath" or in the form of a "Death Sabbath". If we want to study the real myth, not the literary exercise; if we want to know what the myth meant for mankind at large, not merely for poets, we draw ourselves towards the Sanskrit. That Sanskrit, known as the Vedic, has a sublime character from all other classical languages. Sanskrit is simple and direct, because it wants to convey information and not to display literary skill. Its is concerned not to amuse or astonish, but to impart that knowledge which is necessary for the welfare of mankind. What really mattered to the ancient Brahman, as it does to us and to everyone, was life; not merely keeping alive, but living well, enjoying bodily vigour for the full span allotted to man. To have life it is necessary to have food, to escape sickness and the wiles of enemies, and to have strong sons. The Brahmans' quest, in the words of the first hymn of the "Rigveda", is "wealth day by day, prosperity, glorious and abounding heroes. They pray to Soma to save them from disease, to prolong their years as the sun the days of spring, not to abandon them according to the desire of their foe, to save them from disease. Life depends on many things, food, rain and sun; on victory, skill and strength, unity, wise rule and obedience. An elaborate cult or ritual grew up designed to secure all these good things all that contributed to the full life. The ritual became so elaborate that its accurate transmission became more and more difficult. One or two recitals were not enough; it had to be committed to memory, and its meaning and its reasons had to be expounded in lesson after lesson. Satsangs and schools were formed, and from those institutions the voluminous literature which is known as the "Brahmanas." In this chapter, we are attempting to understand the meaning of Lord Shiva worship in our time exploring Shiva's iconography, taking us through Shaivite philosophy, beliefs, history, folklore and myth. Written in a simple narrative style, and interspersed at times with familiar and unfamiliar tales retold, the reaching young and old alike. Having said it, let us meditate on the God, Lord Shiva who wears the crescent moon as a crown, whose dazzling form is adorned by the five elements of the 45 universe, who holds in his four hands the weapon of the axe, the deer, who is fulfillment and forgiveness, as his worshipper desires, who sits on the world lotus in perpetual repose, who is of wisdom, desire and action, who is the source and the goal of life and who will embrace all creatures at the end removing their fear of death. The Iconography of the Lord Shiva Lord Shiva, the Mahadeva, represents one of the three visible forms, or the functional aspects of the Supreme, namely, the creation, preservation and dissolution, that is, bringing the cosmos into existence, sustaining it and finally withdrawing it from existing. Lord Shiva represents the last of these three aspects, that is, dissolution or destruction of the cosmos. He is the destroyer and the restorer of the Universe or Cosmos. The other two aspects, the creation and the preservation, are represented respectively by Prajapati or Brahma, and Vishnu. Prajapati Brahma and Vishnu are Vedic gods. In the Rigveda, Prajapati and Brahma are mentioned as two gods, though both almost alike responsible for the act of Creation. Hence, in later Vedic literature, they merge into one entity, and are sometimes alluded to as Prajapati Brahma and sometimes as two synonymous terms alternating each other. In Puranic literature, Brahma gets pre-eminence and the term Prajapati is used only as the other name of Brahma to avoid monotonous repetition of the same nomenclature. Initially, that is, in the Rigveda, Vishnu is a subordinate type of god, but later by Puranic era, he attains the status of the Lord of the universe and the principal Vedic god. Lord Shiva as such, or as Mahadeva, is not alluded to in proper Vedas. The Rigveda, however, frequently mentions a brown complexioned sun-like brilliant and gold-like glowing animal- skin- wearing entity by the name of Rudra, or Ishan, who, as per the Rigvedic description, is synonymous of a violent non- Aryan jungle or tribal god capable of subduing, by his mighty arrows, even the most wild of animals. He did not hesitate even to kill human beings and sought delight in such destruction. Hence, the Rigveda is somewhat critical of his wildness and invokes him for not destroying his devotees, their ancestors, offspring, relatives and horses. It is only gradually and somewhat in simultaneity that the Rigveda softens and sophisticates him into a civil god of Aryan kind and includes him into the Vedic pantheon. The later Vedic literature identifies in Rudra the proto form of the subsequent Shiva. When Puranas perceived the formless God manifest in His triple function, which He performed as the Creator, Sustainer and 46 Destroyer, both initially and finally, as well as always, they chose Lord Shiva to represent one of these functional aspects of Him and elevated him to the status of the Great Trinity. Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu, Only the Time-Bound Manifestations of the Timeless Supreme Lord Shiva, as well as Brahma and Vishnu, do not represent the Supreme but only His functional aspects, which manifest in Creation, in sustaining the Creation and, finally, in withdrawing the Creation, which occurs after every kalpa, which is the scheduled age of each Creation. Obviously, after the Creation is withdrawn and the kalpa comes to an end, the Supreme 's functional aspects too disappear and so does the Great Trinity representing them. Thus, the Trinity, with each of Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu having a scheduled life-span, is the time-bound manifestation of the timeless One, that is, the Trinity disappears after its allotted life-span to re-appear when the next kalpa begins, but the Omnipresent neither appears nor disappears because He is always there before the time began and after its scale has exhausted. In Indian cosmological tabulation, Shiva's life-span is double of the Vishnu's and Vishnu's double of the Brahma's. Brahma's life-span comprises of 120 Brahma years, which are equivalent to 300 million, 9 hundred thousand, 17 thousand and 376 years of human calendar. Shiva Precedes Trinity-Partners Lord Shiva, thus different from what the Puranas proclaim, is not Brahma's creation. He rather precedes his Trinity counterparts, Brahma and Vishnu, on time scale. This pre-eminence of Shiva over others as much reflects in their related theological chronology and availability of their iconic representations in visual arts. Brahma and Vishnu have their roots in the Vedas, and not before. Lord Shiva has a pre-Vedic origin, as his worship cult seems to have been in vogue amongst the Indus dwellers, even around 3000 B. C. The excavations of various archaeological sites in the Indus valley reveal two sets of archaeological finds that suggest the prevalence of the cult of worshipping both, his anthropomorphic as well as symbolic representations. This excavated material includes a number of terracotta seals representing a yogi icon and the phallus type baked clay objects, obviously the votive lings, suggestive of some kind of phallus -worship cult 47 of the non- Aryan settlers of the Indus cities. Seated in meditative posture, the stern looking Yogi figure wears a typical head-dress made of buffalo horns and is surrounded by various animal icons, lion, elephant, buffalo- type bull, rhinoceros etc. and the bird forms above. In some seals, this Yogi figure consists of three heads. That the symbolic phallus icons and the anthropomorphic representations relate to one and the same entity becomes obvious from the iconographic thrust, which defines the Yogi form. One of the most significant cardinals of this Yogi iconography, and perhaps more so than others, is its well erect and emphatically exposed phallus, similar to the Urddh-ling Shiva icons, a cult of Shiva, which dominated Shaivite sculptural art for centuries from around the period of Kushanas. These finds, datable to the period from 3000 B. C. to 1000 B. C. or even later, show the continuity of such worship cult till much after the Vedic era. This is further affirmed by the Rigveda itself. The Rigveda at least twice talks of the phallus worshipping non-Aryan tribes and vehemently condemns the practice. Shiva in Later Vedic Cult and in The Mahabharata The Vedas, in their later cult, admit into Vedic pantheon the jatadhari holy Shiva with all his manifestations, namely the bow and arrows carrying archer Sharva, the all pervading Bhava, the benevolent Shambhu and the animal-skin wearer Krittivasanah, but do not approve his phallus worship. In Brahmanical order, Shvetashvara Upanishad is perhaps the earliest treatise that refers, though not directly, to this aspect of Shiva-worship with some degree of reverence when it calls him the Lord of all yonis, that is, the commander of genital faculties of all living ones. It is, however, in the Mahabharata that his phallus worship has been directly alluded to. The Mahabharata widely follows the Indus perception of Shiva. The Mahabharata, in tune with the Indus Shiva, perceives him as Trishira, or Chaturmukha, that is, having three heads, or four, as Digvasas, that is, without cloth, as Urddh-ling, that is, with upward erect phallus, and as yogadhyaksha, that is, the Lord of Yoga. The Mahabharata goes a little ahead and conceived him also as five headed, four facing the four directions and fifth looking upwards, that is the guardian of the entire cosmos. It is from this five headed Shiva concept th