I once asked my dad who were parents of lord Shiva. Though the answer he gave was not convincing for me when I was kid. But now when I start to interpret lord Shiva in a very subtle way, which he is by himself it started making sense or at least it sounded like why there was such an explanation for his origin. First let us understand what the Hindu mythology wants to say about his birth.

There are actually many versions of it. But I would like to quote the popular version. First it was believed that lord Vishnu who is the responsible for all the maintenance (jeeva lahari) activities on the creation was born and from his navel lord Brahma who is the creator of the world was born on lotus. They were existing in their own infinite time spaces without knowing that they both existed to each other in infinite peace. But one fine day they saw each other and it was shocking for each other to see that there was someone existing on this universe before each other. As time passed there was this element of Ego got into both of their head and they started to prove each other to be greater than the other one. This led to a cold war between each other to say that “I” am great than the other one. This was the origin of “I” self on this universe. But later the quarrel led to fight and that initiated the existence of someone greater than both to give decision on who is great. Then came this voice from an infinite oval shaped object called as lingam from behind. Both agreed to listen to it as “he” was third party and was neither on each side. This infinite lingam had no ending and no beginning. It said who will find the starting point of this lingam would be greatest. So, both brahma and Vishnu chose one side of lingam to move in search of the edge. Both went on for years searching for the end but neither of them could find it. But now there is a twist in the story brahma who went to one side of lingam found his favourite flower “kedake” floating in the infinite time space. Since “I” (Aham) in Brahma grew a bit greater than Vishnu at this point of time he made a cunning idea of lying to lingam. He asked kedake to help him in this lie also. He declared that he found the end and kedake is his witness. Then there came lord Shiva out of lingam to punish Brahma for lying. And the mythology says this was the reason why nobody on the universe worships brahma because he was the origin of greed on this universe. Which is the source for many of the problems on this universe. And now it must be believed that Shiva who came out of infinite lingam was existed even before they both existed. So technically speaking there is no proper origin for Shiva. He just existed from time infinity and came out of is form lingam. Though it seems unscientific from what that the Hindu Mythology says on origin of Shiva, we being radical humans look this story from a philosophical point of view there is a lot bigger message to observe. Rather than just seeing Shiva as a mythological character, if we start looking himself a philosophy that is trying to give some message through his appearances character and stories.

I will try to analyse this small story of his origin from another point of view to start with. At the beginning of the story it is said that both brahma and Vishnu existed in peace in their own time spaces. And later when they saw each other they start to quarrel on their greatness’s. For example, this can be said as when anyone is in peace within himself without comparing himself to anyone he can be in peace for time infinity till he sees someone and starts to compare himself to him. And with this comparison started competition. Even brahma who is the creator of everything was not left out with this pride” ahamkara”. Ironically it can be said that after origin of “I” everything originated. And since this I turned into greed in Brahma later Shiva punishes him of not eligible for prayers. The very description of lingam is saying that it is infinitely oval. How can something like that can exist infinitely oval without ending? It would have been stated so to see something with a view of time which ultimately existed from infinity and extends to infinity without ending. And in most of the descriptions of Shiva it is said that he knew what happened in past and what is happening now and what is going to happen in future. In my point of view this simulation of Shiva to something like Time would perfectly fit in. So, does time has any parents no, because it existed or it is believed to be flowing one directional to future from the very moment all started.









Why is Brahma the creator of everything is being addressed with character of filled with Ego not Vishnu. It should be because every creator has this pride on his creation. That this is “His creation”. May be that is the reason he is been addressed with the carrier of pride into all creators. The very creator Brahma is believed to exist from the navel part of Vishnu. Probably this would be to convey the message that even the creator is himself not great, because he also existed from something, he also is being created from something. This can convey the scientific fact that nothing can be created without anything. And significance of flower “kedge”. A lie cannot exist on its own. A lie always needs some proof to say that it is true. Because it is not true someone has to justify it. If it would have been Truth it could have existed on its own. Or probably I would have not come to end of this analysis, because they both would have been searching for the end till now.





- Sid