WHO CAN KNOW THE ORIGIN OF SHIVA?

“One thing that stood out clearly in the descriptions, was that there was much paradox about Him. The moment anyone thought they understood one aspect of Him, immediately another would come and juxtapose itself in contrast. And that was the way He was known by most people: As the greatest enigma in the pantheon of the hindu Gods,” continued Suta.



“Truly Gurudeva, Shiva is a great enigma,” said Shaunaka.
“Yes,” Suta continued, “No one was ever sure of His antiquity, or His antecedents; none knew who His parents were, or if He was actually a sibling to the Vedic Gods. Some said He was Brahma’s son, others asserted He was Swayambhu, the Self-created, who, after manifesting Himself, in fact, created Brahma also.”
“So what is the truth, Gurudeva? Who created who?”
“No one could know for sure,” said Suta. “Every search for Him spiraled into a concentricity of a higher realm. Even after hearing about Him endlessly, one would come back to the same mystery.” Shaunaka noticed that Suta was gently spinning his own head in a circle as if to signal the concentric nature of Shiva.
“What was His story, really? Where were His origins? Why was He called Rudra the terrible, in one breath and also Pasupati, Lord of all creatures, in another?” Suta looked at Shaunaka piercingly.
“His one thousand and eight other epithets that had astounding ramifications in their tributes, left so many tracks to follow.
He seemed to be all-pervasive.
This Omnipresence had a magical effect; it veiled Him.”
“That is so amazing!” exclaimed Shaunaka. “Omnipresence is the very magic that veils God. If we are in the midst of a thing too much, we don’t register it. Like air!”
"Yes. God has been with us always, right from the beginnng of tme, right from when He made this world for us."

( SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.)
A modern storytelling by shaivite author Shail Gulhati about the Great God Shiva.
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Image courtesy Vimanika Comics

MYSTIC PRECISION OF SHIVA

One day Sati asked Shiva, "Tell me how and why this Universe came into being?"
“Sati, God is formless. How does one express, or paint, or represent the formless?” How does the formless God even get to know Himself?

"How indeed?"
“It is said of me that I do not incarnate. And yet I can vouchsafe of your love that you are one who can make even Shiva manifest. That makes you an enchanting sorceress! The original Yogini , indeed!”

“Me, a sorceress! And what are you?” She asked “You, who have hypnotized the whole universe, especially me.”


“I am Shiva, the yogi, ever immersed in Shiva, the tattva. And yet… and yet, so much in love with tattva as Sati!” He sighed.


“Why do they call you a brahmchari then?” She asked teasingly.


Shiva understood that this was not actually a casual question. He had come to realise Sati’s innate wisdoms, which were often expressed in Her innocent questions; the answers to which could benefit all spiritual-seekers. “I told you, asana is only a seat for yoga, not yoga itself, so too the physical restraint of brahmcharya, is only a seat for Brahm acharya, being established in Godhead.” He replied.


“Aha, I see, but then why do I feel so
deeply in love with you, even deeper than my admiration of your spiritual Nature?” Sati persisted.

“In the beginning was the One.
And he thought, may I be two, may I be many.
To love and to be loved.
And so the universe came into being."
replied Shiva"

“Ah, lovely,” said Sati.

“Yes. And an electrifying attraction happens in love. A spiritual preceptor can also bedazzle you with one look.”

“Yes, for sure,” said Sati.

“Only later, you realise that love and spirituality run on the same current,” Shiva replied with mystic precision.

( From the book SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. )
Available on Amazon as an E download on your laptops, ipads, android etc. please click the link below:
: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017ECI6CU
Art by QK Arlene

SHIVA: DOTING HUSBAND, MYSTIC POET

Sati loved everything about Her Lord. Especially, His prowess in poetry.
“Say something nice,” She would say, as they sat outside their mountain cave, staring at the stars in a clear sky. More often than not, He would just laugh and say, “You are very nice,” and then they would both laugh.
One day, She implored, “No, say something really nice.”
It was then that Shiva said the most enigmatic thing. “Love, there is no such thing as the end of life, but, without you, there is no life.”
“That is lovely,” said Sati . And then, a few moments later asked,“What exactly does it mean, though?”
“It means…” said Shiva turning completely towards Her, and locking His eyes in Hers. “That there is a part of us which is eternal, but that part is of no use, if there is not another to share the eternity with.”
Sati embraced Him.
“Ok, tell me something more; something about life, but something that rhymes.”
“Hmm…ok,” said Shiva.
“Ups and downs, and rounds and rounds
Come and go
in life.
To know your Self
Centered, Bang, in the middle of it all
In fact, thrills the ride.”
“Aha! Ups and downs and rounds and rounds! that is so wonderfully rhyming, but what is this about the middle of it all?”
“Somewhere in the middle of our life, Sati,” said Shiva with passion, His tone changing to that of guidance, like a teacher. “We realise that the end and the beginning are indistinguishably intertwined.”

“Oh, you are so profound, Shiva. How can you go from ups and downs and rounds and rounds to Realisation!”
Shiva smiled and looked skywards, to the stars again.

“Oh, I’m not finished yet,” Sati said, tugging at the string of His rudraksha necklace.
“So do you get all these deep wisdoms in your Yoga abhyasa? I’ve been seeing you do all sorts of postures; Asanas as you call them.”
“Yoga asana is only a seat for the great flight to the self. meditation can be as synergized, as natural as my rides on Nandi. Or as tumultuous, with the energy of an untamed beast of the natural order. All of Nature’s things are like that. You need to be completely at oneness with them before you even start to mount the ride. Else you will just be overturned, which too is an important part in the process of learning, Sati,” replied Shiva.
“It’s simple,” He said. “Yoga is not about your body. Yoga is about discovering your soul.”

( From the book SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller..)
A modern rendition of Great God Shiva and Sati's story.
Available on Amazon as an E book http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017ECI6CU
Shiva Parvati art by Sai Teja Vuttaluri

It was enough for Him that someone wanted to be part of His family.

                       
KAILASH

Rudra absolutely loved the crisp air of Kailash.
There was a very pleasing aroma in the air always, which Rudra thought, “ Was the smell of freshness itself.”
There was no sense of time; only the golden sunrise and sunset would indicate dawn and dusk.
He loved all the birds and beasts that came to visit the mountains from the forests at their baseline. They were in absolute contrast to the people He had known in the city. Always natural, always spontaneous, always unabashed in their play, unlike the contrived displays in speech and gestures in the mannerisms of society. These beasts were exactly the kind of beings that would be termed ‘Uncouth’, He thought to Himself, but smiled because His own spirit resonated with them. “This is the way to be; in the lap of Nature itself, where one is natural,” He thought.
He loved observing the little birds as they walked up to Him, foot by dainty foot, and peered at Him with their slanted necks.
“Hello! I hope I meet with your approval,” He said many times, and thought that the birds fluffing their feathers into a coat at their necks, meant some kind of affirmation.

The animals were very few, wild, beautiful and tenacious. Thinner, but much stronger than their cousins back in the forest, they shared the same quality of being unintrusive. It was here in their midst, atop snowy rocks that Rudra decided to meditate for hours each morning. They too, watched Him with widened eyes just like the forest friends. Sometimes it seemed they were just highly attained rishis in disguise! Which was quite plausible, because the genuine rishis were always stalked by the mundane kings
to fulfill their greedy desires, by some kind of magic. For hundreds of years, the rishis who were most articulate in their knowledge of spirituality, eloquent in their speech of the highest divinity, had failed, when it came to the kings. They had never been able to make the kings understand the absurdity of their wishes. Who would to go to the mountains to find magic, only to come back and use it for city gains?

And like the rishis, it was here that Rudra realised that all the treasures one wanted, all the riches of the world, were within one’s own spirit, and needed just a little prodding to manifest themselves into a pure joy. Could this realisation have come in the cities? Indeed, yes, because divinity was omnipresent, so too, self-realisation could have happened anywhere.
But the mountain solace seemed to greatly hasten the process. 

He had virtually all the self-containment that anybody could ask for. It was as if He had made the beasts and birds His family.
Over time, some more beings, who were different from humans, and from the other beasts as well, started joining in, creating an even more extended family. The word had spread that Rudra never asked anyone their antecedents, never questioned their strange appearance; it was enough for Him that someone wanted to be part of His family.
“We are one big family,” He would tell His forest friends.
“Ah, but we are different,” they would say. “Look we have three eyes, or then two noses, some of us limp or then stammer; our breath is called foul by others, we are different.”
“Everyone is beautiful,” He would re-assure them. “You all have your own beauty! You don’t have to have two eyes just because we have two; you could have three, because you see more!”
“Oh, but we are told you also have a third eye,” the beasts would smile coyly and hug Him. He was so understanding, so empathetic, and so humane.
Then again, at times, insecure with their own appearance, they would ask sincerely, “What are we, really? Are we from other planets; are we from some other time? Why are we so different? What are our origins and our purpose?”
“You are the Elementals,” He said.
“Elementals?”
“Ultimately we are all elements. Some of us are formed distinctively into humans, lions, tigers, the oxen, but ultimately we are all from the elements, aren’t we?
So you are beautiful in your own way, with features that mark you out. You are different, but goodly different; some of the most beautiful are unlike any other, aren’t they?” He said, looking at Nandi, who beamed and swashed his tail in the air like a saber.
“So,” He continued gently, “you, are simply, the elementals.”



~ From the book Shiva The Ultimate Time Traveller

SHIVA,The Ultimate Time Traveller is available on Amazon as an E book, downloadable on your laptops, ipads, iphones, androids or any other device. To order a copy click the link below: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017ECI6CU
and for INDIA exclusively:
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Art : Sapna Poudel Mhr

When Parvati spent forty days with the Lord.

“So, tell me Nandi, your Lord… He drinks only water? I mean I have heard of His huge passion for Bhang and Soma. Is that true?”
“Yes, Shiva can drink Bhang like an ordinary man has water,” said Nandi. “It’s true. But that was a thousand years ago.”
“That long?”
“Yes. My master has not touched Bhang ever since…”
“Sati?"
“Yes,” said Nandi quietly. And then wanting to continue the conversation, added, “Why do you ask?”
“Oh, because I have so many notions of Him; so much I have heard, so much I have been told, and so much I feel intuitively. I want to know what is what with Him. So that I may serve Him well, for the rest of my life.”
“The rest of your life?” asked Nandi.
“Yes, where do you think I am going to spend the rest of my life?” She smiled.
“With Shiva!” said Nandi excitedly.
“Yes, with Shiva.”
“But…”
“But what?”
“You know, Ma, it’s one thing that Shiva condescended into letting you serve on Him in the cave, but… you can’t really spend all your life like that. You can’t be an attendant… you can’t be here always... unless …”
“Unless?”
“Unless you are married to Him,” Nandi spurted out his sentence hastily, like a child who gets something off his chest.
“I know, Nandi,” smiled Parvati.
“But that’s the problem!” cried Nandi. “I wish so much that you could get married to Him… but… I don’t think Shiva will ever marry again.”
“I have every intention of honouring your wish Nandi,” said Parvati resolutely. “I shall do whatever it takes to be His inseparable half, for ever.”
“I think I have become soft over the years,” said Nandi. “I think I am crying yet again.”



“I hope you are happy, now that you have run your first errand for me?” asked Shiva.
“Yes, I am,” smiled Parvati, gently extending Her hand to Him, to give Him His kamandalu of water.
“Master!” shouted Nandi, startling Shiva who turned quickly to look sharply to His left. His shoulder bumped into the kamandalu, which was still in Parvati’s hand. Because Parvati was watchful, She managed to quickly deflect the collision, saving the vessel from falling down.
“Yes, what is it Nandi?” asked Shiva with concern.
“Nothing, Master, I wanted to tell you, it was Parvati Herself , who drew the water from the cold stream for you.”
“Yes, indeed I know, Nandi.”
“No, I mean you shouldn’t think because I accompanied Her, that I drew the water from the well, It is She who did it by Herself; I was only a guide for the path.”
“Yes, I do know,” smiled Shiva. Nandi could act like a simpleton, but was in fact, giving a very deep allegory.
“I am sorry, I dropped a little bit of water on your back,” said Parvati, again handing the kamandalu to Shiva.
“It doesn’t matter,” smiled Shiva widely. “Whatever happens is for the good.”
“But…”
“But what? You managed to save the vessel, and also, now I shall get water from your hands, both on the outside and for the inside,” He gave a broad smile again, as He joined His palms and gently moved them towards Parvati as if He was asking for alms.
“Here you go, my Lord,” said Parvati demurely as She poured water onto Shiva’s hands. She looked at Shiva, only to see a full gaze from Him in return, which caused Her to quickly look away shyly. The water started dripping out from Shiva’s hands onto the floor of the cave. “Oh, my Lord! You have dropped the water!” said Parvati, with half a giggle.
“It is alright, the cave is thirsty too,” said Shiva.
“A cave that’s thirsty?” Parvati looked at Shiva enquiringly.
“Yes, the cave is also a being,” said Shiva. “It too longs for companionship.”
“Companionship?”
“I mean, it too thirsts; a little water will do it good,” said Shiva, finally raising His hands upwards like a cup to His mouth.
“Oh, and who else, my Lord, longs for companionship?”
“Who else? I wouldn’t know,” said Shiva taking His eyes off Parvati and looking at His own cupped hands instead.
“Ah, but you did say ‘also’… my Lord… are you the other one who wants company?”
“That was just a figure of speech… Company? Why would I need company? I already have Nandi…” fumbled Shiva.
“Because Nandi is a male. Male bonding is great for the soul, but ultimately Purusha must meet Prakriti, his counterpart in the cosmic balance of things…”
“Yogis need no such meetings,” said Shiva stubbornly, " They are balanced from within.”
“Whatever…” smiled Parvati, turning Her back to walk away, knowing that Shiva had not taken His eyes off Her.

The days passed quickly, full of conversation, camaraderie and companionship. While the talks with Nandi and Shiva were mostly full of humour, the ones between just Parvati and Shiva tended to be more reflective, more like an ongoing discourse. Somehow, they always seemed to border upon a person’s being in the manifest world, or then away from it; society or then individuality, worldly duty, or a sort of ascetic abandon. Parvati tended to uphold karma and duty; Shiva was more focused on the inner development. This often brought them to some intense dialogue about the role of a person in the world. Shiva’s talks centred so much around the reality of transcendence, urging Parvati to ponder, if the world itself was actually a reality, or then just a great cosmic illusion.
“ Samkhya is illusion. There is no such thing as numbers,” He said, during one such conversation. “It’s only the One divine consciousness that is projecting all the role play; there is, in reality, only ONE.”
“Then why does the presence of ‘another’ bother you so much? It should not matter at all!” said Parvati.
“Why do you want to be with me?” asked Shiva.
“Because, I love you,” said Parvati.
“I think it is the thirty ninth day, isn’t it?” said Shiva rather abruptly.
“Is it?” asked Parvati. “I was hoping it would never come… the end of my sanctioned time with you.”
“You know what…” said Shiva unusually sternly. “I know exactly how that feels.” “But,” He managed to put on a smile. " Now that I have set right the notion of time for you, let’s just enjoy the fortieth day together, shall we?”
“Yes, my Lord,” said Parvati quietly.


The next morning Parvati had already left by the time Shiva awoke.  

“Parvati, may I have some water?” said Shiva absent- mindedly and then corrected Himself. ”I mean, Nandi may I have some water, please?”
“Yes, my Lord,” said Nandi grumpily. It was absolutely out of character for him to be grumpy with Shiva, but Shiva knew exactly why Nandi was behaving in such a manner: Parvati had been gone less than four hours, and it seemed they were both missing Her. The cave also wore a desolate and damp look, devoid of the crisp cheer that Parvati's presence had  filled it with.

~ From the book Shiva The Ultimate Time Traveller Part 2

SHIVA,The Ultimate Time Traveller is available on Amazon as an E book, To order a copy click the link below:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017ECI6CU
and for INDIA exclusively:
https://www.amazon.in/dp/B017ECI6CU

Art:Parvati offering flowers to Lord Shiva – Watercolors of Nature by Aquarellbilder.