Since it’s Shravan, the holiest Indian month dedicated to Lord Shiva, I would like to recount some intriguing points about him. Also in deference to the fact that the very first thing I was taught, at age four, was Thodudaya sevian, the first verse of the Thirumurai, the Tamil ‘Shaiva Bible’. It was the first thing my father learnt and his father before him, going back generations. This is a 7th-century verse by the boy-saint Jnana Sambandar.
“Tava tattvam na janami kidrishosi Maheshvara” says another ancient but also still very current hymn, the Shiva Mahimna Stotram. It means, “I do not know the true nature of your being, nor who you are, Great Lord.” The 19th-century saint Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa reportedly went into samadhi, a deep yogic trance, while repeating these words.
The hymn paints a vivid picture of Shiva’s unfathomable mystery. It says, “O Lord, even if the black mountains were ink, the ocean the inkpot, a branch of the wish-fulfilling tree the pen, and if, taking these, the Goddess of Learning herself writes for all eternity, you cannot be completely described.”
What we do ‘know’ though is that he is one half of God, and that he dances. His other half is Shakti, the sacred feminine.
‘God’ is actually a Supersoul according to Indian philosophy, which is hard for most of us to fully grasp. It does not satisfy our deep human need to love a Face. So, the beautiful gods we pray to are considered expressions of that Supersoul, the ‘Paramatma’.
Shiva, Vishnu and Devi are the trinities that upholds the faith, with Ganesha and Kartikeya loved as intensely in different regions. Plus, we also pray to an array of active demigods. Each village in India has a guardian deity while millions have a ‘kula dev’ or clan deity.
In this scenario, Lord Vishnu is a grand god, who was a king in two avatars. As the Preserver, he is deeply invested in worldly attraction to keep Creation going. Devi, as his “sister energy”, helps him in this task. The path of Vishnu is a big, happy party, with fine clothes, fabulous jewellery, flowers, lavish decorations and chhappan bhog—56 kinds of sweets in the offering.
Sri Rama’s ‘birthday party’ is held on Ram Navami in every temple in North India at noon, the hour of his birth. It was a lovely event at my previous neighbourhood temple with rich and poor sitting in lines on the ground, eating together. All were welcome. Perhaps this peaceful, pleasant side of Indian life is not well-known, since it’s the unruly and the aggressive who make the headlines. At this party, you simply left your shoes outside, washed your hands and sat down. The temple did not skimp on Rama’s free birthday lunch. Each year, there were shining steel buckets of delicious pumpkin curry, vegetables in gravy, nourishing halwa and trays of hot puris.
Shiva has no such feasts, only fasts. Like religion, he has no known beginning: he “always was, always is”. He does not have linear narratives like the Ramayana and Mahabharata but incidents, displaying a whimsical, playful persona. He is not a cute baby, a naughty boy, a ladies’ man, a great king or a ‘Gitacharya’, a “someone for everyone” figure.
So, what explains the intense love he inspires “from Kashmir to Kanyakumari”? Is it the glamour of Parvati that lights up Shiva? Is it those two beautiful children? Is it the sturdy, faithful Nandi? No, they are part of his charm but people seem to love him just for himself, for he has that unconditional saulabhyam or easy accessibility despite also being the Adiyogi and Adiguru.
He is loved by all, from commoners to kings. For instance, the Chenchu tribe has important rituals with him at ancient Srisailam temple in Andhra Pradesh (even Fa Hien and Huien Tsang noted Srisailam). At the other end of the country, the Maharanas of Udaipur, first among equals in Rajputs, ruled their kingdom in Shiva’s name.
Girls are known to pray for a husband like Shiva, for someone as loyal, loving and respectful. However smart and modern the girls are, they want someone as committed as Shiva is to Parvati—some values don’t seem to wane in relationships. However, Shiva also constantly surprises Parvati; as Adi Shankara said, “Girishacharite vismayavati”, or “Parvati is amazed by his doings.”
“Har Har Mahadev!” is the battle cry of soldiers. Despite this fierce association, Shiva is considered so kind that even the demons dote on him. He is ‘ashutosh’ or easily pleased, and ‘bhola’, meaning pure-hearted. He can also be moody, adding another twist to the tale: “Kshane rushta, kshane tushta” or “Angry one moment, pleased the next.”
In particular, Shiva has a tenderness for the misfits, the ailing, the lonely and the heartbroken. He seems to belong directly to the people, whoever they are.
Even as a guru, he does not need intermediaries. As they say in the North, “Kankar-kankar Shankar samaan”, Shiva is found in every stone.
We say “Hari bhakti, Shiva jnana”, meaning “Devotion to Vishnu and knowledge of Shiva”, which includes the supreme Parashakti who energises both. Shiva, as Adiguru Dakshinamurti, has told us since Creation began that life is but a passing drama, ending in ashes. That’s why we mark ourselves with vibhuti or ash as a reminder. The only path through it is loving kindness. How may we practice that? Our tradition tells us to defend ourselves when required but not to initiate a quarrel or a cruelty. To give of ourselves in charity and especially, practice good manners. Today that means manners at home, manners on the street, manners at work. Phone manners, lift manners, car manners. Don’t be intrusive, and no noise pollution, which spreads stress.
Every act of good manners is like an offering to God. This is dhyana or meditation in daily life. Dhyana, when practiced and sustained, can lead us to jnana. This, perhaps, is the eternal message of Shravan and a measure of Shiva tattva—Shiva’s truth.
Renuka Narayanan