Master of the universe
Every god and goddess in Hinduism can be viewed from four standpoints: the absolute, the cosmic, the functional and the incarnate.
From the absolute standpoint, Shiva is pure conciousness. The name “Shiva” itself means “auspiciousness”. A body by itself is inert matter, but Shiva’s presence (consciousness) breathes life into it. From the cosmic standpoint, Lord Shiva is the universal lord — the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer of the world.
From the functional standpoint, Lord Shiva is worshipped as the deity of destruction. However, since there is neither creation without destruction nor destruction without creation, these functions cannot be attributed exclusively to one deity.
In His fourth aspect, Lord Shiva is said to have appeared in numerous incarnations as an enlightened master who teaches the highest knowledge to His disciples. Sri Adi Shankaracharya and Dakshinamurti Bhagavan are considered to be such avatars of Lord Shiva.
The physical form of Shiva — the Ganga flowing from His head, the crescent moon on top, the third eye, the poison in His throat, the snake around it, and the ashes that cover His body — has held people in awe and wonder. Now, we shall delve into the significance of the form of Lord Shiva.
The river Ganga on Lord Shiva’s head signifies the flow of knowledge from teacher to disciple. Lord Shiva holds both the moon and the poison, yet is ever in meditation. This indicates that our lives are full of pairs of opposites: life and death, joy and sorrow, success and failure. We should be able to take these pairs of opposites with equanimity.
The snake around Lord Shiva’s throat shows us that He is fearless. It also represents the mind that hisses and spits poisonous, negative thoughts. If we keep the mind under control, it will remain peaceful and will not agitate us or those around us.
Lord Shiva as Trilochana, the three-eyed one, is another important aspect. It is said that the third eye, located between the eyebrows, is the eye of wisdom. The other two eyes represent love and justice. When the Lord looks at and deals with this world, He is both loving and just. Some people are without compassion, and in that case justice is harsh. On the other hand, if one is over-compassionate without a sense of justice, one becomes sentimental. Lord Shiva exemplifies a good ruler who has both love and justice and also looks at this world with the vision of knowledge that destroys all ignorance and passion.
Thus we find that Lord Shiva represents the Absolute Reality, the substratum of the world, and also the Self of all beings; He is the Master of the universe as well as the deity in charge of the total destruction of this world — the destruction that will subsequently bring about a new creation.
Swami Tejomayananda, head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide, is a poet and singer. Visit www. chinmayamission.com.© Central Chinmaya Mission Trust.
Post new comment