When I was a kid lot many questions used to arise in my mind and among those one was very auspicious one which was about SHIVA and I was unable to find the answers from my so called social sources and now years later I’m grown up I found few answers and few were remain unanswered.
It is really not easy to write or explain anything and everything about Shiva. However many have tried to explain him as per their knowledge but the details is endless and it is un-imaginable from a human being.
Here I just tried to put all my thoughts, insights and believes together about SHIVA, which I read in books and heard from many sources. And as it is Shivarathri love to share with all of you.
SHIVA:-
SHIVA, Devi (Shakti) and Vishnu are the 3 major aspects of god presented in the Hindu pantheon during the post-Vedic period. Like the 2 important cults of Vishnu and Shakti, the cult of Shiva also has contributed significantly to the cultural and has spiritual grace of Hinduism rooted in the Vedas and nourished by the secondary scriptures like the agamas and puranas.
SHIVA is one of the most fascinating among all other gods. He is the arch-ascetic, the Divine Yogi, who sits alone on Mount Kailasa, high in the Himalayas on a tiger skin. He is unusual in appearance but he is reality. Shiva is distinct from other deities: his hair piled high on the top of his head, with a curve folded into it and the river Ganges falling from his hairs. Around his neck is a coiled serpent. He holds a trident in his left hand in which is bound the 'damroo' (small leather drum). He wears the 'Rudraksha' beads and his whole body is smeared with ash. He is immortal, beyond time, actually he is the Time.
SATI:-
SATI (Dakshayini or Gauri)’ She is form of Shakti-the most powerful energy of the universe and yet so beautiful. She is the eternal source of knowledge and wisdom.
Shakti must always be cantrolled, otherwise it is worthless & dangerous just like uncontrolled electricity. Shakti is of value only when it has been conditioned. Lord Shiva is conditioner the male aspect of the universe. So she was born to be his eternal better half. They complement each other in everything – Power, beauty, Knowledge and Wisdom. The power of Shiva is his spouse Shakti, First being Sati also known as Dakshayani, the second being Parvati (Both SATI and PARVATI are powerful forms of SHAKTI) In Hindu legend, both Sati and Parvati consecutively plays the part of bringing Shiva away from ascetic remoteness into ingenious participation in the world.
The Goddess Shakti, took human birth at the request of the god Brahma. Sati was born as a daughter of Daksha Prajapati (son of Brahma) and his wife Prasuti. As the daughter of Daksha, she is also known as Dakshayani. Also was called as Satī. She was named Gauri, "the turmeric-hued one," since she was of the fair, gold skinned complexion of auspicious turmeric.
“All that has a beginning by necessity must have an end. In destruction”, truly nothing is destroyed but the illusion of individuality. Thus the power of destruction associated with Lord Shiva has great purifying “power” with which Sati fell in Love.
When Sati entered adulthood she knocked back waves of advances from admiring kings and noble-folk, but against her father’s wishes to win the regard of the ascetic Shiva, she left the pampered life of the family palace and retired to the forest to worship God of destruction-SHIVA.
She worshiped him day and night and So rigorous were her penances that she gradually gave up food itself, at one stage she manage to survive on one bilva leaf a day, and then giving up even that food; this particular self-discipline earned her the name Aparnā. She loved him to the core being his wife became motto of her life.
Finally one day her prayers bore fruit when, after testing her determination, Shiva finally agreed to marry her. Daksha didn't like Shiva much but Dakshayani (Gauri) decided to marry him anyway. Dakshayani (Gauri) made her home with Shiva in Kailasa after marriage.
Daksha once organized a yagna to just showcase his negligence towards Shiva and Gauri and invited all gods except Shiva and Gauri. Gauri alone preferred to attend the occasion even without formal invitation from her father so her loving husband could not resist her from attending the Yagna.
Gauri didn’t received well by his father soon after her arrival discussions has been started about Shiva and every passing moment made it clearer to her that Daksha was not capable of appreciating the many excellent qualities of Shiva. Soon she realized that Shiva had forced to face this dishonor by Daksha just because Shiva married her. For her death was looking painless comparing to the insult done by her father to her loving husband. Using her yogic powers she immolated herself.
Shiva was furious that his wife had been forced to destroy herself. He was in pain, anger and his emotions were uncontrolled towards his wife. He was a destroyer so there was nothing expected other than destruction. With that painful anger he created Virabhadra and Mahakali from two locks of his hair. As they proceeded to destroy everyone at the Yagna Shiva slung Dakshayani over his shoulders and did the dance of loons-Tandava.
It was a pretty exceptional dance so severe that his beloved wife’s body was broken into fifty one pieces that were scattered all over the world. The bits became Shakti Peethas, the top hot-spots of pilgrimage.
Regaining his senses Shiva brought all of the slain back to life. Even Daksha was revived and although his head was replaced with the head of a goat.
Shiva and Gauri’s love was so eternal and beyond the Universe so she had to born again to complete him because he is incomplete without her and so she is. She born as Himavan's (king of the mountains) daughter Parvati, Himavan was a great follower of Shiva and appreciated him passionately.
Naturally, Parvati required and received Shiva as her husband. Lord Shiva was married to Devi Parvati on Shivratri.Shiva and Parvati are often shown couple in full happiness, intimate embrace. They also like to discuss philosophy. Shiva taught Parvati on Vedanta (transcendent knowledge), while Parvati taught him Sankhya (cosmological knowledge). Both were perfected yogis.
With Parvati by his side, Shiva became complete again. Shakti always inspired Shiva by her beauty, knowledge and wisdom, SHIVA became the source of the arts, dance and drama. But he did not abandon his ways as a hermit and continued to meditate. His carefree attitude and his refusal to shoulder household responsibilities sometimes angered Parvati. But then she would come to terms with his unconventional ways and make peace. The consequent marital bliss between Shakti and Shiva ensured harmony between Matter and Spirit and brought strength and peace to the cosmos.
