Shiv (शिव)

This post is about my understanding of Shiv (as in lord Shiva or lord Shankar). All of my thoughts below are inspired from Mr. S N Goenka (famously known as Vipashyana guru).

Meaning of Shiv word itself is “well being” , “happy being” , “being in peaceful state” , “being in pure state”. One of the very intelligent ideas of Hinduism is to represent most aspired and most required state for human beings in a form of God. Being in peaceful state ,no matter what happens , is most difficult and most wished state to reach in this one life time.

Hrishi’s and saints found that attaining peace of mind is most important and at the same time a very tough process. They thought of representing this peaceful state in a form of God so that this becomes inspiration to normal people and looking at such peaceful God they may try to inherit the similar state in their life. And so is this Lord Shiva.

Ancient philosophers were very thoughtful and to represent this God of peace they thought of moon being on his head. Moon light is cool light (unlike sun) and logically someone can think moon as cool piece. Shiva has moon on his head , it means his head , his mind is as cool as moon. Coolness is infact peacefulness.

Shiva has river Ganga flowing from his head. Water of Ganga is very cold at it’s source and down the river too. Shiva’s mind is utmost cold that it can be thought as his head is source of such cold river.

Shiva has dangerous animal snake around his neack. Snake is also called as death as just a single bite of it can cause death of any other animal. Such of this animal even cannot affect Shiv’s peace. In the scariest of such situations Shiv can stay calm and peaceful.

Shiva’s body is blue. He has been pictured as person who drank deadliest poison resulted from sagar manthan. Poison is one of the hottest natured substance and can vanish a life in no time if consumed. Shiva is imagined to have drunk this huge poison and still his peace of mind is unaffected. He is such a cold natured Hrishi.

Ancient philosophers has done a great deal of imagination to have thought of this coolest image to inspire peaceful living in generations.

To me worshipping Shiva is taking time in your life to imagine such concept who is cool like moon, whose head is as cool as source of Ganga, whose peace is untouched by deadliest animal, whose body remains in cold form even he drinks poison. And try to inherit some of this in my life to make best use of being human.

We spend enough energy fighting if shiva exist or not , if Ganga starts from his head or not and blind believers always fail to spread actual message of Shiv to scientific , logical thinkers.

We are all thankful to such philosophers of old era to have inspired us to live a life in such peaceful way or Shiva way. It’s our duty to carry such messages for future generations.

Thanks for taking time in your busy life to visit Purity. I hope you have a different thought to take with you today.

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