Shiva is Ardhanarishwara

 

Shiva is Ardhanarishwara — The One who is both Shiva and Shakti, forever united as One. The right half is Shiva, the left half is Parvati. Together they make the most complete whole. Two souls in one body, two bodies in one soul, always together for eternity. शिव अर्धनारीश्वर हैं — वही एक जो शिव भी हैं और शक्ति भी, सदा एक रूप में जुड़े हुए।दाहिना आधा शिव है, बायाँ आधा पार्वती है।दोनों मिलकर सबसे पूर्ण समग्र हैं। एक शरीर में दो आत्माएँ, एक आत्मा में दो शरीर — सदा के लिए साथ।

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

ETERNAL SOULMATE

 

ETERNAL SOULMATE

One sure mark of Shiva, is that He is bound to Parvati. It is said of Shiva that He does not incarnate. Of Parvati's bhakti (devotion), it is said She is one who can make even Shiva incarnate.

He is Timeless, and yet when Parvati manifests, it is time for Shiva to arrive. He is formless, but when She arrives, He manifests form. She is His eternal soulmate, and they always find each other, through the mists of cosmic time, even through lifetimes; such is the magic of their love! For it is said, Parvati is His wife even from Her previous birth, when She was called Sati.

Behind the innumerable tales about Him,

at the core of the myriad roles that He plays out, Shiva's story,

is essentially a love story, over and over again.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

WHEN KING HIMAVAT ASKS SHIVA TO STAY BACK WITH PARVATI

 

WHEN KING HIMAVAT ASKS SHIVA TO STAY BACK WITH PARVATI

As He came near King Himavat, Shiva spoke, “It has been a great day your Majesty, the greatest day in my life. I shall remain grateful for this, forever. But for now, may I take your leave, and may I take Parvati to Her new home at Kailash?”

“I was thinking, my dear Lord,” said Himavat softly. “Why do you not stay here for a while, with us? Give us the pleasure of being our guest for a few days, and in the bargain, give Parvati more time to spend in Her own mountains…”

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.Part 2

THE SHIVA SCIENTIST

 THE SHIVA SCIENTIST

“If that is true, then Shiva must be the greatest hide-and-seek player in existence.” Parvati said.

“The greatest,” Shiva agreed, “because nobody hides better than the Infinite.”

Then she added with a soft spark in her eyes, “Omnipresence has one tremendous advantage.”

“What is that?”

“It can hide in plain sight.”

The seeker looked up. The sky was the same as it had been yesterday, yet it no longer felt the same. But if every being was a distinct viewpoint through which the Infinite experienced itself, another question immediately arose—one that felt even deeper and more unsettling. How could one single consciousness become billions of different people all at the same time?

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller

Shiva is Vaidyanatha

 

Shiva is Vaidyanatha- The Lord of Healing, who heals the body, but also, knowing the heart of all, balms their very souls.

शिव वैद्यनाथ हैं — चिकित्सा के स्वामी, जो शरीर का तो उपचार करते ही हैं, साथ ही सभी के हृदय को जानते हुए उनकी आत्माओं पर भी अनुलेप लगाते हैं।

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

SHIVA WORSHIPS THE SHIVALINGA

This depiction of Shiva worshipping the Shivalinga , is a favourite Shaivic imagery. It full of spiritual meaning.
Why does Shivji sit behind His own Shivalinga in prayer?
Because, in the simplest words: He is committed to His own creation. He, is His own first votary.

If you compare this to a modern day analogy, where during an election, the contender for  'Head of state'  also goes to caste his vote, we note that he is up early, one of the first to caste his own ballot selection! But this comparison, i give only to make you understand that a good leader believes in what he stands for, he signs up for the teachings and vision he himself gives us.

The difference is that in Divinity, there is no election, no selection,and no contest. But a seeker must respect the Divine ideal he seeks, and this can only happen if the Divine itself upholds its foundations! So too, Shivji respects what His own Shaivism stands for, He is the first adherent, the first to vouch for the Shiva way,
and we understand that He is His own first votary. He believes in His own manifesto, and stands by His principles.He leads by example and from the front.
But of course, the analogy ends here, you cannot be " Voted" God !
And although i truly loved reading them, I do not personally subscribe to some stories theorising that Shiva was a man , raised to the level of God by his feats and followers. Rather, my work is based on the understanding that Shiva was always God, but endearingly Human, lovable like a good man in our midst!
And this understanding is based on the notings of the ancient Rishis; They said a surprising thing in the Vedanta and Upanishads:
You cannot Become God, You are always that!

What did they mean by this?
Their teaching was expanded for us by the Rishis of Kashmir in their Shaiv Darshan.They explained that sometimes, God makes Himself forget that He is God, just before he descends to earth. This paves the way for play- Lila.
So once God ( Shiva) comes to earth as another jiva, he undergoes the same world and stages as everyone else, the same joys and sorrows, and finally he begins to question if there is a creator to all this. God looks for God! The Nath Sampradaya states:
Shiva seems to play the lila of losing Himself, then looking for Himself , and finally finding Himself out. According to them, God finds His own true nature when He is in deep Dhyana, Samadhi ; and it is that great realisation which the great Adi shankara termed as Chidanand roopam shivoham. It is also called Satchitananda or Satyam Shivam Sundaram.
We note also, that ultimately we are all seekers of the same truth and helped by Gurus and saints who have journeyed before us.
When He comes on the same journey, In this lovely Lila, God is also helped by His own Rishis as Gurus.
The teacher becomes the taught! This is not difficult to understand, rather, this is the real beauty of God's Lila and love. That is why you have examples of Ramji being taught by Rishi Vashisht, Krishnji being taught by Guru Sandeepan: So that they may remain centered in their Godhood.

Incidentally, the term Yoga, means " To conjoin with the Divine" and Shivji is also called Yogeshwar, the God of the Yogis, which title further simplifies the point that Shivji is always centered in His Supreme God consciousness.Always meditating for the welfare of the Universe. And we note how beautifully the Shivalinga is meant to represent the whole manifest world.


Aum Shiv Shakti Namah.
~ Shail gulhati author of the books :

SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. The Yogi and the snake Shiva Poetry
NAAM ROOP- A Tribute to the Divine
And Life Said.

AIYA TIRUVILA KOIL, RASAH NEW VILLAGE, SEREMBAN, MALAYSIA - ANNUAL ANNATHANAM TODAY (6 SEPTEMBER 2026)

The Annual Annathanam of the Aiya Tiruvila Koil, Rasah New Village, Rasah, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan was held this afternoon (6 September 2026).

Our Payyan family member attended and witnessed the Prayers. 

A delicious lunch meal was served to everyone.

Photos and videos of the Prayers:

- photos & videos taken by Mr. C K Kannan.