“One thing that stood out clearly in the descriptions, was that there was much paradox about Him. The moment anyone thought they understood one aspect of Him, immediately another would come and juxtapose itself in contrast. And that was the way He was known by most people: As the greatest enigma in the pantheon of the hindu Gods,” continued Suta.
“Truly Gurudeva, Shiva is a great enigma,” said Shaunaka.
“Yes,” Suta continued, “No one was ever sure of His antiquity, or His antecedents; none knew who His parents were, or if He was actually a sibling to the Vedic Gods. Some said He was Brahma’s son, others asserted He was Swayambhu, the Self-created, who, after manifesting Himself, in fact, created Brahma also.”
“So what is the truth, Gurudeva? Who created who?”
“No one could know for sure,” said Suta. “Every search for Him spiraled into a concentricity of a higher realm. Even after hearing about Him endlessly, one would come back to the same mystery.” Shaunaka noticed that Suta was gently spinning his own head in a circle as if to signal the concentric nature of Shiva.
“What was His story, really? Where were His origins? Why was He called Rudra the terrible, in one breath and also Pasupati, Lord of all creatures, in another?” Suta looked at Shaunaka piercingly.
“His one thousand and eight other epithets that had astounding ramifications in their tributes, left so many tracks to follow.
He seemed to be all-pervasive.
This Omnipresence had a magical effect; it veiled Him.”
“That is so amazing!” exclaimed Shaunaka. “Omnipresence is the very magic that veils God. If we are in the midst of a thing too much, we don’t register it. Like air!”
"Yes. God has been with us always, right from the beginnng of tme, right from when He made this world for us."
( SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.)
A modern storytelling by shaivite author Shail Gulhati about the Great God Shiva.
