He loved mountains. He loved to dance. He loved to wear His hair long. He was a simple hillbilly: good at heart, and He loved his fellow mountain men. But He was not considered in turn, a fellow man. It was said of Him that He was God Himself—The Primal One. He was said to be the Timeless Lord of the mountains and also the men He so loved.
But still, the most popular belief had Him listed as The Destroyer.
The ancient Indians, who propitiated many Gods, had three principal deities at the helm of affairs. Brahma, the creator of the universe; Vishnu, who handled its running; and then, there was another amazing aspect that no one really understood:
The ancients had emphasised that there existed a God who destroys the universe at the end, and that God was Shiva.
So it was, that He shared Godhead with the other two.
No one really understood why God would need to destroy the universe, yet horror stories abounded about how Shiva would always signal the end of time for each creation.
Though this was a little strange, because surely no one would have seen the end of a universe and lived to tell about it!
Yet, graphic details about the divine holocaust were chanted in fervent whispers, as though etched in a collective memory.
Details of how Shiva literally snuffed out all life. It was whispered that He stomped His feet upon the earth in so furious a manner that it sent massive tremors through the cosmos, and that all this was a dance! The last dance called Tandav, that beginning always from Prithviloka, ended all things that had ever come into existence. Ending, as it were, existence itself; Tandav was dubbed as the dance of death.
This was the great mystery—when did the endearing mountain dweller become a cosmic hard stepper, the Avatar of destruction? And, why?
Ancient Seers sensed an enthralling story here.
It was the young seeker, Shaunaka’s curiosity which finally got bits and pieces of Shiva’s known episodes out from the wise sage Suta.
“Tell us about Shiva, the mountain God, respected Sutji,” Shaunaka would implore the master.
"He loved mountains. He loved to dance. He loved to wear His hair long. He was said to be the Timeless Lord of the mountains and also the men He so loved.
He was Shiva, the Auspicious. Shiva, whose very presence was able to transform humans into demigods." smiled rishi Suta.
" Ah, beautiful Gurudeva. Tell us more"
“There was a time when Shiva Himself told His story to the forest dwellers, and Vyasa, the bard, used his prolific skill to record the self-revelations of the Divine One. And then, true to His trademark humility, Shiva receded into the background. But perhaps, wishing secretly that we would all remember Him, we would all know His legend, always.”
“Why, if Shiva wishes to be known, does He Himself recede into the backstage?” asked a surprised Shaunaka.
“Because, simply…” replied Suta with utmost wisdom. “He respects all His creation. He wants them to have their own say in the play of the world. Remember one thing about Shiva: Being the center of all things, He seldom is center stage, and this is the rahasya; the secret of how His wheel of time turns.”
“And we learn to forget and then remember Him again?” asked Shaunaka.
“Precisely,” answered Suta.
“So, what is Shiva like?” asked Shaunaka. “Does He have arms that are more muscular than anyone? Is it true that He is built like a tree? And that He can lift a mountain ox without any effort?”
Suta laughed at the innocence of a child’s curiosity. “Shiva is stronger than any man. He is spectacularly built. Not as enormous as some of His own mountain men, but spectacular in symmetry, and yes, He can lift an ox without any effort,” he replied.
“Oh!” said Shaunaka in wonder.
“Sometimes it is like a game of love,” Suta continued. “The Oxen wouldn’t let anyone else even touch them, but with Shiva, it is different; they too love Him, like all else in the forest, and allow themselves to be lifted in sport! In fact, the denizens of the forests wait to be met by Shiva; they wait to be in His company.”
“Oh, then is it possible to meet Shiva?” asked the excited young one.
“Of course it is! But you never know when. Shiva chooses His own time to surprise. But if you want to meet Him, you must always be ready, anyone who wants to see Him must always be alert.”
“Why is that, Gurudeva?”
“Hahaha! Because Shiva, amongst other things, likes disguises. And His best guise is humility. With all that He is, His utter humility can make you not recognise Him, even if He came face to face.”
“So is it true that He wears a snake around His neck? He is called Bhujgendrahaaram, isn’t He?”
“Yes,” said the old Sage. “He is known to wear a snake around His neck, but like I told you, He is the master of guises. And to discard one of your own attributes, is an excellent way to go unnoticed. Think about it.” Suta looked at a passerby in the distance.
A mountain man with wavy, long hair, who had been looking at them, started to walk away.
“With Shiva, who knows?” Suta sighed again.
~ From the book Shiva, The Ultimate Time Traveller
