Shiva's Contribution to Civilization

Shiva's Contribution to Civilization

We can roughly say that civilization first started sprouting after the prehistoric age of the human race, that is, from the days of the first composition of the Rg Veda, about 15,000 years ago. A major change took place during the days of Lord Shiva around 7000 years ago. In the midst of the confluence of the Aryans, Mongolians, Austrics and Dravidians (blend of Negro and Austric) Shiva was instrumental in this change.
Shiva was called by many names which speak of his nature and his contribution to civilization, for example:

Shiva - means ‘welfare’ and ‘Sadáshiva’ means ‘always benevolent and merciful’.

Niilakantha – Blue throated – the one who drinks the poison of evil of the world and bestows his mercy and benevolence, the one who could stop the war between the Aryans and the locals and unite them.

Adipita – ‘First Father’- <<Whoever was a spiritualist had left his or her own clan and entered the Shiva clan.>> His followers proclaimed: Átmagotraḿ parityajya Shivagotraḿ pravishatu - Leave your own clan and enter Shiva’s clan. From now on there will be no discrimination among us, no conflict among the clans. Regardless of our colour – black, white, yellow – we are all the sons and daughters of Shiva. We all belong to one clan – Shiva’s clan.” >>
<<Shiva proclaimed, “You are all mine. Whatever hill you live on you are still my own. I will think well of you. I will think about your collective welfare. I will work for your collective well-being. Come one and all to me safely and fearlessly and tell me your needs. I will help you.>>

Áshutośa - Easy to please, easily approachable <<Shiva had such a forgiving nature, born out of His spirit of benevolence, that even the most wicked could easily draw on His kindness>>

Bholánátha - one absolutely indifferent to his own status, self-sacrificing nature. << All were attracted to Shiva’s supernatural power, His imposing personality, His limitless qualities and the calm, tranquil radiance of His features.>> In his presence for the first time people could relax and live a peaceful life.

Pas’upati – ‘Father of animals’ – even the animals (and plants) found shelter with Shiva due to his kindness and care. Symbolically, the poisonous cobras felt safe around Shiva’s neck.

Nirguńa Brahma - << Due to Shiva’s pervasive influence over their society, the non-Aryans, that is, the Tantrics, used to worship Him as god, and according to their respective intellectual strata they regarded and accepted Him in His different bearings. Just as the Aryans began to identify Shiva with their own gods and goddesses, the kaola mahátántrikas (great Tantrics in the tradition of kulakuńd́alinii yoga) began to regard their Shiva as identical with Nirguńa Brahma.>>

Maheshvara –Shaunakara – Kálbhaerav - as the destroyer of evil and immorality.

Hara – the one who takes away your sins, people used to call out “Hara Hara Vyom Vyom”

Umapati – Shiva introduced the system of marriage for the first time in the world. He married Párvatii the daughter of an Aryan king to bring about unity between the Aryans and Non-Aryans. In the same spirit he also married Kálii, an Austrico-Dravidian girl; and Gaungá, a Mongolian girl with a yellow complexion, born in Tibet. <<He hoped these marriages would restore the spirit of friendship among the three races. With the help of his three wives, he propagated the gospels of dharma (spirituality) and the practices of Tantra. It was a great advantage for Shiva that he was accepted as a god equally by the Aryans, the Mongolo-Tibetans and the Austrics.>> Shiva’s close followers became fearless and used to proclaim: Hararme pitá Gaorii mátá svadeshah bhuvanatrayam - “Shiva is my father, Párvatii is my mother, and the three worlds of earth, heaven and hell are my native land.”

Nataraja – King of Dancers. He invented the Tandava dance and his wife Parvatii invented Lalita Marmika dance. << The fundamental spirit, of dance, instrumental music, and song were brought within the framework of science by Sadáshiva>> He invented hundreds of mudras and taught them to sage Bharata. Shiva laid the foundation to the oriental dance of today.

Nádatanu - << Based on the sounds of seven creatures, Shiva evolved the surasaptaka - sa, ra, ga ma pa da ni – or the musical octave ‘do re me fa so la ti do’.>> <<By permutating and combining different sounds, Shiva created various rágas and arranged them in a perfect orderly sequence. In this way He created six rágas and thirty-six ráginiis. This was an immense contribution to the world of music.>>

Yogeshvar - He was the first propounder of yoga with all its aspects. He gave the definition of yoga: <<According to Tantra, the unification of the jiivátmá (soul) with Paramátmá (Supreme) means yoga.>>

Mrtyuinjaya” - “Conqueror of Death.” - <<No one has counted the number of medicines Shiva invented for every kind of disease. He was the first preceptor of the áyurvedácáryas - teachers of áyurveda, the science of medicine to increase longevity.>> <<The vaedyak shástra which Shiva had invented already included dissection, surgical operations, stitching, etc.>> . <<This not only immensely benefited India, but later also brought about significant improvements in the alchemy, the alchemistry and the medico-chemistry of Central Asia. This was no ordinary achievement.>>

Mantreshvara - <<Shiva also taught the people how to develop themselves spiritually with the help of mantra yoga, rája yoga and other branches of rájádhiráj yoga.>>

Mahakaola – who was able to raise his own kulakuńd́alinii (spiritual force) and that of others. <<Those who learned the science of Tantra Yoga and Rája Yoga from Lord Shiva, cultivated the physical and psychic aspects of knowledge – the expressions and waves of vibrations.>>

Mahasadvipra - <<one who actually initiates the major change>>. His teachings of Tantra are known as Shivokti or Agama and Nigama. He helped to bring about the 50 letters of the Sam’skrta alphabet and aligned them to the bio-psychology of the human body and mind. In his time the Vedic language merged into the thus systematized Samskrta. Tantra influenced the Atharva veda from 7000 to 5000 years ago.

Nikhilabhayaharam - “the one who removes the boundless fears of the universe.”

<<Shiva was a great personality. At the same time, His entire life – we may say, His very way of life – is a philosophy. And when one’s personality becomes fully identified with one’s philosophy of life, one becomes a god.>>