Recap: Embodiment of Lord Shiva + His significance

As we've covered various aspects of Lord Shiva through the year, here are some highlights to review, remember and understand - 

Significance of Shivalinga [Source: Art of Living]: The Shivalinga is a symbolic representation of Lord Shiva -

Lord Shiva is manifest all over the Universe. How does one identify or connect to Him? He has no form! There needs to be a sign to identify Him. For this, the ancient seers placed a round or oval stone and identified it with Lord Shiva

In the ancient age, there was no form of Lord Shiva holding a Trident or anything like that. There was only a Pind (a stone) that was kept and then by chanting mantras, the Divine Consciousness was awakened and manifested in the Pind. This is how the Lord Shiva was worshiped. It was only much later that idols were created.

What is Shivalinga?

Lingam means identification, a symbol through which you can identify what the truth is – what the reality is. What is not visible yet can be identified by one thing – that is lingam. When a baby is born, how do you know whether the baby is male or female? Only through one part of the body can you identify whether this baby is a boy or a girl. That is the reason the genitals is also called lingam.

Similarly, how do you identify the Lord of this Creation? The sign by which you identify both the male and female forms—combining them to form one single symbol to identify the Lord who has no form or identity and who is all-pervading in this Creation—is Shivalinga

The Shivalinga is very ancient, in fact, it is the most ancient. From the form, you go to the formless through the Shivalinga. It is a symbol that is the representation of the Cosmos and the Creator of the Cosmos, as one. The silent un-manifest and the dynamic manifestation together are represented as Shivalinga. It is not just Shiva, but the completion of the total Supreme Consciousness.

Small things upset you from time to time, and your mind gets caught up in cravings and aversions. On Shivratri, just drop all these and recognize that everything is Lord Shiva and repose in Lord Shiva. We are all a part of Lord Shiva’s divine procession. You must have heard that there are all types of beings and creatures in Lord Shiva’s entourage – the Siddhas (perfected beings), wise sages, intelligent beings, and even fools! Everyone is a part of Lord Shiva’s family. Each one of us is a part of Lord Shiva’s grand entourage. When you have this deep realization, then all of life becomes a celebration

Lord Nataraja:

• THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SHIVA'S DANCE
• A SCIENTIFIC METAPHOR
• THE NATARAJ STATUE AT CERN, GENEVA

This cosmic dance of Shiva is called 'Anandatandava,' meaning the Dance of Bliss, and symbolizes the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction, as well as the daily rhythm of birth and death. The dance is a pictorial allegory of the five principle manifestations of eternal energy—creation, destruction, preservation, salvation, and illusion. According to Coomerswamy, the dance of Shiva also represents his five activities: 'Shrishti' (creation, evolution); 'Sthiti' (preservation, support); 'Samhara' (destruction, evolution); 'Tirobhava' (illusion); and 'Anugraha' (release, emancipation, grace)

The overall temper of the image is paradoxical, uniting the inner tranquility, and outside activity of Shiva

Fritzof Capra in his article "The Dance of Shiva: The Hindu View of Matter in the Light of Modern Physics," and later in The Tao of Physics beautifully relates Nataraj's dance with modern physics. He says that "every subatomic particle not only performs an energy dance but also is an energy dance; a pulsating process of creation and destruction…without end…For the modern physicists, then Shiva's dance is the dance of subatomic matter

In 2004, a 2m statue of the dancing Shiva was unveiled at CERN, the European Center for Research in Particle Physics in Geneva. A special plaque next to the Shiva statue explains the significance of the metaphor of Shiva's cosmic dance with quotations from Capra: "Hundreds of years ago, Indian artists created visual images of dancing Shivas in a beautiful series of bronzes. In our time, physicists have used the most advanced technology to portray the patterns of the cosmic dance. The metaphor of the cosmic dance thus unifies ancient mythology, religious art, and modern physics."

Form of Lord Shiva:

Shiva (or Siva) is one of the most important forms in the Hindu pantheon and, along with Brahma and Vishnu, is considered a member of the holy trinity (trimurti) of Hinduism. Here are some important aspects for you to know. Follow this link for one of the older posts -- Lord Shiva's form

Humble beginnings to International success

Inspirational stories of Devendra Jhajaria & Deepa Malik (Source: Sports Keeda)

A closer, candid look at the inspiring stories of Devendra Jhajharia and Deepa Malik - Inspiration, sometimes, is born when an individual is pushed to his/her limits by adversity and it results in something spectacular and extraordinary. The stories of Indian para-athletes Deepa Malik and Devendra Jhajharia are prime examples of the abovementioned predicament.

Both Malik and Jhajharia, have written their own scripts in their lives to provide inspiration to millions across India. Their journeys, to say the least, have been extremely tough and the manner in which they have outdone every obstacle is quite spectacular.

A look back at conversations before they went for the Games gives an idea of their confidence and the handicaps they had to overcome to achieve success.

Devendra Jhajharia may be the only Indian para-athlete to have won two Gold medals at the Games, in 2004 and 2016, and his story is very heart-warming.

When asked about his beginnings, he said, “I was only eight years old when I lost my left hand due to a massive electric shock and so, I was always seen as a ‘weak’ person in every field of life.”

“However, I never let that affect me and continued playing and participating in athletics, as I went on to win a district level tourney, competing with able-bodied athletes!

Jhajharia’s determination to succeed, and to prove that he wasn’t weak, kept him afloat in life as he took up sports as his passion.

The 35-year old never let deformity back him down from any challenge in life and exuded complete confidence before going to the Games, predicting that he would win the Gold, something he achieved in incredible fashion.

Another inspirational story is that of India's Silver medalist at the recent Games, Deepa Malik. Rendered paralyzed below her chest as a result of multiple spinal surgeries caused by repetitive spinal cord tumours, Deepa Malik’s career has been a very interesting one.

Speaking about what her thoughts were at the beginning, she said, “I thought the rest of my life would be spent on a bed, without any bowel or bladder control. I assumed I would be confined to a room forever.”

She also spoke about how everything changed for her once she started rehabilitation, saying, “Swimming and hydrotherapy made me realize how much I love physical activities and sports.”

Malik’s biggest achievement came at the 2016 Games, when she won Silver in the shot put, becoming the first Indian woman para-athlete to win a medal at the biggest stage.

What makes her achievement even more admirable is that she won the medal at the age of 45!

When asked about how they felt that IndusInd Bank and GoSports Foundation were investing in para-sports and para-athletes, both of them said that the only way to repay their support and encouragement was by winning medals at the Games and assured everyone that they would return from Brazil having made India proud.

"Churning of the ocean" and "Big Bang Theory"

Similarities between Indian Mythological Story of “Samudra Manthan” and “Big Bang Theory”

After some research on the web about significance of "Ocean churn", I stumbled upon a blog that had an interesting perspective on the similarities. Since we all "scientifically" believe that life did not exist before the Big Bang, it doesn't hurt to understand another perspective which had similar outcomes  --

Source: Global Indian Blog

As a science student,  when our teacher was teaching concept of Big Bang Theory in middle school, I had a feeling that I was not learning this concept first time and actually heard similar things earlier! That strange feeling of “I heard this before” forced me to give stress to my brain. After lots of introspection, I was surprised to recollect my memories regarding Indian (Hindu) mythological stories my mother used to tell me when I was a kid!

The Big Bang Theory

Present-day Science believes that the entire process of evolution in this universe started with the Big Bang. But can one really conceptualize what actually happened before the Big Bang? The answer to this question is a definite NO. No concept of Time or Matter ever existed before the Big Bang - it all came into being much later. Similarly, one simply cannot imagine who actually created the Big Bang. That remains a mystery for ever. 

The Rig Veda, in this sense, conveys the same idea as that of the Big Bang Theory. It talks about the world being created out of sheer nothingness - no time, no matter, no space and no creator.

Yes, the Samudra Manthan and Vishnu Avatar stories from vedas and Puranas…..how Lord Brahma created the world and how Samudra Manthan formed some important universal things like The Moon, Wealth , The Poison , Plants, Medicines, animals, etc ….and how Lord Vishnu along with Lord Shiva helped in this process.

Since long I was thinking to relate or compare both ancient mythology and modern scientific concepts. Here I have tried to relate some of the things that Samudra Manthan (roughly means “Turbulence/Churing activity”) mentioned in vedas and Puranas to modern days knowledge of Universal creation. This is my limited understanding of Hindu mythology and scientific theories. I believe, since ancient time scholars/rishis were trying to tell you all complex scientific things in life as Mythological stories or Sanskrit philosophical texts – Upanishadas. Probalby , it is a simple way of telling  common people about such hi-fi scientific concepts!

Samudra/Sagar Manthan (Ocean Churning for Universe creation) Activity as mentioned in Hindu Mythology,where you can see Moon/Water/Life/Plants/Animal/Metals/Laxmi/Fire, etc were created

This is just an attempt to relate mythology with scientific proofs available now. 

My interpretation may be true, partially true or completely wrong. But, I am here just trying to see mythological concepts from Science student’s perspective! See chart below:

Indian Mythological story of “Samudra Manthan” Vs Big Bang Theory of universe formation:

Substance formed as per “Samudra Manthan “		Scientific proofs from Big Bang Theory /Universe formation
Things formed	What it represents/Meaning	Things formed
Chandra	The Moon (Stars and planets)	The Moon (Stars and planets)
Airavat/Uchchaihshravas	Elephant / Horse (Animals)	Animals/ Life on the earth
Halahala/ Vish / Jahar	The poison taken by Lord Shiva to protect universe	Poisonous gases and particles in universe
Wealth	Gold	Gold (Au)
	Silver	Silver (Ag)
	Diamonds	Carbon/Graphite (C)
	Gems	Silica (Si), Carbon, etc
	Other precious metals	Brass,Ferrous,Nickel, etc.See complete periodic table
Kalpavriksha(Wish fulfilling tree)	Useful Tree / Plants	Trees/Plant life on the earth
Kamadhenu ( Wish fulfilling cow)	Cow/Animals	Animals on the earth
Sura ( Wine)	Alcohol/Chemicals	Chemicals/Biochemical formation
Parijat (The divine tree)	Tree / Plants	Trees/Plant i.e life on the earth

Arjuna's new weapon

Body black in color, two shoulders holding bows and arrows, hair falling on the forehead, posing comfortably, with two piercing eyes, blossomed nice face, with feathers and fragrant flowers in his head, wearing the skin of tiger, Terrific, I meditate that Hunter (kirAta), the thief (hara). 

purANa of the deity kirAtar: the hunter 

This is the only form of Lord Shiva in which He appeared black in color. arjuna wanted to get the peerless weapon pAsupatAstram from Lord Shiva for the battle of mahAbharata. He left the other four pANdavAs, went to the forest and did austere tapas for getting the boon of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva was satisfied with his prayer, wanted to give the pAsupatAstram to him, but wanted to play a bit too. He took the form of a Hunter with Shakthi as Huntress. That time a demon by name mUkAsura, who was in the form of wild pig came to kill arjuna. To kill the wild pig arjuna fired an arrow from the front, at the same time the Hunter, Who is none other than God Himself, attacked it from the back and killed the pig. 

arjuna mocked at the Hunter for firing the arrow from the back. Having great pride of his valor, he was als angry at the Hunter because He aimed at his prey. The Hunter responded that attacking an animal from the back is not against rules of hunting. An argument broke out. They decided to fight deciding who was more valorous between them. The Hunter cut the string in arjuna's bow with His arrow in the fight! Angered and excited, arjuna started wrestling. He couldn't match the Lord, and the Lord enjoyed his fighting. At one point of time in wrestling arjuna held the foot of the Hunter. As the Lord is pleased when somebody catches His holy feet, He stopped wrestling appeared with pArvati revealing Who He is. Shocked arjuna pleaded for forgiveness, as he was trying to fight with the Supreme out of his ignorance. However the God, Who is pleased by devotion, blessed him and gave him the invincible pAsupatAstra. (In some books it is told that arjuna couldn't fight with the Hunter, he started worshipping the Shiva Lingam. To his astonishment he found the flowers he offered to the Lingam on the head of the Hunter. Then he prostrated before the Hunter and the Lord revealed Himself). This can be found in detail in kirAtArjuniyam of bhAravi and mahA bhArata. 

Maha Shivratri: The Night of Lord Shiva

Maha Shivratri, which literally translates to "great night of Shiva" is a Hindu festival largely celebrated in India as well as in Nepal. The night of the worship of Lord Shiva, occurs on the 14th night of the new moon during the dark half of the month of Phalguna. It falls on a moonless February night, when Hindus offer special prayer to the lord of destruction. Shivratri (In Sanskrit,  'ratri' = night) is the night when he is said to have performed the Tandava Nritya-- the dance of primordial creation, preservation and destruction


Maha Shivratri is a Hindu festival which is celebrated by people following Hinduism in India. People often fast on the night of Shivratri and sing hymns and praises in the name of Lord Shiva. Hindu temples across the country are decorated with lights and colorful decorations and people can be seen offering night long prayers to Shiva Lingam. Woodapple leaves, cold water and milk are offered to the Shiva Lingam on this day as they are believed to be Lord Shiva's favorite


Origin of Shivratri
According to the Puranas, during the great mythical churning of the ocean called Samudra Manthan, a pot of poison emerged from the ocean. The gods and the demons were terrified, as it could destroy the entire world. When they ran to Shiva for help, he, in order to protect the world, drank the deadly poison but held it in his throat instead of swallowing it. This turned his throat blue, and because of this he came to be known as 'Nilkantha', the blue-throated one. Shivratri celebrates this event by which Shiva saved the world

A Festival Significant for Women:
Shivratri is considered especially auspicious for women. Married women pray for the well-being of their husbands and sons, while unmarried women pray for an ideal husband like Shiva, who is the spouse of Kali, Parvati and Durga. But generally, it is believed that anyone who utters the name of Shiva during Shivratri with pure devotion is freed from all sins. He or she reaches the abode of Shiva and is liberated from the cycle of birth and death.

It is believed that the people who fast on this night and offer prayers to Lord Shiva bring good luck into their life. The most popular Maha Shivratri celebrations take place in Ujjain, believed to be the place of residence of Lord Shiva. Large processions are carried out throughout the city, with people thronging the streets to catch a glimpse of the revered idol of Lord Shiva


"Om Namah Shivaya!"
All through the day, the devotees keep severe fast, chant the sacred Panchakshara mantra "Om Namah Shivaya", and make offerings of flowers and incense to the Lord amidst ringing of temple bells. They maintain long vigils during the night, keeping awake to listen to stories, hymns and songs. The fast is broken only the next morning, after the nightlong worship. In Kashmir, the festival is held for 15 days. The 13th day is observed as a day of fast followed by a family feast.

The story of Bhasmasur

There is a very famous and suggestive story of a Asura (demon) called Bhasmasur. He was very ambitious person, and wanted great powers, specially to destroy anyone he wanted. He worked very hard for it too, performed severe austerities, and appeased Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva became happy to see his dedication and intensity of his wish, and asked him what he wished for. He requested for a boon wherein anyone will be turned to ashes (bhasma) the moment he kept his hand on their head. Even though Lord Shiva was surprised to hear such a strange and negative wish, yet hoping that the devotee will use the boon for some good cause, he granted the boon. The fellow was highly elated at getting this fantastic power, and he started dreaming of conquering everyone. No one could stand in his way now to rule the world, no matter who the opponent was, they could be destroyed in a second. He had already dreamt about the various consequences of this boon so much that his joys knew no bounds, and in this elation he lost all sense of discrimination & sense. It was too good to be true for him, so a doubt too become obvious. He wondered whether Lord Shiva has really granted him this boon. He wanted to test, and as no one else was around, he thought why now try the boon on Lord Shiva himself.

The deluded ungracious fool started walking towards Lord Shiva, who was indeed surprised. He knew the power of his boon, and he is now the one who gives a boon at one moment and then takes it back the next moment. ANyway the fellow wanted to know whether the boon has really been given, so he turned and started walking away, and to his surprise this Bhasmasur (named after the boon) started coming after Lord Shiva with a sly smile of a conqueror. Lord started running and he also ran after him. However, Lord Shiva ran very fast and went over to Lord Vishnu and told him the whole story and asked for his help to handle this nuisance. Lord Vishnu assured Shivji that he will sort out the matter. He will use the power of Bhasmasur against him. Man alone can become his greatest enemy, and he alone can become his greatest friend too. Just as a huge elephant is tamed by the intellect of man, so also such thoughtless ferocious demons needed to be handled intelligently rather than by brute force. 

Lord Vishnu took a form of a very beautiful angelic damsel and came near the asura. He was taken back by this extraordinary beauty and got attracted to her. Lord Vishnu as Mohini started seducing Bhasmasur, and as expected he fell for this beautiful damsel. Bhasmasur thought that today his luck is rught on the top and he is getting the best things he can dream of. The running of Lord Shiva, had confirmed to him that he had indeed been given the boon, so now there was some complacency about the boon, specially when there was someone like Lord Vishnu himself seducing him. So much so that he shortly proposed to her. Lord Vishnu as Mohini said that for her to accept his invitation, he will have to dance with her. Bhasmasur accepted and started dancing with the woman. While dancing, the woman kept her hand over head, Bhasmasur – lost in the intoxication of extreme power and lust, in an attempt to copy her, kept his hand over his own head and lo, he himself got burned and that very moment turned to ashes. The boon did not even last a day.

The moral of this story is that power, without self-control and self-poise leads to one’s own destruction. Think!

The Dancing Shiva - Lord Nataraja

Nataraja or Nataraj, the dancing form of Lord Shiva, is a symbolic synthesis of the most important aspects of Hinduism, and the summary of the central tenets of this Vedic religion. The term 'Nataraj' means 'King of Dancers' (Sanskrit nata = dance; raja = king). In the words of Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, Nataraj is the "clearest image of the activity of God which any art or religion can boast of…A more fluid and energetic representation of a moving figure than the dancing figure of Shiva can scarcely be found anywhere," ( The Dance of Shiva)

THE ORIGIN OF THE NATARAJ FORM
THE VITAL FORM AND SYMBOLISM
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SHIVA'S DANCE
A SCIENTIFIC METAPHOR
THE NATARAJ STATUE AT CERN, GENEVA

An extraordinary iconographic representation of the rich and diverse cultural heritage of India, it was developed in southern India by 9th and 10th-century artists during the Chola period (880-1279 CE) in a series of beautiful bronze sculptures. By the 12th century AD, it achieved canonical stature and soon the Chola Nataraja became the supreme statement of Hindu art.

In a marvelously unified and dynamic composition expressing the rhythm and harmony of life, Nataraj is shown with four hands represent the cardinal directions. He is dancing, with his left foot elegantly raised and the right foot on a prostrate figure—'Apasmara Purusha', the personification of illusion and ignorance over whom Shiva triumphs. The upper left hand holds a flame, the lower left-hand points down to the dwarf, who is shown holding a cobra. The upper right-hand holds an hourglass drum or 'dumroo' that stands for the male-female vital principle, the lower shows the gesture of assertion: "Be without fear."

Snakes that stand for egotism, are seen uncoiling from his arms, legs, and hair, which is braided and bejeweled. His matted locks are whirling as he dances within an arch of flames representing the endless cycle of birth and death. On his head is a skull, which symbolizes his conquest over death. Goddess Ganga, the epitome of the holy riverGanges, also sits on his hairdo.

His third eye is symbolic of his omniscience, insight, and enlightenment. The whole idol rests on a lotus pedestal, the symbol of the creative forces of the universe.

This cosmic dance of Shiva is called 'Anandatandava,' meaning the Dance of Bliss, and symbolizes the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction, as well as the daily rhythm of birth and death. The dance is a pictorial allegory of the five principle manifestations of eternal energy—creation, destruction, preservation, salvation, and illusion. According to Coomerswamy, the dance of Shiva also represents his five activities: 'Shrishti' (creation, evolution); 'Sthiti' (preservation, support); 'Samhara' (destruction, evolution); 'Tirobhava' (illusion); and 'Anugraha' (release, emancipation, grace).

The overall temper of the image is paradoxical, uniting the inner tranquility, and outside activity of Shiva.

Fritzof Capra in his article "The Dance of Shiva: The Hindu View of Matter in the Light of Modern Physics," and later in The Tao of Physics beautifully relates Nataraj's dance with modern physics. He says that "every subatomic particle not only performs an energy dance but also is an energy dance; a pulsating process of creation and destruction…without end…For the modern physicists, then Shiva's dance is the dance of subatomic matter.

As in Hindu mythology, it is a continual dance of creation and destruction involving the whole cosmos; the basis of all existence and of all natural phenomena."

In 2004, a 2m statue of the dancing Shiva was unveiled at CERN, the European Center for Research in Particle Physics in Geneva. A special plaque next to the Shiva statue explains the significance of the metaphor of Shiva's cosmic dance with quotations from Capra: "Hundreds of years ago, Indian artists created visual images of dancing Shivas in a beautiful series of bronzes. In our time, physicists have used the most advanced technology to portray the patterns of the cosmic dance. The metaphor of the cosmic dance thus unifies ancient mythology, religious art, and modern physics."