LORD RAM MIGHT BE THE FLAVOUR OF THE day, but nothing has inspired Indian imagination more than the concept of Shiva. There is something very personal yet otherworldly about Shiva. It is challenging to define who or what Shiva is. It is perhaps easier to define who he or she or it is not. Shiva is fluid in the gender itself. He is also a She or It. Or neither of the three. Unlike the stories of Ram or Krishna, rooted in the two great epics of India, Shiva's stories are scattered and diverse. There is no one unifying story, nothing as potent as "Ramayana" or "Mahabharata," for Shiva. He is rooted in the soil of India. Or he emerged out of this very soil, manifested out of the air we breathe.
The childhood stories of Krishna have enchanted Indians for centuries. However, there are no childhood stories of Shiva. The eternal trope of Indian storytelling—the mother-son relationship like that of Yashodha and Krishna—is absent in the case of Shiva. There is no hero's journey like Lord Ram. Shiva has nothing to offer to match the thrill of Radha and Krishna's eternal romance, made more attractive due to the clandestine affair between a married woman and a cowherd, which inspired countless poems and paintings.
Actually, Shiva is not born to kill anyone or establish dharma or maryada. He is not born at all. He is beyond time. Shiva is Mahakala, or the great time itself. He has no beginning or end, yet he is the God of the end, the Samhara Murty. He is the most masculine of our gods, yet he is half female, Ardhanarishvara.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Chutneys For Every Season
GROWING UP IN JHARKHAND, I've always been enchanted by the state's culinary landscape. Here, the local cuisine never fails to surprise with its depth and variety.
BADGE OF HONOUR
IN THE DYNAMIC LANDSCAPE of tourism, where greenwashing often taints sustainability, certifications can help distinguish between genuine efforts and marketing gimmicks. Green certification systems encourage businesses to enhance their environmental credentials.
WHEELS OF TIME
IN 1947, TRAINS CARRYING REFUGEES ACROSS THE BORDER WERE SYMBOLIC OF THE TUMULT OF THE PARTITION.
RAILS OF THE Raj
FROM ITS CONCEPTION TO ITS ROLE IN THE NATION'S HISTORY, THE BRITISH INDIAN RAILWAYS IS A PHENOMENON MARKED AS MUCH BY MARVEL AS AVARICE
THE RHYTHM OF BOLLYWOOD
FROM THE RAILROAD THRILLER MISS FRONTIER MAIL 1936) TO SHAH RUKH KHAN DANCING ON A TRAIN IN DIL SE' 1998), TRAINS HAVE GIVEN UNFORGETTABLE SONG SEQUENCES TO MANY HINDI FILMS
MEMORY'S OASIS
REMEMBRANCES OF GROWING UP IN SEALDAH RAILWAY OFFICERS COLONY IN KOLKATA
A FAREWELL × TO FLAVOURS
FROM CUTLETS AND RAILWAY MUTTON CURRY IN DINING CARS TO THE UNREMARKABLE FARE AVAILABLE TODAY, THE JOURNEY OF FOOD ON THE INDIAN RAILWAY IS FASCINATING
HERITAGE ON THE TRACKS
THE ICONIC DARJEELING HIMALAYAN RAILWAY, FONDLY CALLED THE TOY TRAIN,' HAS HELD ITS UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE STATUS SINCE 1999
HIDDEN LIVES
SPANNING 65,000 KILOMETRES THROUGH DENSELY POPULATED INDIA, THE RAILWAYS ARE A BACKDROP TO COUNTLESS STORIES. 'THE UNRESERVED' BY FILMMAKER SAMARTH MAHAJAN CAPTURES A FEW
JOURNEYS WITHIN AND WITHOUT
FOR IMTIAZ ALI, TRAIN JOURNEYS ARE TRANSFORMATIVE, OFFERING GLIMPSES OF INDIA'S DIVERSE SOCIETY AND ITS MANY CULTURES AND RELIGIONS
