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
Can The Himalayas Outlast Tourism?
Love The Himalayas, But Worried About Its Future? Hear From Three Experts On The Future Of The Region And How It Can Be Protected
EATING MINDFULLY
SUNITA NARAIN FROM THE CENTRE FOR SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT DISCUSSES HER NEW BOOK WHICH COMBINES THE JOYS OF EATING WITH CARE FOR THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE WHO TILL THEM
The Jewels Of Costa Rica
A Long-time Birdwatcher Describes His Travels To The Lush Rainforests Of Costa Rica
WINGED WONDERS
The story of migrating birds is the story of a promise to return, flying thousands of miles beset with dangers.
THE LOOMINARIES
THE ROLE OF THE GREAT REVIVALISTS WHO GAVE INDIA'S TEXTILES A NEW LEASE ON LIFE CANNOT BE STATED ENOUGH. WE TRACE THEIR CELEBRATED LEGACY
KEEPERS OF THE CRAFT
FROM REVIVING TRADITIONAL WEAVES TO CONTEMPORISING THEM WITH MODERN SILHOUETTES, THESE DESIGNERS ARE COMMITTED TO KEEPING THE LOOM TURNING WITH A FRESH TAKE ON HERITAGE TEXTILES
SONGS OF THE SOIL
WITH INDIGENOUS TEXTILES FACING THE WRATH OF FAST FASHION AND CLIMATE CHANGE, INDIAN DESIGNERS ARE RALLYING TO REVIVE AND PRESERVE THESE PRECIOUS WEAVES
CRAFT CRUSADER
THROUGH HER TEXTILE EXPLORATIONS ACROSS INDIA, DR PRITHA DASMAHAPATRA HAS BEEN PRESERVING ANCIENT CRAFTS, EMPOWERING ARTISANS, AND INSPIRING TRAVELLERS TO DISCOVER THE BEAUTY OF HYPERLOCAL EXPERIENCES
ON THE GRID
THE VIBRANT MADRAS CHECKS, NATIVE TO SOUTHEASTERN INDIA, HAS NOT JUST TRANSCENDED BORDERS BUT ALSO TRADITIONS AND STYLES
GOLDEN SILK
THE PROPERTIES THAT MAKE MUGA SILK UNIQUE COULD SEE IT BEING USED IN THE BIOFUELS AND MEDICINES OF THE FUTURE
