7 Secrets Of Shiva

by Devdutt Pattanaik

Humans are the only creatures on earth, who can reflect on life. Humans wonder what is the purpose of life, why do we live, why do we eat. Nature offers no answer. Humans are able to domesticate the earth, establish fields and orchards and gardens and grow abundant food. Surrounded by great wealth, only humans wonder why do they have such power over nature. Humans can build great walls and establish rules and make themselves secure. But the heaviest of security does not take away death. Humans feel invalidated, weak and helpless, and wonder what is the point of human life. When no answer is forthcoming, a frightened man starts hoarding things, not just to secure his future, but to create the delusion of immortality. Our wealth and family, our possessions become an extension of our bodies. It is the fourth body — property that outlives the death of the other three. We hoard more and more property and thereby give ourselves meaning.

Celibacy and ascetic practices are closely associated with Shiva. It indicates nivritti-marga, withdrawal from the world. Serving as a warrior, however, indicates participation in worldly affairs. It indicates interest in worldly matters. Celibate warrior sons of Shiva thus embody that aspect of Shiva which is more connected with culture. Through these forms, Shiva acknowledges the human yearning for sanctuary and security.

Humans desire life, fear death and construct three worlds because humans fear death more than any other living creature on earth. Our fear is greater because we can imagine. We imagine what happens after death, we imagine a world without death, we imagine a world without us and wonder what is the point of life. Unable to make sense of things, we try to control life — we get attached to things, we resist change and we create property. Human civilisation is thus rooted in fear. It is a delusion. Brahmanda or culture is maya.

A book occupies space but not time, a discourse occupies time but not space, a dance occupies both space and time. It can be seen and heard and read. It is a performance that appeals to the senses, stirs the emotions and demands intellectual analysis.

Mimansikas are those who yearn to understand the meaning of life. Mimamsa is divided into two schools: the early school or Purva Mimamsa and later school or Uttar Mimamsa. This division emerged as the former school paid too much attention to form and failed to realise that thought had shaped the form. The later school paid great attention to the thought of the form.

In mythic vocabulary, the left side of the body is associated with the rhythm of the material world because it is where the heart is located. Just as the heart beats at regular intervals, the material world goes through rhythmic changes in the form of tides and seasons. The right half then becomes the side of spiritual reality; it is still and silent. The left side represents Prakriti, nature’s constant change. The right side is Purusha, the human potential to stay still. To exist, one needs both sides, left and right, Prakriti and Purusha.

Tapasvin observed the rhythms of Nature — manifesting as breath, heartbeat, tides and seasons. He also observed the rhythms of culture and the rhythms of thoughts and emotions in every human being. He saw how fortune follows misfortune, joy follows sorrow, excitement follows boredom, pain follows pleasure. On careful, focused attention, he realised that everything changes over time — some things change by the second, some by centuries, but all things material and tangible have to change form. The body has to age and die. Ideas come and go. Societies rise and fall. But new life is always being created. Thus nothing ends forever. There is always a new beginning.

All living creatures die and are reborn. All thoughts and dreams rise and fall. At each birth a different form is taken, sometimes human and sometimes animal. At death this body is discarded. Shiva advises the Mimansikas to sit back, sit still and observe this. Awareness will take away anxiety and fear. It will bring repose and faith.

We humans forget what our mind was before it was contaminated by imagined, amplified fear. We forget that we construct Brahmanda, subjective reality, to cope with objective reality. We forget that only we can destroy this Brahmanda, with its three constituent worlds of ‘me’, ‘mine’ and ‘not mine’. Because we have the third eye of wisdom.

Nataraja’s two upper arms hold up the options that we have as we go through life. In one hand he holds the damaru, or rattle-drum, while in the other he holds tapa, the spiritual fire that burns without fuel. One option is to spend our lives ignoring the reality of life, like monkeys spellbound by the rattle-drum. We can focus on meaningless activities that keep us busy, help us pass the time, and prevent us from getting bored or distract us from introspecting and reflecting on life. The other option is to introspect and reflect on life. We can ask ourselves what shapes our decisions and where does our self-image come from. Why are we in certain situations like the petrified deer, and in other situations like the dominant lion? We will realise that notions such as victim and villain and hero are all imaginary constructions, stories within our heads and stories that we receive from society. In other words, they are maya, constructions to fortify ourselves from fear, subjective realities that make us feel powerful.

Maya gives us meaning to survive this world until Shiva, the destroyer, gives us the strength to outgrow fear and hence outgrow dependence on constructed realities. Shiva helps us realise that heroes, villains and victims are creations of fear. When fear is destroyed, there is no hero or villain or victim. Shiva, the destroyer, thus offers wisdom to outgrow fear. This is liberation. This is moksha.