The Spirit of Shiva and Vishnu - Hindu Symbolism

[Guest guest]

The Spirit of Shiva and Vishnu

 

God is He who has no beginning or an end, He is the creator of manifold

form, He is the cause of the universe, He is the knower of the Truth

and He is the one who grants human salvation. There was never a place

called heaven, hell or the earth and the space in between them. The

non-being Spirit uttered, "I am that I am!'' Then came the fire,

followed by the light which pervaded over the universe to kindle life.

The Spirit is the pure consciousness, the creator, the Lord of the soul

and nature and also the cycle of life and death. The Spirit is the

cause for the transmigration of human life, bondage, and ultimately

for eternity. Some calls the Spirit as Brahman and others praise Him as

Shiva, Vishnu, and by any name and form of an ‘Ista Devata' (personal

God).

 

The Hindu worship of the Spirit focuses on mind concentration on a

chosen deity. The Hindu scriptures in one reference suggest the

existence of three hundred thirty million deities. Primarily, Shiva and

Vishnu are the two deities widely worshiped and the rest of the other

millions got the status of godhead by the Grace of Shiva and/or Vishnu.

The worship of Brahma, one of the Hindu Trinity was less prevalent and

only a handful of temples keep Brahma as the main deity. The worship

of Shiva and Vishnu is wide spread across the nooks and corners of

India. Shiva and/or Vishnu is the primary Godhead in tens of thousands

of temples in India and abroad. Besides Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, the

worship of their wives and other family members is integral part of

Hindu worship. Lakshmi Devi is the wife of Vishnu, Parvathi Devi is the

wife of Shiva and Saraswathi Devi is the wife of Brahma. Hindu worship

typically consists of both the God and associated Goddesses. Devi

worship is well integrated into Hindu worship and in several temples,

Devi worship is much more important. For example, Kanchi (Kancheepuram

in Tamil Nadu) Kamakshi Devi, Kasi (Banaras in Uttarpradesh) Vishalakshi

Devi and Madurai (Tamil Nadu) Meenakshi Devi temples gave higher status

to Devis.

 

Shiva in the form of Nataraja is a unique representation of the Lord of

the Universe as the Lord of Dance. This dancing form of Shiva

illustrates the cycles of creation, evolution and the destruction of the

cosmos. It describes the Vedanta symbolically and all scriptures

including the Vedas became the music for the Cosmic Dance. There is no

symbol other than Nataraja that can portray what a god is for and what a

God does. The theme of the Dance of Nataraja is the dramatization of

creation, protection and liberation. The Universe becomes the stage and

the human souls are the audience and the dance of Bliss (Ananda

Thandavam) brings the eternal peace and tranquility. Nataraja uses His

left foot to crush ignorance and from his head waters from the Ganges

pouring to purify the mind and soul. His are the flames, the moon, the

drum, and the lotus. His mount is the white bull, and the tiger has

given its skin to gird his loins. Serpents coil about his limbs, and

from his right hand flows the promise of release. This dance is not

just a symbol. It takes place within each of us at the atomic level at

every moment. The birth of the world, its maintenance, its destruction,

the covering of the soul and its revelation...these are the five acts of

this dance. All that has been made will be unmade, and all that has been

destroyed will be resurrected.

 

Shiva is the essence of the Vedas, and the source of the Word. He is

inextricably woven into all that the eye can see. He is the first among

the gods of this world, who made the world so that others could make

the things in it. Energy is his name, and he moves through all things,

never static. All that is made, every generation of life, all the

wondrous forms that fill our world, all flow from his dancing loins.

He is not male, nor female. He is neither human nor inhuman. He has four

arms, and he has none. Shiva's nature at once transcends and includes

all the polarities of the living world. What things we are we do not

know. We wander all of our lives secluded, burdened by our minds. It is

when the Word, the first born of truth, comes to us, we come into the

presence of Shiva mind. Life is that which is worth doing. This world

is our stage, so let us dance in honor of Shiva, and in honor of

ourselves. The statue of Nataraja ( the dancing poses of Lord Siva) is

a well-known example for the artistic, scientific and philosophical

significance of idols. Thousands of articles and books have been

written about the significance of the Nataraja's dance posture. In the

PBS show, COSMOS, Professor Carl Sagan, the author of COSMOS (also the

PBS show) asserts that the dance posture of Nataraja signifies the

cycle of evolution and destruction of the cosmic universe (Big-Bang

Theory).

 

The Vishnu Sahasranamam starts with a Sanskrit invocation describes

Maha Vishnu in Yoga Nidra:

 

Santhaakaaram Bhujaga Sayanam Padhmanaabham Suresam

Viswaakaaram Gagana Sadrusam Meghavarnam Subhaangam

Lakshmikaantham Kamalanayanam Yogi Hridh Gnaana Gamyam

Vande Vishnum Bhavabhayharam Sarva Lokaika Naatham.

 

I bow to Vishnu, with the benevolent form full of compassion, reclining

on the serpent. The lotus issues forth from the navel and He is the very

universe. He is the supreme among the Gods, the consort of Lakshmi, and

He resplendent like the sky, and the color of the clouds and with

auspicious limbs. His eyes are beautiful like the lotus and He is ever

in the hearts of His evolved devotees. He is the one and only Lord of

all this universe and can save us from the cycle of repeated births and

deaths.

 

Note: I am in the process of writing a more detailed article on the

significance of Yoga Nidra (Ananda Sayanam) of Maha Vishnu and the

Cosmic Dance of Shiva. They both symbolically explain the entire

Vedanta in a nutshell.