The great Hindu god Shiva has many guises and many representations in art, but perhaps the most familiar is as a dancing figure within a circle of fire, that is as Shiva Nataraja, Lord of the Dance. Shiva, Lord of mercy and compassion, always existed. Shiva’s tranquil expression with long hair streaming (detail), Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja), c. 11th century, Copper alloy, Chola period, 68.3 x 56.5 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) Shiva’s hair, the long hair of the yogi, streams out across the space within the halo of fire that constitutes the universe.

Vishnu is the preserver and protector of the universe.

He was created automatically! The boy was in fact created out of earth and clay to keep her company and protect her while Shiva went on his meditative wanderings. Brahma is the creator of the universe and Shiva is the destroyer. He was there when … Shiva Painting by Pieter Weltevrede Buy this art poster at Sagarworld.com.

Shiva is the destroyer of the world, following Brahma the creator and Vishnu the preserver, after which Brahma again creates the world and so on.

Many believe that God Shiva is a Sayambhu – which means He is not born from a human body. If we take a look back at the conception then it is the extension and enhancement of the Shiva’s Email system which we currently use.

Who Shiva is Not!

It is an image seen in museums, temples, restaurants, and esoteric shops across the world, and it is wonderfully rich in iconography and hidden meaning. Because India is a dialectical culture, we shift from this to that and that to this effortlessly.

Not believing the boy was his son, and thinking him an impudent beggar, Shiva called up the bhutaganas demons who fought the … One moment we talk about Shiva as the ultimate, the next moment we talk about Shiva as the man who gave us this whole process of yoga. However, Shiva returned one day and, finding the boy guarding the room where Parvati was bathing, he enquired who he was. Shiva is responsible for change both in the form of death and destruction and in the positive sense of the shedding of old habits. He was not created by anybody.