My Two Shivas…

‘Shiva’ is a common enough name in India. It is after all the name of one of the major deities in Hinduism, one third of our Holy Trinity, ‘Shiva the Destroyer‘. Along with ‘Brahma the Creator’ and ‘Vishnu the Protector’, he tries to maintain ‘World Peace’ and limit chaos; ‘tries’ being the key word here 😉 since he so often is responsible for creating it 😛 He’s like that is Lord Shiva – he means well but is quick to grant boons not always to the worthiest people 😉 And still I think in his wisdom, in granting these boons to the undeserving, he cleverly send them down the path that will ultimately lead to their destruction, by Vishnu the Protector – a supreme strategist in my view! A little heavenly Good Cop/Bad Cop action 😉

Today is ‘MahaShivratri‘ – his festival, a sacred day when he is especially revered and worshiped by millions of Hindus for a myriad of reasons. Me – I’m not into rituals, but I like Shiva! He’s rather likable – simple, direct, quick to love and quicker to anger – rather like moi 😛 Perhaps that’s why I identify with him. Or perhaps it’s because he’s fearless and wise and tolerant – accepting into his fold all the people no other Gods want! Uh huh! In Hinduism we have Gods that aren’t that different from us humans – discriminating 😉 Or perhaps it’s because he’s a God of extremes and contradictions, more than any other. As ‘Mahadev’ – loosely translated as ‘Great God’, a God for the Gods, like Brahma & Vishnu; he is the embodiment of all that is good and wise and honourable. He is gentle, tender, trusting, all-knowing, respectful of women and compassionate. As ‘Rudra’ – he is the destroyer of evil, an avenger of wrongs, a shield for the hapless. In a righteous rage, he dances the ‘Taandav’, his terrible dance of destruction which in layman lingo means “DO NOT MESS WITH ME!! I’M SO TOTALLY PISSED OFF!! I’M GONNA OPEN MY 3^rd EYE and BURN YOU TO A CRISP!! NOW!!!” Or it could just be because he loves his ‘Somras’ – God-speak for liquor and you know I love mine! But mostly I think it’s because he’s all of the above and a family man to boot – with his loving wife Parvati (The Ying to his Yang), and his two sons Kartikeya and Ganesha (the Elephant-headed God). As a woman, I cannot help but admire his multi-tasking abilities 😉 Here is an older post I found on Mahashivatri, Om Namah Shivay, which might be of interest.

The Manifestations of Shiva

Which brings me to my very own Xiva – yes this one’s spelt with an X! Yup – I have my very own Destroyer! Lucky me 😛 It’s  quite a meaningful name actually, the full form being ‘Xivananda’ – an amalgamation of ‘Xiva’ and ‘Anand’ meaning Happiness – and I can testify to the fact that this ‘Xiva’ has indeed been the bringer of much joy to me 🙂 He is an occasional granter of wishes and has two left feet, but in other ways quite similar to his Godly namesake! He is fearless (sometimes scarily so ;)), compassionate and pretty darn smart. He’s also notoriously easy to please – a fine whisky and some fish is all it takes to put him in a good mood! And he’s a family man underneath the workaholic exterior, although I need to remind him of that ever so often. I should know – we’ve been married for 21 years 😛 You see – not so different from his Godly namesake 😉 Oh I’m no Parvati either! I lack her discipline and steadfastness and much more besides. But I think in my own way I’m a good wife to my Xiva. In the family, he’s called Girish – another name for Lord Shiva! My aunt told me once, that my great-grandmother always wanted me to marry a boy named ‘Girish’, so much so that she had decided to change his name if it turned out to be anything else 😛 Imagine that! Pretty radical – the women in my family! She passed away before I even met Hubby, but I’m beginning to think it’s no co-incidence that he’s called Girish 😉 Stranger things have happened 😛

So just two days after we’ve celebrated women, why not make ‘Mahashivaratri’, a day to celebrate the ‘Shivas’ in our lives – Gods and Men? The men who have nurtured and stood by us. Who have danced with us and shielded us from harm and destroyed dangers that stood in our way? The good men – the heroes, the men who matter and the men who count. Fathers, brothers, sons, grandfathers, friends, teachers, mentors, husbands, lovers…Men who were there when we needed them and Men who understood that we wanted them to stay especially when we were yelling at them to leave. The ‘REAL’ Men! Let’s celebrate their goodness, their righteousness, their honorable conduct and their principled souls. They’ve earned our respect and perhaps in recognizing, honoring and nurturing these qualities in them and those who will come in the future, we will be able to better our crumbling world and restore the balance in our fragile Universe. Coz Lord knows that’s what this World needs – harmony between Shiva & Parvati – a balance that will allow us to be the best we can be. Who knows – Shiva might even help us! Lend us his wisdom and infinite experience 😉

This has turned out to be quite a ramble 😛 But I just needed to get some of the stuff that clogs my brain out onto paper! Also any excuse to share more Sanjay Patel pictures 😛 Feeling much lighter now 😉 Thanks for reading – those of you who do 🙂

Hope the Weekend has been good for you!

Related articles

• Shivratri – A Divine Night to freed from all Sins!!! (fondfamily.com)
• Hindhu Festival – Maha Shivaratri (raxacollective.wordpress.com)
• Om Namah Shivay (crazygoangirl.wordpress.com)

The Elephant God Cometh!

By the time I got around to writing this post, he’s actually come and gone (figuratively speaking), at least from our home, but elsewhere he stays and his presence continues to hallow the atmosphere 🙂

For those who may not be aware, once a year, Hindus celebrate the birthday of Ganesha, the Elephant God (and my absolute favorite as far as God’s go!), with much pomp and devotion. Here in Goa, we call it ‘Chavath’ in Konkani (the local lingo) or ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’ in Marathi. What I love about this time and this festival, is that it is not a somber time of introspection and contemplation (although there’s nothing wrong with either), but a happy time…a time of celebration and joy, of music and crackers and of sweets in obscene amounts!! It’s also a time for family…for gatherings, catching up, setting aside petty quarrels and much enjoyment 🙂

@ Hubby's house in Priol, Goa.

The festival is a veritable feast for the senses – the many faces of the God, each revered and beautiful (here in Goa, every family has a traditional Idol design that has come down through the generations and they stick with it); the musky fragrance of burning incense mingles with the sweet fragrance of flowers; garlands in every color, bright red hibiscus (Ganesha’s favorite), deep orange and bright yellow marigolds, and blue orchids, adorn regal Idols glittering with ornaments, often of real gold and silver; the sound of music and voices raised in prayer blends with the cacophony of children playing, people laughing and bursting crackers; the place of worship is richly decorated with colorful streamers, flowers, lights, ‘rangoli’ art, and over the Idol from the ceiling hangs the ‘matoli’, a wooden frame from which hang fruits and vegetables, an offering to the Lord; from the kitchens…comes the smokiness of wood fires burning, fragrant odors and the sizzle of foods cooking, the voices of women bantering and the soft swish of their silk sarees, the metal clang of copper vessels, as the food within is vigorously stirred and made worthy for divine consumption. Each home is alive with excitement, busy with preparations and hallowed with devotion. It is an auspicious time, a happy time, a time for quiet reverence but also for noisy celebration…a time to welcome at last, ‘The Bringer of Joy, Destroyer of Woe & Remover of Obstacles’, The Elephant God, Ganesha into our hearts and homes!

@ Dad's ancestral home, Amona, Goa.

I have wonderful memories from childhood, of our family moving to our ancestral home for the duration and us children playing incessantly, gorging on sweets and lighting crackers! We enjoyed as only children can enjoy, free from all care and worry. Must confess however, am not much of a cracker person now (hate the ones that make deafening bangs that are for some reason attractive to the rest of the world), except for sparklers! This year was no different! It was special, cause this is Ishaan’s first festival and ours too in a long time in Goa. We had three homes to visit, hubby’s, Dad’s and Grandma’s. In Goa, most families (although not all), celebrate the occasion by bringing home an Idol of the God and worshiping it, usually for 1 and a 1/2 day, but some for 5 and others for 10 days. This year, all our family was celebrating for 1 and a 1/2 days which meant we had a hectic schedule trying to visit every house while seeing to our own! But that’s part of the fun of festivals, at least while they last; the aches, pains and festival-fatigue set in later 😉

@ Grandma's childhood home in Khorlim, Goa.

We had a wonderful time with Ishaan. He discovered a love for firecrackers! He’s fascinated by their colors and excited by their motion 🙂 He’s not into loud bangs yet thank goodness, although how long that will last is difficult to say. It’s a male thing 😛 He’s not into sweets either (like me) but he is definitely into Ganesha (again like me!) 🙂 He had a field day pointing out pictures of him to us in the newspapers, on hoardings and on TV 🙂 Although for the most part, he ignored the Idols he visited, he dutifully joined his tiny hands in prayer when asked and he enjoyed showering the God with puffed rice once the immersion process began! As for the actual immersion – he thought the God was off for a bath! We traveled everywhere with his cricket bat and ball, indeed it would be impossible not to. His obsession increases with every passing day!

The 'Matoli' above the Idol

This time as an added treat, the family gathered at a private estate afterward, and had a wonderful ‘Day After’ party! It was relaxing, fun and essential 🙂 For many (me included!), it was a relief to finally be able to eat chicken and fish again after a break of…only 2 days 😉 (We are all vegetarian for the duration of the festival, out of necessity I might add, not choice!) The way we fell on the Chicken Cafreal (excellent!), you’d think it was two lifetimes not days! But this is Goa, and 2 days without fish are as two lifetimes to every self-respecting Goan 😛 Indeed, my uncles (much to the dismay of my bone-tired aunts), always came home with a fresh catch, from the river where they immersed the Idol! The fish was then prepared and dinner eaten with much satisfaction usually after midnight. Nothing’s changed! I was reminded of Bali and how the locals offer fried chicken to the God! Perhaps Goans should think of offering fish, the way we all go on about having to turn veg for a day and a half 😛

All too soon, the festivities are done, for us at least, and life goes back to routine. But memories remain, of pleasant, happy times that linger, long after family has dispersed and the feasting ends. My only regret is that I couldn’t quite take all the pictures I wanted to, but it’s hard to take pictures when you are busy enjoying yourself and looking after an exuberant two-year old 🙂

Saying Goodbye

And so…looking forward to next year, another festival, more happy memories…

God Bless!