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)

Om Namah Shivay!

On Wednesday, Ishaan had a school holiday. It was for ‘Mahashivratri’, loosely translated as ‘The Night of the Great Lord Shiva‘. On the day, all over India, people celebrate the festival by fasting, performing ‘Pujas’ and praying for the well-being of loved ones. Like everything in Hinduism, there are several legends about Mahashivratri. Some believe it is the wedding day of Shiva & his wife Parvati; others, that this was the night he danced the ‘Tandava’ – a divine dance symbolizing creation, preservation & destruction; still others that this was the night he manifested in the form of the ‘Lingam’ (the phallic form, in which he is most commonly worshipped to this day). Whatever one chooses to believe or disbelieve, it’s a day of worship, piety and celebration all rolled into one, like most Hindu festivals!

Shiva is one of the super Gods, part of the Holy Hindu Trinity of Gods, Brahma – the Creator, Vishnu – The Protector & Shiva – the Destroyer. They’re the big guns…like the Godfather, the ones that all the thousands of little Gods go running to in times of trouble (and believe me that’s more often than you think!). They grant boons, kill villains and reward devotees much like their juniors, but they just do it better, and bigger! He’s always been my favorite. I like his no-nonsense, down-to-earth attitude and although he’s not the best looker (what with the deadly ‘Eye’ in the center of his blue forehead, the deadly Trident in his hand, the matted locks of hair that hold the mighty river Ganges, the ash-smeared blue-skinned body and the snakes he uses for jewelry!), his charisma & the divine aura that surrounds him, attracts every kind of life-force. And he welcomes them all…the good, the bad and the ugly; offering them all his love, his advice, his protection. What’s not to like?

He’s wise and simple, often granting terrible boons to his devotees that help them become monsters! And when he gets angry…the ‘Eye’ opens and burns whoever has pissed him off to a crisp! Now that’s a power I could do with some days 😉 He once burned the God of Love, Kama (Cupid’s Hindu avatar), to a crisp, in a moment of rage, because the poor dear had shot a love-arrow at him, at the request of the other Gods, when they were trying to get him hitched again after the death of his beloved first wife, Sati. However in a typical God-like display of forgiveness, he later revived Kama at the request of Kama’s wife Rati (Goddess of the Moon), and his own second wife – The Goddess Parvati (she is the Mother Goddess incarnate and also a reincarnation of his first wife Sati! Confused? Don’t be…just go with the flow :P). I identify with this guy…he’s quick to anger, quick to forgive and bears no malice, rather like me 😛

Did I mention he’s big in Goa? Well he is and my family worship him at the Mangeshi Temple. I’m not big on rituals, but I’m surrounded by them and there is no escape. There’s an interesting story that I would like to share that happened a long time ago…when I was newly married. It’s a tradition for newly married couples on Hubby’s side of the family, to worship at the Mangeshi Temple. This involves getting up at the crack of dawn, bathing, dressing in traditional garb (a 9-yard sari for women & the ‘dhotar’ for men), and entering the innermost sanctum of the Temple, where the ‘Lingam’ is located, to worship. Inside there’s a well and at the end of the ritual, the couple draws water from the well to bathe the holy ‘Lingam’! Hubby & I for one reason or another hadn’t gone through with this ritual in the first year of marriage and frankly were completely unaware that it even existed! One day, we found ourselves at his ancestral house and were about to enter to pray to the family deity, when we were stopped in our tracks by a pair of black snakes allegedly cobras but I can’t prove it), that seemed to be involved in their mating dance! They were on the front porch and were in no mood to let us pass. We tried to go around the back (Yes we were silly! Young and silly, wanting to enter a house with snakes dancing on the porch!), but they appeared again at the back door, rather miraculously, and we couldn’t enter. Finally chastised, we headed home and narrated the incident to our in-laws as nothing more than an interesting anecdote. Should have known better (but we were silly & young!). My in-laws took a rather serious view of the whole event and my father-in-law set off immediately for the Mangeshi temple to discuss with the family priest and interpret the significance, of what to them was clearly a divine sign of some sort! The priest duly informed him that we had failed to perform the ritual ‘puja’ at the temple, and this was Shiva’s way of reminding us that we had forgotten! Snakes are Shiva’s pets so to speak! And so, off we went, obediently, into the inner sanctum, duly purified and properly attired to ask forgiveness for our oversight and blessings for a happy marriage. In true God fashion – He forgave & blessed!

In traditional garb! This was taken 2 years ago.

There’s another great story that I like, about how he got his blue-skin. The Gods & their cousins the evil ‘Asuras’ (demons) were once involved in a quest for ‘Amrut’ (The nectar of immortality, Ambrosia), and were told that the last jar of the stuff was at the bottom of the ocean bed. They were also told that the only way to get it, was to churn the ocean and drain it, to reveal the hidden treasure. So off they went to the Holy Trinity and on their advice, used a giant snake tied around a mountain as the churner (don’t you just love these stories ;-)), and had a sage drink up the ocean (child’s play to a great sage that!). Still they churned, but instead of the Nectar, poison spurted up which would have killed them. Again, they asked the Holy Trinity for help and Shiva offered to drink the poison so they could get to the Nectar. And so he drank up and as he did the poison turned his neck & skin blue…and so he’s also called ‘Neelkanth’ (neel = blue, kanth = throat), in many parts of India, especially the south. He rides a bull…his faithful mount Nandi (an idol is found in every temple dedicated to Shiva), drinks ‘Somras’ (alcohol to me & you!) and is God to ghouls and humans alike! He is father to my favorite ‘Ganesha’, the Elephant God, and a great dancer! In his dancing form, he is worshipped as ‘Nataraja’, Lord of Dance.

 

He is Timeless – wisest of sages, granter of wishes, destroyer of ignorance, master of destiny, and keeper of the balance of the universe – in His name is hidden the secret of Nirvana.

He is, to me, the epitome of Cool 🙂

Shiv-Parvati!

p. s. ‘Om Namah Shivay’…this simple chant is used to invoke his name and may be loosely translated to mean ‘Holy Is Thy Name Shiva’.

p. p. s. I’m no Sanskrit nor religious scholar however, so don’t take my word for Gospel 😛 Google Him for more info 😉

Road trip to Mumbai: Omkar to Keshvai

On the 30th of September, we set off on a week-long road trip to Bombay via Pune. Hubby had a day-long training session in Pune and we decided to tag along for a much-needed break. We were on a dual mission – to enjoy ourselves and to drop off my helper Pushpa, who was off for her own holiday with her family after a year apart. I was on my own secret mission, to see if I could manage Ishaan on my own, amongst people who to him were essentially strangers in strange surroundings. It was a test I set myself. A test of patience, creativity and my coping abilities…a test of whether I could look after my boy, on my own, without losing a major chunk of my sanity. I think I passed the test…but I’ll let you decide.

We set off from our home ‘Omkar’ at 9 am, with a fully loaded car and 4 happy people 🙂 Ishaan has been a great traveler so far by which I mean, he slept peacefully on our previous two road trips to Bombay, getting up at meal-times and dozing off again as soon as the car set off  🙂 He was younger then. This time was a little different. He slept, but was awake much longer and every time we left the car for a break he howled his head off ‘coz he didn’t want to get in again! Don’t blame him, it can be awfully cramped in a car-seat on long journeys and he’s old enough now to register protest! Loudly. And I mean LOUDLY! Still, between us, we managed and in general had an interesting journey. We saw a veritable menagerie on the way…herds of cattle & goats, all manner of fowl that streaked across the road in an alarming manner, dogs by their dozen, a few cats, horses, donkeys, bold troops of monkeys and two camels on a road trip of their own!! Ishaan was fascinated by the camels but terrified of them when we stopped to get closer!

 

Trying for the happy-face while camel munches on 😛

 

The first pit-stop on our 9 hour-long journey was Amboli, a tiny hill station, in our neighboring state of Maharashtra, discovered by the British (who else?!) and famous for its narrow winding road that hugs the very edge of the Ghats, one largish waterfall, fabulous views, hoards of brazen monkeys, misty mornings and hot & spicy corn on the cob 🙂 Ever since we’ve started taking this route to Bombay, Amboli has become a mandatory stop and we never tire of the views, the roar of the waterfall (especially after a good monsoon like this one) or the monkeys, who snatch bananas from your hand and raid open-windowed cars with characteristic monkey-boldness! They are a favorite of Ishaan’s (I wonder why? ;-)) and he would have been happy to spend the day watching their antics! We took pictures and then it was time to move on. One spot was rather frightening – it was the site of a major landslide this Monsoon season, and although the road had been cleared, the ton of debris still piled to one side and the eroded mountainside on the other were pretty scary. It’s a long way down to the valley!

 

Happiness @ Amboli 🙂

 

Next stop, the McDonald’s on NH-4 @ Kolhapur for lunch, again a favorite. It has food that we can rely on and clean loos!! Ishaan of course ate only the French Fries and a spoon of vanilla ice-cream (he’s not into sweet stuff!) and refused even a single bite of our burgers. Tummies sated, we were off again and except for short stops to look at the animals and tea, we didn’t stop again until we got to my aunt’s place on the outskirts of Pune, to a grand welcome I might add 🙂

 

'Keshvai'...My aunt's dream home 🙂

 

 

Red on Green...The Tulsi Vrindavan in my aunt's garden.

 

 

Lets play cricket! With my aunt and Pushpa.

 

Our stay in Pune was wonderful! My aunt’s home, ‘Keshvai’, is cozy and her garden though small is both restful and exuberant, if you get what I mean 🙂 The roses were in full bloom and her ‘Chikoo‘ tree was laden with fruit, although not ripe. Her rustic brick-red ‘Tulsi‘ on the tiny patch of green lawn made a pretty picture and the swing outside the back-door offered a shady, calm chilling-spot. Next door, in her neighbor’s garden, grew a Fig, untended and covered with figs! We plucked them off the tree, from her terrace upstairs and munched happily on their juicy sweetness 🙂 Ishaan took to the house like it had always been his 🙂 wandering around the lower floor, exploring the kitchen and the ‘Puja’ room, where he would ring the silver bell used during worship, playing cricket with my aunt and Pushpa on the patch of lawn! While there, we visited a ‘Shiva‘ temple, in an ashram, close to my aunt’s house. In the compound were giant statues of Shiva, his consort Parvati and their son and my favorite deity, ‘Ganesha‘ with his vehicle the mouse. Ishaan recognized them all and was very excited to see them in such huge avatars!

 

The 'Lingam' - Shiva's symbol and the way he is worshiped.

 

 

Giant-sized avatars visible over the countryside...

 

 

And here, a humble stone revered!

 

 

Hanuman - The Monkey God!

 

We also visited the Pune Zoo, where we saw a white tiger, a normal tiger, two leopards, two elephants, a peacock with several peahens and some owls! It’s a large area that includes a lake where they have boating, but as always in India (sadly), poorly maintained and in need of better administration. Still, Ishaan enjoyed the trip and the animals, although most of them were sleeping off the afternoon heat.

 

Figs! We ate a few of these 🙂

 

 

The Lake @ Pune Zoo

 

 

A rose in the garden...one of many!

 

We left Pune on Sunday morning. I was loath to leave, truth be told, both because once in Bombay, Pushpa would finally leave; because I had such a wonderful time catching up with my aunt who is a true ‘kindred spirit’; and because Ishaan had adjusted so well and I was worried whether he would do so again in Bombay.

Our time in Bombay in the next post. Suffice it to say…I needn’t have worried 🙂

p.s. A word on Pune city…not very complimentary I’m afraid. It has the worst and I mean the worst traffic I have ever seen and that’s saying something considering I’m from Goa where the driving is atrocious!! Nobody obeys rules and it’s a free-for-all, with no traffic police in sight! The roads in the Katraj-Kondwa area, where my aunt lives are non-existent and one is jolted from one pothole into another! A crying shame!

Punctuality is NOT a strong point either…the ticketing booth for the car-ride through the Zoo, that was due to re-open after a lunch-break (they haven’t heard of shift-work apparently!!) at 1.30 pm, didn’t open until 1.50 when the girl sauntered in, completely unaffected by the long queues of visitors who had forfeited their lunches and braved the afternoon sun to get tickets!