Epics of India - MLLL 4993-996

Shiva Shiva is commonly known as the destroyer. However, Shiva is a calm and withdrawn being. What Shiva Destroys There are three main things listed throughout sacred literature. Kamataka - The destroyer of Kama, desire Yamantaka the destroyer of Yama, death Tripurantaka - they destroyer of Tripura, the three worlds Symbolism Ash is the symbol of destruction and permanence. It also represents the immortal soul and is often depicted in three lines across Shiva's forehead. Shiva's trident represents the three worlds combined into one. Shiva destroys this three worlds by closing his eyes. He quits observing the world and similar to Narayan he is cut off from the world when he does so. Shiva's Marriage As Shiva was originally a hermit the world was facing a constant treat of destruction through his indifference. Vishnu knew that this was a problem and arranged a marriage for Shiva. By doing so this engages Shiva into the material world, also called Shankara. Sh

Gods and Goddesses Images of God are imperfect, no matter the form. In Hinduism the form of God is never limited to one form alone. There are three main males and three main female forms of god. For the men there is Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. For the women, there is Parvati, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. Material vs. Spiritual Material Reality Contained within space and time Has form Represented best by the human female form Spiritual reality Cannot be contained within space and time Formless and immeasurable Best represented by the human male form Ardhanari-eshwara Meaning: God as half woman. One of the key aspects that was discussed in this section that the spiritual form of the male Gods cannot be expressed without the ever-changing ideologies represented by the female form. These representations of combined masculine and feminine gods indicates that the Indian mythology is comfortable with feminine sexuality, but unfortunately society does not reflex that view.