THROUGH MORTAL EYES – I

It is always interesting and insightful to look at the Indian mythological stories through a different lens. The subtle underlying meanings jump out at you if you keep an open mind. The so-called stories, for the seekers of truth, are a mine of diamonds, waiting to be discovered and polished by the seeker’s understanding and acceptance.

Let us look at the stories of Parvati, Bhringi, Kartikeya, Ganesh, Ashok Sundari and Nandi. They all revolve around the central figure of Shiva. These stories are invariably read as stories of Gods and Goddesses and therefore, the ordinary human being finds it difficult to relate with them. Very often, the thinking, that it is beyond the average human to emulate what the stories portray becomes a deterrent in understanding the many layers that lie hidden and unexplored under the read word.

If we were to regard the characters of Parvati, Bhringi, Kartikeya, Ganesh, Ashok Sundari and Nandi as human beings, each a seeker of truth, the central figure of Shiva as the Guru, would it be possible for us to relate to them better?

The salient points (simplified to the absolute basics) of the story of Shiva and Parvati as mythology tells us are:

a) Shiva is an ascetic

b) The immense penance Parvati undertakes to win Shiva as her husband.

c) The reason for this is that the world needs Shiva as a householder, so that he begets progeny, who would then kill the demons who were troubling the denizens of this universe.

Keeping the premise, Shiva (a renunciate) is the Guru and Parvati, a seeker of truth – her penance can be viewed at two levels. One as her search for her Guru. Two, the trials and tribulation she had to face to grasp the depth of divine knowledge and thereby be enlightened. Hers was a path of advait. Everything for her rested in her Guru.

For a disciple like her who follows the path of advait, in the search for the truth, the energies are always focused on the divine learnings and service to the Guru, in whom rests all the knowledge and all forms of relationships. There is no third element of focus that needs to be contended with. Of course, the means of living in the physical world still need to be attended to.

The third aspect of the story – the movement of Shiva from an ascetic to a householder, probably can be viewed as the development of another path to the divine, i.e., the path of dvait. The second aspect that this movement tells us, is that the divine can be known even by an ordinary man, like you and me, who needs to fulfill the obligations of being a man of the world. Shiva, the householder Guru, is an ideal example of a man who is in the world but not of the world. Parvati can also be viewed as a disciple-wife, with the renunciate Guru taking the form of a householder Guru.

The progeny here again has a two-fold meaning. It is the reference to the knowledge that resides within Shiva which the world needs access to. It is only with the dissemination of this knowledge that the mortal world can understand the true meaning of human existence. This understanding equips us to better deal with the highs and lows of life. The progeny, is also, a reference to the disciples who come from varied backgrounds and belief systems. They need to overcome their own human shortcomings (personal demons) and worldly problems (the demons at large that affect everyone), all the while being focused on reacquainting themselves with the truth and achieving oneness with the divine.