Nandi, the loyal, the ever-present companion of Shiva. It is said that his father, Sage Shilaada, undertook intense penance to be blessed with a son like him. Nandi is said to be like Shiva. Shiva asked the sage to call the son by the name Nandi when he granted the sage his heart’s desire. He is said to have been born with all the insignia that we associate with Shiva, the Divine, i.e., trinetra (three-eyed), chaturbhuj (four-armed), trishul (trident), Pinaki (Shiva’s bow) etc. From his childhood, Nandi was not only an intelligent, willing student but was also an ardent devotee of Shiva. He undertook severe penance to spare his father the heartache of losing his child (i.e., Nandi) at the young age of 8. Shiva was pleased with his devotion and granted him the boon that he would forever be a friend, companion, soulmate to Shiva and the gatekeeper of Kailash.
Sage Shilaada as a disciple/follower of Shiva, the Guru, knows that only his guru can fulfil his yearning for a son. Shiva as the Guru is equally aware of not only the desires of his disciples but also the destiny of each of his disciple/follower. As much as he is aware of his own role in facilitating and felicitating the birth of an enlightened soul. Therefore, Nandi’s birth can be understood as the birth of an enlightened soul, even that of a prophet or avatar – the insignia of the divine representing the blessings of other enlightened souls/spiritual beings.
One can view Sage Shilaada’s penance as the creation of an environment of the Guru’s choosing. An environment that would be conducive for such a soul to reacquaint itself with the divine laws and pierce through the veil that the earthly realm shrouds the human being with. The death of such a disciple at a young age is to be understood, as death, not of the physical body. It has to be viewed as the enlightening of the disciple that naturally leads to the death of worldly desires. A disciple who is a reincarnation of an enlightened soul is naturally inclined towards the divine. Therefore, his penance is his extreme steadfast devotion, that finds expression in constant remembrance of the Divine. Such a disciple is meditative by nature. By undertaking penance to spare his father the pain, the Guru is making Nandi, the disciple realize and understand the immense responsibility that lies on his shoulder, that of working tirelessly and selflessly for the good of mankind
Nandi being likened to Shiva, signifies the Guru-Shishiya parampara i.e., he is representative of a disciple who has been chosen as the successor to the Guru (gatekeeper of Kailash). In other words, the Guru who himself is one with the Divine, an embodiment of the Divine knowledge, himself the gatekeeper, who is passing on his mantle to his disciple. As the gatekeeper, both safeguarding the knowledge and transmitting the knowledge is the mammoth responsibility of the Guru-Shishiya parampara. The successor-disciple has imbibed the Guru’s teachings without distortions and is so attuned to the nuances of the Guru, that the other disciples can assess the mood, the needs and unvoiced instructions of the Guru just by observing the successor-disciple. The disciple, therefore, is a conduit between the Guru and the rest of his disciples as much as he is the conduit between the Guru and the world. It is through him, that, the Guru’s teachings reach the world at large.
Very nice..beautiful readā¤