Reading Notes: Nivedita's Shiva, Part B

I think I preferred this storytelling style to the one in Part A of this week's reading, as I felt like I was more able to follow the story and get a clearer picture of Shiva.  Since it is longer bursts, I decided I'd do my notes in bullet format for this reading.

The Story of Shiva, the Great God
By: Sister Nivedita

• Shiva's favorite places are wild and lonely places
• He doesn't appear to be a god, he dresses as a lowly traveler with matted hair and a begging bowl
• Constantly rapt in meditation
• His one true desire is to destroy the ignorance of souls and let light come
• He has infinite compassion, desiring to reveal the cause of sin and error to men so that they may overcome
• Only keeps devotees who call themselves masterless
• Rides on a shabby old bull rather than a horse or elephant 
• Regards the lame and crooked and blind as his own - loneliness and deformity and poverty are passwords to his heart
• His third eye pierces to the heart of all hypocrisy and he can burn anything untrue to ash in a glance with it

(Shiva meditating; Image Source)

Sati, the Perfect Wife

By: Sister Nivedita

• Duksha hates Shiva because Shiva would not bow to him, but in reality, he was protecting him, because it is a great curse when someone mightier than another bows at the weaker one's feet. Shiva thought he was respecting Duksha, but Duksha took it as a mighty insult
• Sati means being and existence, proving her goodness because "nothing really exists but goodness"
• Her heart was devoted to Shiva, but their love was forbidden by Duksha. However, at her swayamvara, Shiva wins her hand and Duksha has no choice
• Duksha exiles his daughter and Shiva takes her away
• Sati is angered when she finds out that her father is holding a feast and she and Shiva weren't invited. Shiva begs her not to go to him, but she does anyways
• After a mighty fight between Sati and Duksha, she drops dead
• Shiva's wrath burns and he wages war. He chooses not to kill Duksha, but to put a goat head on his human body.
• He caries Sati's body across the earth as Vishnu follows and breaks her body into pieces so he can have peace
• Sati is born again in Uma/Parvati

Reading Notes: Nivedita's Shiva, Part A

Sati
By: Sister Nivedita
Sati was the youngest daughter of the chief of the gods, Daksha. She became Shiva's wife, but that was unpleasing for her father, Daksha, because he did not like Shiva. However, Daksha was coerced into allowing the marriage when he held Sati's swayamvara and Shiva won her hand. Later down the road, Dakhsa holds a festival without inviting Shiva. This insults Sati greatly and she confronts her father, grows very angry, and falls dead at his feet.

The Anger of Shiva
By: Sister Nivedita

Shiva is seriously angry when he hears about Sati. He births a demon from a lock of his hair and ordrs it to lead his army against Daksha. Brahma advises all the gods to make peace with Shiva because he could easily destroy the entire universe. After speaking to Brahma, Shiva decides to give Daksha a goat head and to restore his broken limbs. We're reminded that Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma are a trinity, not their own sole entities. They are three in one. 

Earlier Myths

By: Sister Nivedita

Shiva carries Sati's body across the earth, his sorrow destroying nature with every step he takes. Vishnu is trailing behind him, restoring the earth and slowly cutting up Sati's body so that Shiva is carrying less and less weight. Once the weight is gone, Shiva retires alone to keep to himself in meditation. We learn that Sati's body was cut into 52 pieces, which is tied to the 52 weeks of the year. 

(Shiva carrying Sati's body, with Vishnu close behind; Image Source)

Shiva's Fishing

By: Sister Nivedita

As I read more stories about these gods, the more they remind me of the gods of Greek and Roman mythology I'm more familiar with. Shiva is making one rash decision after another. Here, he grows angry with Parvati because she daydreams while he's explaining a difficult Veda to her, and casts her to earth to be a fisherman's wife. He quickly realizes he has made a mistake because Parvati is his love and she should only be with him. Years pass and when Parvati's fisherman father declares that whoever can capture the treacherous shark causing mischievous will marry his daughter, Shiva takes his chance and wins his wife back. A rash decision caused years of trouble, which is a common theme when it comes to mythology. 

Shiva's Dance

By: Sister Nivedita

Shiva learns of 10,000 rishis who were teaching that souls have no god and salvation is achieved through works rather than faith. He decides he needs to teach them the truth, so he and Vishnu enter the forest disguised as a wandering yogi and his wife. The rishis soon realize something is wrong so they begin to cast curse after curse, but Shiva easily knocks down each challenge. When they send a great goblin after him, he begans to dance on the goblin's back. The rishis realize that they are in the presence of a god and give themselves to his worship.