A Research of Shiva: The Enigma

Based on the various translations I have done of the sthotrams, mantras, Tantras, Upanishads etc., I find our understanding of Shiva is quite different from what is described in these literatures. The notion of Shiva as a God, its religious association with divinity, as a belief or any emotions associated with it seems alien when these texts are translated and read. I find by associating emotions, judgement and conclusions based on judgement to the concept of Shiva, we have lost the knowledge of Shiva and romanticised it according to our needs.

This book is based on my research and translations of these literatures, the conclusions that I have drawn based on my translations, as to what Shiva possibly could have meant. You can read the translations at my blog https://ancientinsight.online.

According to the various muddled versions of the various “Gods” that exist for the Hindus, “Shiva”, “Vishnu” and “Brahma” are the three mahadevas. If “devas” truly means “energies” (See the explanation of this in my Aitreya Upanishad translation at https://ancientinsight.online/2018/03/05/aitreya-upanishad-part-1/), then a “mahadeva” must mean “prime energy”. Further, the addled versions of the description of these “Mahadevas”, lead us to conclude that “Shiva” is the destroyer, “Vishnu” is equilibrium and “Brahma” the creator.

If "I" is the observer, then, to begin understanding the truth, we need to study “that which is previous to the observer coming into effect”. Now, if Vishnu establishes equilibrium, it means “Vishnu” is a concept that can come into effect only after “a whole lot of possibilities has been already chosen”. It is concept that ensures those set of possibilities that form a more stable equilibrium is selected as opposed to those that are un-stable. “Brahma” creates. This can only come after an equilibrium of chosen possibilities is established, create something in that equilibrium. So, Vishnu and Brahma are concepts that retain us in the realm of this reality, as opposed to taking us back beyond this environment of reality into the realm of possibilities.

But, Shiva is different. “Shiva” is considered a destroyer. Destruction is not the same as “death”. In Hindu philosophy death is just another state and the deva (energy) responsible for this state is “Yama” not “Shiva”. In fact, there are stories where death was warded off because the person was praying to “Shiva” when his time of death came. So, the questions arise: “What is being destroyed and from what and into what is it being destroyed?” If death still remains in the realm of reality, then the destruction that is talked about here should be distinctly different what occurs within reality.

Here then, we find is one concept that potentially could form the link between that “unmanifested” from which this reality around us is formed and destruction of the chosen possibility returns it back into the original unmanifested. Both directions are “Shiva”, where the unmanifested manifests into a chosen possibility and a chosen possibility is destroyed and returns back to the unmanifested.