The Lord Shiva Narrative

5 star praise for THE LORD SHIVA NARRATIVE: "Erudite but easy to read." "Delightful commentary throughout the book enabling the reader to transcend time to fully experience the narratives while imparting moral values and life lessons along the way." "Thorough, well-written, and informative." "A scholarly piece of work but with the author's trademark conversational tone and amusing side notes." Book Description: Lord Shiva is The Destroyer, The Lord of Animals, The King of The Dance and The Primeval Sage. Readers are invited on a journey through thousands of years of folklore, scripture, temple depictions, and philosophy to discover The Lord Shiva Narrative. The book has four parts, each relevant for readers at one of the four "Ashrama" stages of life Student-Householder-Retiree-Aesthetic: Part A (Brahmacharya Student) includes the engaging adventures of Lord Shiva and then distills these into fifty-two (weekly) moral lessons; Part B (Grihastha Householder) is a walk through the Hindu Scriptures; Part C (Vanaprastha Retiree) is a review of Lord Shiva Temples; Part D (Sannyasa Aesthetic) relates to the non-dualist philosophy of the seventy-seven Shiva Sutras. "Relevant to all ages. It is well structured for a younger audience in part A whilst also serving as a source of reference to others for the philosophy of Lord Shiva." Dr. R Thavasothy, Consultant Psychiatrist.

The traditional understanding of Shiva told through stories and teachings from the Shiva Mahapurana • Explains Shiva’s contradictory forms, such as destroyer or benefactor, and how his form depends on the needs of the devotee • Reveals how Shiva’s teachings allow one to see through the illusions at the root of all grief and alienation in human life • Explores Shiva’s relationships with Durga, Shakti, Sati, and Parvati and with his sons Ganesha and Kartikeya Shiva, the most ancient and complex deity of the Hindu pantheon, has been portrayed in many contrasting lights: destroyer and benefactor, ascetic and householder, wild demon slayer and calm yogi atop Mount Kailash. Drawing from the Hindu sacred text the Shiva Mahapurana--said to be written by Shiva himself--Vanamali selects the essential stories of Shiva, both those from his dark wild side and those from his benevolent peaceful side. Vanamali discusses Shiva’s many avatars such as Shambunatha and Bhola, as well as Dakshinamurti who taught the shastras and tantras to the rishis. She explores Shiva’s relationships with Durga, Shakti, Sati, and Parvati and with his sons Ganesha and Kartikeya. Examining Shiva’s acceptance of outsiders, Vanamali explains why ghosts and ghouls are his attendants and why his greatest devotees are demon kings, like Ravana. She includes famous Shiva stories such as the Descent of the River Ganga and Churning the Milky Ocean as well as those that reveal the origin of the festival of lights, Diwali; his creation of the cosmic couple, or hierogamos; and how Shiva and Parvati taught the world the secrets of Kundalini Shakti. The author also draws upon Shaivite teachings to illustrate the differences between Western science and Vedic science and their explanations for the origins of consciousness. Integrating Shiva’s two sides, the fierce and the peaceful, Vanamali reveals that Shiva’s form depends on the needs of the devotee. Understanding his teachings allows one to see through the illusions at the root of all grief and alienation in human life, for Shiva is the wielder of maya who does not fall under its spell. While Ganesha is known as the remover of obstacles, Shiva is the remover of tears.

Includes the following titles: Sati and Shiva, Shiva and Parvati, Tales of Shiva, Ganesha, Karttikeya

India, 1955. As the scars of Partition are beginning to heal, seventeen-year-old Meera sits enraptured: in the spotlight is Dev, singing a song so infused with passion that it arouses in her the first flush of erotic longing. But when Meera's reverie comes true, it does not lead to the fairy-tale marriage she imagined. Meera has no choice but to obey her in-laws, tolerate Dev's drunken night-time fumblings, even observe the most arduous of Hindu fasts for his longevity. A move to Bombay seems at first like a fresh start, but soon that dream turns to ashes. It is only when their son is born that things change and Meera is ready to unleash the passion she has suppressed for so long.

This is a mesmerizing magical journey of divine love... The purest of pure love between Lord Shiva & Gauri. An enchanting narration of the divine pastimes of a Handsome God & His Beautiful Consort; it is not just about their blissful times spent together, but is also an expression of the love between God & His Devotee. This is Gauri's journey of love... She is not just Lord Shiva's wife, but is also the greatest devotee of Lord Shiva! Gauri, from an ordinary human being became a Goddess solely through the Intensity of Her love for Lord Shiva! Through Her journey of love, She teaches us the true meaning of Love, Devotion & Surrender and gives this message to us all that whoever, with a pure heart & pious love like Hers will love God unconditionally, will definitely attain His Grace & Love, just like She did... because He resides in all of us, in our hearts, He is The Soul of our souls...In her all-consuming eagerness to please him, she started dancing with increased ardor; her feet moved very fast . . . the jingling of her anklets became louder than before; it appeared as if each & every pore of her being was reverberating with his name through that blissful dance, wanting to melt in him . . . eventually she lost all consciousness and fell at his feet like a fluttering butterfly! At that very moment the skies thundered, a cool breeze started flowing with the showering of a soft drizzle. Lord Shiva got up from his seat, bent down and with intense care & compassion, picked her up like a dainty flower in his muscular arms! Just by his mere thought, he created a beautiful cavern, the loveliness of which could only be a lover's delight! He went inside & sat down on a bed of perfumed red roses, gently placing his beloved along with him on that bed with her head resting on the soft pillow of his lap . . .

Shiva: Destroyer and Protector, Supreme Ascetic and Lord of the Universe. He is Ardhanarishwara, half-man and half-woman; he is Neelakantha, who drank poison to save the three worlds-and yet, when crazed with grief at the death of Sati, set about destroying them. Shiva holds within him the answers to some of the greatest dilemmas that have perplexed mankind. Who is Shiva? Namita Gokhale examines this question and many others that lie within the myriad of stories about Shiva. Even as she unravels his complexities, she finds a philosophy and worldview that is terrifying and yet life affirming-an outlook that is to many the essence of Indian thought.

Lord Shiva is immortal, supreme consciousness who doesn't have the physical realities, but all the physical entities are within him. He is the one who is responsible for taking care of the process of creation and destruction. It is astonishing to know that Shiva is entirely different from other deities and never takes birth on earth as a human. He is the ultimate transformer and omniscient Lord of the World.In contemporary to that, there is another aspect of Shiva which is more human than us. He is the powerful, peaceful, promising, attractive, and beloved husband of Goddess Shakti. This book will take you to the journey of Shiva and Goddess Shakti; you will come to know how they got separated from each other and again united with more love and devotion. Through this book, you will come to know that goddess Shakti keeps manifesting herself to get married to Shiva. Their love story gives a meaningful message of respect, trust, and love.

The 'Brihakatha', or Lord Shiva's narrative to his wife Parvati, is featured in Gunadhya's epic composition 'Katha Sarita Sagara' in Sanskrit. Somadeva's adaptation retains the storyline, with Lord Shiva substituting for Lord Kubera, the God of Wealth. C H Tawney, blending pure Hindu mythology with Buddhist and tantric beliefs, translated the story into English as The Ocean of a Story, which runs 12 volumes and includes footnotes. Shiva's Own Story is a condensed version of Tawney's work. The setting of the stories is India in the 10th and 11th centuries, when the country was composed of many small kingdoms and fiefdoms. There was no dearth of monarchs with dynastic ambitions. The king was usually advised by an intelligent and devoted Brahman minister. The heir apparent, the crown prince, had a circle of friends, mostly sons of the king's ministers, who became part of the cabinet when the prince became king. Intrigue was rife and matrimonial alliances were often a strategy to expand the kingdom. In a country where illiteracy is still formidable, storytelling is a means of promoting and propagating religious and moral culture.

This book is a guide for one who is ready to diligently walk the spiritual path. Great new vistas open up throughout its 365 daily lessons as Gurudeva shares, in the clearest terms, deep metaphysical insights into the nature of God, soul and world, mind, emotions, ultimate realizations, chakras, purpose of life on earth and much, much more. Simple but effective practices are taught: how to remould our nature and karmas, calm the mind, develop self-esteem, begin to meditate, clear up the past and create a bright future. At the same time, the seeker is guided in establishing a regular devotional and yogic practice whereby the gains of his inner life and realizations are stabilized and used in practical ways.

A profound work of spiritual fiction with a heartwarming message Asananda, a monk belonging to the Order of Hope, is sent on a journey to the Himalayas by his guru to find the mystical Book of Shiva. Along the way, he meets mysterious tantrics, Vedic teachers, a bhikshu who walks backwards to discover his future, and people who seek liberation from remorse, suffering and the evil that haunts them. He becomes the instrument of the guru's grace, which opens the door to the universal soul and transforms life through unexpected miracles. Drawing on fables and myths from Eastern and European cultures, The Book of Shiva is a spiritual novel filled with extraordinary tales of freedom, serenity, loss and, most of all, wisdom.