Love Kush - Beginnin'

My Lord Shiva

Allowing almost everything which is otherwise considered a taboo in religion, here's a God who apparently makes mistakes fearlessly and deals with them in a surprisingly calm way. Whaaaat?! Definitely, someone who is not a sucker for rules, he is fairly easy to please and breaks all stereotypes of being a God.

           Cool, chic he wears a dreadlocks, fun, unpredictable (unlike most Gods), and extremely popular with the young and the old alike, Lord Shiva deals with the cosmos, meditates most of the time, likes to mind his own business, has a crazy mix of anger and calm, and is someone whose stories have managed to appeal every generation of people.

Here are some Stories and interesting facts about him Summarized All together.

Shri Hanuman Ji, son of Anjana and Kesari, is actually an avatar of Lord Shiva. It is believed that Hanuman is the eleventh avatar of Lord Shiva. Several Known for his devotion to Lord Rama, the son of Anjana and Kesari, blessed by the Hindu God of wind, Vayu, Hanuman is celebrated for his devotion to Lord Rama.

          Ravana, the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic Ramayana, was one of the greatest devotees of Lord Shiva It is said, when Ravana tried to uproot Mount Kailash, Shiva trapped him beneath Kailash. To redeem himself, Ravana started pleasing Shiva by singing hymns and playing instruments. Eventually, over many years, Shiva freed him from under the mountain and blessed him.

                Even Kamadeva, the Hindu God of love and Cupid's equivalent, could not distract Shiva successfully with his tricks. He had to face the consequence when he tried to Distract Him From Meditating. When Devas were waging a war against Tarakasur, they needed Shiva's help but Shiva was busy meditating. So the Devas asked Kamadeva to pierce Shiva with his love arrows. But Shiva, who was in deep meditation, woke up in rage and burned Kamadeva down to ashes with his third eye.

            The snake around Shiva's neck reinforces a sense of stillness. The mountains, snow and the Holy River Ganga Flows from Lord Shiva's dreads, It's is a symbol representing his sense of calmness. Self-contained and content, Shiva is a           

**symbol of calm and peace**

The Trident or Trishul of Lord Shiva unites the three worlds a human being is associated with - his inside world, the immediate world around him and the broader world. The trident shows a harmony between the three.

Cannabis is one of the primary offerings in Lord Shiva's worship. On the auspicious day of Shivaratri, the Shaivites, a sect of followers, consume Bhang (a beverage prepared from cannabis) and smoke weed. Popular among the followers, this is one hell of an offering for a God.

Shiva has three lines of ash smeared on his forehead in a horizontal orientation. The lines represent the destruction of the three worlds of Hinduism. It suggests inertia and lack of movement and refers to the merging of the three worlds to become one with the self.

          Once Upon A Time When The Devas and Asuras started churning the milky ocean in order to obtain Amrit . In the process, they found a fatal poison - the Halahala poison, that had to be sucked out of the ocean. Without thinking of the consequences, Shiva drank all the poison and Parvati (Shiv ji's Holy Wife) pressed his throat in order to stop the poison from spreading to other parts of his body - which is the reason behind his blue throat. He's been the savior of the universe since then and still.

As per Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva was on his way to Kashi along with millions of gods and goddesses. He asked all of them to wake up before sunrise the following day, before taking a night's rest in Unakoti, Tripura. But in the morning, no one woke up except Shiva. This made him furious and he set out for Kashi on his own, cursing the others to become stone statues; those statues are still visible in and around the temples of Shivji in the Hills Of Tripura.

I've always been a true believer of Lord Shiva, since I was a little kid and still. I've always believed that Shivji's been looking over me as when I was a little kid I used to run off to his temple above the hills nearing my house, And his holy eyes on me are a blessing itself.