INDIAN ART & HISTORY

LORD SHIVA, YOGA and

MYTHOLOGY & FOLKLORES

Submitted by: Submitted to:

Paritosh Sharma Prof. Subalakshmi
BD/19/95
LORD SHIVA
The Yogi, the Bhole Nath, the destroyer, Lord Shiva is one of the three founding fathers of the Universe.
Along with Brahma and Vishnu , together called the Trimurti . He is the most important Hindu god for the
Shaivism sect, the patron of yogis and brahmins and also protector of Vedas. In Hindu philosophy any new
can come into existence only when the one before have been lived and a new inception is necessary, Lord
Shiva takes the step, being the destroyer end so a new cycle begins.

1. Shiva is generally thought to have originated from Rudra( a fierce hunter god ) , a god worshipped in
the Indus Valley during the Vedic period .Rudra’s father was the Lord of Beings and mother was Usha , the
goddess of dawn .Crying loudly was the main motivation which led to the name been coined form the word
‘RUD’ meaning to cry loud.

2. He was gifted with tremendous powers and sometimes called “Shiva” an adjective meaning kind or
auspicious as a euphemism .Later on the name ‘Shiva’ got more prominent considering the nature.

3. Some stories say that Shiva was neither born nor deceased and so considered to be a constant. In many
mythological references, there are various names and forms of Shiva.

4. Lingam or linga means a mark or a symbol in Sanskrit . Shivalinga is a symbol of lord Shiva. Shivalinga
is the most symbolic representation of Lord Shiva . It represents the cosmos and the creation of the cosmos.
In the ancient Hindu scripture, “Linga Purana”, it says that the foremost linga is devoid of smell, color, taste
, etc and is spoken of as Prakriti (Nature) itself . Lingam means identification . When a baby is born how do
we know whether the baby is male or female ? Only through the reproductive organ . This is the reason , the
genitals are also called Lingam . It represents the creation of life . Shiva’s lingam represents the phallus and
yoni – both the male and female representation the union of Prakriti and Parusha– The male and female
powers of nature It also signifies Satya , Jnana & Ananta – Truth , Knowledge and Infinity .

Parts of a Shivalinga –

1) Brahma Pitha (the circular base) Symbolizes Brahma (The creator)

2) Vishnu Pitha (The bowl like pedestal in the middle) Symbolizes Vishnu (The preserver)
3) Shiva Pitha (topmost cylindrical pillar with rounded head) Symbolizes Shiva (The destroyer).
5. Nataraja is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the divine dancer. His dance is called Tandavam or
Nadanta, depending on the context of the dance. The pose and artwork is described in many Hindu texts
such as the Anshumadbhed agama and Uttarakamika agama, the dance relief or idol featured in all major
Hindu temples of Shaivism. The Nataraja form essentially comes from Southern India, particularly from
Tamil Nadu. It represents the exuberance of creation, the dance of creation which self-created itself from the
eternal stillness. Nataraja standing in Chidambaram is very symbolic. Shiva Nataraja was made some time
in the eleventh century during the Chola Dynasty (9th-13th centuries C.E.) in south India, in what is now
the state of Tamil Nadu. This image of Shiva is taken from the ancient Indian manual of visual depiction,
the Shilpa Shastras (The Science or Rules of Sculpture), which contained a precise set of measurements and
shapes for the limbs and proportions of the divine figure. Arms were to be long like stalks of bamboo, faces
round like
The moon, and eyes shaped like almonds or the leaves of a lotus. The Shastras were a primer on the ideals
of beauty and physical perfection within ancient Hindu ideology. The following are the five most important
elements, indicating the
Panchakritya, or five key acts of the Nataraja.

6. Srishti or creation: The Nataraja’s rear left arm carries the

hourglass-shaped drum, damru, the vibrations of which
create the universe. Some conflate this with the Big Bang of
cosmic creation.

7. Samhara or destruction: The raised, rear right-hand

carries the fire that atrophies matter to a formless state, only
for regeneration. In that sense, it is the fire of transformation,
not destruction. It implies constant change, echoing the
Buddhist precept of “There’s no being, only becoming.”

8. Sthithi or maintenance/protection: The open palm of the

forehand indicates an assurance: There is nothing to fear
about constant cosmic overhaul; change is normal and I’m
here to protect you.

9. Tirobhava or concealment: The hidden lower-left palm

pointing downwards says he’s the creator of maya, illusion or
the veil of ignorance.

10.Anugraha or blessing or liberation: The raised left foot,

combined with the closed hand, signifies the option available
before the seeker: moksha or liberation from ignorance and,
by implication, from the cycle of birth and death.
A few more elements complement the idea of Panchakritya. These are:
11. Muyalaka or Apasmara: This dwarf demon at the Nataraja’s feet represents the evils of ignorance and ego,
to be trampled upon if one must rise to a higher plane of self-actualisation.

12. Circle of fire: The frame around Nataraja is maya, illusion, as experienced through the cyclical phenom
non of birth & death. Yet, for all the esoteric ideas attributed to him, the dancing lord likely has more earthy
origins.
YOGA
1. Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India.
Yoga is one of the six Āstika (orthodox) schools of Hindu philosophical traditions. It brings together physical
and mental disciplines to achieve a peaceful body and mind; it helps manage stress and anxiety and keeps you
relaxing. It also helps in increasing flexibility, muscle strength and body tone. It helps you remain in harmony
with the Universe. Yoga is not just a form of exercise, meditation but it is a way of life.

2. The word yoga was first mentioned in the oldest sacred texts, the Rig Veda. The Sanskrit noun Yoga is
derived from the sanskrit root (yuj )“to attach, join, harness, yoke”. In the context of yoga sutras, the word
Yoga means Union.

3. In the yogic culture, Shiva is not known as a god, but as the Adiyogi or the first yogi – the originator of
yoga. According to the yogic lore, over fifteen thousand years ago, Shiva attained to his full enlightenment
and abandoned himself in an intense ecstatic dance upon the Himalayas. When his ecstasy allowed him
some movement, he danced wildly. When it became beyond movement, he became utterly still. Seven men
requested Shiva to impart his knowledge but Shiva rejected their request by saying they did not have enough
preparation to understand what he has to offer completely. The seven men stayed firm on their pursuit to
acquire the knowledge & started preparing, after a period of time they had become shining receptacles of
knowing & Shiva just couldn’tignore them anymore. He watched them closely for the next few days and when
the next full moon rose, he decided to become a Guru. The Adiyogi transformed himself into the Adi Guru;
the first Guru was born on that day which is today known as Guru Purnima. On the banks of Kanti Sarovar, a
lake that lies a few kilometers above Kedarnath, he turned South to shed his grace upon the human race, and
the transmission of the yogic science to these seven people began.

4. After many years, when the transmission was complete, it produced seven fully enlightened beings – the
seven celebrated sages who are today known as the Saptarishis, and are worshipped and admired in Indian
culture. Shiva put different aspects of yoga into each of these seven people, and these aspects became the
seven basic forms of yoga. Even today, yoga has maintained these seven distinct forms.

5. The Saptarishis were sent in seven different directions to different parts of the world to carry this
dimension with which a human being can evolve beyond his present limitations and compulsions. They
became the limbs of Shiva, taking the knowledge and technology of how a human being can exist here as
the Creator himself, to the world. The seven Rishis are Kashyapa, Atri, Vasistha, Vishvamitra, Gautama
Maharishi, Jamadagni and Bharadvaja.

6.There are different forms of Yoga each one of them is explained

below as follows. An Asana is a body posture, originally and still
a general term for a sitting meditation pose, and later extended in
hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise, to any type of pose or
position, adding reclining, standing, inverted, twisting, and balancing
poses.

7. Mudra means “seal,” “gesture,” or “mark.” Yoga mudras are

sym bolic gestures often practiced with the hands and fingers. They
facilitate the flow of energy in the subtle body and enhance one’s
journey within.
8. Pranayama is a type of meditation technique that involves various ways of controlling the breathing,
with the goal being to withdraw ones senses from the outside world. This helps one to raise one’s prana (or
Kundalini energy in this case) up the deep spine to the spiritual eye or sixth chakra, which brings one to
enlightenment.

9. Bandha means to lock, close-off, to stop. In the practice of a Bandha, the energy flow to a particular area
of the body is blocked. When the Bandha is released, this causes the energy to flood more strongly through
the body with an increased pressure.

10. In the yogic world, chants are called mantra. ‘Mantra’ is a Sanskrit word that can be translated as
‘words of power’ or ‘free the mind’. Their purpose is to shift our focus from our mind thoughts to our heart
intelligence, and ultimately to experience union with the divine.

11. The Kriya yoga system consists of a number of levels of pranayama, mantra, and mudra based on
techniques intended to rapidly accelerate spiritual development and engender a profound state of tranquility
and God-communion.

Mythology & Folklores

The word mythology derives from the word ‘mithya’ which means false. But myths are based on facts.

1. Most Egyptian myths are based on sun and water. Egypt being a desert region, the main source of water is
the river Nile, and the main source of life is sun. Ninety percent of Nile dries up during summers and gets
back up during the rains, and that’s where the myth of coming back to life comes from. Hence it can be said
that myths are not completely false as they are based on truth.

2. There gargoyles that can be seen in front of Indian temples. The gargoyles are considered to be guardian
figures.

3. Some of the famous Indian mythologies are epics like Mahabharata, Ramayana, Panchatantra,
Dashavatara.

4. Folklores are stories that are created by people and are carried down to many generations.

5. One such example is, in the village near Sundarbans, people worship Ban Debi (vandevi), who is a form
of lord Shiva. People need to worship him before entering the forest, in order to not get eaten by the tigers.
The god is an unusual form of lord Shiva. Turns out, he was originally a landlord who was loved by the
people and hence become a god to the natives. He is represented as Shiva since lord Shiva is the most
worship lord in Hinduism.

7. When the people used to treasure the presence of a person and used to respect them fully, they would
start consdering them as God’s. Some other examples are Jake and the Beanstalk , Heer Ranjha ,etc.

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