Description

Of all the gods in Hinduism, Shiva is the most fascinating and intriguing. He is

an outsider who lives on the fringes of tradition and is yet not only a prominent

third of the great Hindu Trinity but also Mahadev-the greatest of them all-

baffling and transcending human presuppositions of the Divine. In his supremacy,

Shiva stands outside, even contradicts, human categories and conventions. He

appears to be the embodiment of paradoxes but in fact transcends them-the

epitome of rage and horror as Bhairava and Rudra and yet also the zenith of

auspiciousness and gentleness as Pashupati and Ashutosh. He is the misfit who

challenges distinctions between sacred and profane, rich and poor, right and

wrong. He is at once the great yogi, the ascetic-turned-householder and the

vagabond. He is, finally, Lord of the Cosmic Dance-the timeless dance of

dissolution, creation and regeneration.

This anthology is an attempt to explore and understand the diverse and enigmatic

forms of this many-faceted god, through the thought and meditations of some

of the finest poets, academics, scholars and devotees, across time and place-

including Lal Ded, Mahadeviyakka, Swami Vivekananda, Aldous Huxley, Kalidasa,

Sri Aurobindo, Basavanna, Adi Shankaracharya, Acharya Abhinavagupta, Allama

Prabhu, Ananda Coomaraswamy, Namita Gokhale, Devdutt Pattanaik, Stella

Kramrisch, Wendy Doniger and Nilima Chitgopekar.

Whether you are a believer, an agnostic or on the fence, this engrossing

collection, edited by Karan Singh-one of the most respected authorities on

India's varied traditions and philosophies-will certainly pique your curiosity

about the great concept and conundrum that is Shiva.