During my
daily morning walks I stop at the Shiva temple on the way. Not to pray but to
say good morning to the lord just as I do to other people (he might be feeling
lonely in the temple). His face has a charm that it is difficult to remove my
eyes from it. Today a random thought came to my mind that time.
Shiva is
the symbolism of the destructive force of the universe. How beautifully the cosmic dance of
transformation (or destruction according to popular notion) is depicted in the
Hindu mythology.
Personification
of natural forces and the associated art of sculpturing developed so richly in
ancient India
Shiva is
the symbol of destruction or as I think, transformation, that is, intense activity.
But usually in the popular images or the ancient temple statues his face is
visualized as having an eternal serenity. He is the yogeshwar as well as the Nataraj.
His nature is so different from the
normal behavior that we tend to show in
our lives when there is work to do.
I often
wonder that it gives us the message that in our daily hectic schedules, tough
deadlines, commitments, social networks, aspirations, there is intense
activity. But that eternal serenity is lost many a times. While keeping a focus on all activities we
often forget to concentrate on that locus of inactivity. We tend to lose that
focal point which should be in a perpetual state of calm. That is in our
activities a balanced state is absent.
This focal
point or the balanced state helps us tide over all our external disturbances
and still maintain calm and efficiency. It helps us stay detached from our own
life sometimes to help us introspect and maintain an objective view of our
priorities and goals.
