The book of Shiva / Namita Gokhale.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gokhale, Namita, 1956-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Śiva (Hindu deity).

Śiva.

Siva (Hindu deity).

Physical Description:

130 pages : illustrations ; 18 cm

Place of Publication:

New Delhi ; New York, NY : Viking, 2001.

Summary:

Shiva: Destroyer and Protector, Supreme Ascetic and Lord of the Universe. He is Ardhnarishwara, 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? Why does he roam the world as a naked ascetic covered with ash? What was the tandava? What is the story behind the worship of the linga and what vision of the world does it signify? Namita Gokhale examines these questions and many others that lie within the myriad stories about Shiva. Even as she unravels his complexities, she finds a philosophy and world-view that is terrifying and yet life-affirming -- an outlook that is to many the essence of Indian thought.

Contents:

The Manifestations of Shiva 13

Shiva as Mahakala 21

Tandava, the Great Dance of Shiva 27

Shiva-Shakti: The Reconciliation of Male-Female Polarities 31

The Divine Family of Shiva 43

Swallowing the World Poison 53

Popular Legends and Scriptural Tales 59

The Erotic and Ascetic Aspect of Shiva 67

Shiva in the Daruvana 77

The Worship of Shiva 87

The Twelve Jyotirlingas 97

Schools of Shiva Consciousness 109

Satyam Shivam Sundaram 117

Songs of Shiva 125.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [129]-130).

ISBN:

0670049069

OCLC:

49332450