7 Secrets of Shiva

About the Book: 7 Secrets of Shiva

Smeared with ash, draped in animal hide, with a crescent moon adorning his matter locks, lord Shiva sits atop the snow-capped Mount Kailash. With none but dogs for company he is the one they call the Destroyer. None disturb his mediations for they fear annihilation. Locked in his myths, legends and rituals are many secrets. This book attempts to unlock seven.

Part of the 'Trimurti' or the Holy Hindu Trinity, along with Brahma the Creator and Vishnu the Preserver, Shiva is filled with contradictions and surrounded by controversy. While he is best known for his volatile temper, his animal skin loincloth and his ash smeared body, he is also known for his love and devotion to his beautiful wife and his children. Shiva is worshipped in many forms from Lingeshwara, Kala Bhairava and Sundareshwara to Shankara and Nataraja, all forms that the author introduces and analyzes in this book. Devdutt Pattainaik also discusses in detail his two sons Ganesha and Kartikeya, and Shiva's relationship with them. The author goes on to interpret these contradictions in the nature of Shiva, inspecting their symbolisms and introduces the reader to various Shaivite practices and explains many stories, their symbolism and the rituals and reasons behind Hindu worship.

About the Author: Devdutt Pattanaik

Dr Devdutt Pattanaik is a medical doctor by training, a marketing manager by profession and a mythologist by passion. He is the author of several books on Hindu religious practices including The Book of Kali, Jaya, Vishnu: An Introduction, Goddesses in India and Man Who Was A Woman And Other Queer Tales From Hindu Lore.