The Shiva-family

Shiva, the Eternal, is born beyond beginning and end - a being of pure energy that arose from the primordial sound of the universe. He is creator, destroyer and preserver at the same time. As Mahadev, he sits enthroned in the silence of the Himalayas, with his eyes closed, but alert to the cosmic play of life and death. The third eye that recognizes the truth; the river Ganga that flows from his locks; the ash that adorns him, a reminder of impermanence.

He marries Parvati, the embodiment of devotion and strength, and becomes the father of Ganesha, the wise man, and Kartikeya, the warrior. But Shiva remains the wanderer, the dancer in the cosmic Tandava, who creates and destroys worlds. He drinks the deadly Halahala poison to save creation and becomes Nilakantha, the blue-necked one.

Shiva lives beyond duality, a mirror of the world. His story is not linear – it is the essence of life itself.

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