Reading Guide: Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art (Part C)

Reading Guide: Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art (Ardhanari and Shiva)

"For most Hindus, God is best embodied in the form of three human couples: Brahma and Saraswati, Vishu and Lakshmi, Shiva and Shakti."

I thought this quote was especially important for the storybook that I am working on because these three couples form the basis of my story. I will need to read a little more about Shakti, though, since my story relates to Sati and Parvati.

Ardahanari's Secret

I thought this part was really interesting because it related the cultural view to the modern day perception of male and female counterparts. This really relates back to last week's reading that I did, where Shiva represented the spiritual aspirations and Parvati represented the materialistic desires. I find this to be an interesting perception because the materialistic desires mentioned specifically translate to having a family.

Ardhanari (Web Source)

Shiva's Secret

I liked this part because I felt like it really clarified the difference between Shiva and Parvati as far as their aspirations. Shiva is essentially the "destroyer of desires." 

Then Kali entered the picture and Shiva became a little bit more confusing again. It's just difficult sometimes to understand the exact role of each deity in Hinduism because they all seem to be interconnected and there seem to be several different ways to explain every god, goddess, or divine concept. Although it is confusing, it really exemplifies the message I'm trying to portray in my storybook.

Bibliography:

Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Reading Guide by Devdutt Pattanaik (Web Source)