Shiva-your secret eye encapsulates the world!

There is none like him, there never was, there never can be. Lord Shiva stands for the most masculine, profound and handsome god, if I may say so. The mystique around this wanderer god intensifies if you happen to adore him or worship him in any which way.

Shiva doesn't call for rituals to be in an exact manner or doesn't lay any 'steps' to follow. He listens to pure hearts, simply. Religious scholars have often said that there are instances where Shiva has been described as the god who gets pleased even with a single 'bael patra'. He sees through your soul, corrects you and gets you on the right track.

His followers are spread across the globe. Some aspire to be like him, others try to strictly follow what has been prescribed in certain books. But I like to believe in his supreme presence—there is nothing that he can't control, or can't change.

If you are a believer and trust in the adage that 'faith moveth mountain'—then you can precisely understand the point I am trying to make. Shiva has charm and at the same time, he is a family man too. The perfect idol for harmonious family life has been set by Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati. Their togetherness symbolises the power of 'Ardhanareshwara', which is a composite androgynous form of the god. It illustrates how man and woman together exhibit the energy which results in creation.

The power of togetherness and the implication of man-woman relation is depicted in this composite form of Maa and Lord. Perhaps, it takes a different vision altogether to even write about Shiva and Parvati—their presence or rather an omnipresence does startle me a bit at times, only to reaffirm that the supreme 'energy' is somewhere near.

I am sure, many of you (reading this) might have at some point in their lives experienced an event which you only thought in your mind but saw it happen with open eyes exactly the way you had dreamt it? How did that happen? At least I need no scientific reasons to back dreams and my sub-conscious thinking. I have felt on various days, that there is a power which turns around the world for you—if what you want is harmless and genuine.

Shiva for me is maybe more than just a god we worship. His secret eye knows exactly what we hide. I love the mystique around him. His patience and ability to stay calm is something that I try to imbibe. The calmness inside comes only if your heart, mind, body and soul are on the same page—and he shows you how.

He drank the poison and became 'Neelkantha' so that the world can sustain and enjoy the pleasures. Such is the god I love—the sheer quality of control, sacrifice and calmness at the same time are hard to find, but if he can—the followers can certainly try.

You love your space, trance is what is associated with you—but none actually wants to know who is it that you follow while in meditation—it is Lord Rama, whose name Shiva chants when in the meditating position, books are suggestive of this fact.

Today, when the world is confusion-ridden and soaked in thoughts of bloodshed—oh the destroyer of evil (promising new beginnings), make way for peace and let your mystique take us mortal beings into the world of trance—where 'Shivoham Shivoham' echoes in mind, body and soul!

Here's wishing our readers a very Happy Maha Shivratri. This year, it will be celebrated on February 21.