Here`s how Lord Shiva came into being

We have all heard of the Hindu trinity – Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Mahesh (Shiva). The trio symbolises the fundamental truth of birth, sustenance and death which ultimately lead to rebirth and a new journey all over again.

Lord Brahma is also referred to as the creator while Lord Vishnu is the protector and Lord Shiva the destroyer. But what does he destroy? Destruction in this context doesn’t mean the end of life but annihilation of the vices intrinsic to human nature.

When Brahma gives us life, we realise that we exist; Vishnu helps us in leading life by experiencing myriad aspects – good, bad and ugly; while Shiva inspires us to give up all materialistic desires to attain salvation.

But do you know how Shiva came into being?

In this post, we will take you through a legend that describes the emergence of Shiva.

Once, Brahma and Vishnu had a heated argument while debating each other’s supremacy. While they were busy claiming supremacy over one another, a beaming, radiant pillar struck to grab their attention. One of its end extended beyond the horizon and the other dug deep into the earth.

Both Brahma and Vishnu were left clueless on seeing it. The former turned into a goose and the latter transformed into a boar to trace its origin and end.

After spending hours, they failed to trace its starting and ending points.

 Soon, Shiva emerged from the pillar to reveal himself. Thus, the third leg of the trinity came into being to make both Brahma and Vishnu realise that there was a bigger power governing the universe.