Shiv Ling or Nuclear Reactor ?!

I wish to state in the very beginning that I am not a religious person. I however consider myself to be spiritual. I believe there is a supreme cosmic energy that governs this mighty universe. I respect all faiths and their points of view just as I expect others to appreciate my point of view. To each man his own faith!

Now, let me tell you something which has gotten me thinking about the absolute superiority of our ancient culture. I grew up with a steady dose of grand and eloquent mythological stories from my grandparents as an introduction to the concept of religion. I was fascinated with the Ramayana and Mahabharata. I was also overwhelmed with Lord Vishnu and all his avatars. Lord Shiva however has fascinated me the most since I came to know that he is also known as 'Bholenath' - The Gullible One. In my childish imprudence I used to fancy that pleasing 'The Gullible One' should be the easiest, after all he has granted wishes to Ravana, Mahisasura apart from scores of others, why should he deny me mine?

Throughout adolescence and adulthood I have learnt of many other tales of Shiva and have also come to appreciate his 1000 names and forms. But, yesterday evening we were driving past 'Atim Dham', the crematorium on SG Highway with the huge statue of Lord Shiva. I got chatting up with a senior friend of mine, I was given a perspective which totally blew my mind away!

The discussion largely centered on the fact; why is Lord Shiva's statue not worshipped but his 'Ling'? For the uninitiated - Ling = Phallus (The Male Genitalia). There were frenetic inputs given about his marriage with Shakti and curse of sages etc. etc. but all of a sudden this gentleman says - You guys have not seen the Shiv Ling properly, it is not only the Ling but also the 'Yoni' (Corresponding Female Genitalia) along with other paraphernalia. So I ask, why is such a carnal symbol the emblem of such a powerful God?

He smiles and says … you boys will never grow up. Always thinking about sex! Then he asks us, how many of you have seen a nuclear reactor? Obviously all of us have seen one. All of a sudden the amazing similarity between a Shiv Ling and a Nuclear Reactor dawns upon me. Anyone who understands the concept of nuclear reactors would vouch that if anything goes wrong like Chernobyl or the recent Japanese fiasco, massive disaster would happen. Pretty much like the 3^rd eye of Shiva opening or the much feared dance of death - Tandav Nrutya.

He goes on to say that the Shiv Ling is actually the perfect shape in which the gargantuan male and female forces of destruction and creation can be stored in equilibrium. Shiva and Shakti’s unision in the shape of the Shiv Ling is the ultimate symbol of neutral but undending power! I am zapped.

Testing my knowledge of physics he asks – What is continuously dropped on the fissile material to ensure it doesn’t get too hot? I say ‘Heavy Water’? Exactly … why is every Shiv Linga in the world established in moist and damp rooms and has water continuously dripping on it? Well the comparisions with the snake wrapped around it to the tubes running around the reactor and the blue light that gets emitted from the reactor to Neelkanth’s blue throat just went on to reinforce just one simple fact in my head.

Shiva and Shakti are concepts, far far beyond the mental comprehension of an average bloke like me. However my heart swells up with immense pride when I come to realize that these revered ideologies are 100% Indian.

I salute Shiva and Shakti and quote the often heard maxim related to Him – “Har Har Mahadev!” which is an evolution of the slogan “Har Ek Mahadev” – There is Mahadev in each one of us!

PS : Do check out the Shiva Statue on SG Highway opposite Acropolis Mall and take a few clicks of it with the overcast sky in the background. It is gonna be an awesome gift to apnuahmedabad.com. Any well wishers?