Today all the Shiva temples and Shiva Lings are draining milk and all female devotees can be seen fasting all day long. Yes, you got that right! Today is Shivratri, where women fast and pray for their husband’s well being and longevity. But Shiv has always been more than just a husband, he’s been a rebel, a charmer and sometimes a masculine looking gullible dude. I am going to keep this article funny and modern so that it doesn’t bore you! :) Here are 11 facts we think you should know on the occasion of Maha Shivratri.
1. Did Ganga love Shiva?
Many scriptures say that she did but Shiva did not accept her proposal. Later, when Bhagirath asked Ganga to descend on Earth, she wanted to take revenge and sweep Shiva off his feet. Shiva, aware of her intentions, tied her in his Jata (hair).
It is even said that Parvati was jealous of Ganga, she even had fights with Shiva for keeping Ganga tied up in his hair.
Remember the infamous Uttarakhand incident, when Ganga did crash over Shiva’s statue? Hmm, probably she did take her revenge.
2. Marijuana, much?
This might interest you a lot! Shiva was a fan of Marijuana. It won’t be wrong to say that he was indeed a man of Trance!
3. Easy to please, Bhole-nath?
Wonder why he got that name? That’s because he had a hard time saying no and was easily pleased by his followers.
4. Shiv Ling!
The sexual symbol that represents Shiva. It’s actually his penis.
5. Bhooteshwara
Many say, Shiva had friends from all races. He spent his time in crematoriums and was quite pally with ghosts too and hence, he was named, Bhooteshwara. King Daksha, father of Sati, had a hard time accepting Shiva after knowing his friends’ circle. We don’t blame you, Mr. Daksha!
6. He dances when he gets pissed!
That’s what we do when we are pissed, right? We either dance, sing or box it out. Tandav was his creative outlet when he got brooding over something.
7. Plastic Surgeon
If you don’t believe in myths, I’ll give you a logical explanation behind Shiva being a surgeon. Remember the time when he cut Ganesha’s sweet handsome face and replaced it with that of an elephant? Yes, he did a face transplant.
8. Neelkanthan
Shiva drank the poison that was meant to destroy every human being on earth. So he being a brave-heart, drank all of it. The poison is symbolic of negative energies in real life; one should neither publicize negativity nor suppress it. One should modify and mold it for better.
9. Ardh-nareshwar- Half man, half woman!
Shiva is also called Ardh-nareshwar when he becomes Half man and Half woman. All those, who look down upon transgenders, this is one big news for you! Being a transgender is not being evil, it is rather a divine form – Unification of a man and woman.
10. Shiva burnt the Indian Cupid? So sad!
Yes, Shiva is believed to have burnt Kamadeva, the Hindu god of love to ashes. Kamadeva can also be called our Indian Cupid!
11. Rebel
If Shiva would have been born in modern times, you would completely fall in love with him. He was a rebel, a wanderer, who never cared about the society. He wore what he wanted, lived the way he liked to live and went on a trance trip whenever he felt like, danced like a maniac and never gave a shit about anything in this world.
I bow down in front of you Shiva!
You got some more points? Feel free to jot them down in the comments section below. :D
