Shiva

Various stories and legends surround the prominent figure, Shiva. He is one of the most powerful gods of the Hindu pantheon and is one of the godheads in the Trimurti. Known as the Destroyer, Shiva is perhaps the most complex of Hindu deities. In this episode, Devdutt Pattanaik talks about Shiva being at the core of the centrifugal force of the universe, because of his responsibility for death and destruction. He is the dissolving force but he dissolves in order to create since death is a mode to rebirth. Thus, life and death, creation and destruction, both reside in Shiva. Devdutt also talks about his various manifestations as Bholenath, Mahadev, Nataraja, Vishwanath and Bhairava.