Shiva: the wild God of power and ecstasy

361 Pages·2004·6.83 MB·English

by  Wolf-Dieter Storl

Shiva
THE WILD GOD OF
POWER AND ECSTASY
Wolf-Dieter Storl Ph.D.
Inner Traditions
Rochester, Vermont
Inner Traditions
One Park Street
Rochester, Vermont 05767
www.InnerTraditions.com
Copyright © 2004 by Wolf-Dieter Storl All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by
any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Storl, Wolf-Dieter.
Shiva : the wild God of power and ecstasy / Wolf-Dieter Storl.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59477780-6
1. Siva (Hindu deity) 2. Gods, Hindu. 3. Hinduism. I. Title.
BL1218.S8 2004
294.5’2113—dc22
2004010959
“OM Shri Ganeshaya Namah”
The sage should study the scriptures in his search
for knowledge; but then he should leave them, like the
chaff that is left behind, when the grains
of rice have been winnowed.
AMRTABINDU UPANISHAD
C
ONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter 1 Journey to the Source of Time
Chapter 2 Fire and Ice
The Rock
Water
Kashi
Karttikeya’s Strange Birth
Chapter 3 The Shaman and His Black Dog
The Old Huntsman
Pashupati, Lord of the Animals
The Noose
The Black Dog
The God of the Shades
Bhairava
Rudra and Odin
The Treacherous God
Chapter 4 God’s Virile Member
Lingam Yoni
The Lingam Is Everywhere
How Arjuna Won His Magic Arrows
How Markandeya Became an Immortal
The Phallic Symbol
The Pillar of Fire
Chapter 5 Shankar, The Yogi on the Mountain
Shankara
The Tears of Rudra
The God Clothed in Air
The Third Eye
Three Lines of Ash
The Blue Neck
Shiva and Buddha
The Trident and the “Bâton-de-Commandement”
Chapter 6 The Goddess
Devi
Durga
Kali
Annapurna
Ganga
Chapter 7 The Dancer in the Flames
Shiva’s Dances
The Drum
Chapter 8 The Ideal Family
Karttikeya
Ganesha
Nandi the Bull
Chapter 9 The Destruction of the Sacrifice
The Aryan Background
Daksha’s Great Sacrifice
Shiva the Sinner
Chapter 10 Shiva as the Devil
Zarathustra
The Earth Runs Well
The Righteous Battle
Chapter 11 Tantra: The Serpent’s Path
The Heresy of the Agamas
Overcoming the Ego
Shakti
The Pathway of the Kundalini Serpent
Returning to Oneness
Chapter 12 The Saint, the Hero, and the Beast
The Rituals
Tantric Influence
Chapter 13 Pollen Dust and Ashes
Lingam Puja
Shiva’s Flower Garden
Bel: Shiva’s Triune Leaf
Bangeri Baba
Shiva’s Garden of Madness
Sacred Ashes
The Shadow of the Night
Chapter 14 Shiva’s Festivals and Holidays
The Descent of the Goddess
Festivals of the Hot Season and he Rainy Season
Festivals of the Fall Season
Festivals of Spring
Kumbha Mela
Footnotes
Notes
Bibliography
About the Author
About Inner Traditions
Copyright

Shiva