By
Dr (Prof) P Sarat Chandra
Prof. and Head of the department
Neurosurgery and Gamma knife
AIIMS, New Delhi
What is Shiva? Is He the ash-smeared ascetic seated in stillness upon Mount Kailasa? The wild yogi adorned with serpents, dwelling in cremation grounds, beyond the boundaries of convention? A Lord without palace or ornament, possessing neither gold nor kingdom — and yet radiating immeasurable power? The paradox itself is the revelation. Shiva represents that state of consciousness which is utterly complete — desiring nothing, clinging to nothing, and therefore sovereign over everything.
The ancient episode of the infinite pillar of light — the Lingodbhava — illumines this truth. When Brahma, the creator, and Vishnu, the sustainer, debated supremacy, a boundless column of effulgence appeared before them, stretching beyond sight in both directions. A divine challenge echoed: find its beginning or its end. Vishnu descended as a boar into the depths; Brahma soared upward as a swan toward the heights. Ages passed. Neither found the limit.
That pillar was not merely light — it was the Absolute, the infinite axis of existence. It symbolized Truth beyond intellect, beyond pride, beyond grasping. Vishnu, humbled by the vastness, returned and confessed his inability to comprehend it. Brahma, unwilling to surrender, conspired with the Ketaki flower to falsely claim success. When deception was spoken, Shiva’s voice resounded like cosmic thunder: falsehood cannot approach Truth; ego cannot measure the Infinite. The curse that followed was not vengeance but instruction — integrity is the only gateway to the Divine.
The pillar represents the spiritual journey — endless, immeasurable. The ego attempts to conquer it, define it, possess it. Yet the Infinite cannot be conquered; it can only be realized. Vishnu’s surrender embodies humility and acceptance. Brahma’s deceit mirrors the human tendency to fabricate certainty when confronted by mystery.
Brahma symbolizes creation — the ever-expanding universe of forms and names, the captivating play of maya. This realm fascinates without end. There is always something more to achieve, to acquire, to experience. Yet what is created is impermanent, and impermanence cannot yield lasting peace. Vishnu represents the art of living within this maya — balance, preservation, dharma. Through surrender and integrity, one can participate in the world without being consumed by it.
But Shiva offers the final revelation.
Shiva is consciousness itself — the silent witness behind all movement. Enlightenment is not found by ascending to celestial heights or descending into cosmic depths. It is found by turning inward. The infinite pillar does not stand somewhere outside; it rises within the core of awareness. Peace and liberation are not external acquisitions but inner recognitions.
The external world is a projection of perception. When consciousness is restless, the world appears chaotic. When consciousness is serene, the world reflects harmony. Shiva’s ash-covered body reminds us that all forms dissolve. His closed eyes teach that true vision is inward. His stillness proclaims that power arises not from possession but from freedom from craving.
This does not demand rejection of wealth or life. Shiva consciousness does not insist that one abandon the world; it invites one to abandon attachment. Acquire, create, enjoy — but without bondage. When craving dissolves, enjoyment becomes pure. When ego dissolves, action becomes sacred.
To invoke Shiva consciousness is to surrender pride, embrace truth, and recognize that the endless pillar we seek is our own boundless awareness.
Om Namah Shivaya — I bow to the eternal consciousness within, infinite, luminous, and free.