Question: Could You please tell us a story about Lord Shiva?
Babaji:
I will speak about the spiritual aspect. Lord Shiva is always shown sitting in samadhi, sitting in a graveyard. This is to depict your existence in the total thoughtlessness state. The legends speak of the three 'Gods' - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva-Maheshwara. These are to show the different stages of creation. Brahma depicts the stage of 'sristi' - the state of the creation imagination coming into existence. Vishnu shows the state of 'stithi' - the creation imagination being sustained. So He is sometimes referred to as the 'protector'. Lord Shiva is the state of 'laya' - the creation being absorbed back into the Self, the Divine. Thus Adi Shankara in his song, sings, "I am not this earth, the air, and so on. I am Shiva - the Divine. (Sivoham)"
