Cradle Tales of Hinduism
For the remainder of week 12, I decided to read another book by Sister Nivedita. In this book, Cradle Tales of Hinduism, she write about many different gods, goddesses, and important figures of Hinduism. Like earlier this week, I decided to focus on Lord Shiva, the Great God. After reading Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists and Cradle Tales of Hinduism, I feel like I more fully understand who Lord Shiva was. I like the set up of Cradle Tales of Hinduism a bit more. Earlier this semester, I read about Lord Krishna in this same book. In the sections about Shiva, Sister Nivedita goes into much detail about his life. What I really like about Lord Shiva is that he doesn't look like a god. His appearance is one of a holy and pious man. He walks around with a begging bowl in one hand and a staff with a trident in the other. He sometimes goes door to door asking for offerings. He performs eternal meditation deep in the Himalayas. Sister Nivedita does a magnificent job describing Shiva in many different ways. She describes him as the simple god, never asking for anything. All he wants is to destroy ignorance and let light shine. He has been called the Lord of the Animals, the Destroyer of Ignorance, and much more. I would love to write a story about Shiva's peaceful life up in the mountains. I could also write about his marriage to Sati and all that they endured.
(Lord Shiva in eternal meditation. Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Bibliography. Cradle Tales of Hinduism, Sister Nivedita. (1907)
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