Tag Archives: Siva

GREECE & INDIA

« Greece is the embodiment of beauty and ligth »
Pascal Bruckner

Greece and India have a long common history. For about two centuries, Indo-Greek kingdoms were known, they were essentially territories conquered by Alexander the Great.

Ancient Greece and India have many affinities. Indeed, between the Goddess Athena and the Sakti, the great Indian Goddess who represents the feminine creative energy, with many forms (Devī, Umā, Pārvatī, Durgā, Lakṣmī, Kālī, Sarasvatī …), there are many common characterstics, many related myths, between themselves and in their “indirect” descendants : Erichthonios, for Greece, Gaṇesha or Skanda / Murugan / Kārttikeya for India.

Athéna

Pārvatī

According to Homer, Erichthonios is the son of Hephaestus and Gaia (the Earth): Hephaestus tries to violate Athena, sperm spreads on the thigh of the Goddess who wipes it off with a woolen cloth that she throws onto the ground. The Earth, thus fertilized, gives birth to Erichthonios, (ἔριον / erion, wool, and χθών / khthốn, the earth).

Érichthonios

Patañjali

According to the Śivapurāṇa, Pārvatī conceived Gaṇesha, mixing clay (earth) with secretions of her skin.

According to the Skandapurāna, Śiva would have let out his semen, which was then harvested by Agni, the God of fire. It was so hot that the fire itself could not contain it, so he poured it into the Gangā (the celestial river). As a result, Agni and Gangā are sometimes considered as Skanda / Kārttikeya’s parents. Gangā being not very maternal, Kārttikeya is said to have had many nannies, sometimes the seven Mātrikā *, sometimes the seven Krittikā, personifications of the constellation of the Pleiade, to which he owes his name Kārttikeya. Because of the large number of his nurses he is sometimes represented with six heads to suckle each of them. In addition, Karttikeya * is systematically born extra-uterine, either on the breast of Gangā or on the peak of six or seven different mountains (Skanda means “jet of sperm”, Sanskrit, skand, “to transmit”).

* Kārttikeya : According to Greek mythology, “the Pleiades” “the seven Krittikā” are seven sisters, daughters of the Titan Atlas and Pléioné (an oceanic nymph aquatic but not marine).

1. Maia

2. Alcyone

3. Asterope

4. Celaeno (or Selena)

5. Electra,

6. Taygete

7. Merope 

* Sapta mātrikā (s), the seven divine mothers, were gradually considered as the paredres (female counterparts) and Sakti (s) (Power of Creation), female personifications of different Devā (s) (Gods).

1. Brahmani is the śakti of Brahmā

2. Vaishnavi is the śakti of Viṣṇu

3. Mahesvari is the śakti of Śiva

4. Indrani is the śakti of Indra.

5. Kaumari is the śakti Skanda

6. Varahi is the śakti of Varaha

7. Chamunda (or Narasimhi) is the Sakti of Śiva

They are also, for some authors, forms derived from the goddess Chandī or Chandikā, kind and protective form of Durgā. They are the personifications of the seven stars constituting the pleiads.

 

Pondicherry, a little bit of France in India…

The coast of Coromandel, close to Pondicherry, is ideally suited for a charming stay: beaches of white sand, Hindu temple complexes, small fishing villages, the ancient French counter where the past is still present, a stay in a charming hotel – all this will make your Yoga workshop an unforgettable experience.

 

The town, Pondicherry or Puducherry, is often referred to as Pondy. Pondicherry has a unique architecture, inherited from a mixture of cultures and its French and Tamil colonial past.

Pondicherry has a special ambience and charm, completely different from the rest of India. Formerly a French colony, today it is an Indian territory, 160 km from Chennai (Madras), 100 km from Mahābalipuram, along the Coast of Coromandel, in the Gulf of Bengal. Take a stroll, walking or on a cycle rickshaw, through the charming streets with evocative names, where you can admire the finest examples of colonial architecture.

 

 

Immerse yourself in the old marketplace, at the junction of Nehru Street & Mahatma Gandhi Road, with its surprising fragrances from the fish, fruit, vegetable and flower markets, buy coffee or tea in “The Lakshmi Coffee”, go out for lunch at “Energy Home”, a surprising and absolutely delicious cuisine, 35a, Chety Street. Visit Sri Aurobindo’s ashram in Auroville. Enjoy a French breakfast at “Baker Street”, 123, Bussy Street, or an Indian one in a house with traditional Tamil architecture, the “Maison Perumal”, 44 Perumal Koil Street: dosai, idly, kalapam and uthappam, from 7.30 until 10.00.

 

Pondicherry is 100 km away from Mahābalipuram, 2 hours by bus or 11/2 hours by car.

The temple of Chidambaram

Chidambaram is known all over India for its famous temple devoted to Siva (Shiva) represented in Naṭarāja form, Naṭarāja or the “cosmic dancer”, dances the creation (Ananda Tandava). Dating back to the end of the Chola Empire during the XIIth century AD, the temple built on grounds covering 22 hectares, holds four large gopurams directed towards the four cardinal points. Depictions of Hindu myths are finely sculpted within the gopurams.

 

There are many symbols represented through “Shiva Naṭarāja”, the King of Dance :

 

  • Shiva holds himself in a “circle of fire” known as thiruvāsi, which symbolizes the vibrant, rhythmic and cyclical nature of Life.
  • Shiva presses down with its right foot on the demon Mulayaga in this way signifying the defeat of the evil that arises from ignorance, avidya.
  • His left leg is held up in the air and symbolizes the path to salvation/righteousness.
  • The palm of his first right hand is held forward, a gesture referred to as patāka, which denotes protection and the distancing from fear.
  • In his second right hand, Shiva holds a tambourine (the ḍamaru) in a gesture called ḍamaru-hasta, which represents creation through the rhythm of Life, the passing of time.
  • His first left arm is extended in front of his body; his hand pointing towards the foot, taking the mudra of kari-hasta position, that means, “Here I am”. It is in this way that Shiva focuses upon himself all that is, demonstrating the elevation and the liberation/emancipation through the jungle of ignorance.
  • In his second left hand, Shiva holds the fire of transformation. That is to say the vital force, which is a symbol of the vital energy (Prāṇa).
  • One can see on the left side of his face the crescent moon (Chandra), which symbolizes the highest degree of knowledge. This includes intellectual, sensorial and emotional knowledge.
  • On the right side of his face the Ganges, in its fish form (Matsya) can be found. The Ganges is a symbol of water giving Life.
  • On the left side of his body, the belt floating in the wind represents the withdrawal, the disappearance of illusion (Māyā).
  • One can see a “Royal Cobra” coiled around Shiva’s waist, on his right side. This is an ancient symbol of fertility. In fact, it represents – through the remains of past universes – the seed of all future creations as well as immortality.
  • A stoical face represents a brave attitude through adversity. Thus the neutrality of the expression implies balance.

 

Within the sanctuary of Naṭarāja, there is a temple devoted to Pārvatī known as Shivakami, the consort of Shiva. It is, in this space, that are represented the different dance figures in the style of Bharata natyam

Location :

The temple of Chidambaram is located 60 km South of Pondicherry (1h30 by car from Pondy and 3h30 from Mahābalipuram).

The temple is closed from 12:00 to 16:00.