DescriptionOf all the gods in Hinduism, Shiva is the most fascinating and intriguing. He isan outsider who lives on the fringes of tradition and is yet not only a prominentthird of the great Hindu Trinity but also Mahadev-the greatest of them all-baffling and transcending human presuppositions of the Divine. In his supremacy, Shiva stands outside, even contradicts, human categories and conventions. Heappears to be the embodiment of paradoxes but in fact transcends them-theepitome of rage and horror as Bhairava and Rudra and yet also the zenith ofauspiciousness and gentleness as Pashupati and Ashutosh. He is the misfit whochallenges distinctions between sacred and profane, rich and poor, right andwrong. He is at once the great yogi, the ascetic-turned-householder and thevagabond. He is, finally, Lord of the Cosmic Dance-the timeless dance ofdissolution, creation and regeneration.This anthology is an attempt to explore and understand the diverse and enigmaticforms of this many-faceted god, through the thought and meditations of someof the finest poets, academics, scholars and devotees, across time and place-including Lal Ded, Mahadeviyakka, Swami Vivekananda, Aldous Huxley, Kalidasa, Sri Aurobindo, Basavanna, Adi Shankaracharya, Acharya Abhinavagupta, AllamaPrabhu, Ananda Coomaraswamy, Namita Gokhale, Devdutt Pattanaik, StellaKramrisch, Wendy Doniger and Nilima Chitgopekar.Whether you are a believer, an agnostic or on the fence, this engrossingcollection, edited by Karan Singh-one of the most respected authorities onIndia's varied traditions and philosophies-will certainly pique your curiosityabout the great concept and conundrum that is Shiva.