Iswar, the Supreme Soul, Parampita and God are names attributed to His corporeal duties in several religions across the world. In India, we worship Paramatma or Parambrahmam which is represented as ‘Jyoti’ or light contrasted with darkness as ignorance and evil.
God is universally defined as the generator, organiser and destroyer. There is some inherent contradiction in this dictum.
A creator, for sure, can never be a destroyer. The creator and sustainer may become a single entity called “dukh harta, sukh datta”. But if we deduce that destruction is at the root of all procreation or that recreation follows total annihilation, we may arrive at some truth.
Jesus Christ identified God as light and father of human being. Precisely, he identified himself as the child of the Supreme Father. Thus goes the Holy Bible: At first there was light and the son was with it.
Christ had never claimed himself to be the source of light or God.
As per Old Testament, Moses has an encounter with God as a bright phenomenon that gave him the tablets containing the Ten Commandments. Moses identified Him as Jehovah.
The Lord ‘‘gave to Moses, when He had made an end of speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, the two tables of the testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.’’ (Exodus 31:18)
Incorporeal light or Akhand Jyoti has great significance in Hindu Scriptures. The twelve ancient Shiva shrines in India, are Jyothirlingas that symbolically hold radiant light. The lingam or phallus symbol represents the fact that Shiva has no human form. Literally, Shiva means one transient energy that is benefactor of all human beings.
The twelve ancient Shiva temples are Somanath in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna in Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh, Mahakaleswar at Ujjain (in Madhya P radesh), Omkareswar (MP), Kedareswar in the Himalayas, Bhimashankar in Maharashtra, Kasi Viswanath in Uttar P radesh, Trayambakeswar (also in Maharashtra), Vaidyanath in Jharkhand, Aundha Nagnath in Maharashtra, Rameswaram at Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu and Ghumeswar at Shiwar in Sawai Madhopur of Rajasthan.
Sikh Guru Nanak had revered the holy existence of the Supreme Master as ‘Ek Omkar Satnam’ which stands for one master for the entire universe.
Shiva is also worshipped as Omkareswar in Madhya Pradesh. Nanak said the Supreme Soul is Nirakar (Formlessness in physical terms), Nirveir (Free from evil, ego or enemies) and Satnam that cannot be destroyed by Time.
Sant Guru Govind Singh said ‘De Siva var mohe…’. It is a devotee’s wish for boons from Lord Shiva who literally means a ‘benefactor of humanity’ or ‘an embodiment of benediction.’
Shiva adoration has not been confined to one religion or community of people occupying a continent. Romans worshipped phallus as Priyapos in ancient churches of Italy as rustic god of bounty. He is associated with phallic Greek mythology as son of Dionysus and Aphrodite.
A study of Egyptian civilization reveals that they worshipped Isis along with her husband Osiris and their son Horus. She was the prototype of the Mother Goddess who gave fertility and consolation to all. She was worshipped as the daughter of the god of heavens Nut and master of earth Geb. Her symbol is represented as a throne and a bull or head of a cow. The Hellenistic tradition is also akin to Shiva worship wherein bull adoration is prevalent. Osiris originates from the word ‘Ish’ meaning Shivling, also a symbolic association of bull.
Iswar, the Supreme Soul, Parampita and God are names attributed to His corporeal duties in several religions across the world. In India, we worship Paramatma or Parambrahmam which is represented as ‘Jyoti’ or light contrasted with darkness as ignorance and evil.
According to epic Mahabharat when the world is enveloped with darkness of evil forces, an oval shaped light emerges and becomes the cause of creation of a new world after Kaliyug which is again symbolised by anarchy and falsehood.
Several Scriptures also emphasise that the Earth is currently passing through a time factor identified as Kaliyug. Author Paramhamsa Yogananda thinks that currently we are in Dwaparayug. Others still think the end of this iron age will last some 4,32,000 years. But according to Yogi Sri Aurobindo Ghosh Kaliyug is almost over or at its fag end!
The end of days or eschaton is a future seen in various belief systems as world events culminating in a climax. While the Abrahamic religions suggest a linear cosmology for transformation, Judaism makes reference to the Messianic Age. The Day of Judgement, according to Islam will be preceded by the emergence of al-Masih al-Dajjal before the descension of Isa or Jesus. Hinduism, on the contrary, sees Kalki as the final incarnation of Vishnu suggesting divine intervention whereas Buddha had predicted that his teachings would be lost after 5000 years, probably, before Apocalypse!