Lord Shiva (Mahadev) and Family



This is a beautiful, traditional painting of Lord Shiva's divine family, often called the Shiva Parivar. Here's a breakdown of who is who in the image you shared:

🔱 Back Row (Left to Right):

  1. Lord Shiva

    • The blue-skinned deity with a crescent moon in his hair, holding a trident (Trishula), snake around his neck, and ash smeared on his forehead (Tripundra).
    • Symbolizes transformation and asceticism.

  2. Goddess Parvati

    • Seated beside Shiva, adorned in gold and yellow, representing beauty, love, fertility, and devotion.
    • She is the divine mother and nurturing force in the cosmos.

👦🏽 Middle Row (Left to Right):

  1. Lord Kartikeya (also known as Skanda or Murugan)

    • Seen next to Lord Shiva, holding a spear (vel), often depicted as a youthful warrior prince.
    • He rides a peacock in many depictions and is the god of war and victory.

  2. Ashokasundari (rarely depicted)

    • The girl between Ganesha and Parvati in this painting may represent Ashokasundari, a daughter of Shiva and Parvati from some Puranic texts.
    • She is less commonly known but is described as beautiful and virtuous, born from the wish of Parvati.

🐘 Front Center:

  1. Lord Ganesha
    • With his elephant head, rounded form, and a bowl of sweets (modaks) in his hand, Ganesha is easily recognizable.
    • He is the remover of obstacles and god of wisdom, learning, and beginnings.
    • His vahana (vehicle), the mouse, is also shown at his feet.

🕉️ This painting symbolizes:

  • Harmony between divine opposites: asceticism (Shiva) and fertility (Parvati).
  • The balance of spiritual power (Kartikeya), worldly wisdom (Ganesha), and feminine grace (Ashokasundari).
  • The ideal divine family in Hindu tradition.

🌺 “The Eternal Family” – A Symbolic Ode to the Shiva Parivar 🌺

In the serene lap of Mount Kailash, where time slows to a sacred breath,
Sits the first family of the cosmos, weaving dharma into death and rebirth.

🔱 Lord Shiva – The Stillness Within the Storm

With ash upon his skin and the crescent moon aglow,
He is timeless silence, where creation dares not go.
His third eye blazes truth, his serpent hisses grace,
In his dance of destruction, all egos are erased.

Symbolism:

  • Represents consciousness, detachment, and the transcendence of form.
  • His stillness is dynamic—the source of all movement in the universe.

🌸 Goddess Parvati – The Fertile Flame of Love

With eyes of compassion and arms that nurture,
She is Shakti, the power that makes stillness stir.
Wrapped in yellow silk and adorned in light,
She is every mother, muse, and guiding insight.

Symbolism:

  • Embodies divine feminine energy, devotion, and strength.
  • She’s the earthly complement to Shiva’s ascetic detachment.

🐘 Lord Ganesha – Wisdom in a Child’s Delight

With an elephant’s head and a child’s heart,
He guards all beginnings with artful smart.
A bowl of sweets and a gaze so kind,
He removes all blocks—both outside and mind.

Symbolism:

  • Represents intellect, adaptability, and clarity.
  • His mouse signifies the conquest of ego and desire.

🕊️ Lord Kartikeya – The Warrior Sage

With spear in hand and a fearless gleam,
He is youth in motion, the fire in a dream.
Guardian of truth, with peacock pride,
He rides into battle with virtue as guide.

Symbolism:

  • Embodies willpower, action, and discipline.
  • The peacock symbolizes beauty in courage, and ego subdued.

🌿 Ashokasundari – Grace Yet to Bloom

The daughter less told in tales of lore,
A gem of elegance, of myths and more.
Born from Parvati’s longing and tree divine,
She whispers of joy, hope, and the feminine line.

Symbolism:

  • Represents innocence, destiny, and divine femininity in youth.
  • A reminder that even gods long for the sweetness of family.

🕉️ Together, They Are…

Not just deities—but archetypes of life:

  • Father, mother, sons, and daughter—a cosmic household.
  • They teach us balance: stillness and action, wisdom and love, strength and compassion.

This is not just a painting—it is a mirror:
To our roles, our paths, and our spiritual core.
To find the divine, look no farther—
They live within your own sacred family lore.

CA Vikram Shankar Mathur

26-June-2025 | 17:05 Hours IST 

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