Greetings friends. I am Otis Fudd. I am also known by other names, but really, I am Otis. I have other names, a whole pile of them, and in that pile there is one that my mommy gave me, but I like the ones others give me, and the one I gave myself. I can't honestly remember where Otis Fudd came from, but if I were to change my name legally it would be changed legally to Otis Fudd.
I can be contacted at otisfudd@gmail.com about anything. Corrections, adulations, abuse, questions, comments, reprimands, saludos, whatever, I welcome your contact.
The oldest representations of God that have been found are of the Hindu God Shiva. Granted he doesn't have the press that others have had or are enjoying now, but upon investigation it is clear that if any God on this planet has bragging rights of being the very first, Maheshvara does.
It has been popular for some time for the people of India to group the top three Gods into a trinity or Trimurti. In the North Vishnu is at the head, and the other two, Shiva and Brahma. Down south where Shiva has been since before the days of the aryans Shiva is the king of heaven. I have talked to many Hindu youth about their religion and they all seem to feel the same way, that God is God no matter what form you worship him in, kind of the South Asian version of the ecumenical movement, this has never really sat well with me as in their history one can see quite easily that Shiva was the original Indian god. Shiva was there before the Indo-Aryan migration! Shiva was there before anyone, the God of Yoga, the God of creation, destruction, the graveyard, the mountains, and of the strands of the universe that create this dance of illusion we are all living.
I posit that one of the few reasons why Shiva is enjoying the worldwide fame and celebrity like other Gods are is because he does not want to. His position has been pretty much the same for this entire cycle of time. Only those who are devoted to the true God can see him for who he is. To all others he is a dirty, naked, perverted, smelly, little mendicant.
It is my purpose in this weblog to illuminate the many beautiful stories of this illustrious and complex deity, drawing from one of the finest volumes of literature I have had the pleasure of reading, The Shiva Purana. At times the stories can be quite sexually graphic and I intend on using strong language to convey these stories to the reader. A word of warning to those who are not familiar with Ishana in his multiplicity. The main group of Shiva worshipers in India call themselves the Lingayats. The Linga is the penis. Yes, they worship Shiva in the form of a penis. Shiva's penis is very important in his myth and as you will see, he uses it a lot! Sometimes it rages out of control, sometimes he plays with it, sometimes he rips it off and throws it away. Just be warned.
This is the YoniLinga. It is a very common image in India and represents the balanced unity of God and Godess. Simply, it is a penis in a vagina, though not so crude from a worshippers perspective. This is Shiva and his consort Parvati in holy union, purusha and prakrti , the essential complimenting nature of man and woman together.
The Shiva Purana
The Glory of The Shiva Purana
I want to tell the stories of this work and so will concentrate on just that. There is a great deal of information in these volumes of instruction on cleansing, and modes of worship, etcetera, good info for the brahmin priest, or the eager devotee, but not really material to engage the common reader. It is outlined in this first section that one must be in a clean and worthy state to hear the Shiva Purana, but the first stories are ones of the unworthy simply hearing the glorious stories and gaining salvation.
Devaraja
In the city of Kiratas lived a base Brahmin priest who lacked in brahminical knowlege, was averse to virtuous practice and the worship od God, his name was Devaraja. He was into selling beverages, he never hesitated to decieve credulous persons. He robbed everybody he could at every opportunity, killed when he needed to and debased himself by living as a merchant instead of a brahmin like he should have.
One day he got in a fight with his dad an wound up killing his parents, and his wife, then he went and shacked up with his lover and ate forbidden food. As you may well understand, spiritually this kid was not doing so well. Only a fool would dare wear his shoes on reincarnation day.
Well Devaraja was near a Shiva temple and happened to hear some of the discourse of the Shiva Purana and liked it so much he wanted to hear more. Soon after that he fell ill and died and found himself in the house of Yama. Yama was the lord of the underworld. Devaraja was in hell! Of course he deserved it. He killed his family and ingored his caste.
Shiva upon hearing that Devaraja was with Yama sent two of his attendants down to see what this mess was all about. When Yama saw the glory of the attendants he knew full well what had transpired, Devaraja as evil as a base brahmin can get, had heard the glory of the Shiva Purana. Devaraja was taken to mount Kailasa (Shiva's abode) and was given the full royal treatment. And as you can see, the foulest of sinners can become liberated souls upon the mere hearing of the Siva Purana.
Cancula
There is a town, a seaside village where sinful people reside called Bashkala. In this town you will find such wicked people as atheists, adulterous rogues, and even (get ready for this) farmers bearing weapons! Brutish in their mental makeup they indulge in slander and gossip ignoring caste responsibility and indulging in wickedness at every turn. The women of the town are equally whorish and sinful.
In this village there was a base Brahmin named Binduga who had issues being overwhelmed by lust continually. He had a beautiful wife named Cancula. Ample lips, plump and red opened slightly to tease of that inviting mouth, breasts so full and firm as though filled with heavenly soma, her figure that of Parvati shining and golden, and a scent intoxicating and sweet. So sensual and alluring was this woman that it was a wonder Binduga ever looked anywhere else, but the fact was he never touched her. He was enamoured of a filthy prostitute and couldn't waste a moments time on Cancula.
This went on for years, Cancula a virgin but needing her husband to fulfill his duty sought pleasure in the arms of an able paramour. Thus the sinful actions of Binduga and his neglect of his virtuous and lovely wife caused her to fall into sinful daliance and lose her sattvic ways completely.
One day while Cancula was having steamy intercourse with her paramour, Binduga happened upon them and was enflamed with rage. He rushed at them and the paramour fled. The wicked Brahmin then proceeded to abuse his wife, beating her mercilessly, shouting blasphemies and cursing her family.
Thus beaten and abused Cancula became enraged and spoke with her wicked husband.
"Foul minded that you are you indulge in sexual intercourse with the harlot every day. You have discarded me, your wife, ever ready to serve you with my youthful body.
I am a youthful maiden endowed with beauty and mentally agitated by lust. Tell me what other course can I take when I am denied the amorous sport with my husband.
I am very beautiful and agitated with flush of fresh youth. Deprived of sexual intercourse with you I am extremely distressed. How can I bear the pangs of passion?"
Binduga being sharp of mind only when it came to deep sin then said, "True indeed is what you have said with your mind agitated by passion. Please listen, my dear wife, I will tell you something that will be of benefit to you. You need not be afraid.
You go ahead with your sexual sports with any number of paramours. No fear need enter your mind. Extract as much of wealth from them and give them enough sexual pleasure.
You must hand over all the amount to me. You know that I am enamoured of my concubine. Thus our mutual interests will be assured."
Cancula was delighted with the vicious proposal, and entered into the nefarious contract with her husband. They went ahead with energy into the darkness of their fevered wickedness. Years went by as they wasted their time in iniquity, then Binduga died and fell into hell to endure distress and torture for many days. He then became a ghost in the Vindhya mountain range, and despite the torture and distress he endured he continued to be very wicked as a ghost.
After the death of her husband Cancula continued her wicked ways until she lost her youthful charms, and one day while accompanying her comrades to the temple at Gokarna, she happened to overhear part of the Shiva Purana which was dealing with women who indulge in sexual intercourse with paramours. It has been said that in the realm of Yama such women will have red hot irons inserted into the vaginal passage. This alarmed her.
Prostrate before the feet of a knowledgable brahmin she beeged for relief. The Brahmin gladly obliged her.
Among other things he told her that as a mirror becomes free from dirt on being wiped with a cloth, so is the mind undoubtedly purified by listening to this story.
On hearing this Cankula was sure of her path and assumed the role of active listener repenting through the passive process of hearing. Then assuming the three fold devotion she cast of her body and went to the supreme Loka (world). Shiva himself came to greet her. She assumed the divine form of Gauri with the crescent moon as her coronet and divine ornaments shining brilliantly.
In time Cancula went to Parvati and propitiated her with many sweet words and sincere prayers. Parvati was pleased with Cancula's devotion and offered her a boon (a wish), and told her there was nothing she could refuse. Cancula was elated and quickly explained to the goddess of the mountains that she knew not where her husband Binduga was, but that if he could only have the chance to hear the Shiva Purana, then he could be saved as well and rejoin her.
Parvati thought for a moment and replied that Binduga had been through some torture in hell and was now living out the rest of his eternal sentence as a Pishaca (type of ghost) in the Vindhya mountains, but that with the right entourage they could find him and do some magic.
With a Gandharva by the name of Tumburu who was adept at singing the songs of Shiva and an entourage of holy followers, they went to the mountains and sought out the wicked Pishaca Binduga. They bound him with chains, forced him to listen to the Shiva Purana and saved his soul as well.
Thus we can see that not only can you be saved by accidentally hearing the holy account of the Great God, but you don't even have to be willing to hear it to be saved from it. Someone can chain you down where you sit and force it on you.
