Siva  (English, Paperback, unknown)

Siva: The Siva Purana Retold renders the great Mahapurna in English. It extols the glory of Siva, the destroyer who forms part of the Hindu Trinity.

Summary Of The Book

There are eighteen major Puranas in Sanskrit. Purana means ancient in Sanskrit, and thus, these Puranas are considered to be the tales of ancient times. Each of the Puranas generally focus on one particular deity, and asserts that God is Supreme. Siva: The Siva Purana Retold focuses on Siva, one of the Trinity among Brahma, Vishnu and Siva.

All Puranas share certain characteristics. They discuss the creation of the Universe, its dissolution and recreation, the birth of the lesser Gods and rishis, a discussion of Time according to the Hindu calendar, and the stories of the deity the Purana focuses on.

The Siva Purana is considered as one of the Mahapuranas or great Puranas. This Purana recounts the stories and glories of Siva and his various forms, of his Divine Consort, Shakti, and also discusses the path to Moksha or salvation.

Siva: The Siva Purana Retold has collected all the stories about Siva from the Purana and arranged them in a meaningful order, to make it easier for the reader to understand. The author also touches on the rituals related to Shaivite tradition, and also on the thousand names of Siva.

The Puranas have come down through oral tradition, with the disciples passing on what they learnt from their Guru. Puranas generally are shrouded in their ancient origins. They are generally believed to have been told to a great Rishi like Vyasa, by a divine being like Narada.

The author has attempted to present the stories and symbolism of the Siva Purana in a way that would be comprehensible to the new generation of readers. But, he says he has tried to be as faithful to the original as possible, while taking liberties with style and presentation.

About Ramesh Menon

Ramesh Menon is an author.

Other books by this writer are The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering, Devi: The Devi Bhagavatam Retold, The Bhagavata Purana, and Srimad Bhagavad Gita.

Ramesh Menon was born in 1951. He is a graduate of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. His writing mainly focuses on the ancient Hindu Scriptures, the Puranas and Epics. He has written numerous books retelling the stories from these texts.