Shiva, the Great; and the Abrahamic Traditions

Introduction

The prevalent religions of the modern times have mostly received their traditions and wisdom from the ancient theologies. Here an attempt is made to decipher common-points in the formation of their ideologies, and the impact of their legacies on humanity.

Brahma, The Creator God; Vishnu, The Protector God; and Shiva, The Destroyer God; constitute a trinity of godhead that is manifested through different characters from the teachings of ancient cultures to the theologies of modern day religions. Egyptians called them Osiris, Isis, Horus; Christians call them Father, Son, Holy Spirit; and this triad astrologically is denoted by the Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable zodiacal signs. But the least understood function is the relationship of this ancient formula to the Abrahamic religions, especially to Judeo-Christianity and Islam. Although Abrahamic traditions categorically state the ‘Unity of Godhead’ as their paramount theological foundation; however, it is fascinating to explore the ideological derivatives of Abrahamic traditions that are symbolically associated with the trinity formula of ancients.

The Gnosis of Trinity

The formula of trinity actually defines the three modes of phenomena existent in nature. The ancients had conceived that all the natural processes always occurred in the three stages of Initial, Intermediate, and Conclusive. Like Sunrise, Noon, and Sunset; human beings are born as infants, grow up to their strength, and ultimately decline to a decrepit old state of the physical body. Also, the process of taking food into the mouth, digesting it through the stomach, and thenceforth followed by the loosening of bowels also forms a parallel to the triad of these stages. From these observations, the ancient mystics recognized an immensely significant spiritual code called the ‘Trinity of Godhead’, as the prime manifestation of Divinity in the material world. It can be described in three steps; 1) The process of birth in the mother’s womb during gestation, whilst being formed in the realm of creation (The Creator God); 2) The state of human beings in the active world, whilst being associated with the domain of life (The Protector God); 3) The condition of soul departing from physical body to be transformed into ethereal body, whilst being shifted to the sphere of afterlife (The Destroyer God).

Throughout history, humanity has been propelled by the intrinsic rhythms of nature through an endless cycle of production, consumption, and disposal; thus, driving them towards an enduring quest for a more elevated state of living existence in the world. Consequently, the same habit patterns could also be extrapolated to the spiritual practices of religious traditions in order to resonate the human lives on the material earth with the angelic lights of the ethereal heavens. One such exercise happens to be the most celebrated ritual prayer of Muslims called the 'Salaat'.

The Alchemical Communion of Islam

Salaat or Prayers is the most celebrated and obligatory form of Muslim prayer as it is practiced multiple times daily in a mosque. The practice of Salaat also requires ritual purification called Wudu, and follows a definite physical ritual of worship alongside a recitation from the texts of Quran.

The Salaat ritual prayer in Islamic traditions also represents the alchemical mystery of Communion. The Alchemical Communion essentially requires the connection of mind and body for a specific purpose, and the practice of Salaat definitely appears to be designed for this objective. The Moon in its three phases of Waxing, Full, and Waning represents the three stages of every alchemical process; Initial, Intermediate, and Conclusive; akin to the astrological modalities of Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable signs of the zodiac. These three stages are incorporated in the ritual both at physical and mental levels of its performance for the practitioner of Salaat, as the ritual requires a person to physically stand, bow, and prostate in order to demonstrate the three alchemical stages; whilst at the same time that person has to recite the first chapter of Quran in the standing posture called Al-Fatihah (The Opening). The prayer says,

[Al-Fatihah : The Opening]

(1) In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. [Parity, Contraction, Expansion]

(2) Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, [Initial Stage Belief]

(3) The Beneficent, the Merciful. [Intermediate Stage Belief]

(4) Master of the Day of Judgment, [Conclusive Stage Belief]

(5) Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help. [Initial Stage Action]

(6) Show us the straight path, [Intermediate Stage Action]

(7) The path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray. [Conclusive Stage Action]

It is significant to note that the two terms ‘The Beneficent (Ar-Rahman)’ and ‘The Merciful (Ar-Rahim)’, whenever appear in the general context of Quran represent the alchemical principles of Contraction (Saturn) and Expansion (Jupiter) respectively. But when they are used together as in this case, their symbolism is also associated with 'waning' and 'waxing' phases of the Moon. Therefore, the verse (1) of Al-Fatihah has three parts; ‘In the name of Allah’ (Full Moon or The Intermediate Stage), ‘the Beneficent’ (Waning Moon or The Conclusive Stage), and ‘the Merciful' (Waxing Moon or The Initial Stage). The next three verses of Al-Fatihah represents the belief section of Islam corresponding to the three alchemical stages, and the actions reflected from those beliefs are defined in its last three verses. For instance, the verse (2) praises God in the initial stage, and the verse (5) worships and implores Him in that stage; the verse (3) expresses His attributes relative to expansion and contraction in the intermediate stage, and the verse (6) seeks guidance from Him to follow the path of parity in that stage; the verse (4) determines His authority in the conclusive stage, and the verse (7) calls for His action against the disbelievers who have lost the equilibrium by either excessively expanding or contracting and thereby, 'earning anger' or 'going astray'. Therefore, Al-Fatihah serves as a symmetrical prayer that describes the complete code of Islamic ideals in both theory and practice, and also very effectively demonstrates the purpose of Islamic creed through constant reminder of its message in the regular performance of Salaat ritual by Muslims as a perfect form of alchemical communion for the spiritual growth of humanity.

The Trinity of Human Life

The creation of physical organs such as eyes, arms, and legs can only happen inside the mother’s body, because that is the realm of The Creator God. If the mother receives proper nourishment and care, the baby comes out to be of healthy and vibrant state; or otherwise defective in some way. Once in the world, the human body gets in the realm of The Protector God, who makes the body to grow, strengthen, and reproduce but no new organs are added into the body at this stage. Here, according to the code of trinity, this human body acts as a gestation organ similar to the mother’s womb for the creation of a new ‘Spirit’. Just as the creation of human body occurred during the stay in the mother’s womb, the human spirit undergoes its creation during the stay in the physical world, to be finally transferred to the spiritual world. And just as carelessness on the part of mother might cause lasting defects or deformities in the child, similarly, actions based on inequity might cause permanent weaknesses in the spirit, so as to render the spirit incompatible to the higher spiritual world. Also, the child had no need for the physical organs like eyes in the mother’s womb, but he still produced them for the next proceeding stage; and thereby, the righteous actions of a human being would render him the vision to function effortlessly in the spiritual domain. Thus, the journey that begins with the mere conception of a baby by the mother must end in its integration with the divine spirit. It is also worth mentioning here that the ‘Christian Trinity’ which comprises of Father (The Progenitor of Life), Son (The Protector of Legacy), and Holy Spirit (The Promoter of Light) provides the best symbolic illustration for the ancient code of trinity.

Abraham’s Stories in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic Scriptures

The stories of the great patriarch Abraham in the Bible and the Quran are very symbolic for the raising of human consciousness from the base level to the ultimate divine state. Abraham being the pioneer of both Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions, had expounded the need to reach the higher levels of spirituality through his noble attitude towards the experiences of life. Here, firstly I should mention the story of Abraham as a youngster defying his father’s gods, followed by his famous attempt to sacrifice his own son, and furthermore by his building of the shrine at Mecca (the symbolic temple of Shiva). It is also noteworthy that according to the Abrahamic traditions, in order to the consciousness of a man to reach the spiritual dimension of afterlife, he must either defy or leave the conditions associated with previous two realms of The Creator, and The Protector deities. Just as a child, once delivered from the mother cannot return to the womb, so too is the passage of life an irreversible unfolding process; similarly, the spirit that having departed from the body keeps journeying onward, never to return to its earthly vessel. At the heart of the Abrahamic traditions lies a devotion to the ultimate purpose that needs to be pursued with purity and wholeness, and where the Unity of Godhead signifies not merely monotheism, but the recognition that only one Divine Source of spiritual ascent can truly be served to align the ideals of humanity with the spiritual callings of Divinity.

The Story of Abraham and the Idol Shop of His Father

In the book of Genesis Rabbah, Chapter 38, the Jewish account of the affair of Abraham with his father has been described. His father being the carver and seller of idols that were symbolically used for the worship of The Creator God. But since the physical creation of Abraham’s body had already been accomplished, so Abraham defied his father by denigrating his creative works. Here, I have included some quotes from the Genesis Rabbah, Chapter 38, for illustration purposes.

“The father of Abraham and Haran, was a dealer in images as well as a worshipper of them.” “Abraham taunted him (a customer of his father) with want of sound sense in calling the work of another man’s hand, produced perhaps in a few hours, his god; the man laid the words of Abraham to heart and gave up idol worship.” “Again a woman came with a handful of fine flour to offer to Terah’s idols, which were now in charge of Abraham. He took a stick and broke all the images except the largest one, in the hand of which he placed the stick which had worked this wholesale destruction.” “When he (Abraham’s father) learnt also of the customers whom Abraham had lost him during his management he became very incensed, and drove Abraham out of his house and handed him over to Nimrod.” “Nimrod, becoming weary of arguing with Abraham, decided to cast him before his god — fire — and challenged Abraham’s deliverance by the God of Abraham, but God saved him out of the fiery furnace.”

In the above texts, the father of Abraham indulged in the business of idol manufacturing and marketing, a vocation that required considerable creative skill and guile, the situation being incompatible with The Destroyer God (Shiva). Thus, Abraham in the spiritual service of The Destroyer God, breaks the idols of his people in an act of defiance to the corrupt form of worship to The Creator God. The people then had cast Abraham into the fire in an attempt to vindicate their profitable practice of idolatry; but The Destroyer God intervened and saved His loyal follower from the unfair immolation. This anecdote illustrates the significance of sincerity and positive intentions in the undertaking of any creative activity, since the project must stand the judgement of The Destroyer God for it to be either validated or confounded by the divine forces of destruction. It is also noteworthy that Abraham had entertained no doubts regarding the ability of the higher principles to vindicate the truth; and consequently the corrupt practice of idolatry got its chastisement by the resolute hands of Abraham, whilst the righteous courage of Abraham found its grace through the redemptive powers of The Destroyer God.

The Story of Abraham’s Attempt to Sacrifice His Son

The Bible quotes this story in the following fashion,

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Genesis 22 : 9–12

When Abraham was called to sacrifice his son, he was already an old man, and the child was likely the sole inheritor of his worldly legacy. Throughout his life Abraham had firmly upheld the ethics of authenticity, and this trial stood as the ultimate measure of that devotion to the Truth. Thus, the vision of filicide was not a mere act of violence, but a profound test of fidelity from the God who breaks and renews all life, The Destroyer God.

In the end, the son was spared by the angel of the Lord, ensuring the continuation of Abraham’s lineage, even as he demonstrated a willingness to surrender it. This sacred episode unveils the mystery of faith in the Divine at its deepest spiritual dimension, a realm where a man must endure a trial capable of transfiguring his very essence into something far greater and magnificent than the ordinary bounds of existence.

Abraham’s true legacy was never solely rooted in bloodline, but in the towering heights of his moral stature, and the unwavering spiritual strength that allowed no concession to weakness. It is the legacy carved in spirit, not flesh; a testament to the soul’s power to mirror the Divine, even when cloaked in the shadow of death.

The Story of Abraham Building the Temple of God

The temple of God (Shiva) was constructed by Abraham in the land of Paran (present day Mecca), after Abraham had left the boy (Ishmael) with his consort (Hagar) in the middle of the desert. This story is mentioned in the Bible,

God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt. Genesis 21 : 17–21

The well of water mentioned in the above text is that of Zam-Zam, in Mecca. The building of the temple (Kaaba) is referred in the Quran as being built by Abraham with the assistance of Ishmael.

And (mention) when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and (with him) Ishmael, (saying), “Our Lord, accept (this) from us. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing. Al-Quran (2:127)

Our Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in an uncultivated valley near Your sacred House, our Lord, that they may establish prayer. So make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide for them from the fruits that they might be grateful. Al-Quran (14:37)

Here, the wisdom of building the cherished mosque in an uncultivated land surrounded by a desert must have been to get the followers away from the materialistic, proletarian, and bourgeois existence; and closer to the more natural, heroic, and spiritual behavior; and to inculcate the nobler and knightly attitudes in the lives of humans so as to make them grow in their spiritual significance. Also, the temple enshrines the black stone, which is essentially the symbol of Shiva (the destroyer God).

Prophets of the Abrahamic Traditions

Moses:

When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it. Exodus 32: 19–20

In the text from the Bible above, Moses expresses his anger towards Israelites who had manufactured an idol of calf in his absence, and started to worship it. The Cow as a symbol of fertility is actually revered in the Hindu traditions, and also respected on account of the utilities it provides to sustain the basic features of human lives. The Cow produces milk for human children, does labour in the fields for adults, and also fertilizes the land through its dung acting as a manure for agriculture. Therefore, Cow being the best associate of humans to provide them with ease in their affairs of the world had to be sacrificed or destroyed, because the human objectives must be focused only on the spiritual realm that is beyond this world.

Jesus:

Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. Matthew 12:32

In the given text, Jesus condemns every blasphemy or action against the Holy Spirit (the destroyer God) as the unforgivable sin. The text can also be implied to mean that sins against the Father (the creator), and the Son (the sustainer) can be remitted on account of their transient nature; but sins against the Holy Spirit (the destroyer) is permanent, and therefore cannot be absolved. 

Muhammad:

Before Muhammad was born, his father was chosen for sacrifice to the God of Kaaba by his grandfather. This was arranged on account of a pledge which the grandfather had made to sacrifice one of his many sons by a lot. His father’s sacrifice was then remitted by the sacrifice of 100 camels according to the local custom of Arabs. Therefore, Muhammad had said, “I am the son of two sacrifices” referring to the sacrifices of his father Abd Allah, and his ancestor Ishmael, son of Abraham, both of which sacrifices were prevented. This sacrifice of the two fathers can also be equated to the Abraham’s defiance of his father against the idol selling business, or the creator god. Also the Quran says,

Muhammad is not the father of (any) one of your men, but (he Is) the Messenger of Allah and seal (i.e., last) of the prophets. And ever is Allah, of all things, Knowing. Al-Quran (33:40)

According to the Muslim traditions, Muhammad had many sons; but none could live up till the age of puberty because of the God’s commands in the Quran. Therefore, above verse of the Quran shows the Muhammad’s defiance to the sustainer God, similar to the Abraham’s attempted sacrifice of his son.

Say, “The truth has come, and falsehood can neither begin nor repeat.” Al-Quran (34:49)

This above verse of the Quran, Muhammad has been reported to have repeatedly recited while breaking the idols of pre-Islamic Arabs, after the conquest of Mecca. Here, Muhammad had shown the same iconoclastic behavior peculiar to Abraham and Moses, by breaking the idols of the time, and instituting reforms in his society. The wordings of the verse (34:49) is particularly interesting, since it says that falsehood can neither begin, nor repeat; which might refer to the defiance of the creation and the preservation principles associated with the Abrahamic traditions. 

The End Note

I hope this article would have contributed toward the understanding of the ancient theologies, and their relationship to the Abrahamic traditions. I should end here by quoting the following verse from Quran.

Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a Muslim. And he was not of the polytheists. Al-Quran (3:67)