Lord Shiva, the most mystical and enigmatic deity of the Vedic pantheon, remains incredibly popular and yet, the least understood personality.

From being the destroyer to the exceedingly compassionate, from being the personification of anger to the one who is easily pleased, and from living a life of complete detachment from material entanglements to blessing his worshippers with material opulence, he remains a perfect puzzle to most.

Lord Shiva is often depicted as being in deep meditation, symbolizing transcendence and inner peace. With his third eye, he represents wisdom and insight, capable of both annihilating ignorance and bestowing enlightenment. As the lord of renunciation, he challenges devotees to transcend worldly attachments and embrace spiritual ascension. Yet, he is also the benevolent protector, offering solace and guidance to those in need.

This book explores the side of Shiva that is completely hidden from us, giving us a deeper insight into the unexplored persona that he has.

Nityanand Charan Das is a practising monk at the Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple, ISKCON Chowpatty, Mumbai, and a visionary who wishes to revolutionize the current urban scenario by helping people live a life of purpose, fulfilment and satisfaction. He specializes in guiding today's youth to reconnect with their roots and lead a simple yet happy life.

Coming from an army background, Nityanand Charan Das's childhood desire was to become an army officer. However, Lord Krishna had other plans for him and orchestrated his life beautifully. Life led him to fail the National Defence Academy (NDA) interview, despite being one of the best in the group; he took up engineering instead, and eventually became a monk when he was just twenty-four years old.

Nityanand Charan Das focuses on making the sacred teachings of our holy scriptures simple so that they resonate with anyone and everyone. His message is simple: 'Spiritual life is not a life of rejection. It is a life of connection.' He says, we do not have to give up anything, we simply have to add this valuable dimension to our life. His divine radiance can be felt far and wide: his discourses are heard in every major city in India and in more than fifty countries across the globe.

The winds of grace are always blowing, but it is you who must raise your sails. By staying open to the beauty around us, we can experience unexpected moments of grace. When we have faith in our journey instead of just hoping for the best, we can be surprised by where life takes us. As a Shiva devotee, I understand the true meaning of divine intervention. Every time I faced big changes and challenges in life, I saw God's handiwork in them. Although I certainly could not find it at any of those times, I can now see that everything has worked out for the best. These incidents have the power to alter the journey of our life.

It's heart-warming to know that Prabhuji feels blessed to have Lord Krishna in his life, and acknowledges that this divine presence is a precious gift from Lord Shiva.

It's true and I have faced this a million times, when people compare Shaivism and Vaishnavism. In my opinion, Shaivism and Vaishnavism are like two wings of the same bird, working in harmony to achieve balance and stability within the universe. Both these practices have their unique strengths. One cannot exist without the other.

Throughout my upbringing, Lord Shiva has consistently held a place as a predominant deity in my life. Himachal Pradesh, also known as Devabhoomi (the land of the celestial gods), is a northern Indian state known for the simplicity of its people's lives. Unlike the modern world, the state is still quite well established in its ancient traditions, where people seem to be satisfied with the bare minimum. They are God-fearing, simple-hearted and sincere in their worship of their respective deities; primarily Lord Shiva, various forms of Goddess Durga and local village deities. The state also boasts of being home to various prominent sites where Lord Shiva and Durga are worshipped, known as shakti peethas.

The environment in my humble house was no different. As I was told, my grandfather, a veteran of World War II, was a worshipper of Goddess Durga. She blessed him with powers, owing to the mercy of his Guru, with whom he did his sadhana quite early in the morning. My father imbibed a similar dedication.