Dhyani Lord Shiva As Paramaguru Adinatha

The more said about the great Lord Shiva Mahadeva, lesser is the justice done to His divine stature. He is the indubitable Adinatha, the paramaguru of the Natha sampradaya responsible for the exposition and dissemination of classical yoga. It is said that the Devi Uma, His wife and daughter of the mountains, was the first yogashishya, to whom He imparted complete knowledge. In this portrayal of the Lord, He is captured in the midst of a great samadhi.

He is seated on a moderately flat-topped rock-body that is large enough to accommodate His virasana (ardha-padmasana). Having spread out His tigerskin asana atop the same and set the trishool by His side, He had gone into the higher reaches of dharana-dhyana-samadhi. His limbs are in perfect broad-based position, the eyes half-shut. His body is burnt in the proximity of the Himalayan sun, but His face and hands are aglow with the prakash (illumination) of sattvaguna.

The iconography of this work of art is replete. He is in His characteristic loincloth, complemented by minimal shringar. A terrible hooded snake cradles on His broad shoulders. He has three eyes and karna-kundalas. From within the folds of His dense jata (matted tresses), an overpowered Devi Ganga is bound to emerge any moment now.