Myths are nothing but jumbled memories of a true past. A past buried under mounds of earth and ignorance.
This trilogy is based on this fundamental premise.
Amish believes that the Hindu gods were not mythical beings or a figment of rich imagination.
He believes that they were creatures of flesh and blood, like you and me, and that they achieved godhood through their karma, their deeds.
He believes that the words Vishnu and Mahadev are not individual names. They are in fact titles, given to persons who are the greatest of leaders, who become god-like.
The Vishnus are leaders who create a new way of life, who select a band of followers and lead them to a better path. They are the ‘propagators of good’. They work in partnership with the Mahadevs. A partnership spread over many centuries. Much like the partnership that exists between the Dalai Lamas and the Panchen Lamas, in Tibetan Buddhism.
Lord Ram was the seventh person to achieve the title of Vishnu.
The Mahadevs come in fewer numbers than the Vishnus. They are not required to create a new way of life. They are not required to choose a band of followers and lead them to a better path. They act like surgeons. They have to come in to remove a sickness, which will destroy the entire body. Their task clears the land of the malevolent effects of evil. For only with the removal of evil, can good burst forth with renewed creativity. The Mahadevs are therefore, the ‘destroyers of evil’.
Lord Shiva was an outsider, much like Lord Rudra, the Mahadev previous to him. This was an advantage for Shiva, for it allowed him to remain independent of any side. It allowed him to tackle evil with focus and detachment – much like a surgeon does when removing a malignant tumour from a human body. His job is just to remove the cancer. Then the body will heal itself.
But to removethe cancerous cells, leaving the healthy organ untouched, takes precision, skill and commitment. Evil is misleading. It points fingers at others. It confuses. It creates divisions.
The Mahadev’s task is not easy.
In 1900 BC, India was being eaten up by a cancer - an evil which worked quietly, slowly. It needed a surgery. It needed a Mahadev.
It was the good fortune of the land that a rough-hewn Tibetan immigrant heard its call for help. ‘The Immortals of Meluha’ & ‘The Secret of the Nagas’, the 2 books in this epic story called the Shiva Trilogy are available online and in bookstores. Book 3 – ‘The Oath of the Vayuputras’ will release on February 27th, 2013.