Sadashiva ( A form of Lord Shiva)

Sadashiva ( A form of Lord Shiva)

Prathihara Dynasty, 10th Century CE, Bhopal Museum

            One of the most unusual  sculptures of the Bhopal Museum is this figure of Sadashiva. Lord Shiva in his form as a Trinity, as the creator, the preserver and as the destroyer,  is called Sadashiva. In the Elephanta Caves He is shown with three male heads. Surprisingly here He is depicted with two female heads: of Parvati and Chamunda. This clearly reflects the influence of Tantra art on this sculpture.  The influence of Tantrism is not surprising as Tantrism, an occult form of Hinduism was at its zenith in the 10th Century CE. But the sheer size of the sculpture, almost life - size, reveals the importance of the figure in a temple.  

            The inclusion of Goddess Parvati and of Goddess Chamunda is significant.  Parvati holds a mirror on the left side of the figure; Chamunda is drinking blood from a bowl on the right side of the figure. While Parvati is depicted as a young and a beautiful woman, Chamunda is portrayed as a hideous and ferocious looking woman. Both depict the twin aspect of Nature: the calm, the serene, the benevolent is Parvati; the destructive, the violent is Chamunda.  The Lord sits calmly between the two extremes. 

            Our mind is also like Sadashiva.  It has both the creative and the destructive sides to it. But a detached persons is full of equanimity, full of serenity, full of compassion, like the Lord Himself. Like Shiva we also have our desires around our neck/ waist (as in this sculpture ).  But a Yogi keeps the desires under control. This figure is as much a reflection of the prevalent process in the Universe as it is about human psychology.  It, thus, represents both the micro and the macro levels of existence.  

            Like all great Indian sculptures, this figure reflects a great philosophical concept.