Hinduism: Finding the Formless in the Form

March 15, 2013 7 Comments


There are numerous instances when Hinduism is compared to Paganism. A lot of people choose to look at this religion with a bias because we seem to worship “stones and trees.” Idol worship, an integral part of this school of thought, appears childish and even blasphemous to some.  A prevalent question raises itself from time to time: How can a religion which cannot even decide which God to worship out of millions, teach the world about spirituality?   Well, I think the answer lies right there , quite blatantly, in the question. Why does the Hindu pantheon consist of millions of representations of Gods and Goddesses?  Why does it solicit worshiping almost every little thing that exists? Once you really think about it, it is rather obvious isn’t it? By giving uncountable forms to God, Hinduism actually asserts on the formlessness of the Universal Spirit.

The sages and seers of the Hindu tradition were astute. They knew that the only way to keep faith alive for eternity among humans, come what may, was to keep them guessing. And that is why our scriptures are inundated with heavy symbolism. If you choose to read it like a story, it would seem illogical, even absurd. But if you choose to interpret the absurdity, you will be surprised at the simplicity of it all. The continuous interpretation is supposed to keep us engaged with the scriptures. The process of decoding elaborate myths is designed to bring us closer to the hidden truth.

Coming back to formlessness, the greatest God of Hindus ( though I personally believe He is not limited to one religion)  Shiva, is said to be formless.  The Shivlinga represents the shapelessness of God.  It has no beginning and no end. It just is.  It represents your core and all the energy of the Universe lies in it: dormant. When you worship the Linga(Shiva), you are trying to wake up the dormant energy  there, with the energy within you (Shakti) .  That’s meditation.  When a flow of  energy between Shiva and Shakti is established, you experience what we call the meditative bliss.Image

Shiva is also worshiped in a human like form. But before you smirk at yet another contradiction in Hinduism, stop and read ahead. The form of Shiva leads yet again to his formlessness.

The huge blue body  of Mahadev is mirrored in the boundless blue sky . The half crescent moon on his head  is the same moon you see when you look up at the evening ceiling of clouds.  And when you spread your gaze to the outlines of the unending black mountain ridges along the skyline, wild and dark yet formidable, you see the long tresses of the Jatadhari.  The Rudraksha beads on his body represent the flora  in the Universe: The seed is where life chain starts.  His skirt made of a tiger skin represents the Fauna, for God resides in animals too. The snake on his neck says he is present even in the most evil minds: All they need is to look at him with the reverence of Vasuki( the snake on his neck), and he can turn them into a bit of Himself.

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God is formless because He is present in every pore of the universe. He is what the whole creation is made of. God is the empty space between galaxies and He is the galaxies. He is the fabric of your DNA. He is what mud is created out of and He is what the gold is created of. Hence, the true message to be derived out of Hindusim is:  Find the formless in all forms. Feel the palpating energy which runs through a random stone and a tender heart and worship that. Make zillions of Gods out of your devotion and worship that.  Worship every emotion and worship every phenomenon. Because there is nothing out there which is beyond His All -Pervading Existence.  He is all there is.

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A Visit to the sets of Devon ke Dev Mahadev

February 4, 2013 69 Comments


It’s been a little more than a year since my love affair with Devon Ke Dev Mahadev,, a TV series on LifeOk began. I remember being totally awed by the awesome perfection it brought to Indian TV, a mode of entertainment I thought was too mediocre, up until now. But on that fateful day of 18th December 2011, when DKDM’s first episode was unveiled, I lost all my prejudices regarding the lack of talent in our TV industry.

As the series progressed, I kept marveling at the staggering perfection of it all. Every project has it’s strengths and weaknesses, but I could not find any flaws with DKDM. The casting was impeccable. The dialogues were just right, classy yet comprehensible. The scenes were written beautifully. The music made the soul dance.  The make-up, attire and conceptualization of the characters were so powerful that it brought the world of Mahadev right into our living rooms. An addiction was inevitable. And what an addiction! Just watching wasn’t enough anymore. I had to talk about it , write about it , shout on the roof tops about how life-changing  a TV series can be!  I was soon writing every week about Devon ke Dev. on TV entertainment sites and on my blog. I opened fan pages. In other words DKDM took over my life.Image

When an output is so flawless, it is natural to wonder about the process. And thus began my research into the machinery of DKDM.  How is this magic produced? How many people work behind the scenes and just how much of work is involved? For one year I entertained this obsession, fed on every bit of info I found and kept falling deeper in love with the series and Mohit Raina, an actor who had personified my Mahadev of dreams with absolute perfection.

Finally on 2nd February this year I, with two of my DKDM fan friends, Anjali and Ayesha,  got a much awaited chance to spend some time at the original magic minting workshop of DKDM.  We were blown away when we got to know the immense amount of hard work that goes in creating one single episode. It’s like a fabric being made out of delicate threads. So many unsung heroes work with unimaginable patience behind every single scene.

Regarding our visit, There were 2 heroes there who made every minute on the set worthwhile: One being the actor that we all identify as God Himself, Mohit Raina and the other one from behind the scenes:  The Creative of the show, Angira Vats.

Often we get so obsessed with the characters that we fail to acknowledge the background work  that goes into making them so obsession -worthy. We were very lucky to have met Ms. Angira Vats who gave us some priceless insight into how DKDM continues to break its own benchmark every day. In the middle of effortlessly screening cast out of her cellphone for different characters, and instructing her assistants on their tasks, she also managed to give us heart warming attention. Her affable personality and sharp wit made the visit one of the most enjoyable experiences for us till date.

We discovered stories that increased our respect for the entire crew even more. It is not uncommon for the workers, graphic experts, editing staff to work entire nights. There are people who work till 5 AM and then doze off on the set props to get a 2 hour sleep before work starts again. The making of a TV series is a continuous process and people involved are fighting a battle against time. But at the end it’s all worth it for the DKDM crew, as this series is a project that pays back ample in terms of quality satisfaction.

Ms. Vats also introduced us to the production manager, Sanjay who kindly treated us with “meetha paans”  and told us stories about families travelling to sets in hopes of getting a glimpse of Mahadev  and how many people shed tears of devotion on seeing Him. There was an unmistakable pride in the eyes of these “behind the scenes” geniuses when they were telling us these stories. It  is obvious how dear this project is to them and how proud they are of being associated with this dream venture.Image

DKDM has shown an unquestionable mastery especially over the execution of different avatars that Mahadev and Parvati keep taking from time to time. Who can forget the raw power in Veerbhadra or the authenticity of the old stooping man (Mahadev)asking for Kartikeya’s Shivling? If you are wondering who to thank , it’s Ms Vats and her creative team. They first conceptualize the entire avatar and then work closely to turn it into reality.  We were lucky to see some of the preparation for Mahadev’s Batuk avatar. . A tiny Trishul with little rudraksha beads and a small damru had just been finalized and approved in front of our eyes.

We were curious watching Angira’s effortless expertise and asked her how she ended up doing what she did.   Turns out she studied journalism, but her innate creative instincts couldn’t be hidden for long and she ended up working for projects like Gadar- Ek Prem Katha and quite a few other movies.

With an unmistakable twinkle in her eye  she tells us that as soon as  Nikhil Sinha called her  about the commencement of  Mahadev was , she left the project she was doing  right in the middle. Her instincts told her that this would be a be a dream project.   Having worked with Nikhil before on Jai Shri Krishna, there was no doubt in her mind that  Mahadev  was  an opportunity not to be missed.

If you have ever wondered how the casting in Mahadev is so perfect, it’s because the production and the Creatives work hard on it. Ms. Vats instincts with casting is strikingly accurate. The amazing Saurabh  Raj Jain who has been charming us as Lord Vishnu was also cast as Vishnu in Jai Shri Krishna on her idea.

After the behind the scenes talk, it’s time to talk about the face of the show.   Mohit Raina, while playing the God of Gods, has managed to establish himself as the actor among actors. We have been long term fans , running among others, a fan page for him, because we were  blown away by his personification of Mahadev since the first episode.

Watching Mohit Raina in his mettle during the shoot is an ethereal experience. Not only he looks as gorgeous off screen as on screen, his aura is breathtaking. Just watching him do his scenes with that effortless ease yet awesome perfection is inspiring in more than one ways.

Frankly, we  never thought he would notice us when we sneaked in during the shoot and grabbed three chairs in a dark corner. But to our surprise, as soon as the scene was over, Mr Raina just strolled over casually and recognized us with names, all on the basis of sundry twitter interactions. Yes that’s how smart he is!

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If we were awed before meeting him, we have turned super awed fans for life after meeting him. His skill of multi tasking  is noteworthy.  He managed to do his scenes, learn his lines and spend ample time with us, without doing injustice on any front. We were floored by his attention. He practically took care of all our wishes till the time we were there. From getting us lunch served before we even realized we were hungry to letting us  click pictures in the privileged quarters of his room, he made us feel like princesses.  Like the true Mahadev, he had a solution to all of our problems. When the huge technical camera that Ayesha was carrying turned out to be too technical for us , Mr Raina got us the in- house cameraman. When we wanted his autograph on pictures but didn’t bring a marker, he managed to procure it even when it seemed unlikely. There was not one awkward moment all throughout the day. He put us so much at ease that we forgot we were meeting our own personal God  for the first time .  It is striking how a man who is being idolized literally like a God all over the country,  keeps himself so grounded and unassuming, unaffected by the growing grandiosity of his fame.  DKDM has not only discovered a perfect Mahadev, they have brought out an extremely talented gem of a person.

We always suspected he had a great sense of humour and we were so right. He made us laugh and those random moments when he broke into an extremely breathtaking smile, are engraved forever in our memories. His thoughtfulness and grounded attitude is what we will cherish forever. Like a true gentleman he even asked us how  we  were planning to go back and seemed relieved that we had a cab waiting. He sent his assistant to drop us back to the cab who graciously invited us to come again and stayed till our cab left.  A special mention to Mohit’s assistant ( though I asked his name twice, I can’t place it)  for being so nice to us all day and for taking care of us.

Our walk through the set was also an amazing experience. We saw the making  of the  much anticipated “bhavan”  which will be produced due to Parvati’s demands.  The “karigars” were hard at work in a makeshift shed.

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The set of  Kailash was breathtaking. Parvati’s kitchen utensils were being finely polished and I got an opportunity to sit on Mahadev’s throne ( It didn’t  bring me face to face with my  Adi -Shakti roop to my disappointment). Everybody on the set was very friendly and very nice to us.

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It was a dream date with Kailash extended to us by both Mohit and Ms Angira Vats. We cannot thank them enough ever. This experience will stay with us all our lives and we will remain fans forever. We hope we can visit again after a while and bring you more news from them and get more of your love to them. Till then  let’s keep watching DKDM with the same  fervor and  let’s keep discussing the brilliance on all online forums like we have been doing since the magic spell was cast. Here’s to more passion and love for Devon ke Dev Mahadev!

 Note: This post would not be complete without extending heartfelt gratitude to Raghvesh : If not for him, this would have remained an unfulfilled dream.

Filed under DEVON KE DEV MAHADEV TV SERIES, Devon Ke Dev Mahadev- TV Series Lifeok, Reviews, TV) Tagged with , , ,

No, We Are NOT Different

October 28, 2012 12 Comments


All human beings are born exactly the same way, have the exact same no of bones in the body, have the same organs and are subjected to same mechanisms working inside them. We all  breathe . We all need food to survive and water to quench parched throats. Everyone sees with their eyes and holds with their hands. An apparent question then is – “ Why are we so different from each other?”  Or are we really? Does the perceived “difference” really exist?

The difference between one human being and another is nothing  but a reflection of the external periphery they are subjected to. That’s it. It’s a reflection, as best a limited perception. If you look beyond the worldly experiences, we are all exactly identical. Our oneness is the reason we all make fundamentally the same choices and wish for the same things. Think about it. A beautiful song brings random tears to all our eyes.  At one time or another, we have all been happy without knowing why.  Sometimes we have cried without knowing why. All of us crave joy. Love makes us all feel blissful and anger exhausts all of us.

To really experience this similarity, we need to look within.This inner self is absolutely untouched and remains constantly blissful. This Self is that undivided spark of God energy that every person is born with.  Unfortunately, as years go by, we get entangled in the circle of worldly attachments, and lose touch with this unchanging eternal truth inside us.

As we grow up we start believing we are nothing but our outer manifestation. The body defines us , when in reality, it’s nothing but a temporary cover that we are all bound to shed . The way our consciousness responds to physical circumstances around us, establishes us as an identity.  An identity which is different from others around us. This temporary false identity blocks our view of the ultimate truth: that we all belong together, that we all are a part of the divine energy that has manifested itself in us and everything around us, that we are all exactly the same.

All the crime happening in this world, the wars that we bring on to ourselves ,and then conveniently heap on God’s conscience, is a result of this falsely perceived difference.

We fight and breed hatred because we can’t stand this reflected difference. If you worship your God in a different way and believe him to be different than mine, I don’t like it. If you are earning more money, I see it as an achievement and get jealous of you. If you don’t think the way I think, I can’t stand it.This is the way we continuously concentrate on a mere perception and cultivate negative energy.

This negative energy gets the cycle of Karma rolling.  You willfully act in a way that is opposite to your fundamentally blissful soul and create more distance between you and your Self. This willful act fuelled by the negative feelings of hatred, jealousy and possessiveness propels you to the proverbial state of Sisyphus http://www.nyu.edu/classes/keefer/hell/camus.html. When you keep feeding this negative energy birth after birth, sooner or later Karma catches up with you. All the deranged criminals, psychologically deviant people that we hear about today have been carrying this negativity for millions of births and have ultimately given into the evil energy. Unfortunately they have come away so far from their pure Self, that they have no option but to subject themselves to an endless cycle of relentless Karma .

We on the other hand, have a choice. We can attempt freeing ourselves right now. We can start by realizing who we really are. We have to see the oneness in all of us and realize the true nature of our fundamental self. Close your eyes and look within. Find than unwavering unchanging blissful soul that resides there in your core. The journey towards that divinity inside you is  the sole purpose of this life. All other pursuits influenced by your outer body and circumstances are distractions that will always leave you high and dry. Nothing lasts but the Soul. It always is and it always was. The sooner you find yourself in permanent communion with it, the sooner you will be Home. Permanently Blissful.

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Devon Ke Dev Mahadev: The Best of Mohit Raina Moments

October 27, 2012 3 Comments


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The last few weeks have been a roller coaster ride for DKDM viewers and Mahadev . Right from the day He lost Sati he has gone through vivid and extreme experiences. Testing times for Mahadev but an extremely fruitful period for Mohit Raina, the actor : The opportunity to showcase the versatility he can bring to a character even as ambiguous and contradictory as Mahadev, who hasn’t been figured out in his entirety by anyone, has been fully utilized.

This Monday, Let’s look at Mohit’s best moments as an actor after Sati’s immolation: The assertive scenes where yet again Mr Raina proved effortlessly that much like the God among Gods that he is playing, he is the Actor among actors.

So when after a heart wrenching attempt at making the arrogant Daksh see the folly of his ways, Sati realizes the futility of her birth, she immolates herself in protest of the insults heaped on her husband by her father. The sight of her burning body leaves us shocked and breathless. But the exact moment when we viewers realize the actual impact of the just witnessed tragedy, is in the scene that follows: Mahadev, the ever calm, sublimely controlled God, lets out a blood curdling scream and every tissue on his face wreathes in agony. That’s when our own grief, having just witnessed this scriptural tragedy , dawns on us in entirety and we don’t hold in the tears anymore. We cry along with Mahadev and take a moment to feel for Him, someone who had just been a wishing well for us till now. Amish Tripathi, the now famous author of the Shiva Trilogy tweets right after: “Just saw the 1st sight of Lord Shiva’s righteous anger in Devon ke Dev. Mohit Raina looks like he has the Mahadev living within him.” Oh yes. We agree wholeheartedly Mr Tripathi. Mahadev is definitely personally taking interest in Mohit’s portrayal: how else do you explain such an authentic representation of an abstract God who has only been felt, but never seen?

But that is just one of the examples of how he has mastered impeccably the character he is playing. More exemplary sequences follow. I think it is a very daunting task for an actor to display different emotions at once. The sequence where a deeply sad Mahadev, almost lost in an agonizing trance, orders a very wrathful and destructive Veerbhadra to kill Daksh is Mohit’s second winning moment. The juxtaposition of the mourning Mahadev preoccupied with Sati ‘s death with the eager blood thirsty Veerbhadra about to go on a killing rampage, is perhaps another reminder of why Mohit Raina is known today in our circles as the Master of Expressions. The Rudra Veerbhadra is like a split personality of the ever patient Mahadev, who , even though representing emotions extremely opposite to his creator, reflects the essence of Mahadev completely, even through vengeful anger.

After Daksh ‘s slaying, when Mahadev walks in at the “crime scene”, the unimaginable extent of his grief is conveyed by a heavy silence, a betrayed pair of eyes and a broken walk. Now there’s an actor who expresses copiously without even uttering a syllable. The unattachment and indifference to everyone else around him is portrayed impeccably by his lost and hurt eyes, which remain fixed on the corpse of Sati even while he carries her lifeless form out the door.

And as we watch the grief stricken Mahadev helplessly and wonder about his state of shock, he gives us and the culprit gods all answers in three words: Shiva sans Shakti is Shava. And then begins the maha degradation of Mahadev as he quits his “Devatwa” and transcends into the mortal realms to suffer all the pain like a human.

It is here that Mohit Raina makes slipping into different characters seem as easy as slipping into different clothes. The ever encompassing, all pervading Devon ke Dev suddenly becomes pitiable in his sorrow. The God whose one tear could move the world, is now screaming in agony at one moment and sobbing in despair the next. This homeless wanderer is a mere shadow of the God that he was and creates sympathy and pity in our hearts, emotions we never though a God could entice in us. But such is the magic of Mohit’s strong portrayal: If he wants us to believe that God can be pitied, he does so…and with remarkable ease

By the time, he takes back his role of Mahadev on Sati’s insistence, we have spent various nights awake , worried at his condition. So naturally, when he returns to his Mahadev roop again, it’s celebration time for us. It’s our own little Diwali day.

Ofcourse by pointing out some of the master piece scenes above, I have only scratched the surface. There were plenty of other admirable moments. I am sure you guys have to add a lot. Go ahead.

It is not a news anymore that the image Mahadev conjures up in our minds these days is of Mohit Raina but what needs to be recognized here is the versatility of this extremely talented actor. We have had legendary portrayals of divinities before. Arun Govil as Ram and Nitish Bhardwaj as Krishna had personified these Gods forever but unfortunately they , as actors, got stuck with the image. Mohit Raina is blessed in this respect because DKDM has given him a platform to showcase almost every aspect of divinity and humanity: He can play a God, but he can play a forsaken pining lover too. He can calmly smile at your follies but he can sob and cry at his loss like a child too. There is no doubt that He can play a hero, a lover, a father, a husband, a villain and everything else with extreme perfection. He can be anything that you want him to be on screen and he can make you believe it. And that’s the biggest gift an actor can give to his viewers. That’s why Mohit Raina is special. And That’s why we hail him as a never ending inspiration.

By Tulika

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Mohit Raina: A Master of Expressions

October 27, 2012 4 Comments


For our regular readers, it is no more a secret that we are mesmerized by the actor who plays Shiva in Life Ok’s Devon ke Dev Mahadev.  They must be well aware of the fact that along with Sati, who fell in love with this tall dark stranger in January when he appeared in the midst of a wild storm propagated by  Vritrasur to rescue the damsel in distress, we lost our hearts as well.  And when he stood there shielding a dream- weaving Sati from the wrath of the malicious demon, and did away with him with nothing more than one powerful thrust of his divine Trishul, we were left gaping with awe at the authenticity of the power, charisma and attraction that can only and only be attributed to or expected from the real sakshat Devon ke Dev. Yet, we reminded ourselves with breathless stupor, that it was only an actor playing Mahadev, and not Mahadev himself.

So what gives Mohit Raina such a captivating screen presence? What makes him so different that we, women who applauded themselves on being free from hero worshipping and who laughed on teenagers obsessing over actors, fell for his magic, hook, line and sinker? Why has TV suddenly turned so important in our worlds? Why has Mohit Raina made way into the hearts of young and old, men and women alike?

Could it be all about his recent role as the universally appealing mysterious God Shiva? Apparently, Mahadev’s contribution cannot be denied in turning this man into an over -night heart throb. (And I don’t simply mean the personal guidance that Shiva seems to be giving him in playing him to the nearest authenticity possible). It is an unequivocal fact that DKDM is an extremely lucky break for Mohit because it gives him a very huge audience bracket. (8 to 80 year olds)

But playing Mahadev exactly like Mahadev is where the actor’s personal talent lies. Before DKDM,we had seen quite a few on screen Shivas  and had long settled for mediocrity , convincing ourselves that it is unreasonable to expect a mere mortal to play God with a believable aura  . But Devon ke Dev Mahadev’s new avatar, in the form of Mohit Raina, forced us to revise our thinking process.

Why has he been able to play such a difficult role to such a staggering perfection?

The answer lies in his awesome mastery of expressions. Rarely comes an actor who can act with every muscle on his face. Rarely do we see an actor who speaks with his eyes and leaves nothing else to be said. Who better than Mohit Raina to play Mahadev? A God who is expression himself of almost everything conceivable. When Shiva is angry, his eyes turn into slits of volcanic fire and every muscle on his face twitches with wrath.  When Shiva feels love, the same face turns tender and the same eyes turn into oceans of compassionate love. When dealing with devotion, his features acquire serenity devoid of ego and those eyes express nothing but unadulterated love.  In the same way, an unaffected smile at Daksha’s insolence is starkly different from the compassionate smile that a devotee is bestowed with.

The Jatta track in the series was an awesome opportunity of showcasing the talent, this master of facial expressions, seems to have been born with. The man switched between the two realm- transiting characters with effortless ease. While Jatta smiled insolently and teased Sati with rolling eyes filled with mischief, the anguish of Mahadev took no time in manifesting on the same playful face, the moment her back was turned to him.

So mesmerized some of us were by his stunning impact on screen that we went back and searched his previous acting profiles to find answers for our obsession with him.  And that’s how we stumbled upon a lesser known series called Ganga ki Dheej. The moment we met “Agantuk”, we realized that it is not just Shiva who  has awed us to such an extent; it is actually the man who is playing Him. For the same mastery of expression leaves us as vulnerable to Agantuk as the God that he is currently essaying. Agantuk is both an antagonist as well as a protagonist in the GKD story and the actor does justice to this multi faced character with the same legendary ease that we are now ardent fans of. He is arrogant and spoilt enough to slap his way into a women only “mandir” to satisfy his curiosity regarding a village damsel, yet possesses a vulnerable heart that makes him watch her tenderly while she is sleeping in  the wilderness, hours after he rescues her by marrying her to save her from a cruel fate. (For more info catch Ganga ki Dheej on youtube). Agantuk is as addictive as Mahadev and this clearly proves that Mohit Raina possesses a mettle many actors can only aspire for.

It is only a question of time when this extremely talented god looker (that’s a deliberate spelling error: pun very much intended) will be discovered by many more and will find even greater lauds and recognition coming his way. He is poised to rule the entertainment industry very soon. In the meanwhile, I hope he is happy ruling our hearts.

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Looking back at the Tragic Shiv-Sati Love Story

October 27, 2012 2 Comments


It is a very difficult time for the “devotees” of the series Devon ke Dev Mahadev. The moment of witnessing the colossal failure of the Universe’s first love story has arrived. Though we knew the inevitability of Sati’s death , what we didn’t know was that the series will suck us so deep into Mahadev’s world, that we would literally shed tears and have nightmares thinking about his agony at being cut away from his literal half yet again.

Yes, It is true. Mohit Raina’s portrayal of the “victimized” Mahadev has created havoc in our hearts. Why , we keep asking the laws of the Universe, why does Shiv has to go through all this? Why someone who knew how things would end up all along, was forced into this calamity from all sides? Our minds are so troubled with what’s going to happen on Monday evening at 8 , that we have shut ourselves down. We are not talking about our feelings because they threaten to spill all over and then go out of control. If not for the extremely tempting “Rudra promo”, we could have very well decided not to face up to the tragedy awaiting Mahadev and us on Life Ok at all.

All said and done, it is actually time for us to look back and contemplate. What went wrong with this extremely beautiful love story? What are the lessons Mahadev left for humanity by choosing to suffer like a human? Have we been able to pick up the hidden message God has been trying to convey to us for millions of years, since the conception of this story? I think we finally have, thanks to Devon ke Dev Mahadev, which has decoded all the divine secrets in one go and have carried us back to the mythical times like it was happening right here , right now.  So without further ado, here are some of Mahadev’s personal messages to us, brought to us by DKDM:

Possessive love leads to suffering:  Sati achieved Mahadev before time. She did it through extreme stubbornness and was mainly guided by a “possessive” love for him. That is why this story was destined to fail. God left us three very important messages here: Possessive love “ALWAYS” brings pain.  Secondly, Stubbornness may give you a false assurance of having achieved your goal, but it eventually leads to failure.   And thirdly, everything happens in time. Forcing things to happen before time will lead to one’s own doom.

God can only be achieved through total surrender: Sati never completely surrendered to Mahadev. She questioned his love for her. She committed the error of trusting her judgment against Him. She came up to Kailash in body, but her mind remained entangled into the matters of the murky world below.  Lesson learnt? As long as you do not get rid of the attachment to the worldly possessions and relationships, you will not find God.

Ego is the biggest hurdle between you and God: Humans are separated from God because they are dominated by their Ego. The layers of Ego have to be peeled away to find the true Self. When Mahadev is trying to make Sati realize that she is Adi Shakti, he is actually telling us humans that we all have God inside us. We need to work towards letting go of the false Ego through meditation, Yoga and selflessness, which will lead to the realization that when devoid of all these thick worldly layers, we are all pure Shakti inside.

Sati failed on all these levels and the result was that she could not achieve God even though she “married” him. Only when it dawned upon her that she needed to let go of the karma -influenced body of Sati( being the daughter  of the ignorant Daksh), which was not letting her realize her true Self, that she found her way to God.  Her real quest to find Mahadev, eventually successful, started when she surrendered her body as Sati to come back as a more developed self in the form of Parvati. Therefore,  Sati’s immolation is not at all a tragedy. It is the best thing that could have happened to her for it propelled her towards her Mahadev. Mahadev in turn chose to suffer for the sake of Sati’s development just as God suffers through our day to day ignorance and waits with infinite patience that someday we will find our way home, to Him.

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Devon ke Dev Mahadev: Bridging Contradictory Philosophies

October 27, 2012 2 Comments


In my opinion, the Indian population can be broadly divided into three sections today:  The first one comprises of religious hindus, people who literally believe in myths: They have no qualms imagining that somewhere from up there thousands of bejeweled attractive Gods and Goddesses with more than a  dozen arms are keeping a watch on us..  Then there are people who don’t go for literal interpretations but consider these timeless legends as legacies left behind by learned and wise sages: lessons in life disguised in heavy allegory to instill attraction and fear in common man, to ensure  that righteousness be followed out of respect and fear, if nothing else. The third section comprises of people who couldn’t care less about Indian mythology. They neither believe in these stories, nor care to see them as puzzles to solve. They hardly even know the existence of these elaborate legends.

You can only imagine the kind of heat an argument would generate if these three kinds of people sat together and decided to talk about mythology. If it was a dinner, the plates, there’s a good chance, would fly over heads, spluttering food in all directions, thrown in sheer frustration.

I would have gone ahead and predicted a mini war in this scenario if only I had not noticed a recent uniting force which miraculously fills the chasms of contradicting ideologies: I am talking about an interesting mythological series called “Devon ke Dev Mahadev, on the Hindu deity Shiva on Life Ok, which, curiously, enjoys a loyal viewership across all 3 sections of the masses.  During our proposed hypothetical dinner, if DKDM is shown as a preventive measure, I have a hunch no plates will fly. All eyes, from the radicals to the non- believers, would be glued to the TV.

How has DKDM managed to achieve such a feat? How can one show capture imaginations of traditionalists, modernists, non believers and even atheists, all together? Well, I think it has to do with a very unique trait of DKDM: It doesn’t try to make a statement.  It remains open to interpretations, catering to all sensibilities at the same time.

For a religious person, who believes that Shiva actually sits on Kailash in a human form in unending meditation, the series awakens extreme devotion. It matches up unimaginably to the grandeur of the vedic and puranic allegories.  DKDM’s Mahadev actually delivers. If they had a way to video record shiva’s life and actions millions of years ago, it could easily have had the same effect on us as watching Mohit Raina playing Mahadev. He takes authentic representation of a character to a whole new level. Infact, not only him, all the actors match flawlessly to the pictures conjured up after reading the vedic descriptions. Therefore, for a devotee, DKDM has done the unimaginable: It has brought God live to him. So no wonder, he often finds his eyes tearing up in devotion seeing Mahadev in person.

Coming to the modernists, who don’t deny the importance of myths but would rather believe in a formless God and extract lessons from these stories, DKDM is a beautifully attired puzzle. Religious or not, who can resist the beauty of the casts and the sets?  While keeping them engrossed with the heavy symbolism through veiled dialogues and meaningful motifs, an appropriate amount of philosophy or wisdom is meted out at regular intervals to keep their rational curiosity satisfied. It’s a delight to witness that through the allegoric display of a timeless legend, a fine thread of knowledge and wisdom has been woven subtly but strongly into DKDM. Lessons pertaining to human’s quest to find god, the birth and importance of Vedas and the importance of self realization: everything is being taught continuously to minds that want to learn.

The non hindus who have no reason to believe in hindu religious myths, and the atheists, who have no reason to believe in any religious myth whatsoever, are also equally hooked to the series. Yes it’s true.  I have a Mahadev/Mohit fan club to prove it! For these people, DKDM provides thrilling entertainment. The show has all the ingredients of a pot boiler. An extremely attractive cast coupled with a passionate love story unfolding in the midst of exquisite scenery is more than you can ask for to deliver you from the boredom of routine life. The story offers to them a passionate chemistry; thrilling twists and turns and a promise of happily ever after.

So I rest my case hereby, proving to you, why DKDM deserves all the attention: The series is a wonder: Even though it is showcasing a religious legend, it is not stringent in its treatment. It is more like a painting which can be painted by the viewer’s eyes. And that is the secret of the success of Devon ke Dev Mahadev’s universal appeal. Much like Mahadev himself, the show is colossal yet humble, modern yet traditional, sexy yet sober and above all personal yet universal…

Har Har mahadev J

Filed under Devon Ke Dev Mahadev- TV Series Lifeok Tagged with , , ,

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