Lord Adinatha Treads The Himalayas

‘Shri Adinathaya Namah’ is the most powerful of Shiva-salutations. It espouses Him as the Lord of all beginnings and all ends, of time and existence, of yoga and the sum of all para (absolute, as opposed to relative) knowledge. He is the ascetic of ascetics, as captured in this larger-than-life brass sculpture. Tall and muscular, the effulgence of His person comes from His yogic siddhi, of which He is the foremost teacher (his wife, the Devi Parvati, is the first student).

He is chaturbhujadhari. The trishool and damru are His implements for destruction and creation, while the kamandalu is an integral aspect of His ascetic life. A number of rudrakshas grace His torso and limbs by way of adornment. Like the Aum-tattooed hand He raises in blessing, the naga coiled round His neck raises its hood. The kundalas that pierce His earlobes rest against the mass of dreadlocks that cascade down His broad shoulders, the remaining having been piled atop His head in order to contain Devi Ganga.

It is sheer attention to detail that distinguishes this Lord Adinatha composition. He stands on an unconventional pedestal - it is a block of jagged rock-earth, indicative of the fact that He treads nothing less than the Himalayas. Zoom in on the divine limbs that do so: note how the veins protrude from underneath His skin from eons and eons of yogic austerities.