THE FIVE FACES OF SHIVA

The Vedic conception of Shiva was synthetic. He was identified not with any particular layer or universal god, but with the entire collection of layers or universal gods that uphold the visible form of the universe and its invisible boundary.

As we have seen, Shiva was viewed as having a galactic torso corresponding to the visible form of our galaxy. He was also viewed as having a blue-black neck, which corresponds to the dark-matter halo that surrounds the visible form of the galaxy. Above the dark neck of Shiva lies his intergalactic head, which, according to tradition, has five faces. These correspond to the five intergalactic layers that extend to the boundary of the visible universe—to the twenty-fifth, twenty-sixth, twenty-seventh, twenty-eighth, and twenty-ninth layers above the half measure.

The tradition holds that the first four faces of Shiva are visible. These correspond to the four intergalactic layers that uphold the visible form of the universe, ending with the highest heaven. The fifth face of Shiva, however, was said to be invisible. This corresponds to the twenty-ninth layer, which upholds the cosmic red veil that is invisible to all mortal eyes, and which serves as the boundary of the visible universe. In this case, the fifth face of Shiva may be viewed as the face of Varuna, the lord of the cosmic noose and the regent of the western ocean. Because this fifth countenance represents his highest face, Shiva was known as Pashu-pati—the Lord of the Noose—a name that is also assigned to Varuna.

In this way, the ancient seers described the reality in different ways, drawing upon different conceptions and names of God, which would prove a labyrinth for those unversed in the ancient wisdoms. Yet, like a diamond that has many facets, the truth is only one.