Shiva, Destroyer and Protector, Supreme Ascetic and Lord of the Universe, is Ardhanarishwara—half man and half woman. He is Neelakantha, who drank poison to save the three worlds, and yet, crazed with grief at the death of Sati, set about destroying them. Within him lie the answers to some of humanity’s deepest dilemmas. Namita Gokhale explores the many stories about Shiva, examining quest…