A Story I Hadn't Told Yet
I've written many books on Vastu and on the ancient scriptures. But this time, I want to share something different with you about my own journey.
I read every message you send me. The love overwhelms me, honestly. And when I come across unkind ones, I don't feel anger. I feel a quiet sadness that someone is carrying so much weight in their heart, when the heart was only ever meant to carry love. Love for the divine. Love for every person, every being, every stone and leaf. Because all of it was made by the same hand.
So let me give you a hint about what's coming.
My new book isn't about Vastu. It's about how Lord Shiva found me.
It carries my childhood, the reasons I am the way I am, the parts of me you've loved and the parts you haven't always understood. But one thing has never been in question: Shiva's love for me.
My brother asked me the same question when I told him. "Why Shiva?" And I gave him the simple answer because he is the lord of Vastu. I didn't want to burden him with the longer truth.
But when I sat with it later, I realised something. I hadn't written a book on Lord Shiva. He had already written one on me - long before I was even born.
I didn't choose Shiva.
Shiva chose me to tell this story.
Twelve Years in Kathmandu
I spent twelve of my most formative years in Kathmandu. Pashupatinath wasn't a monument we visited on special occasions - it was simply part of living. We would go, offer our prayers, and sit. Nothing more. As a child, I understood none of the philosophy behind it. I only felt a strange, settled peace that I couldn't explain.
I remember watching the sadhus for hours. Who were they? Why did they dress this way? What made them so magnetic to a child who understood nothing of renunciation? I couldn't say. I only know I couldn't look away.
I remember the temple bell - the large one at the entrance - and how its sound seemed to enter somewhere deeper than my ears. I remember the incense, lighter back then than the ghats themselves, and the Bagmati river, full and alive in a way I still picture clearly. The pigeons. The monkeys. The pipal tree, standing there like it always had something to say and never said it.
The Quiet Seeds of Devotion
My family gave me discipline in prayer long before I understood what discipline meant. Jain chants. Mānasa Pūjā. Daily worship, simply because that was what we did.
My spiritual upbringing came through the Jain tradition. And yet, somewhere quietly underneath all of it, Shiva was always present. Not spoken of constantly. Just there.
The Years He Went Missing
I want to be honest with you, because this book isn't going to be one long, tidy spiritual arc.
For a large part of my middle school years, and well into my twenties, Shiva had gone missing from my life. Not a single sign of him. No contradiction, no crisis of faith - just a life that was growing up in its own balanced way, and a devotion that was quietly waiting its turn.
The Search That Took Me to Coimbatore and Rishikesh
As I grew older, life became harder. My health began to decline, and I went looking for answers - not only in medicine, but somewhere deeper.
I went to the Isha Foundation in Coimbatore. Spent twenty-one days at the ashram. My health didn't improve the way I'd hoped.
So I went further - to Uttarakhand, to the Sivananda Ashram, living close to Mother Ganga, eventually becoming a yoga teacher myself.
And yet, even there, something was still missing.
That sentence has stayed with me for years. Even there, something was still missing.
When the Scriptures Started Speaking
I began reading the scriptures intensely during that period. It was an intense time in every sense.
One scripture led to another. One mantra opened the door to the next. One question gave birth to another question. And without realising it, Shiva was teaching me - not through a temple, not through a guru standing before me, but through the texts themselves.
Mānasāra. Vishwakarma Prakash. Samarāṅgaṇa Sūtradhāra. Devi Bhagwatam. Kundalini. And finally, the Shiv Puran.
He had found me again. Not through a ritual I performed, but through my own search for truth.
When Shiva Stopped Being Someone I Prayed To
There came a point where Shiva was no longer someone I prayed to at fixed hours and then set aside.
He became part of daily life. The japa. The Mānasa Pūjā. The study. The temple work. Installing Shivlings. Writing books. Slowly, without my noticing exactly when, everything began to revolve around Him.
Even the Manjusha - I realised, without ever having consciously decided it - is nothing but Shiva himself, held in copper, kept close.
Conclusion - The Thread I Can Finally See
When I look back at my life now, I don't see a series of separate events. I see one thread - running from a little girl walking through the temples of Kathmandu, to a woman who now spends her days studying scriptures and writing about Mahadev.
Perhaps I wasn't searching for Shiva all along.
Perhaps Shiva was patiently guiding me, one step at a time.
In my next piece, I want to share how the scriptures themselves transformed my understanding of Lord Shiva - and how that understanding eventually became this book, SHIV.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is Dr. Jayshree Om's new book SHIV about?
A: SHIV is a personal narrative of Dr. Jayshree Om's lifelong journey with Lord Shiva, tracing her childhood in Kathmandu through her spiritual search and eventual devotion, rather than a conventional ritual or reference guide.
Q: What is the significance of Pashupatinath Temple in Dr. Jayshree Om's spiritual journey?
A: Pashupatinath in Kathmandu was central to her childhood, forming her earliest and most lasting impressions of devotion, ritual, and quiet peace.
Q: Did Dr. Jayshree Om always practices Shiva devotion?
A: No. She describes long periods, including much of her middle school years and twenties, where Shiva was largely absent from her spiritual life before returning to prominence later through scripture study.
Q: What role did scripture study play in Dr. Jayshree Om's connection to Shiva?
A: Texts including the Shiv Puran, Mānasāra, Vishwakarma Prakash, and Devi Bhagwatam played a central role in deepening her understanding and connection to Shiva during her adult spiritual search.
Q: When is SHIV releasing and where can I read more?
A: Release details will be shared soon - follow Dr. Jayshree Om's channels for updates on SHIV.
