“May the elements of creation abide in me in perfection.

May the greatest thing in the world be created by me, by us, by all living beings.

I honor this divine potential manifested by Shiva for universal benefit.”

– (Panchakshri Mantra.)

Time is a great tool of transformation that experiences our four stages of life and defines our entire life on a limitless cosmic platform. Time is eternal, created from the breath of a divine energy that nourishes the cosmos. We have even seen nature being used as small tools in the hands of Eternal time. Be it those fiery tremors, devastating tsunamis, creeping sensations of earthquakes or the fury of a volcano, we have witnessed all these natural disasters on earth.

Mythology claims that God is beyond time, form, space, sound and has the power to create or destroy time and the universe in a fraction of seconds.

God Shiva is the lord of eternity, full of life commanding the powers of destruction and transformative creation. He is seen in his tremendous avatar of Rudra, as a destructive form of the almighty, destroying everything into nothing. Shiva has done such destruction countless times in different ways, subtle or severe, but still, while he perfectly recreates the world, we can never understand if he destroyed or recreated. He plays the role of a goldsmith who dissolves existing jewelry to recreate purer gold that can be used to create another adornment with exquisite design and precision.

Shiva represents the higher self, where one is willing to transcend and evolve into cosmic existence.

Shiv, in true sense, is the early pioneer of evolutionary energy and innovation.

Innovation is introducing new products on the market to deal with survival times. Not only organizations but also countries and continents are racing to build a strong culture of innovation that opens the doors to sustainable performance. In the future, even people innovate themselves by learning new skills, developing personality, knowledge, and integrating innovation in their domain to be more recognized and successful.

With more than ten types of innovation on the market, disruptive innovation is an innovation that disrupts existing arrangements and brings more value-added improvements or advantages to recreate better. Features are derived from the user research process targeting a specific consumer base to provide a defined outline in the broad nomenclature of disruptive innovation.

Tandava is a vigorous form of Shiva’s dance that dissolves to recreate the process of creation, preservation, interruption and recreation in the universe. The tool is a symbol of life cycles that includes creating and destroying as the daily rhythm of life and death. This is how the Tandava tool is able to balance this perishable world. Tandava is Shiva’s powerful disruptive innovation tool for the sustenance of the new creation.

Shiva’s crescent moon indicates that we should have a perfect thought process with alertness about the environment around us. This quality is important for innovators as they need to have a complete understanding of the market and be alert to market movement. Moon denotes that innovators must think a hundred times and then take a step forward.

Shiva is seated or wrapped in a tiger skin in his meditative trance contemplating his next creative cycle. The tiger skin represents a high energy potential in the wearer, which is expected to be the most important attribute of an innovator. The potential energy of the innovator must be a vital aspect that drives the entire innovation process in a potential way to achieve the goal.

Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Sergey Bin, Bill Gates, and many others who delivered what they envisioned based on its potential.

Kamandalu, a container containing nectar is always seen on a ground next to Shiva. This Kamandalu is not made from gold or silver, but from a dried gourd. Similarly, innovators need to focus on using natural resources, caring for the environment, conserving energy, and ensuring that sustainability is a primary focus point when creating innovation.

Hour Glass Drum is a combination of two triangles separated by a thin line structure. The drum known as damru provides sound for the Tandava dance. The sound of the drum is heard only in deep meditation. For an innovator, this drum is a tool for user research where the innovator needs to listen to the user’s needs, preference for deep attention, and empathy.

The Ganga flowing from Shiva’s long, sensual copper locks denotes exuberance, fertility, and the noble cause of sustaining life on earth. Innovation must be done with good spirits, liveliness and enthusiasm, but the philosophy of human welfare must be taken into account for the welfare of human beings and society.

The snake necklace and Rudrakshas represent law, order and justice, which are the foundations of any science, including the science of disruption. Innovation must not threaten well-being or harmony in the environment.

Trident represents action, will, knowledge the three essential qualities for any disruptive innovator. The innovator must possess the ability to turn his ideas into action with great willpower and expert knowledge.

Nandi, his bull is still waiting for Shiva to wake up from meditation, listening to the cosmos. He removes ignorance; bequeath wisdom to the followers of Shiva. Thus he must educate the innovator; convince users about the purpose of the innovation and how we can mutually advance the invention.

His dance in the hot red flames, coming off his tongue and left hand, tells us that everything will be consumed over a period of time and therefore we must keep up the pace.

Lord Shiv and his Shiv-tattav (principles), the power of reproduction are actually also the elements of disruptive innovation. As we connect these incredible cosmic symbols, myths, and tools with the science of disruptive innovation, it is clearly visible that the God of Destruction is the original pioneer of disruptive innovation.

“Whatever the origins of Shiv, as described in the sacred Puranas and Vedas, the characteristics inherent within it and the role it plays in the cosmic activity of the universe, can clearly be considered as an art or science of disruptive innovation” .