I recently came across a talk by a well-known author who has met with a lot of success. He was speaking about the great reception his books have received and how grateful he was for it all.

And then, predictably enough, he said that it was all due to the blessings of Shiva — his favourite deity. He said that though he cannot prove it (red flag!), it was something he really believed.

On the face of it, this is nothing unheard of. People credit their god or gods with their personal successes so regularly that we don’t think of it as anything other than what it is intended to be — an expression of humbleness.