Bhakta-svarūpa dāsa: Gurudeva, can you explain why Lord Śiva has a half moon on his head?
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: The half-moon is more beautiful than the full moon. Another reason is that Śiva is crooked*. He therefore wants everything connected with him to be crooked.
Bhakta-svarūpa dāsa: There is no siddhānta (conclusive philosophic truth) regarding that half-moon? It is only for beauty?
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: The moon is auspicious, especially during the tṛtīya (third) day of the waxing moon. This is the phase of the moon that is situated on the head of Śiva.

* Lord Śiva is crooked in the sense that his transcendental, out-of-the-ordinary activities are not possible for one to understand without Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. One side of him can be seen easily, while another is hidden. The moon also has two sides; one is seen and the other is hidden.

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