Today, 14 February 2018, is Shiva Ratri, the appearance day of Lord Shiva. Srila Prabhupada describes the relationship between Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva as follows:
"Lord Krishna is also known as avatari, which means, 'one from whom all the incarnations emanate.' In Bhagavad-gita (10.8) Lord Krishna says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate: 'I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me.' Thus Lord Krishna is the origin of everyone's appearance. As far as this material world is concerned, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva are all emanations from Krishna. These three incarnations of Krishna are called guna-avatars. The material world is governed by three material modes of nature, and Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva respectively take charge of the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance."
Lord Shiva is described as follows in the Brahma-samhita, Chapter 5, Text 45:
kṣīraṁ yathā dadhi vikāra-viśeṣa-yogāt
sañjāyate na hi tataḥ pṛthag asti hetoḥ
yaḥ śambhutām api tathā samupaiti kāryād
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
"Just as milk is transformed into curd by the action of acids, but yet the effect curd is neither same as, nor different from, its cause, viz., milk, so I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whom the state of Śambhu, Lord Siva, is a transformation for the performance of the work of destruction."
Since Lord Shiva is known as the topmost of Vaisnavas, devotees of Lord Krishna, we pray to him on this auspicious day of his appearance that he blesses with full absorption in service to our most beloved Lord Sri Krishna.
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