These terms hold deeper meanings than they appear.
Vishva means the world in which we live. This word keeps Visha and Shiva in it.
Visha means the poison. We ourselves are the most toxic poisons. The worldy relations
poisons us. Attachments and the rest..
Shiva is the creator of the Vishva, the world, who dwells in every creature. He is the
Vishvanatha.
Shiva created the world and gave us the choice to choose him or the Visha. We choose
Visha and we suffer. We need to have Vishvasa, that is faith, in Shiva.
We all know her. She is Meera Bai, one of the devotees of Sri Krishna. Let’s see her life and feel the Vishvanatha in our hearts.
Meera is quite a young princess now. She realizes the essence of life at such a tender age. She sees her family members worshipping Sri Krishna, and she develops pure devotion and love for him. She grows up as a young lady and is married to a prince, Rana. Meera says to Rana, “I have already married Sri Krishna. He is my consort.” Rana never interferes in her life and supports her in the path of spirituality. Soon, Rana dies.
Her in-laws trouble her and abuse and accuse her illogically. Rana, his brother-in-law tries to kill her. He prepares poison and asks one of Meera’s trusted maids to take the goblet full of jet-black poison. It is the most potent poison even a droplet of the liquid can kill. The maid thinks, “Meera shall drink this as offered. I shall add Tulsi leaves, and it shall be the Charanaamrit, which shall not harm her.” She has complete faith in the Name. Meera sees the goblet filled with black-colored liquid and says, “O Shyama, Thou have given Thy entire color to me in this ambrosia.” She receives the goblet and drinks the lot. She doesn’t die and experience any harm drinking it.
Meera saw Shyama in everything. She drank the poison, thinking it to be the prasad, and even experienced the effects of ambrosia. She was in the Vishwa, even drank the Visha but kept her mind fixed on Shiva. Shiva keeps the same poison in his throat, thus called Neelkantha. The energy within ourselves is Shiva. Until we have realized it, we are dead. We need to cherish Shiva in our minds. If we fix our mind on Shiva, we shall not be Visha anymore.