Shiva is referred to as 'the good one' or the 'auspicious one'. Shiva - Rudra is considered to be the destroyer of evil and sorrow. Shiva - Shankara is the doer of good. Shiva is 'tri netra' or three eyed, and is 'neela kantha' - blue necked (having consumed poison, i.e., Halahala to save the world from destruction). Shiva - Nataraja is the Divine Cosmic Dancer. Shiva - Ardhanareshvara is both man and woman.
He is both static and dynamic and is both creator and destroyer. He is the oldest and the youngest, he is the eternal youth as well as the infant. He is the source of fertility in all living beings. He has gentle as well as fierce forms. Shiva is the greatest of renouncers as well as the ideal lover. He destroys evil and protects good. He bestows prosperity on worshipers although he is austere. He is omnipresent and resides in everyone as pure consciousness.
Shiva is inseparable from Shakti - Parvati the daughter of Himavaan - Haimavati. There is no Shiva without Shakti and no Shakti without Shiva, the two are one - or the absolute state of being - consciousness and bliss.
The five mantras that constitute Shiva's body are Sadyojaata, Vaamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha and Eesaana. Eesaana is Shiva not visible to the human eye, Sadyojaata is Shiva realized in his basic reality (as in the element earth, in the sense of smell, in the power of procreation and in the mind). The Vishnudharmottara Purana of the 6th century CE assigns a face and an element to each of the above mantras. (Sadyojaata - earth, Vaamadeva - water, Aghora - fire, Tatpurusha - air and Eesaana - space).
In shiva temples, Navarha (9 planets), Ganesh, Skantha, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Vishnu, Brahma, Ashtathig balar, Durga, Bairava, and all the other hindu gods will have the place, denoting the entire gods are uniquely said to Lord Shiva, so that only he is in shapeless (i.e. in linga form) there are five different avatars of shiva:
- Bhairava
- Natarajar
- Dhakshinamoorthy
- Somaskantha
- Pitkchadanar
In most of the South indian temples , we can see all the five suprems in shiva temple. all the five characteristics in a single face is said to be sadashiva
Siva is not limited to the personal characteristics as he is given in many images and can transcend all attributes. Hence, Siva is often worshipped in an abstract manner, as God without form, in the form of linga . This view is similar in some ways to the view of God in Semitic religions such as Islam or Judaism , which hold that God has no personal characteristics. Hindus, on the other hand, believe that God can transcend all personal characteristics yet can also have personal characteristics for the grace of the embodied human devotee. Personal characteristics are a way for the devotee to focus on God. Siva is also described as Anaadi (without beginning/birth) and Ananta (without end/death).
According to the Bhagavata Purana , Lord Siva manifested in his multiple forms from the forehead of Lord Brahma . When Lord Brahma asked his sons, the Four Kumaras, to go forth and create progeny in the universe, they refused. This angered Lord Brahma and in his anger a child appeared from his forehead, which split into two - a male part and a female part. The male half started crying inconsolable and as a result, Brahma named him Rudra . The child cried seven more times and each time Brahma gave him a separate name. The eight names thus given to the child were Rudra , Sharva , Bhava , Ugra , Bhima , Pashupati , Ishana , and Mahadeva . Each of these eight names are said to be associated with specific elements of the cosmos, namely the earth, water, fire, wind, sky, a yogi called Kshetragya , the sun, and the moon respectively. This male child became Lord Siva, who was asked to go forth and create progeny, but when Lord Brahma observed the power, as they shared the qualities of Lord Siva, he asked him to observe austerities instead of creating progeny. A slightly different version is told in the Shiva Purana : in the Siva Purana, Siva promises Brahma that an aspect of his, Rudra , will be born and this aspect is identical to Him.
The tale about Lord Siva being born and immediately splitting into two halves of male and female indicates the origin of the Ardhanarishvara - the union of substance and energy, the Being and his Shakti (force).
Siva is the supreme God of Saivism , one of the three main branches of Hinduism today (the others being Vaishnavism and Shaktism ). His abode is called Kailasa . His holy mount ( Skt : Vahana) is Nandi , the Bull. His attendant is named Bhadra . Siva is usually represented by the Siva linga (or lingam ), usually depicted as a clay mound with three horizontal stripes on it, or visualised as a flaming pillar. In anthropomorphised images, he is generally represented as immersed in deep meditation on Mount Kailash (reputed to be the same as the Mount Kailash in the south of Tibet , near Manasarovar Lake) in the Himalaya , his traditional abode.
Śiva is the supreme God of Śaivism, one of the three main branches of Hinduism today (the others being Vaishnavism and Shaktism). Śiva is usually represented by the Śiva linga (or lingam), usually depicted as a clay mound with three horizontal stripes on it, or visualised as a flaming pillar. In anthropomorphised images, he is generally represented as immersed in deep meditation on Mount Kailash (reputed to be the same as the Mount Kailash in the south of Tibet, near Manasarovar Lake) in the Himalaya, his traditional abode.
As this web site, [1], states, Lord Shiva is the God of all and is worshipped by all, from devas such as Brahma, Indra, by asuras like Bana, Ravana, by humans like Adi Shankara, Nayanars, by creatures such as Jatayu, an eagle, Vali, a monkey, and the list goes on and on. Furthermore, the site states that a variety of people of different backgrounds and qualities worship the Lord shiva, with many temples having histories of even cranes, bees, elephants, (see Kalahasti), spiders, snakes, worshipping the Lord and getting blessed and concludes by stating that the Lord as the Supreme blesses anyone who worships in sincere devotion as there is no discrimination on who the seeker is. Major deities, rishis, planets, worshipped Shiva and also established Shivalingas in various places in India.
Lord Ganesh at Pillayar patti (100 km from Madurai, India)
The four Vedas worshipped Shiva at Thirumaraikaadu (i.e., Vedaaranyam near Tanjore)
Lord Skanda at Thiruchendur (200 km from Madurai, India)
Lord Rama (avatar of Vishnu) in Rameswaram (India)
Lord Vishnu at Kancheepuram (Kacheeswarar Temple)
Lord Parasuramar (avatar of Vishnu) at Sreesailam, Karnataka and also at Chennai (Lord Parasurama at Lingeshwara Temple, Iyanavaram )
Goddess Lakshmi (wife of Vishnu) at Tirupachethi (50 km from Madurai).
Lord Sun at Srivilliputhur (Vaidhyanathaar Temple 100 km from Madurai)
Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu at Tiruvannamalai (180 km from Chennai)
Lord Brahma at Vrinchipuram (155 km from Chennai, 15 km from Vellore)
Lord Raagu and Lord Kethu at Kaalahasthi (50 km from Tirupathi, AP, India)
Lord Indra at Madurai (Soma Sundareeswar Temple)
The Rishi Agastya at Papanasam (100 km from Tirunelveli, TN, India)
Goddess Parvati at Kancheepuram (Ekambeeswarar Temple, 70 km from Chennai, India)
Lord Shani at Thirnallar (near Kaaraikal, Pondicherry)
Lord Moon at Thingalur (near Tanjore)
Lord Shiva and Sani at Thirvidaimaruthoor (near Kumbakonam)
Lord Brahma at Kumbakoonam (Kumbeeswarar, near Tanjore)
The Attributes of Shiva
The Third Eye: The third eye of Shiva on his forehead is the eye of wisdom. It is the eye that looks beyond the obvious. The third eye of Shiva also popularly associated with is untamed energy which destroys the evil doers and sins.
The Cobra Necklace: Shiva is beyond the powers of death and is often the sole support in case of distress. He swallowed the poison kalketu for the wellbeing of the Universe. The deadly cobra represents that “death” aspect whom Shiva has thoroughly conquered. The cobras around his neck also represent the dormant energy, called Kundalini, the serpent power.
Matted hair (Jata): The flow of his matted hair represents him as the lord of wind or Vayu, who is the subtle form of breath present in all living beings. Thus it is Shiva which is the lifeline for all living being. He is Pashupatinath.
Crescent: Shiva bears on his head the crescent of the fifth day (panchami) moon. This is placed near the fiery third eye and this shows the power of Soma, the sacrificial offering, which is the representative of moon. It means that Shiva possesses the power of procreation along with the power of destruction. The moon is also a measure of time; thus Crescent also represent his control over time.
Sacred Ganga: Ganga, the holiest of the holy rivers, flows from the matted hair of Shiva. Shiva allowed an outlet to the great river to traverse the earth and bring purifying water to human being (See: Origin of Ganga). The flowing water is one of the five elements which compose the whole Universe and from which earth arises. Ganga also denotes fertility one of the creative aspect of the Rudra.
The Drum: The drum in the hand of Shiva is the originator of the universal word ॐ which is the source of all the language and expression.
The Vibhuti: Vibhuti is a three line of ashes drawn on the forehead that represents the essence of our Being, which remains after all the malas (impurities of ignorance, ego and action) and vasanas (likes and dislikes, attachments to one's body, world, worldly fame, worldly enjoyments, etc.) have been burnt in the fire of knowledge. Hence vibhuti is revered as the very form of Shiva and signifies the Immortality of the soul and manifested glory of the Lord.
The Ashes: Shiva smears his body with cemetery ashes points the philosophy of the life and death and the fact that death is the ultimate reality of the life.
Tiger skin: The tiger is the vehicle of Shakti, the goddess of power and force. Shiva is beyond and above any kind of force. He is the master of Shakti. The tiger skin that he wears symbolises victory over every force. Tiger also represent lust. Thus sitting on Tiger skin, Shiva indicates that he has conquered lust.
The Elephant & Deer Skin: Shiva also wears elephant skins. Elephants represent pride. Wearing elephant skin, Shiva indicates that he has conquered pride. Similarly deer represent the jumping of minds (flickering mind). Shiva wears deer skin which indicates that he has controlled the mind perfectly.
Rudraksh: Lord Shiva wears wrist bands of Rudraksh which are supposed to have medicinal properties.
The Trident: The three head of Shiva’s Trishul symbolizes three functions of the triad – the creation, the sustenance and the destruction. The Trident, in the hand of Shiva indicates that all the three aspects are in his control.
As a weapon the trident represents the instrument of punishment to the evil doer on all the three planes – spiritual, subtle and physical.
Another interpretation of the three headed trident is its head represent the past, the present and the future. The trident in the hand of Rudra indicates his control over the present the past and the future.
Names of Shiva
The Shiva Purana lists 1008 names for Lord Śiva. Each of his names, in Sanskrit, signifies a certain attribute of his. Some of his names are listed below
Mahadeva (The Supreme Lord : Maha = great, Deva = God - more often than not, the Aghora (fierce) version)
Rudra (The one who howls or strict and uncompromising)
Maheshwar (The Supreme Lord: Maha = great, Eshwar = God)
Rameshwar (The one whom Ram worships: Ram, Eshwar = worships, God; Ram's God)
Mahayogi (The Supreme Yogi: Maha = great, Yogi = one who practices Yoga)
Mahabaleshwar (Great God of Strength: Maha = great, Bal = strength, Eshwar = God)
Trinetra (Three-Eyed One, i.e. All-Knowing: Tri = three, Netra = Eye)
Triaksha (Three-Eyed One, i.e. All-Knowing: Tri = three, Aksha = Eye)
Trinayana (Three-Eyed One, i.e. All-Knowing: Tri = three, Nayana = Eye)
Tryambakam (Three-Eyed One, i.e. All-Knowing: Tri = three, Ambakam = Eye)
Mahakala (Great Time, i.e. Conqueror of Time: Maha = three, Kala = Time)
Neelakantha (The one with a Blue Throat: Neel = blue, Kantha = throat)
Digambara (One who has the skies as his clothes, i.e. The Naked One: Dik = Clothes, Ambara = Sky)
Shankara (Giver of Joy)
Shambhu (Abode of Joy)
Vyomkesha (The One who has the sky as his hair: Vyom = sky, Kesha =hair)
Chandrashekhara (The master of the Moon: Chandra = Moon, Shekhara = master)
Siddheshwara (The Perfect Lord)
Trishuldhari (He who holds the divine Trishul or Trident: Trishul = Trident, Dhari = He who holds)
Dakhshinamurthi (The Cosmic Tutor)
Kailashpati (He whose abode is Mount Kailash)
Pashupatinath (Lord of all Creatures)
Umapati (The husband of Uma)
Gangadhar (He who holds the river Ganga)
Bhairava (The Frightful One)
Sabesan - Lord who dances in the dais
