Shiva typically carries a trident and has a third eye in his forehead, signifying his all-seeing nature. He often has a serpent wrapped around him like a scarf and wears a skull and the crescent moon in his matted hair piled high upon his head.
Strictly speaking his body is white, but images often show him with a blue body too. Even though Shiva is the destroyer, he is usually represented as smiling and tranquil. While other gods are depicted in lavish surroundings, Shiva is dressed in simple animal skin and in austere settings, usually in a yogic position. Parvati, whenever she is present, is always at the side of Shiva. Their relationship is one of equality.
Shiva is represented with the following features: 1 A third eye: The extra eye represents the wisdom and insight that Shiva has. It is also believed to be the source of his untamed energy. On one occasion, when Shiva was distracted in the midst of worship by the love god, Kama, Shiva opened his third eye in anger. Kama was consumed by the fire that poured forth, and only returned to life when Parvati intervened. Some traditions also say that the snake represents Shiva's power of destruction and recreation.
The snake sheds its skin to make way for new, smooth skin. They represent Shiva's all-pervading nature, his superhuman power and wealth. Also, they cover up his powerful third eye. Members of Shaivism often draw vibhuti lines across their forehead.
Shiva is sometimes represented as half man, half woman. His figure is split half way down the body, one half showing his body and the second half that of Parvati's. Shiva is also represented by Shiva linga. This is a phallic statue, representing the raw power of Shiva and his masculinity. Hindus believe it represents the seed of the universe, demonstrating Shiva's quality of creation. Worshippers of Shiva celebrate Mahashivratri, a festival at which the Shiva linga is bathed in water, milk and honey and worshipped.
He is known, according to some ancient authorities, by 1, epithets: among these are Nilakantha, "the blue-throated"; Panchanana, "the five-faced"; Nataraj, "The Lord of Dancers"; and Trilochana, "the three-eyed". Shiva is often shown with Parvati; he is also shown as ardhnarishwara, half-man and half-woman. Lingams or lingas are the phallic symbols that honor Shiva and represent male energy, rebirth, fertility and the creative forces of the universe.. They are found in varying sizes in many Hindu temples.
A typical one is shaped like an erect phallus and made of polished stone. The vertical shaft is sometimes divided into the parts symbolizing the Hindu Trinity, with the upper rounded part associated with Shiva, the middle part linked to Vishnu, and the bottom part representing Brahma. Carved wooden lingam Steven M. He is sometimes depicted with two arms but more frequently four, and he often carries a trident.
In the center of his forehead is a third eye, shown vertically. His hairlocks, long and matted from his ascetic practices, are piled up in a tall chignon.
Lingams are usually set on a round base called a yoni , which represents Shakti and the female force. A channel is carved on the base to allow ablutions to flow out. Shiva worshipers like to pour cows milk on lingams, sprinkle them with flowers and red powder and make offering of fruits and sweets. The lingam and the base together are a sort of ying and yang statue that symbolizes the entire universe and the union and interaction between male and female power.
The trident is another symbol associated with Shiva. The three forks are said to represent creation, preservation and destruction. Depictions of Shiva with three faces also represent the same balanced trilogy: two of the faces are usually opposites: maker and destroyer, or acetic and family-man, with the third face in the middle being a peaceful, reconciling force.
Shiva is often depicted with matted hair. This eludes to his time spent as an ascetic. He sometimes wears a necklace of skulls that symbolize his role as a destroyer and demon slayer. The eye is always closed if it is open the universe will be destroyed. Shiva is closely associated with Varanasi and death. It is said that anyone who dies in Varanasi will join Shiva straight away in Mt. Meru regardless of how much bad karma they have accumulated.
Young Shiva slaying demons Shiva has many consorts that help express his many sides and bring out male and female power. The nature of this relationship is believed to be based on ancient mother goddess cults that were absorbed into Hinduism.
Devi has taken on many forms in the past, including , Gauri, Durga, Sati, the goddess of marital felicity and Kali, the powerful Goddess of Death. Devi's best known incarnation is Parvati, Shiva's primary and eternal wife. Shiva and Parvati are held up as the perfect example of marital bliss by many Hindus, and one is rarely depicted without the other.
Hindus believe Shiva and Parvati live in the Kailash mountains in the Himalayas. Parvati is the daughter of the sacred Himalayas. She and Shiva have two sons: Skanda, the god of War, and Ganesh the popular elephant-headed god. Natarja, an incarnation of Shiva, is the goddess of dance. She is often depicted in old bronze statues with four arms and one leg raised and the other crushing Apasmara, a dwarf-demon associated with confusion and ignorance.
One hand assumes the gesture of protection, one points to a raised foot, one hold the drum that keeps the beat of the rhythm of creation. The forth holds the fire of dissolution. It represents fertility; is often as white as the Himalayan peaks; and marks the entrance to a Shiva temples. Parvati, the consort of Shiva, with the lion as her vehicle, is a major deity in her own right. As Durga, she slays demons whom the other gods are unable to control.
One of her most celebrated feats is the destruction of the buffalo demon Mahisha. Two other deities are considered their children. Elephant-headed Ganesha is the god who removes obstacles and is worshipped at the start of any undertaking; his vehicle is the mouse.
Skanda, a warlike youth, rides the peacock. The concept of reality as the complex interplay of opposite principles, male and female, thus finds its highest form in the mythology of Shiva and his consort Parvati also known as Shakti, Kali, or Durga , the daughter of the mountains.
This most controlled deity, the meditating Shiva, then has still another form, as the erotic lover of Parvati, embracing her passionately. Shiva and Parvati have two sons, who have entire cycles of myths and legends and bhakti cults in their own right. One son is called variously Karttikeya identified with the planet Mars or Skanda the god of war or Subrahmanya. He is extremely handsome, carries a spear, and rides a peacock.
According to some traditions, he emerged motherless from Shiva when the gods needed a great warrior to conquer an indestructible demon. In southern India, where he is called Murugan, he is a lord of mountain places and a great friend of those who dedicate themselves to him. Some devotees vow to carry on their shoulders specially carved objects of wood for a determined number of weeks, never putting them down during that time.
Others may go further, and insert knives or long pins into their bodies for extended periods. Another son of Shiva and Parvati is Ganesh, or Ganapati, the Lord of the Ganas the hosts of Shiva , who has a male human's body with four arms and the head of an elephant.
One myth claims that he originated directly from Parvati's body and entered into a quarrel with Shiva, who cut off his human head and replaced it later with the head of the first animal he found, which happened to be an elephant. For most worshipers, Ganesh is the first deity invoked during any ceremony because he is the god of wisdom and remover of obstacles.
People worship Ganesh when beginning anything, for example, at the start of a trip or the first day of the new school year. He is often pictured next to his mount, the rat, symbol of the ability to get in anywhere.
Ganesh is therefore a clever figure, a trickster in many stories, who presents a benevolent and friendly image to those worshipers who placate him. His image is perhaps the most widespread and public in India, visible in streets and transportation terminals everywhere. The antics of Ganesh and Karttikeya and the interactions of Shiva and Parvati have generated a series of entertaining myths of Shiva as a henpecked husband, who would prefer to keep meditating but instead is drawn into family problems, providing a series of morality tales in households throughout India.
Shiva is also known as Nataraj, the Lord of Dancers. He is often called the Lord of Dance. The rhythm of dance is a metaphor for the balance in the universe which Shiva is believed to hold so masterfully. His most important dance is the Tandav. This is the cosmic dance of death, which he performs at the end of an age, to destroy the universe. The image of Shiva as Nataraj is indelibly stitched into the Indian imagination.
No doubt the root idea behind all of these dances is more or less one and the same, the manifestation of primal rhythmic energy.
The flower had been intended to bless them. Why do you fall? I have come here to seek out the top, in the form of a swan. It has taken me a long time. Hence I do not see how you can see the top. In the presence of Vishnu, you must say like this. O Achyuta, the top of the column has been seen by Brahma.
I am the witness for the same. Even falsehood is recommended in times of danger. So say the authoritative texts. Returning to the original place on seeing Vishnu there, utterly exhausted and lacking pleasure, Brahma danced with joy. Vishnu, in the manner of a eunuch admitting his inability to a woman , told him the truth that he could not see the bottom.
But Brahma told Vishnu like this. This Ketaki flower is my witness. Hari, taking it to be true, made obeisance to Brahma. He worshipped Brahma with all the sixteen means of service and homage. Lord Shiva taking up a visible form in order to chastise Brahma who practiced trickery, came out of the column of fire.
It is out of ignorance and delusion about you whose body is without a beginning or an end that we indulged in this quest prompted by our own desire. Hence O, Sympathetic Being, forgive us for our fault. In fact, it is but another form of your divine sport. Hence among the general public, you will have a footing equal to mine. You will be honored too likewise.
Hereafter you will be separate from me having a separate temple, installation of idols, festivals, and worship. Nandikesvara said: Mahadeva then created a wonderful person, Bhairava, from the middle of his brows to quell the pride of Brahma. Please give me your directives quickly. Worship him with your sharp-pointed quick-moving sword. Lord Brahma trembled like a plantain tree in a whirlwind, with his ornaments scattered here and there, his cloth ruffled and loosened, the garland displaced, the upper cloth hanging loose and the glossy tuft disheveled, and fell at the feet of Bhairava.
Meanwhile, the sympathetic Vishnu desirous of saving Brahma shed tears over the lotus-like feet of our Lord and said with palms joined in reverence just like a child lisping words of entreaty to his father. Vishnu said: O Lord, it was you who gave him five heads as a special symbol, long ago.
Hence please forgive him for his first guilt. Please favor him. The lord thus requested by Vishnu relented and in the presence of all devas asked Bhairava to desist from punishing Brahma.
Hence you shall not be honored, nor shall you have your own temple or festival. Images, or murtis , of Brahma have four heads, seeing in all directions at once and symbolising the four Vedas. In Hindu creation stories, Brahma brings the universe into being. Brahma is not worshipped by many Hindus today, in comparison to the other two murtis.
Murtis of Vishnu express splendour and power. His four arms carry symbols of power — a discus, a lotus flower, a conch shell and a mace. Vishnu, god of light and enlightenment, has appeared on Earth through avataras. Vishnu and his avataras, including Krishna are worshipped by many millions of Hindus today. She was so beautiful that Brahma became infatuated with her, and gazed at her wherever she went. This caused her extreme embarrassment and Shatarupa tried to turn from his gaze.
But in every direction she moved, Brahma sprouted a head until he had developed four. Finally, Shatarupa grew so frustrated that she jumped to try to avoid his gaze. Brahma, in his obsession, sprouted a fifth head on top of all. It is also said in some sources that Shatarupa kept changing her form.
She became every creature on earth to avoid Brahma. He however, changed his form to the male version of whatever she was and thus every animal community in the world was created. Lord Shiva admonished Brahma for demonstrating behaviour of an incestuous nature and chopped off his fifth head for 'unholy' behaviour. Since Brahma had distracted his mind from the soul and towards the cravings of the flesh, Shiva's curse was that people should not worship Brahma.
As a form of repentance, it is said that Brahma has been continually reciting the four Vedas since this time, one from each of his four heads. A second view of why Brahma is not worshipped, and a more sympathetic one, is that Brahma's role as the creator is over.
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