Shiva
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Shiva
The Shiva Nataraj, Shiva Depicted in his cosmic dance (http://www.eleves.ens.fr/home)
Intro
Shiva or Siva is the Hindu God of Destruction and Change. Shiva is part of the Hindu Trinity along with Vishnu “The preserver” and Brahma “The Creator”. Shiva destroys the world which Brahma then in turn creates and then the cycle repeats (Gruenwald). Shiva not only represents change as destruction, but also positive change; for example, breaking out of bad habits. Shiva is also seen as representing Truth, Beauty and the most essential Goodness. Shiva has had two wives, Shakti and Parvarti; He is also the father of two other Hindu Gods, Ganesha and Kartikeya. Shiva lives atop Mount Kailasa in the Himalayas (Narasimhachary) .
Shiva is said to have sprung from the head of Brahma in the form of Rudra and separated into male and female in order to show the mercy of God. He has the potential to bring great destruction, while on the other hand but he can be kind and forgiving (Bowes).
Shiva is a god who exhibits many facets of his personality, some of which are pleasant and some that are not so pleasant (Sherrat).
Forms of Shiva
Shiva has five major forms and five major energies.
-Aghora- Shiva in cremation grounds, most often associated with death and mourning. (Gruenwald)
-Ishana- The form of Shiva symbolizing that which is invisible yet omnipresent. (Gruenwald)
-Tat Purasha- Signifies the power of meditation (Shiva is the God most associated with meditation, yogis and celibacy). (Gruenwald)
-Varna Deva- Represents Shiva's immortality and is also know as eternal Shiva. This form also signifies the repetitiveness of the cycle between destruction and preservation. (Gruenwald)
-Saddyojat or Braddha Rudra- Represensents Shivas destructive wrathful side and is the form Shiva takes when people do not follow Karma. (Gruenwald)
These five forms are all depicted in sixth five-headed form of Shiva known as Panchavaktra. (Gruenwald).
Other names and manifestations are: Bhairava, Daksinamurti, Mahesa, Nataraja, Nrtyanatha, Rudra, Sadasiva, Yogi, Linga (Michaels).
Shiva in the form of Panchavaktra (http://www.prs.org/)
Symbols of Shiva
The Trident, or pinaka, is Shiva's weapon of destruction. It serves to chracterize Shiva as the god of storms (Sherrat). The trident is comprised of three points, the three points represent the Hindu Trinity of Gods. The three points also represent the three gunas which are a Hindu classification for food that show how the subtle becomes the gross. There are three classifications (one for each point on the trident). (Gruenwald) -Sattva- represents essence and subtlety. Those who follow Hinduism most strictly (I.E. Yogi's saints and seers) can survive on just Sattvic foods. Sattvic foods are fresh, juicy, light and nourishing, and are defined as giving necessary food to the body with out taxing it. It is believed a diet of Sattvic food is the foundation of a higher state of consciousness. Some examples would be juicy fruits, fresh vegetables, milk and butter. -Rajas- represents activity. Rajas is the food group that separates the working class from the stricter religious class as the working class needs to incorporate Rajasic food into their diet in order to survive. Rajasic foods are bitter, sour, salty and hot. They provide speed and excitement to life and are said to be the foundation of motion and pain. Some examples of Rajasic foods are spicy foods and fried foods. -Tamas-represents inertia and grossness. Hindus are warned to keep Tamas out of their diets as much as possible. Tamas foods are old, decaying or processed and are believed to be the foundations of ignorance, doubt and pessimism. Some examples of tamasic food would be eggs, liquor or canned food. (Gruenwald)
The Snakes- Shiva wears snakes to demonstrate that he is beyond death or poisons. The snake is also symbolic of the Muladhara Chakra or the first chakra and the Kundalini energy that is associated with it. The Mulahara Chakra is located at the base of the spine. In Yoga the Kundalini energy is passed from the first chakra to the seventh and signifies the uniting of male and female energy and is known as piercing the chakras. This is why Shiva sometimes has been known to be incarnated in female form. (Narasimhachary)
The Bull- Shiva rides a white bull known as Nandi (the Joyful). (Narasimhachary)
The Tiger skin- Shiva is often pictured with or seated on a Tiger skin this symbolizes the power of the mind. (Narasimhachary)
The Radraksha mala- this is a rosary made from the radrasksha tree that is most closely associated with Shivas Destructive form (Braddha Rudra). (Narasimhachary)
The Shiva Lingam- is a specific alter dedicated to Shiva's omnipresence often associated with Shiva's form Ishana. It represents the ultimate goal of oneness with Brahman. Hindus associate it above all other symbols as being specific to Shiva and worship it as a symbol of his procreative potency. The top part of the alter is meant to symbolize a phallus and the bottom a womb. (Narasimhachary) It is said that Shiva recieved the Linga after seducing the wives of the seers who castrated him by changing his phallus into the stone Linga (Michaels).
The Crescent and Hair mop- The crescent on Shiva's head represents the fifth day moon which symbolizes that Shiva has the power of procreation in coexistence with that of destruction. (Narasimhachary)
The Matted Hair- Shiva’s matted hair represents Shiva’s connection with the wind and Brahma's "breath of life".(Narasimhachary) The matted hair is also a symbol of his sexual potency. Since Shiva is celibat, he is also a god of fertility, for by witholding his semen, he gathers fertility (Michaels).
The Sacred Ganga- Represents the holy river which Shiva allowed to flow. It is the essential tool for ritual purification. (Narasimhachary)
Ashes- Shiva is often depicted covered in Ashes. This symbolizes him as a Yogi, who burned away all his petty desires. (Narasimhachary)
The Shiva Nataraj- the Shiva Nataraj is a bronze sculpture developed in India in the nineth century. It depicts Shiva in his eternal dance of bliss which is an appeal to the heart of man. One of Shiva's arms is stretched upward in an appeal to let go of earthly desires. The dance is a pattern of creation as Shiva scatters the ashes of the destroyed world to create a new pattern of creation. (Narasimhachary) The gestures of his two hands depict how life and death are forever held in a state of balance (Sherratt).
Shiva's Dance- Shiva is often depicted dancing this is a representation of the never-ending cycle of death and birth or reincarnation; and the destruction and creation of the world. Shiva's dance represents the harmony in this constant cycle. (Narasimhachary)
The Drum- Shiva is often depicted with a drum when in dancing formation. This drum symbolizes the resonating beat of the universe and how sound is the primal element in creation (Sherrat). (Narasimhachary)
Apashmara Purusha- is the demon of ignorance or in some cases, forgetfulness, that Shiva is often depicted squashing beneath his feet in the Shiva Nataraj. (Narasimhachary) His other leg is raised in dance, which is meant to portray the transition from consciousness to knowledge and from ignorance to knowledge. It represents the flow between birth, death and rebirth and the arch is symbolic of the universe's dependance on Shiva's role as creator and destroyer (Sherrat).
The fire- The fire in Shiva's hand represents the final destruction of the world. (Narasimhachary)
A third eye- The extra eye represents Shiva's wisdom and insight. It is believed to be the source of his untamed energy. Once when Shiva was distracted in the midst of worship by the erotic love god, Kama, in anger, Shiva opened his third eye. Kama was consumed by the fire that poured forth, and only returned to life when Parvati intervened (Michaels).
The vibhuti- The three lines drawn horizontally across one's forehead in white ash is called the vibhuti. They represent Shiva's all pervading nature, his superhuman power and his wealth. Also, they cover up his powerful third eye. Members of Shaivism often draw vibhuti lines across their forehead.
Worshipping Shiva
Despite Shiva's destruction, Shiva is worshipped for the benefit of change and for the many sacrifices Shiva did for humanity out of mercy. One of Shiva's most famous sacrifices is The Story of Amrita the Celestial Nectar
This legend is of great importance in both the Saivite and Vaishnavite belief systems. The Devas and the Asuras (Gods and Demons) were united in their efforts to churn the celestial ocean of milk (ksheerasaagaram), in quest of Amrita (the nectar of life and immortality). This mammoth task was carried out with the Mandara Mount as the churning stick and the mythological snake Vasuki as the rope.
Vishnu assumed the Koorma Avatara (tortoise) to hold the Mandara mountain in place and to prevent it from sinking into the ocean. Lakshmi the Goddess of wealth emerged from the ocean, and so did the moon God Chandra. Then came the dreaded poision, Kaalakoota. The Gods and Demons appealed to Shiva to save them from the fumes that emanated from the poison. Without hesitation, Shiva consumed the poison, and retained it in his throat, Shiva's throat turned blue as a result of the poison, leading to the name Neelakantha or Vishaapaharana Murthy (Gruenwald).
Shiva is seen as the lord of many things. He is worshipped as the Mahayogi or Lord of Ascetics, and the Pasupati or the Lord of beasts. As the Mahayogi, Shiva is portrayed as holding the world together by virtue of his meditations. This associates him with the preserving characteristics of Vishnu. Shiva is also a god of fertility, or as the Pasupati: Lord of Beasts. In this form, Shiva is represented by the male reproductive organ or the linga, disguised and set in the female yoni (Sherrat).
Shiva's Wife
Shiva's wife Shakti is known by numerous other names: in her fierce and grotesque form she is known as Durga or Kali and in her loving and benevolent form she is known as Parvati or Uma. She is perhaps the most important wife among the Hindu Triad. The Shakta who worship Shakti as the supreme diety, believe that since Shiva created the universe, he has become inactive and his active energy (Shakti) was embedded in his wife. The Shakta feel that Shakti is the active form of Shiva and thus she is to be worshipped as the supreme diety, and not her husband (Sherrat).
Shiva and Shakti combined (http://www.iloveulove.com/images/ShaktiShiva8.jpg)
Bibliography
Bowes, P. (1977). The Hindu Religious Tradition. Boston.
Gruenwald, Christine “Shiva” (November 2005) Online. Internet. October 2005 Available: http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses/shiva.htm
Michaels, Axel. Hinduism Past and Present. New Jersey: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Narasimhachary, M. (1997). Handbook of Hindu Gods, Goddesses and Saints. Delhi, Sundeep Prakashan.
Sherrat, B.W. (1972). Gods and Men: A Survey of World Religions. Glasgow.
Pictures
(1) "Shiva" 2005, 27 September 2005, [1] (http://www.eleves.ens.fr/home/colonna/photo/images/Inde%20-%20Shiva.jpg)
(2) "gindian03" 2005, 27 September 2005, [2] (http://www.prs.org/images/oldart/gindian03.jpg)
(3)"imgxne78.jpg" 2005, 27 September 2005, [3] (http://www.interlog.com/~wwhite/gifs/imgxne78.jpg)
![[3]](http://www.interlog.com/~wwhite/gifs/imgxne78.jpg){kind=link}