Shiva - good Lord
Shiva is one of the most famous gods in India. Together with Brahma and Vishnu, he is part of the Hindu Trinity - Trimurti. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are considered three manifestations of the One Supreme Being. They are “three in one,” corresponding to the three persons of the Western Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Brahma personifies the aspect of God the creator, Vishnu the preserver and protector, and Shiva the destroyer and annihilator.
Shiva embodies all these aspects for Hindus, who choose him as their presiding deity. Adherents of Shiva revere him as the highest Reality, the absolute Beginning of God. They see in him the Guru of all gurus, the destroyer of worldly vanity, ignorance, evil and villains, hatred and disease. It bestows wisdom and longevity, embodies self-denial and compassion.
The name Shiva comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "good", "kind" or "friendly". The many aspects of Shiva are represented in his many names. Thus, the Hindu sacred text called the Shiva Purana lists 1008 names of Shiva. One of them is Shambhu, which means "generous" or "bringer of happiness." Another name is Shankara meaning “joy giver” or “beneficent”. Like Mahadeva, he is the "great god". Ishvara (Lord) is the name of Shiva, meaning that He has all the glory inherent in the Divine.
Pashupati is another name meaning "lord of cattle". As the Lord of cattle, Shiva is the shepherd, or shepherd, of souls. Shiva is depicted riding a white bull, whose name is Nandi, “joyful.” According to Hindu tradition, Nandi was a man, one of the devotees of Shiva, who took the form of a bull because human body was not strong enough to contain his religious ecstasy arising in the presence of Shiva.
Nandi the bull is depicted in most Shiva temples. He usually sits looking at Shiva. Nandi symbolizes the soul of a person striving for God. It also represents the soul absorbed in deep contemplation of Shiva as the absolute Reality. Shiva helps us to reveal our absolute Reality.
Mount Kailash is the throne of Shiva and also the location of his heavenly land. This majestic mountain is the most high peak Kailash Mountain Range in the Tibetan Himalayas. Hindus revere Kailash as the holiest mountain in the world and make pilgrimages there.
Shiva is full of contrasts. It symbolizes both contemplation and action. He is often depicted as a mendicant yogi, deep in meditation.
Legends say that Shiva walks the earth with a begging bowl. He teaches that renunciation, renunciation of attachments, indifference to success and failure are all paths to Him.
Shiva is also known as Mrityunjaya - He who conquers death. He is also Kamari, Destroyer of Desires. These two names show that he who destroys desires can conquer death, for desires give birth to actions, actions give birth to consequences, consequences give birth to bondage and bondage, the result of which is a new birth, leading to death.
As the Maha Yogi, or great yogi, Shiva is the King of all yogis, the highest embodiment of the spirit of asceticism. Shiva also personifies the moving Universe. In the Hindu sacred text Kurma Purana, Shiva says: “I am the creator, the god in the state of supreme bliss. I am the ever-dancing yogi."
According to Hindu beliefs, Shiva performs many different dances. One of them is called Tandava. This is the dance of creation and destruction. Shiva, dancing, brings the Universe into manifestation, supports it, and then, also dancing, brings it out of manifestation at the end of the era. Shiva is the embodiment of Ananda (supreme bliss), hence the origin of the Tandava dance, which He enjoys using the entire Cosmos as a stage.
The most famous image of Shiva is that of Nataraja, the King of Dancers, or Lord of Dance. Nataraji dances in the golden palace at the center of the Universe. This golden palace represents the human heart. One of the Hindu hymns celebrating the dance of Shiva says that “dancing, he appears in the immaculate lotus of the heart.”
The relationship between Shiva and his devotees is very personal. Although he lives on Mount Kailash, his favorite habitat is the hearts of devotees.
According to Hindu tradition, when the gods decided to allow the Ganges River to descend from Heaven, Shiva took the full impact of the huge weight of the falling water on his head so that this gigantic stream would not split the Earth. Shiva's matted hair deprived the power of the cascading waterfall. It divided into seven holy rivers, and the waters gently descended to the earth.
For Hindus, the Ganges represents a refreshing river of spiritual wisdom. According to Hindu tradition, when the gods decided to allow the Ganges River to descend from Heaven, Shiva, being at the center of the whirlpool of light - the energy revolving around him, was actually the balancing factor between heaven and earth for the river that fell, which was a river of light, but became an earthly river. Therefore, Hindus consider the water in the Ganges River to be holy, magical, and all-purifying. The Ascended Masters teach that these seven holy rivers also represent the seven rays of the Holy Spirit emanating from white light.
The role of Shiva corresponds to the role of the Holy Spirit in the Western Trinity.
An ancient text says: “Consider the meaning of the form that Shiva took so that people would revere Him. His throat contains a deadly poison, halahala, capable of instantly destroying all living things. On His head is the sacred river, the Ganga, the waters of which can heal all diseases anywhere (the flow of the Ganga symbolizes the nectar of immortality). On His forehead is a fiery eye (the eye of wisdom). On His head is the cool and soothing Moon (the crescent moon signifies that He is in complete control of His mind). On His wrists, ankles, shoulders and neck He wears deadly cobras, which feed on life-giving air (prana).” Ordinary people are afraid of the mere sight of snakes, but Shiva adorns His body with them. This means that Lord Shiva is completely devoid of fear and immortal. Snakes typically live for hundreds of years. The snakes entwining the body of Shiva show us that He is Eternal.
Shiva is an example of great patience and endurance. He holds the poison in his throat, which, according to legend, he drank, so that this poison does not poison all life on earth. And on His head He wears the blessed Moon, which everyone greets with joy. A person needs to learn a lesson from this: he should not throw out his bad qualities and inclinations on others, and he should use everything useful and good that he owns for the benefit of others.
On Shiva's forehead there are three stripes of bhasma or vibhuti. The meaning of this silent reminder is that a person needs to destroy three defilements: anava (egoism), karma (action based on the result) and maya (illusion), as well as three vasanas (subtle desires):
Worldly (“loka-vasanas”) - desire for friends, family, power, wealth, fame, honor, respect,
Holy scriptures (“shastra-vasanas”) - spiritual pride, thoughtless accumulation of knowledge, intellectualism,
Bodily (“milestone-vasanas”) - the desire to have a wonderful physique, health, a beautiful face, the desire to prolong one’s life by consuming drugs.
By destroying these defilements, one can approach Lord Shiva with a pure heart.
Shiva is also symbolically depicted in the form of a lingam - a symbol that in most cases represents an upright cylinder with a rounded or hemispherical top. The word "lingam" comes from the Sanskrit root "li", meaning "fusion", "dissolution". It is the form into which all other forms are dissolved. Shiva is the God who blesses all beings with the most desired gift of merging with the Absolute.
Shiva is the guardian of everything that is necessary for prosperity. He rewards with wealth of wisdom. Shiva resides in every thought, word and action, for the energy, power and intelligence behind them are all Him. God, manifesting as time, space and causality, is within us.
The exclamation “Shivoham” (I am Shiva) was proclaimed by those souls who knew the truth in a flash of enlightenment after for long years purification of the mind through asceticism. "Shivoham" means "I am divine."
Devotees of Shiva believe that the Name of Lord Shiva, chanted in any manner, rightly or wrongly, consciously or unconsciously, is sure to give desired result. The greatness of Lord Shiva's name cannot be understood through mental speculation. It can be experienced or realized through devotion, faith and constant repetition of the Name and chanting of its hymns.
The famous 20th century Hindu teacher Sri Swami Sivananda (1887 - 1963) in his famous work “Lord Shiva and His Worship” speaks about the effect of constant repetition of the names of Shiva and hymns dedicated to him:
« Constant repetition Shiva Stotra and the Names of Lord Shiva purifies the mind. Repetition of hymns to Shiva strengthens good samskaras (unconscious impressions). “What a man thinks, so he becomes” is a psychological law. In the mind of a person who strengthens himself in good, sublime thinking, a tendency towards good thoughts appears. Good thoughts melt and transform his character. When the mind is fixed on His image while chanting hymns to the Lord, the mental substance actually takes the form of the Lord's image. The impression of the object of a person's thoughts remains in his mind. This is called samskara. When an action is repeated very often, the repetition strengthens the samskaras and this helps to form a habit. He who strengthens himself with thoughts in the Divine, with the help of his thinking, himself turns into the Divine. His bhava (aspiration) is purified and sanctified. Singing hymns to Lord Shiva is in tune with the Lord. The personal mind dissolves into the cosmic consciousness. One who sings hymns becomes one with Lord Shiva.
Fire has the natural ability to burn flammable things; also the Name of Lord Shiva has the power to burn away sins, samskaras and vasanas and bestow eternal bliss and never-ending peace on those who chant the Name of the Lord.”
Sources:
1. Mark L. Prophet, Elizabeth Claire Prophet. Lords and their abodes. - M: M-Aqua, 2006. - 592 p.
2. Sri Swami Sivananda. Lord Shiva and His Worship. / Library of Vedic literature. - Penza: Golden Ratio, 1999 - 384 p.
Shiva is the third god in the Hindu triumvirate. The triumvirate consists of three gods: Brahma is the creator of the universe, Vishnu is its preserver, and Shiva's role is to destroy the universe and recreate it again.
God Shiva has 1008 names, here are some of them: Shambhu (merciful), Mahadev (Great God), Mahesh, Rudra, Neelkantha (Blue Throat), Ishvara (Supreme God), Mahayogi.
Lord Shiva is also known as Mrityunjaya - the one who conquers death. And also as Kamare - the destroyer of desires. These two names show that the one who destroys desires is able to conquer death, because desires create actions, actions create consequences, consequences create dependence and lack of freedom, all this leads to a new birth leading to death.
What does God Shiva look like?
God Shiva has four arms and three eyes. The third eye, located in the middle of his forehead, is always closed and opens only when Shiva is angry and ready for destruction.
Often God Shiva is depicted with a cobra on his neck and wrists, which symbolizes Shiva's power over the most dangerous creatures in the world, he is free from fear and immortal.
On Shiva’s forehead three white lines (vibhuti) are drawn horizontally with ash, the message of which is that a person needs to get rid of three impurities: anava (egoism), karma (action with expectation of a result), maya (illusion).
The moon on Shiva's head symbolizes that he is in complete control of the mind.
God Shiva's vehicle is the bull Nandi (translated from Sanskrit - happy). Nandi Bull symbolizes purity, justice, faith, wisdom, masculinity and honor.
Shiva has Trishul - a trident, the function of which is the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe.
Despite the fact that God Shiva is the destroyer, he is usually represented as smiling and calm.
Sometimes Lord Shiva is depicted as divided into parts, one part is male and the other is female - his wife Parvati, who is also known as Shakti, Kali, Durga and Uma. Parvati taught Shiva love and patience, she pacifies his irritation and anger. Shiva and Parvati have sons - Kartikeya and Ganesha. It is said that Shiva and Parvati live on Mount Kailash in the Himalayas.
Dance of God Shiva
Dance is an important art form in India and Lord Shiva is considered its master. He is often called the God of Dance. The rhythm of the dance symbolizes the balance in the universe, which is masterfully controlled by God Shiva. His most important dance is Tandav. This is the cosmic dance of death that he performs at the end of the age to destroy the universe. The dance of Shiva is a dance of creation, destruction, consolation and liberation.
The most famous image of Shiva is that of Nataraja, the King of Dance or Lord of Dance. Nataraja dances in the golden palace at the center of the Universe. This golden palace represents the heart of man.
Why is God Shiva blue?
According to one version, God Shiva drank a deadly poison to save all living beings. His wife Parvati saw that the poison began to spread rapidly, entered Shiva's throat in the form of Mahavidya and stopped the spread of the poison. Thus, Shiva's throat became blue and he became known as Neelkantha (Blue Throat).
The blue throat of God Shiva symbolizes that a person must prevent and prevent the spread of poison (in the form of negativity and vices) in the body and mind.
Shiva (“bringer of happiness”), in Hindu mythology, one of the supreme gods, who, together with Vishnu and Brahma, forms the divine triad - trimurti. Shiva is not only a kind protector, but also a formidable god who lives on the battlefields and at funeral pyres. He was often depicted with a rope on which skulls were strung.
Shiva is the creator god and at the same time the god of time, and therefore of destruction, the god of fertility and at the same time an ascetic who suppressed desires and lives high in the Himalayas on Mount Kailash. Sometimes he even acted as a bisexual creature. These mutually exclusive qualities symbolized a deity who absorbed all the contradictions of the world, who was assigned the role of destroyer of the world and the gods at the end of each kalpa, a period equal to 8,640,000,000 human years.
As Nataraja, the “king of dance,” Shiva was believed to regulate the world order. Tired of dancing, he stops, and chaos reigns in the universe. Thus, after the period of creation comes destruction. One day, Shiva appeared to 10,000 rishi sages to worship him. In response, the rishis cursed the god and sent a ferocious tiger to attack him. Shiva tore off the skin of the beast with his fingernail and made himself a cape. The Rishis sent a snake, but Shiva put it around his neck as a necklace. The Rishis created an evil dwarf and armed him with a club, but Shiva, standing on the back of the dwarf, began to dance. And the rishis rushed to his feet. The creative power of God is embodied in his main symbol - the lingus-phallus, the male reproductive organ.
One of the myths tells how God came to the forest where the sages were meditating. They did not recognize Shiva and, suspecting him of wanting to seduce their wives, deprived him of his phallus. Immediately the world was enveloped in darkness, and the sages lost their masculine strength. Realizing their mistake, they brought gifts to Shiva, and order reigned in the universe again. Shiva is often depicted with four arms and three eyes. The third eye, the eye of inner vision, is located in the center of the forehead. He wears a snake necklace around his neck, another snake encircles his body, and others wrap around his arms. There are images of Shiva with a blue neck; he was called Nilakantha, or "blue neck"; This is stated in the myth about the churning of the world's oceans.
According to a well-known myth, the gods used the serpent Vasuki (Shesha) to create amtrita and used it to rotate Mount Mandara. However, the snake was so tired that it released poison that threatened to destroy the entire world. Shiva swallowed the poison and his neck turned blue. Shiva is the father of the elephant-like god Ganesha and the warlike god Skanda. Shiva's mount and servant is the bull Nandin. According to legend, Shiva's third eye arose as a result of the trick of his wife Parvati. Shiva was meditating on Mount Kailash, and Parvati crept up behind him and covered his eyes with her hands. Immediately the sun darkened, and all living things trembled with fear. Suddenly, an eye emitting flame appeared in Shiva’s forehead and dispersed the darkness. The fire that burst out of the eye illuminated the entire Himalayas and burned the god of love Kama when he tried to distract Shiva from his ascetic deeds.
The veneration in India of the many-armed god Shiva, one of the three highest deities of Hindu beliefs, has its roots in the distant past. He was originally considered the destroyer of the Universe, and several hands were given to him for dancing and destruction.
Translated from Sanskrit, Shiva means “benevolent, merciful.” He is the oldest and one of the main gods in Hinduism and along with this he is main god in Shaivism, one of the two main branches of Hinduism. He can punish for sins and can do good.
The worship of Shiva is based on the most ancient Indian tribal cults. Shiva does not obey anyone, he is a god and lives his own life. And his life is a dance. During the dance, Shiva destroys everything around him. He goes into ecstasy and swings his arms faster and faster. Complete chaos reigns in the world, stars begin to fall to the ground, everything collapses. Then Shiva suddenly transforms and begins to recreate everything. And his face acquires a state of peace, he smiles.
As the legend tells, one day Shiva appeared to the ancient sages-rishis and asked them to worship him as a god. But in response, the rishis sent a tiger to attack him. Shiva tore off his skin with one fingernail and made himself a cape. But the rishis were not afraid, they were omnipotent and inventive. They sent a thorny snake at him. Shiva was not afraid of the snake; he made a necklace out of it. The Rishis did not stop; they created an evil dwarf and gave him a club. But Shiva laughed at them, knocked over the dwarf, jumped on his back and began to dance. Then the rishis realized that they could not cope with this almighty god, they fell prostrate before him and began to worship him.
Later, Shiva abandoned the grandiose destruction of A and became the lord of creative energy and the source of life of the Universe, he is its supreme being, he renews the world and improves it.
No matter what figure of Shiva one looks at, his hands are always in motion, their position signifying some aspect of the divine will. Basically, this is the transfer of poses of the orgasmic dance “tandava” - the dance of ecstasy, internal fire.
One of the earliest sculptural images of Shiva is considered to be a one and a half meter figure found in the Gudimallam temple in the north of Madras state. Its age is over two thousand years BC. God Shiva is represented as young, full of energy and strength. He has a smile on his face, but on his shoulders is a monster with bulging eyes called Yakshi. As soon as God begins his dance of ecstasy, he will shake this monster off his shoulders.
The first bronze images of Shiva date back to the 1st century. BC. They were apparently created by Buddhist monks. It was first sculpted from wax, then covered with clay and waited for it to dry. After which it was cut into two halves, the wax was removed, both halves were connected and metal was poured through a special hole. When the metal hardened, the clay was broken and the figurine began to be processed. Such bronze sculptures were created for temples that revered the many-armed Shiva.
Sometimes Shiva holds a trident, a small drum, a battle hatchet or a bow in his hands. These are all the attributes of his activities. He needs them if he has to participate in any action. Sometimes there are images of Shiva with three eyes. According to legend, his third eye appeared when he was meditating, and his wife Parvati came up behind him and covered her eyes with her hands. The sun darkened and the wind blew. But Shiva is a god, he must see everything always, and a third eye appeared on his forehead. And again the sun shone in the sky, and the world became even more beautiful.
