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Mahadev- the supreme lord

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Category:	Religion & Beliefs
Created:	Oct 30, 2006
Type:	Public
Members:	103
Owner:	grasshopper flyinghigh
Language:	English
Country:	India

Lord Shiva is the Good Lord and the Greatest God (Mahadeva) and God of Gods (Devadeva). He is mysterious and complex. He is the formless, timeless and spaceless Supreme God, but also the Supreme Lord of the Universe (Vishweshwara), Supreme Lord of Time (Mahakala) and Lord of Everything (Sarveshwara). There is nothing but he is above everything. He is beyond description, beyond all manifestation, beyond limitation of form, time and space. He is eternal, infinite, all pervading, all knowing and all powerful.

Lord Shiva is referred to as the good lord. One of his names is Bholenath, which means the innocent God. Shiva as Rudra is considered to be the destroyer of evil and sorrow. Shiva as Shankara is the doer of good. Shiva is 'tri netra' (three - eyed), and is 'N??lakantha' (= "blue throated", as he consumed the poison Halahala to save the world from destruction). Shiva as Nataraja is the Divine Cosmic Dancer. Shiva as Ardhnarishwara is both man and woman.

He is both static and dynamic; 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 Parvati (also referred to as Shakti), who is the daughter of Himavant and Haimavat??. There is no Shakti without Shiva and Shakti is his expression; the two are one, the absolute state of being - consciousness and bliss. Shakti in turn is the entire energy of the cosmos. Shiva is said to have shared half of his body for Shakti and is known as Ardhanarishwara (half woman, half man) in this form. In Hinduism, Shiva is said to have taken this form is to depict the equality of men and women.

The five mantras that constitute Shiva's body are Sadyojaata, Vaamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha and Eesaana. 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). "Eesaana" is Shiva invisible to the human eye. The Vishnudharmottara Purana of the 6th century BC assigns a face and an element to each of the above mantras (Sadyojaata - earth, Vaamadeva - water, Aghora - fire, Tatpurusha - air and Eesaana - space).

The names of the deified faces with their elements are Mahadeva (earth), Uma (water), Bhairava (fire), Nandi (air) and Sadasiva (space).

A statue of Shiva near Indira Gandhi International Airport, DelhiIn Shiva temples, Navagraha (9 planets), Ganesh, Skanda, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Vishnu, Brahma, Ashtathig balar, Durga, Bairava, and all the other Hindu gods will have the place, denoting that Shiva is unique among the gods, so that only he is in a shapeless form (i.e. in linga form).

The five different avataras (forms) of Shiva are

Bhairava
Nataraja Dakshinamurthy
Somaskandha Pitkchadanar In most of the South Indian temples, we can see all the five forms in a Shiva temple. All the five characteristics in a single face is said to be Sadashiva.

Shiva is not limited to the personal characteristics as he is given in many images and can transcend all attributes. Hence, Shiva 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 and yet have personal characteristics for the grace of the embodied human devotee. Personal characteristics are a way for the devotee to focus on God. Shiva is also described as Anaadi (without beginning/birth) and Ananta (without end/death).

The tale about Shiva splitting into two halves of male and female indicates the origin of the Ardhanarishvara - the union of spirit and material, the Being and his Shakti (force). He is also above Spirit and Material.

In most of the South Indian temples, we can see all the five forms in a Shiva temple. All the five characteristics in a single face is said to be Sadashiva.

Shiva is not limited to the personal characteristics as he is given in many images and can transcend all attributes. Hence, Shiva 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 and yet have personal characteristics for the grace of the embodied human devotee. Personal characteristics are a way for the devotee to focus on God. Shiva is also described as Anaadi (without beginning/birth) and Ananta (without end/death).

The tale about Shiva splitting into two halves of male and female indicates the origin of the Ardhanarishvara - the union of spirit and material, the Being and his Shakti (force). He is also above Spirit and Material.

According to a school of Kashmir Shaivism entited Spanda, the central role for a human devotee is not played by Siva but by Shakti. This is not paradoxical because in the spiritual vision of Shaivism, Siva and Sakti are not two separate realities. Siva and Sakti are two-in-one, and they seem separate only for the ignorant and limited mind that is subjected to duality. In truth, Siva is Sakti and Sakti is Siva; when we have consciousness, there is also energy. When we have energy, there is consciousness who animates that energy. Therefore, for the aspirant to spiritual liberation, the instrument (path) is Sakti and not Siva. Siva is the transcendent aspect of the Divine, being beyond any mental representation. Anything we could imagine about Siva is not Siva, because Siva cannot be defined, cannot be thought, cannot be evoked.

Attributes of Shiva

Shiva, shown in his cosmic form.The Third Eye: The third eye of Shiva on his forehead is the eye of wisdom, known as "bindi". It is the eye that looks beyond the obvious. Thus he is known as Trinetrishwara (The Lord with Three Eyes). The third eye of Shiva is also popularly associated with his untamed energy which destroys 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. In order that he not be harmed by this poison, his consort Parvati is said to have tied a cobra to his neck. This retained the poison in his throat and thereby turned it blue and hence the name Neelakanta (The one with a blue throat). The deadly cobra represents the ???death??? aspect that Shiva has thoroughly conquered. Shiva is also known as Naageshwara (The Lord of Serpents). 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 the Crescent also represents his control over time. Thus Shiva is known by the names of Somasundara and Chandrashekara.
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 beings (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 ??? which is the source of all the language and expression. The drum is known as "Damru".
The Vibhuti: Vibhuti is three lines 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 (Bhasma) 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. Tigers 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.
Rudraksha: Shiva wears wrist bands of Rudraksha 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. It is said that the ancient city of Kashi or modern Varanasi sits atop Shiva's Trishul.
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.

[edit] Names of Shiva
The Shiva Purana lists 108 names for Shiva and the Shiva sahasranama lists 1008 names. Each of his names, in Sanskrit, signifies a certain attribute of his. Some of his names are listed below:

Hara
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
Maheshwara - The Supreme Lord: Maha = great, Eshwar = God
Rameshwara - The one whom Ram worships: Ram, Eshwar = worships, God; Ram's God
Mah??yogi - The Supreme Yogi: Maha = great, Yogi = one who practices Yoga
Mahabaleshwara - God of Great 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, - 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
Dakhshimurthi - The Cosmic Tutor
Kailashpati - Lord of Mount Kailash
Pashupatin??tha - Lord of all Creatures or Pashupati
Umapati - The husband of Uma
Gangadhara - He who holds the river Ganga
Bhairava - The Frightful One
Sabesan - Lord who dances in the dais
Nagaraja - King of snakes (Lord/Ruler/Controller of snakes)
Ekambaranatha - The destroyer of evil (name used scarcely, mostly in temples)
Tripurantaka - The destroyer of the triplet fortresses, Tripura, of the Asuras.
Ashutosh