Shiva is the god of the yogis,
self-controlled and celibate, while at the same time a lover of his
spouse (shakti). Lord Shiva is the destroyer of the world, following Brahma the creator and Vishnu
the preserver, after which Brahma again creates the world and so on.
Shiva is responsible for change both in the form of death and
destruction and in the positive sense of destroying the ego, the false
identification with the form. This also includes the shedding of old
habits and attachments.
All that has a
beginning by necessity must have an end. In destruction, truly nothing
is destroyed but the illusion of individuality. Thus the power of
destruction associated with Lord Shiva has great purifying power, both
on a more personal level when problems make us see reality more clearly,
as on a more universal level. Destruction opens the path for a new
creation of the universe, a new opportunity for the beauty and drama of
universal illusion to unfold. As Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram or Truth,
Goodness and Beauty, Shiva represents the most essential goodness.
While of course many
hindu deities are associated with different paths of yoga and
meditation, in Shiva the art of meditation takes its most absolute form.
In meditation, not only mind is stopped, everything is dropped. In deep
meditation or samadhi, even the object of the meditation (like a
mantra) is transformed into its formless essence, which is the essence
of everything and everyone. Thus Shiva stands for letting go of
everything in the world of forms. The path of Lord Shiva is the path of
the ascetic yogi.
Forms of Shiva
Shiva
has many forms, which are visible in his Panchavaktra form with 5
heads, a combination of all Shiva energies : Aghora (resides in the
creamation grounds), Ishana (most often appears as the shivalingam), Tat
Purusha (meditating), Varna Deva (the eternal Shiva) and Saddyojat or
Braddha Rudra (the old wrathful form). The last also forms the
connection to the Rudraksha mala - a rosary made of the dried fruits of the Rudraksha tree.
Another
form is the Nataraj. Shiva Nataraj's dance represents both the
destruction and the creation of the universe and reveals the cycles of
death, birth and rebirth. His Dance of Bliss is for the welfare of the
world. In the pose of Nataraj, the King of Dance is giving darshan to
his beloved devotees within the "Hall of Consciousness", which is the
heart of man. Under his feet, Shiva crushes the demon of ignorance
called Apasmara Purusha, caused by forgetfulness. One hand is stretched
across his chest and points towards the uplifted foot, indicating the
release from earthly bondage of the devotee. The fire represents the
final destruction of creation, but the dance of the Nataraj is also an
act of creation, which arouses dormant energies and scatters the ashes
of the universe in a pattern that will be the design of the ensuing
creation.
Yet another manifestation of Lord Shiva is said to be Hanuman, the ultimate karma yogi, in never-ending selfless service to Ram.
The fact that this is not really clear can be perfectly explained by
the understanding that a true karma yogi will never take the credit for
his acts, as they would otherwise not be entirely selfless. The ego
would still get the credit. So, in order to respect Shiva as a true
karma yogi, let us not pay too much attention to this manifestation.
The
Mahamrityunyaya form of Shiva is the great conqueror of death. The
Mahamrityunjaya mantra is one of the two main mantras of the Vedas, next
to the Gayatri mantra. It is chanted to remove death and disease. This
form of Shiva also is the being of pure joy, referring to the
unconditioned enjoyment of the perfectly peaceful mind. That is the true
nature of the divine elixir that this Shiva offers his devotees in no
less than four hands.
Another main form of Shiva is Ardhnarishwara, half Shiva, half Shakti. Also related to Shiva is Indra.
Attributes of Lord Shiva
Shiva's main attributes are :
- the trident that represents the three gunas
- the snakes that show he is beyond the power of death and poison and also stand for the Kundalini energy.
- the sound of Shiva's two-sided drum maintains the rhythm of the heartbeat and creates the sound AUM in the overtones.
- the vehicle of Shiva is the white bull called Nandi (the joyful).
- Shiva is often seated on a tiger skin or wears a tiger skin, with the tiger representing the mind.
- Shiva lives on Mount Kailasa in the Himalayas.
Relationships
The
power or energy of Shiva is Shakti, his spouse, of which Parvati is
probably the most popular form. Shiva's first wife was Sati and his
second wife was Parvati. They are also known by many other names, such
as Uma, Gauri, Durga, Kali, Annapurna and Shakti. His sons are Ganesha and Kartikeya.
Shiva
and Parvati are often shown as sitting in happy, intimate embrace. They
also like to discuss philosophy. Shiva taught Parvati on Vedanta
(transcendent knowledge), while Parvati tought him Sankhya (cosmological
knowledge). Both were perfected yogis.
After
their marriage, they left for mount Kailash and immersed themselves
completely in a sexual intercourse so strong that the deity of desire
Kama was reborn when their sweat mingles with his ashes. Their love was
so intense that it shook the cosmos and frightened even the gods.
The balance
between male and female can also be obtained in marriage, when both
partners complement each other to form an ultimate oneness, which is the
source of creation. When Shiva does his destructive Tandava dance,
Parvati is said to complement him with a slow, creative step of her own,
calming him with her soft glances. While Shiva shows a wilder nature
that is both ascetic and erotic, Parvati stands for the middle path of
the householder. As Shiva exulted in his romantic dalliance with her,
the true mother in her longed for a child. Shiva resisted the life of a
householder, but Parvati's desire for it was greater than his
resistance. Hence first Ganesha was born, later also Kartikay.
The Shiva Lingam
Lord Shiva is
conceived in his unborn, invisible form as the Shiva Lingam.
The Lingam represents the male creative energy of Shiva.
This main symbol of Shiva is worshipped in virtually every Hindu
temple and home. The phallus is not worshipped as such, but through it
Shiva is worshipped as the supreme consciousness. Embracing the base of
the linga is the yoni, the female organ, as the universal energy, as
Shakti, Shiva's spouse. Through profound understanding of this symbol,
the mystery of creation can be understood as an act of love.
When Ganga incarnated on Earth, Lord Shiva captured her in his hair
to avoid that she would flood all of Earth (See the Life
of Ganga).
Shiva worshippers
(Shaivites) are among India's most ascetic yogis, their
body smeared with ashes, dressed in saffron colors and wearing a
Rudraksha mala. The path of Shiva can thus be seen as the inward-going
path, the great journey to find the self. This path is complementary to
the path of Vishnu, which is the outgoing path, bringing out the self
from within and letting it manifest in the universe and our lives.
