OM NAMAH SHIVAY June 17, 2009

Lord Shiva represents the aspect of the Supreme Being that continuously dissolves to recreate in the cyclic process of creation, preservation, dissolution and recreation of the universe. He is known as the third element in the Trimurti, Lord Brahma – the creator and Lord Vishnu – the protector and Lord Shiva – the quintessential destroyer.

Owing to His cosmic activity of dissolution and recreation, the words destroyer and destruction have been erroneously associated with Lord Shiva. This difficulty arises when people fail to grasp the true significance of His cosmic role. The creation sustains itself by a delicate balance between the opposing forces of good and evil. When this balance is disturbed and sustenance of life becomes impossible, Lord Shiva dissolves the universe for creation of the next cycle so that the unliberated souls will have another opportunity to liberate themselves from bondage with the physical world. Thus, Lord Shiva protects the souls from pain and suffering that would be caused by a dysfunctional universe. In analogous cyclic processes, winter is essential for spring to appear and the night is necessary for the morning to follow. To further illustrate, a goldsmith does not destroy gold when he melts old irreparable golden jewellry to create beautiful new ornaments.

Lord Shiva is the Lord of mercy and compassion. He protects devotees from evil forces such as lust, greed, and anger. He grants boons, bestows grace and awakens wisdom in His devotees. The symbolism discussed below includes major symbols that are common to all pictures and images of Shiva venerated by Hindus. Since the tasks of Lord Shiva are numerous, He cannot be symbolized in one form. For this reason the images of Shiva vary significantly in their symbolism.

The unclad body covered with bhasm

The unclad body symbolizes the transcendental aspect of the Lord. Since most things reduce to ashes when burned, ashes symbolize the physical universe. The unclad body of the Lord smeared with ashes signify that Shiva is the source of the entire universe which emanates from Him, but He transcends the physical phenomena and is not affected by it.

Jata

The three matted locks on the head of the Lord convey the idea that integration of the physical, mental and spiritual energies is the ideal of yoga. The flow of his matted hair represents Shiva as the Lord of Wind or Vayu. Thus it is Shiva which is the lifeline for all living being. He is Pashupatinath.

Ganga

According to tradition, one who bathes in Ganga in accordance with traditional rites and ceremonies on religious occasions in combination with certain astrological events, is freed from sin and attains knowledge, purity and peace. The holiest of the holy rivers, Ganga, symbolically represented on the head of the Lord by a female with a jet of water emanating from her mouth and falling on the ground, signifies that the Lord Gangadhar destroys sin, removes ignorance, and bestows knowledge, purity and peace on the devotees.

The crescent moon

Shiva bears on his head the crescent of the panchami (fifth day) moon. This is placed near the fiery third eye as an ornament, and not as an integral part of His countenance and this shows the power of Soma, the sacrificial offering, which is the representative of moon.. The waxing and waning phenomenon of the moon symbolizes the time cycle through which creation evolves from the beginning to the end. The moon is also a measure of time, thus Crescent also represent his control over time. Thus, the crescent moon is only one of His ornaments, and not an integral part of Him. With the the moon there, his head becomes the night sky, for which he earned the name Vyomakesa and Chandrashekhar.

Tryambakam

Lord Shiva, also called Tryambaka Deva or three-eyed Lord, is depicted as having three eyes. The sun is His right eye, the moon the left eye and fire the third eye of Shiva on his forehead. The two eyes on the right and left indicate His activity in the physical world. The third eye in the center of the forehead symbolizes spiritual knowledge and power, and is thus called the eye of wisdom or knowledge. Like fire, the powerful gaze of Shiva’s third eye annihilates evil, and thus the evil-doers fear His third eye.

Half-open eyes

When the Lord opens His eyes, a new cycle of creation emerges and when He closes them, the universe dissolves for creation of the next cycle. The half-open eyes convey the idea that creation is going through cyclic process, with no beginning and no end. Lord Shiva is the Master of Yoga, as He uses His yogic power to project the universe from Himself. The half-open eyes also symbolize His yogic posture.

Vibhuti

Vibhuti is a three line of ashes drawn on the forehead that signifies the immortality of the god and his manifested glory.

Kundalas (two ear rings)

two Kundalas, Alakshya (meaning “which cannot be shown by any sign”) and Niranjan (meaning “which cannot be seen by mortal eyes”) in the ears of the Lord signify that He is beyond ordinary perception. Since the kundala in the left ear of the Lord is of the type used by women and the one in His right ear is of the type used by men, these Kundalas also symbolize the Shiva and Shakti principle of creation.

Vasuki Naga

Like a yogi, a snake hoards nothing, carries nothing, builds nothing, lives on air alone for a long time, and lives in mountains and forests. The venom of a snake, therefore, symbolizes the yogic power. He swallowed the poison kalketu for the wellbeing of the Universe. The deadly cobra represents that “death” aspect that Shiva has thoroughly conquered. The cobras around his neck also represent the dormant energy, called Kundalini, the serpent power. The snake curled three times around the neck of Lord Shiva depicts the past, present and future time. The snake looking in the right direction of Lord Shiva signifies that the Lord’s perpetual laws of reason and justice preserve natural order in the universe.

Trisula

A three-pronged trident shown adjacent to the Lord symbolizes His three fundamental powers (shakti) of will (iccha), action (kriya) and knowledge (gyana). As a weapon the trident also symbolizes the Lord’s power to destroy evil doer on all the three planes – spiritual, subtle and physical. It also represents His control over the three qualities, namely sattva, rajas and tamas.

Damaru

a small drum with two sides alienated from each other by a thin neck-like structure symbolizes the two utterly dissimilar states of existence, unmanifest and manifest. When a damaru is vibrated, it produces dissimilar sounds which are fused together by resonance to create one sound. The sound thus produced symbolizes Nada, the cosmic sound of AUM, which can be heard during deep meditation. According to Hindu scriptures, Nada is the source of creation.

Kamandalu

a water pot (Kamandalu) made from a dry pumpkin contains nectar and is shown on the ground next to Shiva. The process of making Kamandalu has deep spiritual significance. A ripe pumpkin is plucked from a plant, its fruit is removed and the shell is cleaned for containing the nectar. In the same way, an individual must break away from attachment to the physical world and clean his inner self of egoistic desires in order to experience the bliss of the Self, symbolized by the nectar in the Kamandalu.

Tiger skin

Lord Shiva, sitting on or wearing a 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 illustrates the idea that He is the source of the creative energy  that remains in potential form during the dissolution state of the universe. Tiger 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 flickering mind. Shiva wears deer skin which indicates that he has controlled the mind perfectly.

Varda Mudra

the Lord’s right hand is shown in a boon- bestowing and blessing pose. Lord Shiva annihilates evil, grants boons, bestows grace, destroys ignorance, and awakens wisdom in His devotees.

Nandi

Nandi is said to be His vehicle. The bull symbolizes both power and ignorance. Lord Shiva’s use of the bull as a vehicle conveys the idea that He removes ignorance and bestows power of wisdom on His devotees. The bull is called Vrisha in Sanskrit. Vrisha also means dharma (righteousness). Thus a bull shown next to Shiva also indicates that He is the etemal companion of righteousness.

Cremation ground

Shiva sitting in the cremation ground signifies that He is the controller of death in the physical world. Since birth and death are cyclic, controlling one implies controlling the other. Thus, Lord Shiva is revered as the ultimate controller of birth and death in the phenomenal world.

Sivaling

The Sivaling is also symbolic of the Supreme Self. It is verily Maheswara Himself. In this aspect it has three parts. The lower part represents Brahma. The middle part, which is octagonal in shape, represents Vishnu. The upper part, which is cylindrical in shape, represents Rudra and is also called Pujabhaga since it receives the actual offerings of milk and other substances.

The round and smooth stones found in the river beds of the Narmada or the Godavari are considered to be the most ideal for worship. When  Sivalings are found fortuitously in the river beds and desolate places, it is considered to be a great omen. They are housed in temples or houses and offered regular worship.

Rudraksha

Rudra is another name of Shiva. Rudra also means “strict or uncompromising” and aksha means “eye”.  Rudraksha necklace worn by the Lord shows that He uses His cosmic laws firmly – without compromise – to maintain law and order in the universe. The necklace has 108 beads which symbolize 9 planets and 12 zodiacs.

Ardhanareeswara
Lord Shiva is said to be half man and half woman. In the full figure of Siva the male and female principles are united. Shiva Linga – the symbol of Lord Shiva which consists of both Lingam (phallus) and yoni (the female organ) represent the totality of his nature and the totality of all created existence. Lord Shiva is also said to be inseparable from Shakti – Parvati the daughter of Himavaan – Haimavati. There is no Shiva without Shakti and no Shakti without Shiva, the two are one – or the absolute state of being.

Nataraj

Lord Shiva is shown either in meditating or in the form of a Dancing God Nataraj where his dance is to the beat and rhythm of creation. Shiva as nataraj or tandavamurthi in a dance posture. With his hair flying in all directions and hands and feet in dynamic motion, the image of nataraj is a symbol of harmony and rhythm.