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Lord Shiva, the principle deity of Himachal Pradesh :- |
| Since time immemorial, the Himalayas has been recognized as the
sanctuary for ascetics and sages. The Himalayas also occupy a central
place in Hinduism. The whole region is considered the realm of Shiva-
the supreme ascetic, and ‘Pashupati’ - the protecting
deity of pastoral herds. Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of a
lingam - a phallus symbolizing the male principle in the universe.
In his manifestation as the cosmic darer, the Natraja,
he rhythmically creates and destroys the cosmos. Famous shrines like
the ice cave at Amarnath in Kashmir, the glacial formation at Kedarnath
in Garhwal, and Jageshwar amidst a thick stand of deodar in Kumaon
are dedicated to him. Kalidas, a resident of Ujjain, a city of Shiva,
aptly described the Himalaya as the dazzling laughter of Shiva. |
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Lord Shiva :- |
| Shiva is one of the gods of the Trinity. He is said to be the god
of destruction. Shiva is believed to be at the core of the centrifugal
force of the universe, because of his responsibility for death and
destruction. But Shiva dissolves in order to create, since death is
the medium for rebirth into a new life. So the opposites of life and
death and creation and destruction both reside in his character. The
other two gods are Brahma, the god of creation and Vishnu, the god
of maintenance. The three gods represent the three fundamental powers
of nature which are manifest in the world viz. creation, destruction
and maintenance. These powers exist perpetually. Creation is going
on all the time. So is destruction and maintenance. All three powers
are manifest at all times. They are inseparable. Creation and destruction
are like two sides of a coin. And maintenance is an integral part
of the processes of creation and destruction. For example, morning
dies to give birth to noon. Noon dies when night is born. In this
chain of birth and death the day is maintained. To indicate that these
three processes are one and the same, the three gods are combined
in one form of Lord Dattatreya. Lord Dattatreya has the faces of Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva. |
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He is the never-created creator of all: He knows all. He is pure
consciousness, the creator of time, all-powerful, all-knowing. He
is the Lord of the soul and of nature and of the three conditions
of nature. From Him comes the transmigration of life and liberation,
bondage in time and freedom in eternity.
Some know him as Shiva the Beneficent. Others praise him as the Destroyer.
For some he is Shiva the Ascetic, wandering the world. And for others
still he is the Great Lord, king of all creation. But it is as "Lord
of the Dance" that all his aspects come together in one horrifically
significant form. Nowhere else in the human world is there a clearer
symbol of what a god is and does. In The Symbolism of Shiva's Cosmic
Dance is hidden a deep understanding of how our universe works, from
the tiny atom to inconceivably immense intergalactic spaces. Shiva's
unending Dance of Creation, Preservation and Destruction is art, science
and religion merged as one. When we behold His Dance, the world is
seen as it truly is--sacred. Every happening within it is His Divine
Will. |
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 disfunctional 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 jewelry 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. |
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Various Symbols of Shiva :- |
The unclad body covered with ashes:- the unclad body symbolizes
the transcendental aspect of the Lord. Since most things reduce to
ashes when burned, ashes symbolize the physical universe. The ashes
on the unclad body of the Lord 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. |
Matted locks:- Lord Shiva is the Master of yoga. 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. |
Ganga:- Ganga (river Ganges) is associated with Hindu mythology
and is the most sacred river of Hindus. According to tradition, one
who bathes in Ganga (revered as Mother 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. Ganga, symbolically represented on the head of the Lord
by a female (Mother Ganga) with a jet of water emanating from her
mouth and falling on the ground, signifies that the Lord destroys
sin, removes ignorance, and bestows knowledge, purity and peace on
the devotees. |
The crescent moon:- is shown on the side of the Lord's head
as an ornament, and not as an integral part of His countenance. The
waxing and waning phenomenon of the moon symbolizes the time cycle
through which creation evolves from the beginning to the end. Since
the Lord is the Eternal Reality, He is beyond time. Thus, the crescent
moon is only one of His ornaments, and not an integral part of Him. |
Three eyes:- Lord Shiva, also called Tryambaka Deva (literally,
"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.
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. Third eye is known as
gyana chakshu. Gyana chakshu literally means eye of wisdom. The eye
whose vision reaches beyond that of the two mortal eyes. The idea
of the third eye is not to be taken literally to mean that a third
fleshy organ exists in Shiva. It only means that Shiva has a divine
vision of Reality. |
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. |
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 (male and female) principle of creation. |
Snake around the neck:- sages have used snakes to symbolize
the yogic power of Lord Shiva with which He dissolves and recreates
the universe. 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. |
The snake (Vasuki Naga):- is shown curled three times around
the neck of the Lord and is looking towards His right side. The three
coils of the snake symbolize the past, present and future - time in
cycles. The Lord wearing the curled snake like an ornament signifies
that creation proceeds in cycles and is time dependent, but the Lord
Himself transcends time. The right side of the body symbolizes the
human activities based upon knowledge, reason and logic. The snake
looking towards the right side of the Lord signifies that the Lord's
eternal laws of reason and justice preserve natural order in the universe. |
Rudraksha necklace:- Rudra is another name of Shiva. Rudra
also means "strict or uncompromising" and aksha means "eye."
Rudraksha necklace worn by the Lord illustrates that He uses His cosmic
laws firmly - without compromise - to maintain law and order in the
universe. The necklace has 108 beads which symbolize the elements
used in the creation of the world. |
Varda Mudra:- the Lord's right hand is shown in a boon- bestowing
and blessing pose. As stated earlier, Lord Shiva annihilates evil,
grants boons, bestows grace, destroys ignorance, and awakens wisdom
in His devotees. |
Trident (Trishula):- a three-pronged trident shown adjacent
to the Lord symbolizes His three fundamental powers (shakti) of will
(iccha), action (kriya) and knowledge (gyana). The trident also symbolizes
the Lord's power to destroy evil and ignorance. |
Damaru (drum):- a small drum with two sides separated 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. |
Nandi:- the bull is associated with Shiva and 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. |
Tiger skin:- a tiger skin symbolizes potential energy. Lord
Shiva, sitting on or wearing a tiger skin, illustrates the idea that
He is the source of the creative energy that remains in potential
form during the dissolution state of the universe. Of His own Divine
Will, the Lord activates the potential form of the creative energy
to project the universe in endless cycles. |
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. |
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