Lord Shiva

Lord Shiva

 Shiva is regarded as one of the most important Hindu God and one of the ones in the holy Hindu trinity that makes up Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Whereas, in the holy trinity, Brahma is considered to be the creator and Vishnu the preserver, Lord Shiva wears the mantle of the destroyer.

Lord Shiva was considered by the people of the Indus civilization to be a tribal God, the way before people had heard about the presence of Brahma and Vishnu. Shiva is considered to be a God that is full of uncountable amounts of energy that never deserts him and is not only infinite but also permanent.

The other word for Lord Shiva is Maheshwar and is known to live in the funeral grounds with the ashes all over his body. The way Shiva is portrayed is wearing a tiger hide with a snake twirled around his neck, and perched on a branch. Whenever, Shiva comes across any injustice or evil, then the third eye opens on his forehead and that is supposed to be the end of the evil. The most powerful of Gods, such as Kamadeva have been reduced to ashes when faced with Shiva’s fury.

The abode of Lord Shiva is the Kailash Parvat which is way in the interiors of the Himalayas. The Kailash Parvat is located in the highest of mountains that are cladding by snow most of the time and difficult to reach. Shiva’s consort is Parvati and they have two sons, Lord Ganesh and Subramanya. Shiva has another son called Lord Ayyappa, who is from his liaison with Mohini, who is actually Lord Vishnu in the form of a woman.

Although Lord Shiva lives the way in the Kailash Parvat he has several Hindus, who worship him diligently. The shivlinga is found in the Kailash Parvat and the phallic emblem that resembles creative energy that is infinite. The Shivlinga is worshiped in the form of Shiva.

Shiva has more disciples and worshippers than any other Hindu God. People also worship Shiva in the form of the supreme energy in the form of Natraj. Lord Shiva is known by several different names such as Ganagdhar, Rudra, Neelkanth, Shankar, Gaurishankar, Mahadev to name a few.

Although he is called the God of destruction in the Hindu Gods list, he is also associated with the change that comes about due to life and death. The destruction that is denoted is in the form of a positive energy that brings about change in old habits and one adopts new habits that are going to be beneficial to one in the long run. The abode of Kailash Parvat represents the embedded goodness that exists in every human being.

Shiva lives in Kailash Parvat in the Himalayas the life of an ascetic which is full of control, celibacy and discipline. At the same time, he portrays great love for his spouse who represents Shakti or universal energy. His first wife was Sati and Parvati his second wife. The Lord stands for great energy and positive characteristics. The symbols that are associated with him are the trident which is symbolic of the three faults or gunas and the snake wound around his neck shows the power that he has over the worst of things even death and the ever consuming energy that lies within him. The vehicle on which he uses at the Kailash Parvat is a white bull called the Nandi and this represents everlasting joy.

He is often enough shown seated at the Kailash Parvat with a tiger skin that symbolizes the mind. Belief goes that when Ganga was born on earth and wanted to flood the earth; Shiva caught it in his hand and avoided this gross destruction.

The staunchest of yogis and ascetics worship Shiva in India. They are found near the Kailash Parvat near the Himalayas, dressed in orange robes and with cornrows in their hair, rudrakshashas on them and ash smear on them just like Shiva.