According to Hindu legends, Lord Shiva is a supreme God of paradox and ambiguity. He is worshipped by the Hindus as one of the most important gods in the Hindu pantheon. Considered to be a member of the holy trinity of Hinduism, Lord Shiva is mentioned in the Mahabharata as a bright symbol of honor and delight. He is said to be a complex character having two sides. One side represents goodness while the darker side represents him as a leader of evil spirits and vampires. Lord Shiva Story is unique because he is considered to be the destroyer of everything and creator. Lord Shiva also has a unique appearance. He is three-eyed with ash covering his body. Snakes coil up around him, and he wears elephant and tiger skin. He does not associate with others and he has a hot temper.
How Lord Shiva Born
So, now you will ask how he was born.
Lord Shiva story is mysterious. The story is about two arguing lords, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma. They were arguing about their powers when an inexplicable blazing pillar appeared in front of them. No roots or tips were visible! Both the Lords wondered about this incredible entity because it was challenging for them. They stooped the argument and started to find out more about him.
Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu decided to find the beginning and end of the pillar. They could not find anything and failed. The search existed for ages but neither of them succeeded in their missions. This is the story of Lord Shiva!
Lord Shiva Family (Shiva, Parvati & Ganesha)
Shiva had a wife called Parvati who was a reincarnation of Sati (god Daksha’a daughter). Daksha didn’t approve of Shiva and Sati’s marriage and even held a sacrificial ceremony to all the gods except Shiva. This made Sati throw herself on the sacrificial fire. This was a real tragedy and Shiva created two demons from his hair who beheaded Daksha and the whole ceremony failed. However, other gods convinced Shiva to end this violence and Shiva brought Daksha back to life. However, Daksha already had a head of goat. Sati was reincarnated as Parvati in her next life and then she re-married Shiva.
The god Ganesha was Shiva and Parvati’s son. He was created out of earth and clay. He was created to protect Parvati during Lord Shiva meditation time. However, one day Shiva came back and didn’t believe that Ganesha was his son. So she called bhutaganas demons who fought and cut off Ganesha’s head. Parvati rushed and screamed that her son was killed. Shiva realized his mistake and tried to make the boy whole again. However, the nearest at hand was of an elephant and so, Ganesha became an elephant-headed god, Later Shiva had other sons as well – Skanda, the god of war and Kuvera, the god of treasures.
Shiva Parvati Images
Here are Shiva and Parvati images.
Here you can see Lord Shiva Kids as well.
Shiva in Art and Culture
Shiva is represented in various ways based on the particular culture: Indian, Cambodian, Javanese etc. In general, he can be seen naked with multiple arms. You can also see a third vertical eye on his forehead. You will also see Shiva holding the divine fire (agni) which destroys the universe and the drums which symbolizes creation. A headdress he wears includes a crescent moon and skull. He also wears a necklace of heads and bracelets of snakes.
The Nature of Lord Shiva
The nature of Lord Shiva is known to be cruel but it is also worth mentioning that he has another mysterious side as well – he spends much time in deep meditation in the lofty Himalayas. So it is quite difficult to understand his nature as one hand depicts silence and stillness while the other hand cruelty.
Lord Shiva’s Cosmic Dance
Shiva’s dance is a symbol of truth. The dance or Tandava is symbolic! It is elevating and activating. The dance drives away ignorance and gives people high faith, wisdom, and great expectation. It drives away sufferings from his followers and helps them find the light inside their beings. The fire, earth, air, water, with the sky portrays the base of Lord Shiva’s dance.
The Destroyer Becomes a Savor
Lord Shiva swallowed a poison known as Halahal to save the world, demons, and gods from the destruction which came from the great oceans. They agitated it together while pursuing the ambrosia which will bestow immortality. While the Halahal’s fumes started burning every near object, Lord Shiva deputed one of his manifestations to collect the poison and then swallowed it immediately. As a result, he saved the world!
Lord Shiva Names
Another name of Lord Shiva is Bhrahman, which means the divine universal consciousness. The name Shivoham signifies Lord Shiva’s presence in the consciousness of individuals. He is omniscient and omnipotent. The Tamil sectors calls Lord Shiva, like Sivan, Nataraja, meaning Shiva in His dancing form, Rudra, signifying the angered form of Shiva as well as Dhakshinamoorthy, Shiva in yoga form. Nataraja is the only human Lord Shiva image.
Lord Shiva Mantra
Lord Shiva Mantra is for invoking the lord Shiva Tattva to annihilate, immobilize, and eradicate enemies from the paths of the worshipers. Shiva Mantra recites the ‘Raksha Kavach Mantra’ for protecting the followers from dangers, enemies and their threats. Chanting of Lord Shiva mantra upon Chaturdashi is very efficient and auspicious. Regular chanting of Lord Shiva mantra invokes success and fortune in life
The Multi-faces of Lord Shiva
You can’t predict Lord Shiva and His action or character. He is full of uncertainty and inconsistency. Some portray him as an ambivalent Lord when worshipping him in Hindus. They see him as the supreme God. In Yajurveda, they mention Lord Shiva as a god having both promising and malicious qualities. The Mahabharata portrays him as an epitome of delight, honor, and brilliance.
