Shiva is the third god in the Hindu triumvirate. The triumvirate consists of three gods: Brahma is the creator of the universe, Vishnu is its keeper, the role of Shiva is to destroy the universe and recreate it anew.

God Shiva has 1008 names, here are some of them: Shambhu (merciful), Mahadev (Great God), Mahesh, Rudra, Neelkanta (Blue throat), Ishvara (Highest God), Mahayogi.

Also Lord Shiva is known as Mrityunjaya - the one who conquers death. And also as Camare - the destroyer of desires. These two names show that the one who destroys desires is able to conquer death, because desires give rise to actions, actions give rise to consequences, consequences give rise to dependence and lack of freedom, all this leads to a new birth leading to death.

What does Lord Shiva look like?

Lord Shiva has four arms and three eyes. The third eye, located in the middle of his forehead, is always closed and only opens when Shiva is angry and ready to be destroyed.

Often God Shiva is depicted with a cobra on his neck and wrists, which symbolizes Shiva's power over the most dangerous creatures in the world, he is free from fear and immortal.

Three white lines (vibhuti) are horizontally drawn with ash on Shiva’s forehead, the message of which is that a person needs to get rid of three impurities: anava (selfishness), karma (action with the expectation of a result), maya (illusions).

The moon on Shiva's head symbolizes that he completely controls the mind.

Lord Shiva's vehicle is the bull Nandi (translated from Sanskrit - happy). The bull Nandi symbolizes purity, justice, faith, wisdom, masculinity and honor.

Shiva has Trishul - a trident whose function is the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe.

Despite the fact that God Shiva is a destroyer, he is usually presented as smiling and calm.

Sometimes God Shiva is depicted as divided into parts, one part is male and the other is female - this is his wife Parvati, who is also known as Shakti, Kali, Durga and Uma. Parvati taught Shiva love and patience, she pacifies his irritation and anger. Shiva and Parvati have sons - Kartikey and Ganesha. Shiva and Parvati are said to live on Mount Kailash in the Himalayas.

Dance of Lord Shiva

Dance is an important art form in India and Lord Shiva is considered to be its master. He is often referred to as the God of Dance. The rhythm of the dance symbolizes the balance in the universe, which is masterfully controlled by God Shiva. His most important dance is Tandav. This is the cosmic dance of death that he performs at the end of the age to destroy the universe. The dance of Shiva is the dance of creation, destruction, consolation and liberation.

The most famous image of Shiva is that of Nataraja, the King of Dance or the Lord of Dance. Nataraja dances in the golden palace at the center of the universe. This golden palace represents the human heart.

Why is Lord Shiva blue?

According to one version, God Shiva drank a deadly poison in order to save all living beings. His wife Parvati saw that the poison began to spread rapidly, entered Shiva's throat in the form of Mahavidya and restrained the spread of the poison. Thus, Shiva's throat became blue and he became known as Neelkantha (Blue Throat).

The blue throat of Lord Shiva symbolizes that a person must keep out and prevent the spread of poison (in the form of negativity and vices) in the body and mind.

Adinatha is considered the original Guru in the Yoga Nath tradition, who taught 250 thousand teachings of Laya Yoga.

Name Lord Shiva, sung in any way, right or wrong, consciously or unconsciously, carefully or carelessly, will surely give the desired result. The greatness of the name Lord Shiva impossible to comprehend by mental reasoning. The name of Shiva can definitely be experienced or realized through devotion, faith and constant repetition of the Name and singing of hymns. Shiva with bhava. Each of the names Shiva contains in Itself huge possibilities of various shaktis. The power of the Name is inexpressible, His glory is indescribable. The Validity of the Name of the Lord Shiva and His inherent shakti are simply unimaginable.

Constant repetition of Shiva Stotras and the Names of the Lord Shiva clears the mind. The repetition of hymns Shiva strengthens good samskaras. "What a man thinks, that he becomes."

In the mind of a person who strengthens himself in good, elevated thinking, a tendency to good thoughts appears. Good thoughts melt and transform his character. When, while singing hymns to the Lord, the mind is focused on the image Shiva, the mental substance actually takes the form of an image of the Lord. The impression of the object of a man's thoughts remains in his mind. This is called samskara. When an action is repeated very often, the repetition strengthens the samskaras, and this contributes to the formation of a habit. He who is strengthened by thoughts in the Divine, with the help of his thinking himself turns into the Divine. His bhava (aspiration) is purified and sanctified. Singing hymns Lord Shiva in tune with the Lord. The personal mind dissolves into cosmic consciousness. The hymn-singer becomes one with Lord Shiva.

Name of the Lord Shiva has the power to burn away sins, samskaras and vasanas and endow eternal bliss and endless peace to those who repeat the Name of the Lord.

Take refuge in the Name Shiva. Sing hymns to Him. Nami (Named) and Nama (Name) are inseparable. Sing hymns to the Lord without ceasing Shiva. With every inhalation and exhalation, remember the Name of the Lord. In our cruel age, nama-smarana (chanting of hymns) is the easiest, fastest, safest and surest way to reach the Lord and gain immortality and unalloyed joy.

Glory to Lord Shiva!
Glory to His Name! Ravana propitiated Shiva by singing hymns. Pushpadanta delighted Lord Shiva with his famous "Shiva-mahimna-stotra" (which is still sung by all the devotees of Shiva throughout India) and achieved complete aishvarya (the siddhi of wealth and dominance) and mukti.

The glory of Shiva's stotras is indescribable.

May the blessings of Lord Shiva be upon you all!

According to the legends, he lived about 5-7 thousand years ago and was recognized by all the authorities of his time as the greatest mahasiddha (reached full perfection) and avatar (divine incarnation). His wife was also a great practitioner and, together with Shiva fully realized their Divine nature. Having reached the highest stage of spiritual evolution possible in the human body, Shiva transformed his physical body into a state of immortal golden light (in Taoism, such an achievement is called the diamond body, and in Tibetan Buddhism, the rainbow body).

In such an immortal body, Shiva appeared to many outstanding masters of tantra and yoga. initiating them into various secret practices. Subsequently, Shiva and Parvati began to be identified with the respective deities, and some details of their biography became legends about the gods. Shiva and Parvati.

Many Tantric texts take the form of a dialogue between Shiva and Parvati.
The word has several meanings:

This is the eternal ocean of the Supreme Divine Consciousness, the one God.
Shiva one of the three main gods is called (the other two are Vishnu and Brahman).
symbolizes one of the three aspects of Divine perfection - the aspect of Divine power (at the same time, Vishnu symbolizes Divine love, and Brahman - Divine wisdom).
Shiva called the Force. destroying the Universe at the end of its existence (while Brahman is the Force that creates the Universe, and Vishnu is the Force that supports its existence).
is the cosmic masculine principle.
It is the higher consciousness of man.
Shiva they call the force that destroys vices in the process of spiritual perfection.
is a historical person, one of the founders of tantra and yoga as a system.
The word is used to name the highest stage of a person's spiritual evolution, as well as the one who has reached this stage.
There are other meanings of the word Shiva.

Here are some meanings of the word Shakti. Shakti is called the great universal infinite Divine energy, which is the creative and executive force of the ocean of Divine Consciousness (Shiva); while Shakti is in continuous merger with Shiva, representing with him two inseparable aspects of one Reality.

Shakti is the Divine Mother. Shakti is the manifested world. Shakti is called Mother Nature.
Shakti called the goddess wife of god Shiva.
Shakti is the inner energy of man.
Shakti is the cosmic female principle. Shakti is the feminine of a person, his female half.
Shakti- this is a woman - a partner of a practitioner of tantric yoga.
, Durga, Chamunda, Devi, Bhavani, Chandi, Tara, Meenakshi, Lalita, Kamakshi, Rajarajeshvari- are different forms of Shakti; each of these forms embodies some aspect of Shakti.

Shiva Purana contain many descriptions of how, from time immemorial, he sits, immersed in meditation, on a Tibetan mountain. He is revered by all yogis as God, and by all gods - as the Supreme God. The history of the Siddha tradition dates back millions of years and begins with the story of how, in a huge cave in Amarnath (Kashmir Himalayas), Shiva initiated his wife Shakti Parvati Devi into kriya kundalini pranayama (the art of achieving breath control).
Later, on the Tibetan Mount Kailash, Yogi Shiva gave initiation to others, including the Siddhas Agastyar, Nandi Dewar and. Subsequently, Agastyar gave initiation to Babaji...

South Indian tradition highlights eighteen siddhas who have perfected their spiritual, intellectual, mental, vital and physical bodies. Different sources give different names for these eighteen siddhas, but they appear to be variations on the names listed in the table below. Next to the name of each, the place where he reached soruba samadhi (the state of perfection), the names of his guru, disciples and the contribution that he made to spiritual science are indicated.
In addition to these Siddhas, commonly known as "pattinetta" (eighteen), there are a number of others mentioned in various sources. These are Konkeyar, Punnakesar, Pulastiyar, Punaikannar, Puli Pani, Kalangi, Alukkani, Agapayer, Therayar, Romarishi and Avvai.

After merging with God, or ultimate reality, on the spiritual plane, which is like the dissolution of a salt doll in the waters of the ocean, the Tamil yoga siddhis went through a gradual transformation of their intellectual, mental, vital and, finally, physical bodies.

Having achieved this integral realization, they brought about a divine transformation of their entire human nature. Although what they have achieved is incomprehensible to the ordinary human mind, the study of their biographies and texts gives us an invaluable awareness of the inner potential of man.

The 18 Siddhas and Babaji gained all this thanks to the grace of God (whom the Siddhas called Shiva, Murugan, Vishnu or Shakti) and the use of special kriyas (techniques) to prepare their lower bodies for the descent of the divine. These techniques are collectively known as kriya yoga siddhanta, i.e. yoga practices that promote the perfect realization of Truth, or God.

SHIVA(Skt. Siva = "good, kind, benevolent"), one of the three gods - the god-destroyer - in Trimurti; in addition, Sh. is traditionally revered as the creator of Yoga and the patron of yoga schools and all yoga practitioners in one way or another.

“The patron of all yogis is the god Shiva, the oldest deity on Earth, revered by the previous civilizations that existed on Earth. Shiva is the first Cosmic Teacher, he once lived on Earth and was a Teacher. It was Shiva, according to legend, who gave yoga to people. Everyone who practices yoga is obliged to revere Shiva as the first Teacher of Yoga.”

“The third person of the Trimurti is the Destroyer
The world, the prototype of which can be considered Rudra, and even more ancient is the image of him as the lord of animals Pashupati on a signet from Mohejo-Daro (III millennium BC). Shiva gained importance only in the Hindu pantheon of the Puranic era. Although Shiva does not have an avatar, he received many different types and aspects.

Images of Shiva

depicted as a deity that brings both good and disaster. In the early Shaivist temples, he is represented only by his symbol - the lingam (phallus), on which his high-relief image is sometimes found.

The only deity (other than and sometimes Ganesha), which usually has three eyes (the third eye is in the forehead). His hair is tied in a conical hairstyle (jata-mukuta).

If depicted in a dance pose, then he may have more than four arms and he is armed, under one of the legs is the sprawled figure of the dwarf-demon Apasmar-Purush, or Miyalaka.

Shiva Murti can be represented in standing, sitting and dancing postures, and in the aspect of a yogi - in a frightening and many more diverse forms than other deities.

A very interesting and important group of images are the sculptures of the dancing Shiva - Nritya Murti, which includes the most significant type of this image - Shiva NATARAJU ("Lord of the Dance"). The cult of Nataraja is especially developed, and his images are especially common in southern India. If there is no flaming halo around the figurine, then this is Shiva Natesha.

ANANDA-TANDAVA - Shiva performs a dance of ecstasy, trampling the dwarf demon Miyalaka with one foot. In another variation of the TANDAVA dance, Nataraja has ten arms and is armed; the deity leans on the right leg, while the left one is raised. The NADANTA dance differs from the Ananda-tandava dance pose only in that Nataraja stands on his left leg and his right leg is raised. In the fourth version of the dance, Shiva's left leg stands on the defeated demon, and the right one is thrown up so high that it almost touches the dancer's head. In the next three variations, Shiva is depicted in the same way as in the dance of ecstasy, only the number of hands and sometimes eyes change. In the ninth variation of the dance, Shiva has four arms and the usual emblems<т. е. атрибуты>, but the demon underfoot is missing.

There are six more types of special dances, of which the most interesting is CHATURA, when Shiva stands with his right foot on the crown of a sitting demon. Such difficult to portray poses in figurines are conveyed with great grace and dynamism, combined with a remarkable balance of the figure.”

There is a beautiful legend about the dispute between the three gods of the pantheon - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, which of them is the main one. In the midst of a quarrel, a flaming linga-phallus of the god Shiva suddenly appears. To determine its size, Vishnu bites into the ground like a boar, and Brahma flies up to the clouds like a goose. Returning unsalted slurping, they unanimously admit that the most powerful god is Shiva.

“Shiva as Nataraja (King of Dance). This bronze sculpture (circa 1000 AD) is one of several sculptures of the Hindu god Shiva, made during the Indian Chola Dynasty (10th to 13th centuries).

More about one of the traditional images Shiva:
Shiva has an elongated male earring in his right ear, and a round female earring in his left. Shiva's right leg rests on the dwarf demon, the material product of illusion (Maya). Surrounded by a ring of matter, Shiva leans on its key link and dominates this fiery ring, sets it in a circular motion. Certainly coming into contact with matter, but not going beyond its limits, he thus clearly demonstrates to us the inseparable unity of spirit and matter.

In his right upper hand, Shiva holds a double-sided damaru drum, a symbol of the awakening of the Universe. In his left hand he holds a symbol of purification and renewal of the world - the flame of Agni. The second right hand of Shiva is bent at the elbow and turned palm forward in a gesture of approval. The second left hand of Shiva is stretched obliquely across the chest, parallel to the raised and in approval, meaning power and strength, with the palm of his hand points to the defeated demon.

On both sides of the head there are 30 strands of hair-snakes scattered in the dance, symbolizing the energy radiated by the deity.

The two eyes of Shiva Nataraja are the Sun and the Moon, and the third most important eye in the forehead is Fire. A cobra wraps around the waist of Shiva, and the cobra is wrapped around the neck.”

Lord Shiva is the God of all. The great ascetic, in his abode on Mount Kailash in the Himalayas, Shiva is forever in deep meditation, completely immersed in contemplation.

At the same time, Lord Shiva is inseparable from Shakti - Parvati (the daughter of King Himavan and the personification of nature). Shiva does not exist without Shakti, and there is no Shakti without Shiva either, inextricably linked with each other, they are an absolute state of being. They are Father and Mother for the entire Universe and for every living being.

Lord Shiva is kind and merciful. He protects the devotees from evil and blesses his followers with mercy, knowledge and peace.

Appearance and Attributes of Lord Shiva

Lord Shiva is often seen sitting in a meditative posture or in the form of the god of dance, Nataraja, where the dance reflects the beat and rhythm of creation. He is also depicted with several arms, and the position of each has a special meaning.

Lord Shiva can also have several faces, which speaks of him as someone who: clears the way for a new creation (Aghora), creates and destroys (Rudra), heals (Vamadeva), eternal, omnipotent and omnipresent (Ishana), enlightened (Tat purusha).

Shiva - Three-eyed (even while in meditation, he never closes his eyes on the world) and Blue-throated (he holds poison to prevent it from destroying the whole world).

Each of the symbols and attributes associated with Lord Shiva signifies a particular aspect of his Supreme Being.

Trishula. The trident that Lord Shiva usually holds in his hands is one of his main attributes and symbolizes his three powers: will, action, knowledge, as well as his triple nature: Creator, Preserver and Destroyer of the Universe. There are other meanings of Trishula - these are the three times, the three modes of material nature. As a weapon, the trident is an instrument of punishment for those who have transgressed the law, which operates on three levels - spiritual, subtle and physical.

Jata (tangled hair). The flowing hair represents Shiva as the god of the Wind (Vayu) who, being a subtle form of breath, is present in all living beings. This suggests that Shiva is the one without whom no one can live. He is Pashupatinath.

Crescent. Shiva's head is decorated with a crescent of the five-day moon. This shows the power of the sacrifice of Soma, the representative of the Moon. The crescent symbolizes Lord Shiva's inherent power of creation along with the power of destruction. The moon is also a measure of time, that is, the crescent symbolizes the management of time.

ganga. Shiva wears the Holy River Ganges on his hair. According to legend, Shiva allowed the great river to descend to Earth through his hair to soften the force of its flow and bring cleansing water to people. Ganga also symbolizes fertility - one of the creative aspects of Rudra.

Third Eye. Shiva is known as the three-eyed Lord - Triambaka. The sun is his right eye, the moon is his left, and the third eye of Shiva on his forehead is the eye of wisdom - fire. The third eye can find evil wherever it hides and destroy it.

Cobra around the neck says that Shiva is the conqueror of death, he is outside of it and is often the only refuge in case of disaster. He swallowed the venom of kalakuta for the welfare of the universe. The snake around the neck also symbolizes the dormant energy of Kundalini. A cobra coiled into three rings around Shiva's neck shows three times - past, present and future. The snake looks to the right, which means that the divine eternal laws of reason and justice preserve the natural order in the Universe.

vibhuti. Sacred ash applied in three lines on the forehead (tripundra) symbolizes the immortality of the soul and the manifested glory of the Lord.

Who is Shiva? Many stories and legends surround this most prominent figure in Indian spiritual traditions. Is he a god? Or a myth built out of the collective imagination of Hindu culture? Or is there a deeper meaning to Shiva, revealed only to those who seek?

Sadguru(Indian yogi and mystic): When we say "Shiva", there are two fundamental aspects that we are talking about. The word "Shiva" literally means "that which G oh no". Today, modern science proves to us that everything comes from nothing and returns to nothing. The basis of existence and the fundamental quality of the cosmos is a vast nothingness, boundless nothingness. Galaxies are just a small event - splashing. The rest is a huge empty space called Shiva. It is the womb from which everything is born, and it is oblivion into which everything returns. Everything comes from Shiva and returns to Shiva.

So Shiva is described as non-existence, not as a being. Shiva is not described as light, but as darkness. Humanity has gone to praise light only because of the nature of the visual apparatus they possess. Otherwise, the only thing that is always there is darkness. Light is a limited event in the sense that any source of light - be it a light bulb or the sun - will eventually lose its ability to emit light. Light is not eternal. It's always a limited opportunity because it happens and it ends. Darkness is much greater than light. Nothing should burn, it is always - it is eternal. Darkness is everywhere. It is the only, all-pervading thing.

But if I say "divine darkness", people think I'm a devil worshiper or something. In fact, it is common in some places in the West that Shiva is a demon! But if you look at it as a concept, there is no more intelligent concept on the planet of the whole process of creation and how it happened. I talk about it in scientific terms, without using the word "Shiva" to scientists all over the world, and they are amazed: "Is that so? Was it known? When?" We have known this for thousands of years. Almost every peasant in India knows this unconsciously. He talks about it without even knowing the science behind it.

First Yogi

On another level, when we say "Shiva" we mean a certain yogi, or the first yogi, and also Adi Guru, the first Guru, who is the basis of what we know as the yogic science today. Yoga does not mean standing on your head or holding your breath. Yoga is the science and technology to know the essential nature of how this life is created and how it can be brought to its highest form.

This first transmission of the yogic sciences took place on the shores of Kanti Sarovar, a glacial lake a few miles from Kedarnath in the Himalayas, where Adiyogi began the systematic exposition of this inner technology to his first seven disciples, who today are celebrated as Sapta Rishis.

It precedes all religions. Before people came up with fragmented ways to fracture humanity to the point where it is almost impossible to fix, the most powerful tools needed to raise human consciousness were implemented and distributed.

The same

Thus "Shiva" refers to both "that which is not" and to Adiyogi because in many ways they are synonymous. This being who is a yogi and that non-being which is the basis of existence are one and the same, because to call someone a yogi means that he has experienced existence as himself. If you are to contain existence within you even for a moment as an experience, you must be that nothingness. Only nothing can hold everything. Something can never hold everything. The ship cannot hold the ocean. This planet can hold the ocean, but it cannot hold the solar system. The solar system can hold these few planets and the sun, but it cannot hold the rest of the galaxy. If you continue in this progressive way, eventually you will see that only nothing can hold everything. The word yoga means union. A yogi is one who has experienced union. This means that, at least for a moment, he was absolute nothing.

When we talk about Shiva as "that which is not" and Shiva as yoga, they are to some extent synonymous, but they represent two different aspects. Because India is a dialectical culture, we move easily from one to the other. We talk about Shiva as the primary, the next moment we talk about Shiva as the person who gave us this whole yoga process.

Who is Shiva not?

Unfortunately for most people today, Shiva was only introduced through the art of the Indian calendar. They portrayed him as a chubby, blue-skinned man because a calendar artist only has one face. If you ask to portray Krishna, he will put the flute in his hands. If you ask Rama, he will depict him with a bow in his hand. If you ask Shiva, he will draw the moon on his head, and that's it!

Every time I see these calendars, I always decide never to sit in front of an artist again. Photos are fine - they capture you for who you are. If you look like the devil, you look like the devil. Why does a yogi like Shiva look chubby? If you showed him skinny, it would be normal, but chubby Shiva - how is it?

In yogic culture, Shiva is not regarded as God. He was a being who walked this earth and lived in the Himalayan region. As the very source of the yogic traditions, his contribution to the creation of human consciousness is too phenomenal to be ignored. Thousands of years ago, every possible way was explored by which you could approach and transform the human mechanism into the highest form. The sophistication of this is incredible. The question of whether people were so complex at that time is irrelevant, because it did not happen due to a certain civilization or thought process. This came from an internal implementation. It had nothing to do with what was going on around him. It was just an outpouring of itself. In detail, he gave the meaning and possibility of what you could do with every point of the human mechanism. You cannot change a single thing even today, because he said everything that could be said in such a beautiful and intelligent way. You can only spend your whole life trying to decipher it.

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Lord Shiva is one of the supreme gods in Hinduism. Along with Brahma (Creator) and Vishnu (Keeper), he is part of the main trinity of the main gods, in which he plays the role of the Destroyer. Other names of Shiva can be found in sacred manuscripts - Mahadeva, Maheshwar and Parameshwara. God Shiva controls the series of births and deaths in the world. Shiva represents the aspect of the supreme being that destroys in order to give rise to a new life cycle of the universe.
At the same time, Shiva is the God of mercy and compassion. He protects those devoted to him from evil forces such as lust, greed and anger. He bestows blessings, grace and awakens wisdom. In all scriptures such as Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, Shruti and Smarti and others, it is said that one who worships Lord Shiva can achieve Supreme Bliss.
Attributes of Shiva
The main symbols that are used in the image of Lord Shiva:

• A naked body covered in ashes. Shiva is the source of the entire universe that emanates from him, but he goes beyond the physical world and does not experience suffering.


• Tangled hair. They personify the ideal of yoga as a unity of physical, mental and spiritual energies.


• Ganges. Symbolically represented as a woman, from whose mouth flows a stream of water falling to the ground. This means that Shiva destroys all sins, eliminates ignorance, bestows knowledge, purity and peace.


• Waxing Crescent. One of the decorations.


• Three eyes. God Shiva is also called Tryambaka Deva and is depicted as having three eyes. His first eye is the sun, the second is the moon, and the third is fire.


• Half-open eyes. When Shiva opens his eyes, a new round of creation begins, and when he closes, the universe is destroyed, but only to be reborn again. Half-open eyes symbolize that creation is a cyclical process that has no beginning and no end.


• A snake around the neck. Wraps around Shiva's neck three times and looks towards the right side. Each of the rings of the snake symbolizes time - past, future and present.


• Rudraksha necklace. The Rudraksha necklace symbolizes that Shiva adamantly, without compromise, maintains law and order in the universe.


• Warda is wise. The right hand of Shiva is depicted as simultaneously giving blessings, destroying evil, destroying ignorance and awakening wisdom in followers.


• Trident (Trishula). The trident, depicted next to Shiva, symbolizes his three main energies (shakti): desire (ichcha), action (kriya) and knowledge (jnana).


• Damaru (drum). Symbolizes two extremely dissimilar forms of existence - obvious and non-obvious.


• Bull Nandi. Shiva's vehicle.


• Tiger skin. Latent energy.


• Burnt earth. Shiva, sitting on the burnt earth, symbolizes that he controls death in the physical world.

"To the wife of Gauri, Lord of the night, Bringer of skill, Destroyer of time (death), Owner of snake bracelets, Carrying the Ganges, Killer of the king of elephants, Owner of his skin; Destroying the poverty of misfortune, Shiva the Good - worship! Dressed in a skin, Coated with cremation ashes, Having eye on the forehead, Adorned with snake rings, With feet adorned with bracelets, With hair twisted in jata, Destroying grief and poverty - bow to Shiva!

Shiva is depicted most often sitting in a lotus position, with white skin (smeared with ashes), with a blue neck, with hair matted or twisted into a bun at the crown (jata), wearing a crescent moon on his head, entwined with snakes like bracelets (on the neck and shoulders) . Dressed in a tiger or elephant skin, he also sits on a tiger or elephant skin. On the forehead - the third eye, as well as tripundra from sacred ash (bhasma or vibhuti).

"......His throat contains a deadly poison, Halahala, capable of instantly destroying all life. On His head is the sacred river Ganges, the waters of which can heal all diseases anywhere and everywhere. On His forehead is a fiery eye. On His on his head is the cool and comforting Moon On his wrists, ankles, shoulders and neck He wears deadly cobras that live in the life-giving air .... Shiva means "mercy", "goodness" (mangalam) .... The very Image of Shiva manifests an example of great patience and endurance, he keeps the poison halahala in his throat and wears the blessed moon on his head...."

Trishula (trident) in His right hand symbolizes the three gunas - sattva, rajas and tamas. This is a sign of sovereignty. Through these three gunas He governs the world. The damaru that he holds in His left hand represents the śabdabrahman. It symbolizes the syllable "om" from which all languages ​​are composed. From the sounds of damaru, the Lord created Sanskrit.

The crescent indicates that He is in complete control of His mind. The flow of the Ganges symbolizes the nectar of immortality. The elephant symbolically represents pride. The elephant-skin robe shows that He subdued pride. Tiger - lust, tiger skin bedding indicates conquered lust. In one hand the Lord is holding a doe, therefore He has stopped the chanchalata (impulsive movements) of His mind, for the doe is in constant motion. Jewelry made of snakes means wisdom and eternity - snakes live for many years. He is Trilocana, the Three Eyes, in the middle of His forehead is the third eye, the eye of wisdom.

Haum is the bijakshara of Lord Shiva.

He is Shivam (Good), Shubham (Auspicious), Sundaram (Beautiful), Kantam (Shining), Shantam Shivam Advaitam (Mandukya Upanishad).

Countless times, with folded hands in prayer, I bow to the lotus feet of Lord Shiva, the non-dual, Adhishthana - the pillar of the world and any consciousness, Sachchidananda, the Ruler, Antaryamin, Sakshi (the silent Witness) of all that exists, the One Who shines with His own light, exists Himself in To Himself and Self-sufficient (Paripurna), Who removes the original Avidya and is Adiguru, Parama-guru, Jagad-guru.

In my essence, I am Lord Shiva. Shivo "ham, Shivo" boor, Shivo "ham.

The snake on the body of Shiva

The serpent is the jiva (personal soul) which rests on Shiva, the Parshatman (Supreme Soul). The five hoods represent the five senses or five tattvas, namely earth, water, fire, air and ether. They also symbolize the five pranas that hiss through the body like snakes. Inhalation and exhalation are like the hissing of a snake. Lord Shiva himself became five tanmatras, five jnanendriyas, five karmendriyas and other groups of five. The personal soul enjoys the objects existing in the world through these tattvas. When the jiva attains knowledge by controlling the senses and the mind, he finds his eternal safe haven in Lord Shiva, the Supreme Soul. This is the esoteric meaning of the snakes that the Lord carries on His body.

Lord Shiva knows no fear. The Sruti says: "This Brahman is fearless (abhayam), immortal (amritam)"

"Namah Shivaya" This is the mantra of Lord Shiva. Na denotes earth and Brahma, ma denotes water and Vishnu, shi denotes fire and Rudra, va denotes vayu and Maheshvara, ya denotes akasha and Sadashiva, and also jiva.

The body of Lord Shiva is white. What is the meaning of this color? This is a silent teaching, the meaning of which is that one should have a pure heart and pure thoughts, get rid of dishonesty, pretense, resourcefulness, envy, hatred, etc.

On the Lord's forehead are three bands of bhasma or vibhuti. What does this mean? The meaning of this silent teaching is that it is necessary to destroy the three defilements: anava (selfishness), karma (action based on the result) and maya (illusion), as well as three desires to possess - earth, woman and gold - and three vasanas (local vasana, deha-vasana and sastra-vasana). By doing this, one can approach Him with a pure heart.

What does the balipitha (altar) stand in front of the holy of holies in the Shiva temple symbolize? A person must destroy selfishness and selfishness (ahamta and mamata) before he comes to the Lord. This is the meaning of the altar.

What does the presence of the bull Nandi in front of the Shivalingam mean? Nandi - servant, guardian of the threshold of the abode of Shiva. He is also the vehicle of the Lord. It symbolizes satsanga. Being among the sages, you will definitely know God. The wise men will show you the way to Him. They will destroy the insidious pits and traps that lie in wait for you on the way. They will dispel your doubts and strengthen dispassion, knowledge and discernment in your heart. Satsanga is the only reliable boat that can take you across the ocean to the shore of fearlessness and immortality. Even though it is very brief, satsang (association with sages) is a great blessing for those who are studying, as well as for people with worldly consciousness. Through satsang they become firmly convinced of the existence of God. Sages destroy worldly samskaras. The society of sages is a mighty fortress that allows a person to protect himself from the temptations of maya.

Lord Shiva is the destructive aspect of Deity. On the mountain peak of Kailash, He indulges in immersion in Himself. He is the embodiment of strictness, renunciation and indifference to the world. The third eye in the middle of His forehead indicates His destructive energy, which, when released, destroys the world. Nandi is His favorite, the guardian of His threshold. He makes everything around him quiet so that no one disturbs the Lord in His samadhi. The Lord has five faces, ten arms, ten eyes and two legs.

Vrishabha, or bull, symbolizes the god Dharma. Lord Shiva rides this bull. The bull is His vehicle. This means that Lord Shiva is the protector of dharma (law), He is the embodiment of dharma, justice.

The four legs of the deer symbolize the four Vedas. Lord Shiva is holding a doe in His hand. This means that He is the Lord of the Vedas.

In one of His hands He holds a sword, for He is the destroyer of death and birth. The fire in His other hand indicates that He is protecting the jivas by burning all fetters.

According to the sacred texts, Shiva is a master of dance and music, as well as an excellent dancer and musician (vinahar). The Natya Shastra of Bharata mentions 108 dance poses and the Tandava Lakshan dance.
He has four arms. In His tangled hair are the Ganges and the crescent moon. In His right hand He holds a damaru (an hourglass-shaped drum - a symbol of cosmic rhythm and sound). It is believed that all the rhythms of the Cosmos can be extracted from this drum. The sound of the drum calls individual souls to fall at His feet. It symbolizes omkara (the syllable "om", the most sacred mantra of Hinduism, another name is pranava). From the sound of damaru, the entire Sanskrit alphabet was formed. Creation arises from damaru.

In one of His left hands He holds a flame. Fire produces destruction. The figure of God is often enclosed in a bronze halo with tongues of flame, personifying the Universe, in which the Great God dances - the destroyer and creator at the same time, creating dynamic evolutionary balance in the Cosmos with his dance. With His left hand raised, He demonstrates to His devotees the abhaya mudra (the mudra of protection and the blessings of fearlessness to overcome the fear of death). “Devotees of Me, do not be afraid! I will protect all of you!" — such is its meaning. With his free right hand, He points down at Asura Muyalaka, who is clutching a cobra. His left leg is gracefully raised. The raised leg signifies maya (illusion). The downward pointing hand is a sign that His feet are the only refuge for individual souls. Shiva's head is decorated with a crown with a skull - a sign of victory over death.

He dances very calmly. If, while dancing, He becomes angry, the world will instantly disappear. He dances with his eyes closed, because the sparks from His eyes can burn the entire universe. The Lord's five activities (panchakriya) - creation (srishti), preservation (sthiti), destruction (samhara), illusion (tirobhava) and grace (anugraha) - are His dances.

At the proper time, Lord Shiva, dancing, destroys all names and forms with the help of fire. And there is silence again.

The dance of creation also has an important numerological symbolism - the total number of movements is 108. This is the number of beads on the rosary, and 108 sacred names of Shiva. The same number of movements is used in both Indian martial arts (Karali Paittu in the Kerala system) and Chinese Tai Chi. However, the most recent movement cannot be conveyed, since it has a multidimensional nature and is the very act of creation of the universe.

All 108 movements only create an energy channel and prepare the ground for Creation.

The next phase is aimed at maintaining the balance and harmony of the created world. At this stage, Shiva is dancing facing South, holding Damara in his lowered right hand. This personifies the overcoming of the fear of death, one of the most pernicious passions that hinders the full realization of man and humanity as a whole.

In the phase of destruction, Shiva dances with a flame in his raised left hand. This symbolizes the fire that destroys everything in its obsolete world.

The fourth form of dance represents victory over the power of illusion (Maya). Here Shiva is dancing, trampling a prostrate dwarf (a symbol of the demonic energy of illusion) with his right foot. The lowered left hand points to the left leg raised in the dance, recalling the path of personal and universal salvation, getting rid of the illusory existence.

The most amazing dance of Nataraja is the Urdhva Tandava. In this dance, the left leg is raised up so that its toes point towards the sky. This is the most difficult type of dance. With this dance posture, Nataraja defeated Kali. According to legend, a dispute arose between the god Shiva and his wife Uma about which of them dances better. A competition was organized to the accompaniment of a divine orchestra, in which the goddess Saraswati (patron of arts and knowledge) played the vina (lute), the god Indra played the flute, the god Brahma played the cymbals, the god Vishnu played the drum, and the goddess Lakshmi sang soul-touching songs . In all other ways of dancing, Kali successfully competed with Shiva. While dancing, Nataraja lost His earring. By dancing in this way, He was able to return the ornament to its original place with His toe without the spectators noticing it.

Nataraja danced with his right leg up. This is the Gajahasta posture in the Nritya dance. He danced for a very long time, never changing the position of his feet. The goddess Uma decided that in this case one should show modesty and admit that Shiva is the winner.

There is another dance pose of Shiva - "on the head of an elephant." Lord Shiva in this form is called Gajasana Murti. At the foot of Lord Shiva, the head of an elephant-like monster is visible. Lord Shiva has eight arms. In His three right hands are a trident, a drum and a noose. In two hands He holds a shield and a skull, the third left hand is in the pose of the wismaya.

One asura assumed the form of an elephant to kill the brahmins who were sitting around the Vishwanath Lingam in Benares, completely immersed in meditation. Suddenly, Lord Shiva appeared from the Lingam, killed the monster and adorned Himself with its skin.