Lord Shiva represents the aspect of the Supreme Being (Brahman of the Upanishads) that continuously
dissolves to recreate in the cyclic process of creation, preservation, dissolution and recreation of the universe. As stated
earlier, Lord Shiva is the third member of the Hindu Trinity, the other two being Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu. 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 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.
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.
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.
A 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 (Trisula): a three-pronged trident shown adjacent to the Lord symbolizes His three fundamental powers
(shakti) of will (iccha), action (kriya) and knowledge (jnana). 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.
Shiva Arti
om jai shiva omkara, prabhu jai shiva omkara brahma vishnu sadashiva, arddhangi dhara om
hara hara mahadeva ....
Glory be to Shiva who is Om and is represented by Omkara .. Shivalinga. Hey Shiva! Hey Omkara!
Hey Prabhu! Glory be to You. May Brahma, Vishnu and other devatas who are forever pleasant, along with Mahadeva remove my
problems.
ekanana chaturanana panchanna raajay hansasana, garurasana vrsavahana sajay om hara hara mahadeva
....
Hey Shiva Ji, you are Brahma; you are Vishnu and you are Shiva. You being the absolute, true being, consciousness
and bliss you fill all these roles. You are so charming as Vishnu, with one face, as Brahma with four and as Shiva, with five.
As Brahma you sit on the swan, as Vishnu you sit on garuda .. eagle-like bird .. and as Shiva you ride on Nandi .. a sacred
bull. Hey Shiva Ji, do relieve me of my difficulties.
do bhuja, charu chaturbhuja dasavhuja ati sohe tino rupa
nirakhate, tribhuvana jana mohe om hara hara mahadeva ....
You are enchanting in the three worlds to all those
who perceive you with two arms, as Brahma or four arms, as Vishnu or with ten arms as Shiva. Hey Omkara rid me of my distress.
aksamala vanmala mundamala dhari chandana mrgamada sohai bhale sasidhari om hara hara mahadeva ....
Wearing
garlands of rudraksa (seeds of the Elcocarpus ganitrus tree used for making rosaries), wild flowers and a third of skulls
and your forehead glistening with chandan (sandal paste) and kasturi (musk), hey Shiva Ji destroy my problems.
svetambara
pitambara baghambara angay brahmadika sanakadika pretadika sanghay om hara hara mahadeva ....
Hey Shiva Omkara,
dressed in white and yellow silk and wearing a tiger skin and surrounded by Brahma and devatas, Sanaka and other rishis and
bhutas and prates (goblins and ghosts), heed my prayer and remove my difficulties.
kara madhye kamandalu au trisula
dhari sukhakari dukhahari jagapalankari om hara hara mahadeva ....
Hey Mahadeva Omkara, you hold the kamandal
... goblet ... as a sanyasin in one hand and a trisul .. trident .. in the other and yet, it is you who are the bestower of
happiness and the remover of all distress and it is you who sustain the whole world. Hey Mahadeva Omkara! I pray do relieve
me of all distress.
brahma vishnu sadsahiva janata aviveka pranavaksara mein sobhita ye tino eka om hara hara
mahadeva ....
Hey Shiva Omkara! Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are seen separately and as individuals by some but they are,
OM, all in just One ...Divine Trinity. Hey Omkara,I pray to rid me of my troubles.
triguna swami ki arti jo koi nara
gaway kahata shivananda swami mann vanchita phala paway om hara hara mahadeva ....
Whosoever sings this arti
dedicated to Shri Shiva Ji, the master of the three gunas .. sattva, rajas and tamas .. will receive fulfilment of his heart's
desire. So says Swami Sivananda. Shri Shiva Ji, do accept my humble prayer and protect me from difficulties.
Aum Namah
Shivaya
Aum Shanti .. Shanti .. Shanti
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