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.
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.
