Hindu Prayers, Gods and Festivals

Shiva is the third lord of the trinity. He is the one responsible for the dissolution of the universe. Shiva means the auspicious one. Adi Shankara said Shiva is ‘the one who purifies everyone by the utterance of his name’. Shiva also indicates the one in whom the creation sleeps after the rpocess of dissolution. All things born must disintegrate or get destroyed at some stage before the next cycle of birth or creation. The transformative energy principle that brings about this change is Shiva. So actually he is equally responsible for creation. Destruction can also be viewed as a positive force – destruction of evil and as a regenerator, in a positive sense the death of the old personality and old habits. He is shown usually in a meditative pose besmeared with ashes, with three eyes, with four arms holding a trishul or trident, damaru or drum and the other two hands in Abhaya (protection) and Varada (giving boons) mudras. He has long matted hair from which flows the Ganga. He wears tiger and elephant skins, has necklaces of snakes and a garland of skulls and with a third eye in between the eyebrows. Parvati is his consort and Ganesh and Karthikeya are their sons. The Ganges shown flowing represents immortality. The three eyes of Shiva represent the sun, moon and fire – the sources of light, heat and life. The third eye also indicates the eye of knowledge. With his third eye he sees the past, present and the future. When the eye of wisdom opens duality and forms get annihilated.