The appearance of Hindu God Shiva and their inner meanings. Lord Shiva or the "Auspicious One" is one of the Trimurti gods and the most worshiped deity in Hinduism.
Appearance of Hindu God Shiva & their Inner Meanings
Lord Shiva has an unclad body covered with ashes. Since most of the things reduce to ashes when burned, ashes symbolize the physical universe.
3 Matted Locks on the Head
The three matted locks on the head of Shiva convey the idea that integration of the physical, mental and spiritual energies is the ideal of yoga. Visit hindu devotional blog for more hinduism articles. Ganga, the river of purity and peace is symbolically represented on the head of Lord Siva by a female 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 Him.
The Three Eyes
Lord Siva also known as Tryambaka Deva is depicted as having three eyes; the sun is the right eye, the moon the left eye and fire, the third eye. His half open eyes show that creation is going through cyclic process, with no beginning and no end.
The kundalas or two ear rings in the ears of the Lord signify that He is beyond ordinary perception. Since the kundala in the left ear of the Lord is 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 principle of creation.
Snake Vasuki Naga around the neck
The 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 symbolizes past, present and future time in cycles.The Trishula or Trident
The trident shown adjacent to the Lord symbolizes His three fundamental powers of will (iccha), action (kriya) and knowledge (jnana). It also symbolizes the Lord’s power to destroy evil and ignorance. The sound produced by Damaru symbolizes Nada, the cosmic sound of AUM, which can be heard during deep meditation.
Kamandalu
The Kamandalu or the water pot made from dry pumpkin contains nectar and is shown on the ground next to the Lord. The bull or Nandi symbolizes both power and ignorance. Lord Shiva sitting or wearing a tiger skin illustrates the idea that He is the source of the creative energy that remains in the potential form during the dissolution state of the universe. Hindu devotional blog. Shiva sitting in the cremation ground signifies that He is the controller of death in the physical world.
Rudraksha necklace
Rudra, being the other name of Shiva means strict and uncompromising and the Rudraksha necklace worn by the Lord illustrates that He uses His cosmic laws firmly without compromise. The necklace has 108 beads which symbolizes the elements used in the creation of the world. The Lord’s right hand is shown as Varada Mudra in a boon-bestowing and blessing pose.
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