Lord Shiva ..

Lord Shiva .., a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva

Shiva (Śiva, /ˈʃɪvə/, meaning "The Auspicious One"), also commonly known as Mahadeva (meaning "The Great God") and Shankara, is a popular Hindu god and is venerated as the Supreme Being within Shaivism, one of the three most influential denominations in Hinduism.[1][2] In several branches of Hinduism other than Shaivism, Shiva is regarded as one of the primary forms of God, such as one of the five primary forms of God[1] in the Smarta tradition, and "the Destroyer" or "the Transformer"[3] among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine.
Shiva is described as an omniscient yogi, who lives an ascetic life on Mount Kailash,[3] as well as a householder with wife Parvati and two sons, Kartikeya and Ganesha. Shiva is usually worshipped in the aniconic form of Lingam. Shiva has many benevolent as well as fearsome forms. He is often depicted as immersed in deep meditation, with his wife and children or as the Cosmic Dancer. In fierce aspects, he is often depicted slaying demons.
The Sanskrit word Shiva (Devanagari: शिव, śiva) comes from Shri Rudram Chamakam of Taittiriya Samhita (TS 4.5, 4.7) of Krishna Yajurveda. The root word śi[4] means the auspicious. In simple English transliteration it is written either as Shiva or Siva. The adjective śiva, is used as an attributive epithet not particularly of Rudra, but of several other Vedic deities.[5]
The other popular names associated with Shiva are Mahadev, Mahesh, Maheshwar, Shankar, Shambhu, Rudra, Har, Trilochan, Devendra (meaning Chief of the Gods) and Trilokinath (meaning Lord of the three realms).[6]
The Sanskrit word śaiva means "relating to the god Shiva", and this term is the Sanskrit name both for one of the principal sects of Hinduism and for a member of that sect.[7] It is used as an adjective to characterize certain beliefs and practices, such as Shaivism.[8] He is the oldest worshipped Lord of India.
The Tamil word Sivan, Tamil: சிவன் ("Fair Skinned") could have been derived from the word sivappu. The word 'sivappu' means "red" in Tamil language but while addressing a person's skin texture in Tamil the word 'Sivappu' is used for being Fair Skinned.[9][10]
Adi Sankara, in his interpretation of the name Shiva, the 27th and 600th name of Vishnu sahasranama, the thousand names of Vishnu interprets Shiva to have multiple meanings: "The Pure One", or "the One who is not affected by three Gunas of Prakrti (Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas)" or "the One who purifies everyone by the very utterance of His name."[11] Swami Chinmayananda, in his translation of Vishnu sahasranama, further elaborates on that verse: Shiva means "the One who is eternally pure" or "the One who can never have any contamination of the imperfection of Rajas and Tamas".[12]
Shiva's role as the primary deity of Shaivism is reflected in his epithets Mahādeva ("Great God"; mahā "Great" and deva "god"),[13][14] Maheśvara ("Great Lord"; mahā "great" and īśvara "lord"),[15][16] and Parameśvara ("Supreme Lord").[17]
There are at least eight different versions of the Shiva Sahasranama, devotional hymns (stotras) listing many names of Shiva.[18] The version appearing in Book 13 (Anuśāsanaparvan) of the Mahabharata is considered the kernel of this tradition.[19] Shiva also has Dasha-Sahasranamas (10,000 names) that are found in the Mahanyasa. The Shri Rudram Chamakam, also known as the Śatarudriya, is a devotional hymn to Shiva hailing him by many names.[20][21]
Historical development[edit source | editbeta]

Origins[edit source | editbeta]
For the early history, see Rudra.
The worship of Shiva is a pan-Hindu tradition, practiced widely across all of India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.[22][23] Some historians believe that the figure of Shiva as we know him today was built up over time, with the ideas of many regional sects being amalgamated into a single figure.[23] Sailen Debnath traces the origin of Shiva to the pre-Aryan period, and believes that he played an important role in the Indus Valley Civilization.[24] How the persona of Shiva converged as a composite deity is not well documented.[25] Axel Michaels the Indologist suggests Shaivism like Vaişhņavism, implies a unity which cannot be clearly found either in religious practice or in philosophical and esoteric doctrine. Furthermore, practice and doctrine must be kept separate.[26]}}
An example of assimilation took place in Maharashtra, where a regional deity named Khandoba is a patron deity of farming and herding castes.[27] The foremost center of worship of Khandoba in Maharashtra is in Jejuri.[28] Khandoba has been assimilated as a form of Shiva himself,[29] in which case he is worshipped in the form of a lingam.[27][30] Khandoba's varied associations also include an identification with Surya[27] and Karttikeya.[31]
The Pashupati seal[edit source | editbeta]


Seal discovered at Mohenjodaro shows a seated figure surrounded by animals, possibly Shiva,the Pashupati
A seal discovered during the excavation of Mohenjo-daro has drawn attention as a possible representation of a "proto-Shiva" figure.[32] This Pashupati (Lord of animal-like beings)[33] seal shows a seated figure, possibly ithyphallic, surrounded by animals.[34] Sir John Marshall and others have claimed that this figure is a prototype of Shiva and have described the figure as having three faces seated in a "yoga posture" with the knees out and feet joined. However, this claim is not without its share of critics, with some academics like Gavin Flood[32][35] and John Keay characterizing them as unfounded.[36]
Rudra[edit source | editbeta]
Main article: Rudra


Three-headed Shiva, Gandhara, 2nd century CE
Shiva as we know him today shares many features with the Vedic god Rudra,[37] and both Shiva and Rudra are viewed as the same personality in Hindu scriptures. The two names are used synonymously. Rudra, the god of the roaring storm, is usually portrayed in accordance with the element he represents as a fierce, destructive deity.
The oldest surviving text of Hinduism is the Rig Veda, which is dated to between 1700 and 1100 BC based on linguistic and philological evidence.[38] A god named Rudra is mentioned in the Rig Veda. The name Rudra is still used as a name for Shiva. In RV 2.33, he is described as the "Father of the Rudras", a group of storm gods.[39] Furthermore, the Rudram, one of the most sacred hymns of Hinduism found both in the Rig and the Yajur Vedas and addressed to Rudra, invokes him as Shiva in several instances, but the term Shiva is used as an epithet for the gods Indra, Mitra and Agni many times. Since Shiva means pure, the epithet is possibly used to describe a quality of these gods rather than to identify any of them with the God Shiva.
The identification of Shiva with the older god Rudra is not universally accepted, as Axel Michaels explains:
Rudra is called "The Archer" (Sanskrit: Śarva),[40] and the arrow is an essential attribute of Rudra.[41] This name appears in the Shiva Sahasranama, and R. K. Sharma notes that it is used as a name of Shiva often in later languages.[42]
The word is derived from the Sanskrit root śarv-, which means "to injure" or "to kill",[43] and Sharma uses that general sense in his interpretive translation of the name Śarva as "One who can kill the forces of darkness".[42] The names Dhanvin ("Bowman")[44] and Bāṇahasta ("Archer", literally "Armed with arrows in his hands")[44][45] also refer to archery.
There are numerous similarities that it would seem not to identify Shiva and Rudra as false. Both Rudra and Shiva are "blue-throated one," "three-eyed one," "dweller of the mountains," "Lord of the animals," yogins, have healing powers, have long matted hair, associated with fire, and described as Sthanu to describe their yogic pose of samadhi.[46]
Association with Vedic deities[edit source | editbeta]
Shiva's rise to a major position in the pantheon was facilitated by his identification with a host of Vedic deities, including Agni, Indra, Prajāpati, Vāyu, and others.[47]
Agni
Rudra and Agni have a close relationship.[48][49] The identification between Agni and Rudra in the Vedic literature was an important factor in the process of Rudra's gradual development into the later character as Rudra-Shiva.[50] The identification of Agni with Rudra is explicitly noted in the Nirukta, an important early text on etymology, which says, "Agni is also called Rudra."[51] The interconnections between the two deities are complex, and according to Stella Kramrisch:
The fire myth of Rudra-Śiva plays on the whole gamut of fire, valuing all its potentialities and phases, from conflagration to illumination.[52]
In the Śatarudrīya, some epithets of Rudra, such as Sasipañjara ("Of golden red hue as of flame") and Tivaṣīmati ("Flaming bright"), suggest a fusing of the two deities.[53] Agni is said to be a bull,[54] and Lord Shiva possesses a bull as his vehicle, Nandi. The horns of Agni, who is sometimes characterized as a bull, are mentioned.[55][56] In medieval sculpture, both Agni and the form of Shiva known as Bhairava have flaming hair as a special feature.[57]
The Vedas state Lord Agni is a manifestation of Lord Rudra. The Shivalinga is said to be a pillar of fire, and in the Indus Valley it was indeed used as a fire altar. Also, one of Lord Shiva's thousand names is Tanunpat meaning "fire god." Lord Shiva is further known as Lohita meaning 'red' and Lord Agni is too depicted red. Agni, like Lord Shiva is symbolized with the symbol of a torch. In one legend, the sage Agastya, who is known to Hindus to be a Shaiva is an avatar of Agni (The God Agni Becomes Agasthya) The Agni Purana is a Shaivite text. Lord Agni is also important in Tantric Yoga like Lord Shiva.[1] Furthermore, Lord Shiva's son Murugan is also associated with Agni and Agni's vehicle. Murugan is said in sometime to be a child of Agni and of Swaha, a daughter of Daksha.
Indra
According to a theory, the Puranic Shiva is a continuation of the Vedic Indra.[58] He gives several reasons for his hypothesis. Both Shiva and Indra are known for having a thirst for Soma. Both are associated with mountains, rivers, male fertility, fierceness, fearlessness, warfare, transgression of established mores, the Aum sound, the Supreme Self. In the Rig Veda the term śiva is used to refer to Indra. (2.20.3,[59] 6.45.17,[60][61] and 8.93.3.[62]) Indra, like Shiva, is likened to a bull.[63][64] In the Rig Veda, Rudra is the father of the Maruts, but he is never associated with their warlike exploits as is Indra.[65]
By some scholars such as Dr. David Frawley and Koenraad Elst in write that the King of Gods, Lord Indra is a manifestation of Lord Shiva.[66] In the Rig Veda, Lord Indra calls Himself Shiva many times (2:20:3, 6:45:17, 8:93:3.) Further the Pauravas' symbol was the lingam. Both are outsider gods associated with the soma plant. Like Lord Agni, Lord Indra is said to be a bull and Lord Shiva of course possesses a bull (Nandi) as his vehicle. Also, Lord Shiva's abode is said to be on Mount Meru or Mount Kailash, the same as Lord Indra's. Also in belief Indra married Prthivi while Rudra's consort is also said to be Prthivi.
Lord Shiva and Lord Indra share many names such as Puruhut meaning "Lord of the Purus." Initially the Purus worshiped Lord Indra. However the symbol of their tribe was the Shivlingam. Lord Indra is also connected with tiger skin (e.g. in RV 5:4:1:11), which is what Lord Shiva meditates upon.[2]
Furthermore, Muthuswamy Dikshithar also wrote "He is worshiped in the evenings by Lord Indra and others,..."[3] Also, at Darasuram near Tanjore is a temple where it is believed that Airavata worshiped the Lingam; the Lingam is named after him as Airavateswara.