Who is Lord Shiva? Why is he Worshipped?

%बी %डी %वाई, 9 मिनट पढ़ने का समय

Daataa Shiv, Vidhaata Shiv, Dev Shiv, Dikhsha Shiv, Bhakti Shiv, Shakti Shiv, Sarve Shiv, Sarva Shiv, Jeevan Ka Aadhar Shiv, Srishti Ke Sansaar Shiv. Know who is Shiva here.

Who Is Lord Shiva? Why Is He Worshipped?

Who is Shiva?

In Hinduism, Lord Shiva, also known as Mahadev, is considered the Supreme God and one of the main deities. Shiva is a very complex and multifaceted figure whose significance is far beyond our consciousness and any religious foundations. In Hindu mythology, it is believed that Lord Shiva, along with Lord Brahma (the creator) and Lord Vishnu (the Preserver), forms the Hindu Trinity, which is also known as Trimurti.

While Brahma brings the universe into existence and Vishnu sustains it, Shiva is the destroyer. He dissolves all things so that new creations may arise. Shiva clan followers are very well aware that Shiva is the beginning, and Shiva is the end. He is the creator, and he is the destroyer.

Shiva’s role in the functioning of the universe is not only limited to destruction, but he is also the transformer, the householder, the yogi, and the ultimate symbol of divine consciousness, and he plays a very important role in Hindu mythology and spirituality. We can learn a lot about him from his stories, as they reveal different aspects of his divine nature.

Forms of Shiva

In Hindu scriptures, Lord Shiva is depicted in various forms, and each form represents different attributes of his personality like:

Mahadeva (The Great God)- Shiva is the supreme, formless, and eternal divine force.
Nataraja (The Cosmic Dancer)- Shiva represents the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction through his dance known as Tandava.
Rudra (The Fierce One)- Shiva is the one who destroys the evils from the universe and promotes the anger of righteousness.
Bholenath (The Innocent Lord)- He is a symbol of simplicity, compassion, and devotees can easily reach him through their genuine appeals.
Lingam (The Formless Aspect)- Shiva is infinite and cannot be bound in any specific form, and is all over the universe.

Further, we can also explore various stories of Shiva to understand who he truly is:

Stories About Lord Shiva in Scriptures

He is the ultimate reality beyond any physical form, who destroys and renews.

Lord Shiva, as we already know, is the destroyer in the Hindu trinity, but his destruction is not an end but a necessary step for transformation because for his devotees, Shiva is not just a God to worship, rather he is the truth to realize, the peace to embrace and the power to awaken the old broken souls.

He performs Tandava, a dance of anger, which is also considered as the dance of destruction, and his dance holds the power to dissolve the universe at the end of time when evil reaches its peak height, and only Brahma can recreate it. Additionally, when Brahma and Vishnu argued over who was supreme, Shiva appeared as an infinite pillar of fire (Jyotirlinga), which depicted that he is beyond all forms and limits.

The supreme Yogi and Teacher

Shiva is worshipped in the form of a lingam, which is ‘symbolic’. He is described as an omniscient yogi living the life of a saint on Mount Kailash. He is a householder with his wife Parvati and his two sons, named Ganesha and Kartikeya. Even according to ancient scriptures, Shiva is known as Adiyogi (the First Yogi) because thousands of years ago, he was the one who created yoga and became the first being to master the science of inner transformation.

He sat in deep meditation in the Himalayas, at a place now called Mount Kailash, believed to be his eternal abode, and after attaining supreme wisdom, he decided to share it. He turned south (a symbolic gesture, as south represents wisdom in yoga) and taught 84 yogic postures (asanas) and the secrets of meditation to the Saptarishis (seven sages).

This event marks the beginning of yoga as a spiritual science, and this yoga is not all about flexibility or fitness, but instead, it is a path to self-realization.

He is the Compassionate Protector

Everyone sees Shiva as the destroyer, but he has a compassionate side also, which shines through countless stories, revealing his boundless mercy and love for his devotees. During the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan), a deadly poison named Halahala emerged, which was life-threatening to all existences. To save the world, Shiva drank the poison and held it in his throat instead of swallowing it.

His throat turned blue, which earned him the name Neelkanth (the blue-throated one). This act of Shiva shows his willingness to go to any extent and endure every suffering to protect his creation.

Story 2

Another story that reveals Lord Shiva's compassionate side is the story of Kannappa. Kannappa, originally named Thinnadu, was a tribal hunter who did not know scriptures or proper worship, yet his love for Shiva was pure and unwavering.

One day, he stumbled upon a Shiva Linga beneath a tree. Feeling an inseparable connection, he began offering the only things he knew to Lord Shiva. He offered freshly hunted meat and water from his mouth. The local Brahmins were horrified by seeing this practice of Kannappa and called his offerings impure. But Shiva, moved by Kannappa’s sincerity, decided to test him, and Shiva made the Linga’s eyes bleed. Without hesitation, Kannappa plucked out his eye and placed it on the Linga to stop the bleeding, and again, when the other eye also started bleeding, he prepared to sacrifice his remaining eye. But before he could do that, Shiva appeared and stopped him.

Shiva was so much moved by Kannappa’s devotion and selfless love, and even declared that Kannappa’s devotion was greater than any ritual, and he shall be known and will forever be remembered among Lord Shiva’s greatest devotees.

This story clearly shows that Shiva values the heart’s purity over rigid customs. Whether rich or poor, learned or ignorant, those who love him unconditionally receive his boundless grace.

Why is Lord Shiva worshipped?

Lord Shiva is worshipped because of his formless and infinite reality as while other deities represent divine qualities in human-like forms, but Shiva symbolizes pure consciousness (Chaitanya), which is the silent witness of the entire universe.

Further, Lord Shiva is also idolized because he is a symbol of balance (Ardhanarishvara) as Shiva’s form represents the unity of opposites, that is half male (Shiva) and half female (Shakti), depicting the union of consciousness and energy as well as stillness and action.

Lord Shiva is also revered as Mahakaal (Lord of Time), as he governs time and ensures the inevitable cycle of birth, life, and death. He is also worshipped as the one who liberates the soul from the bondage of material existence.

Additionally, Shiva is also worshipped because he makes our anger acceptable and tolerable, as he can get frighteningly angry at times and unleash his destructive powers. No one wants to see Shiva angry, even Gods, because when he is angry, he can do terrible things, which means you can acknowledge your anger as an aspect of Shiva and not feel guilty about it.

Shiva is worshipped not just as a God but as an ultimate faith which is formless yet can be manifested, destroyer yet the renewer, ascetic yet the lover. Being his devotees, we should seek liberation (Moksha) through knowledge, protection from negativity, and balance between material and spiritual life, and also have the strength to overcome ego and illusion.

Therefore, by worshipping and honouring Lord Shiva we are honouring the infinite consciousness which resides in each one of us and every “Om Namah Shivaya”, in every offering of every tear of devotion we don't just call upon Shiva rather we awaken the Shiva within ourselves as he is the silence between our thoughts and the fire in our awareness and to worship him is to fan a flame until it shines and removes all the darkness and it transforms the seeker into the sought and the devotee into the divine.

This article was written by our very talented writer, Nikita. We do not like to take credit for our team’s work, so Nikita, shoutout girl.

So Shiva is not just a God. He is an emotion, a feeling, a part of body, an aspect of life and a way of living. For us, Shiva is the everything and everything is Shiva. If you like this blog, do write to us with your ideas at wa.me/918542929702 or info@rudrakshahub.com and we shall be happy to assist.