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Siva
“If
Brahma is the creator, Vishnu the preserver, Siva is the quintessential
destroyer. His duty is to destroy all the worlds at the end of creation
and dissolve them into nothingness. Modern theories of space do suggest
the possible ending of the physical universe after some billions of
years through the expansion of a gigantic black hole devouring the
matter from endless galaxies. Perhaps Siva would be the black hole
performing this task.
However this does not
mean that Siva would remain idle till the arrival of that time. Before
the worlds really come to an end, Siva has many things to do to keep the
worlds going. His first and foremost task is to destroy many things in
order to ensure the Rta or the order of the universe. Siva's destruction
is not negative. It is a positive, nourishing and constructive
destruction that builds and transforms life and energy for the welfare
of the world and the beings that inhabit it. He destroys in order to
renew and regenerate. His destruction is the destruction of an artist,
or a surgeon or a cook. Through destruction he facilitates the smooth
transitions of things and events from one stage to another.
He destroys our
imperfections in order to ensure our spiritual progress. He destroys our
illusions, desires and ignorance. He destroys our evil and negative
nature. He destroys our old memories, so that we can move on with the
movement of time. He destroys our relationships, attachment, impurities,
physical and mental wrong doings, the effects of bad karma, our passions
and emotions and many things that stand between us and God as
impediments to our progress and inner transformation. And in the end
when we have made sufficient progress, when we are ready and prepared,
and when we are willing without any inner conflict, he destroys death. .
. .
Unlike Vishnu, who
leads a luxurious life, surrounded by opulence, Siva and his family lead
austere lives in simple surroundings. He is a god of utter simplicity,
exemplary humility and austerity. A tiger skin and an elephant skin
serve as his garments. His long matted hair is normally tied into a knot
or left flowing. He has four arms. With one he holds his weapon the
trident. With another, he holds Damaru, a small drum. The remaining two
are held in abhaya and varada mudras (postures).
The tiger and the
elephant skin symbolically signify his ability to control and transform
animal nature. The trident represents the three qualities, namely sattva,
rajas and tamas. The damru denotes his connection with the primal sound
AUM, the creation of alphabets, languages, grammar and music. His long
matted hair denotes his spiritual life and his great powers. It is also
compared to the night sky. He wears a garland of snakes around his neck.
Sometimes we see more snakes: one across his body like a sacred thread
and two acting as bracelets around his muscular hands. The snakes
symbolically represents his control over desire and sensuality.
Sometimes in his ferocious aspects, he is shown wearing a garland of
skulls. The crescent moon adorns his hair like a silver diadem. And the
Ganges flows from his head down into the world below.
Though he is an
ascetic, he lives with his family. He is very fond of his consort,
Parvathi, whom he married after subjecting her to a lot of tests. Unlike
Vishnu, who treats his wife more or less like a servant, keeping her at
his feet, Siva treats his wife as his equal and shares his seat with
her. She is literally his better half and occupies half of his body.
This earned him the title ardhanariswara (half female half lord).
Normally we find her always by his side, especially when he is seated in
Kailash, sharing with him all the honors that he receives.
He seems to dot on
his two children, Skanda or Kumara and Lord Ganesha or Vinayaka. The
Bull Nandi is his vehicle. Nandiswara is humility personified. He is
very knowledgeable also. Nandi taught Hanuman the secrets of Vedas and
lessons in humility! Another important member of his retinue is Bhringi,
the zealous devotee who was not inclined to worship anyone other than
Siva and refused to worship even Parvathi, till he was made to realize
his mistake. Although a mountain dweller, he is not attached to anything
and true to his ascetic nature, keeps wandering from place to place.
Mount Kailash is his abode, where live his family, his devotees who
attained liberation and his great army of goblins, imps and ghosts.
. . .
Siva is generally a
seated yogi, a posture with which most Hindus are familiar. However we
also come across Siva as nataraja or tandavamurthi in a dance posture.
With his hair flying in all directions and hands and feet in dynamic
motion, the image of nataraja is a symbol of harmony and rhythm. Among
the objects which are associated with him popularly, apart from the
trident and the Damaru, are battleaxe (parasu), rosary (aksamala), pasa
(noose), khatvanga (magic wand) and khadga (sword).
Followers of Saivism
are familiar with three words: pati, pasu and paasa. Pati is Siva
himself, the lord and husband. Pasu is the deluded self that is caught
in the cycle of birth and death. Pasa is the bond that binds the pasu to
this world and it gains liberation through devotion and surrender to
pati.”
http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/siva.htm
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