All this universe is in the glory of God, of Siva, the God of Love. The heads and faces of men are His own, and He is in the hearts of all. -- Yajur Veda
Shiva literally means "auspiciousness, welfare". He is the third god of the Hindu Trinity. Shiva represents darkness. He is often portrayed as an "angry god" and the god of destruction. Often Lord Shiva destroys negative presences such as evil, ignorance, and death.
Shiva holds a complementary role to Brahma, the god of creation. Shiva protects souls until they are ready for recreation at the hands of Brahma. Creation follows destruction. Therefore Shiva is also regarded as a reproductive power, which restores what has been dissolved. As one who restores, he is represented as the linga or phallus, a symbol of regeneration.
Because of his connections with destruction, Lord Shiva is one of the most feared and heavily worshipped deities in Hinduism.
The snakes coiled at different places of Lord Shiva's body have names.
The serpents coiled at His ears are named Padma and Pingala.
The serpents coiled at His armlets are named Kambala and Dhananjaya.
The serpents at right and left wrists are named asvatara and taksaka.
The serpent at his waist is called Nila. --- Vamana Purana.
Shiva has a 1,008 names and a thousand faces. His names include Mahadeva (the great god), Mahesh, Rudra, Neelkantha (the blue-throated one), and Ishwar (the supreme god). He is also called Mahayogi, or the great ascetic, who symbolises the highest form of austere penance and abstract meditation, which results in salvation.
Shiva has eight forms: Rudra, Sharva, Bhava, Ugra, Bhima, Pashupati, Ishana, and Mahadeva, which, according to the Shiva Purana, correspond to the earth, water, fire, wind, sky, a yogi called Kshetragya, the sun, and the moon respectively.
Shiva lives on Mount Kailas. Sometimes he rides a bull with his wife Parvati. Shiva's many-formed wife is the graceful Uma, Parvati, the fierce Durga or the blood-thirsty Kali. Her sons are Karttikeya, the warrior, and the gentle Ganesha, whose helper is a rat.
He who is without beginning and without end,
in the midst of confusion, the Creator of all,
of manifold form, the One embracer of the universe...
by knowing Him, one is released from all fetters.
Shiva is the essence of the Vedas, and the source of the Word. He is the first among the gods of this world. He is inextricably woven into all that the eye can see.
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