Lord Shiva - Bhole Nath
Shiva is one of the Hindu trinity that comprises the creator Brahma, the protector Mahavishnu, and the godhead Shiva whose primary responsibility is maintaining the life cycle. Shiva is the only godhead who is forever in deep meditation, totally absorbed in contemplation in His abode, Kailaasa mountain in the great Himaalaya.On the other hand Lord Shiva is all compassion when it came to saving the world from the serpent Vaasuki’s poison during the amritamanthana. Vaasuki, used as a churning rope, was so tired and sick from the repeated action of churning that he vomited the most potent poison into the ocean of milk.Fearing the destruction of the world through this poisoning, Shiva immediately drank the poison. He Himself would have succumbed to the poison were it not for the timely intervention by Paarvati, His consort. Paarvati held Shiva’s throat tightly preventing entry of the poison into His body.
None gave him birth, He knows no Lord. None rules Him in the world, nor yet controls. No features mark Him out, yet cause He is. Prime cause of that which steers, the senses five, the soul within. "Shvetashvattara Upanishad."Shiva! The name, the word itself seems to come with so much aplomb to the Hindu mind. Images flood the mind’ eye. The savage one; The handsome one. The fierce one; The ardent lover of Parvati. One who wears snakes for ornaments; One who holds the Ganges on his head. One who destroys; One who dances. Wearer of leopard skin; Wielder of cymbals. One with long matted hair; One who wears the moon on his head! Worshiped in the form of a phallic symbol; Worshiped for the power of his third eye...
Shiva is worshipped as a lingam to help us contemplate the need to think of Him as the most basic and essentially formless one. Shiva is commonly portrayed as an ascetic with a serpent around His neck, vibhooti (sacred ash) adorning His face and His essentially bare body, a trishul (trident) in one of His hands and a kamandalu (container of water for use in religious practices) in an other hand, and a damaruga (small drum) in yet another hand.
Shiva is 'shakti' or power, Lord Shiva is the destroyer, the most powerful god of the Hindu pantheon and one of the godheads in the Hindu Trinity. Known by many names - Mahadeva, Mahayogi, Pashupati, Nataraja, Bhairava, Vishwanath, Bhava, Bhole Nath.
None gave him birth, He knows no Lord. None rules Him in the world, nor yet controls. No features mark Him out, yet cause He is. Prime cause of that which steers, the senses five, the soul within. "Shvetashvattara Upanishad."Shiva! The name, the word itself seems to come with so much aplomb to the Hindu mind. Images flood the mind’ eye. The savage one; The handsome one. The fierce one; The ardent lover of Parvati. One who wears snakes for ornaments; One who holds the Ganges on his head. One who destroys; One who dances. Wearer of leopard skin; Wielder of cymbals. One with long matted hair; One who wears the moon on his head! Worshiped in the form of a phallic symbol; Worshiped for the power of his third eye...
Shiva is worshipped as a lingam to help us contemplate the need to think of Him as the most basic and essentially formless one. Shiva is commonly portrayed as an ascetic with a serpent around His neck, vibhooti (sacred ash) adorning His face and His essentially bare body, a trishul (trident) in one of His hands and a kamandalu (container of water for use in religious practices) in an other hand, and a damaruga (small drum) in yet another hand.
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