16 Attributes of Lord Shiva

About Lord Shiva
Shiva (शिव) is lord of the lords and it is really not easy to write/explain everything about shiva. However many have tried to explain him and praised him as per their knowledge but the explanation is endless and it is un-imaginable from a human being even devas, asuras and other rishi munis have very little words to explain about the lord almighty.

Lord Shiva represents the aspect of the Supreme Being (Brahman of the Upanishads) that continuously dissolves to recreate in the cyclic process of creation, preservation, dissolution and recreation of the universe. As stated earlier, Lord Shiva is the third member of the Hindu Trinity, the other two being Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu. Owing to His cosmic activity of dissolution and recreation, the words destroyer and destruction have been erroneously associated with Lord Shiva. This difficulty arises when people fail to grasp the true significance of His cosmic role.
The creation sustains itself by a delicate balance between the opposing forces of good and evil. When this balance is disturbed and sustenance of life becomes impossible, Lord Shiva dissolves the universe for creation of the next cycle so that the unliberated souls will have another opportunity to liberate themselves from bondage with the physical world. Thus, Lord Shiva protects the souls from pain and suffering that would be caused by a dysfunctional universe. In analogous cyclic processes, winter is essential for spring to appear and the night is necessary for the morning to follow. To further illustrate, a goldsmith does not destroy gold when he melts old irreparable golden jewelry to create beautiful new ornaments.
Lord Shiva is the Lord of mercy and compassion. He protects devotees from evil forces such as lust, greed, and anger. He grants boons, bestows grace and awakens wisdom in His devotees. The symbolism discussed below includes major symbols that are common to all pictures and images of Shiva venerated by Hindus. Since the tasks of Lord Shiva are numerous, He cannot be symbolized in one form. For this reason the images of Shiva vary significantly in their symbolism.

16. Attributes of Lord Shiva

The unclad body covered with ashes: the unclad body symbolizes the transcendental aspect of the Lord. Since most things reduce to ashes when burned, ashes symbolize the physical universe. The ashes on the unclad body of the Lord signify that Shiva is the source of the entire universe which emanates from Him, but He transcends the physical phenomena and is not affected by it.

Matted locks: Lord Shiva is the Master of yoga. The three matted locks on the head of the Lord convey the idea that integration of the physical, mental and spiritual energies is the ideal of yoga.
Ganga: Ganga (river Ganges) is associated with Hindu mythology and is the most sacred river of Hindus. According to tradition, one who bathes in Ganga (revered as Mother Ganga) in accordance with traditional rites and ceremonies on religious occasions in combination with certain astrological events, is freed from sin and attains knowledge, purity and peace. Ganga, symbolically represented on the head of the Lord by a female (Mother Ganga) with a jet of water emanating from her mouth and falling on the ground, signifies that the Lord destroys sin, removes ignorance, and bestows knowledge, purity and peace on the devotees.
The crescent moon: is shown on the side of the Lord's head as an ornament, and not as an integral part of His countenance. The waxing and waning phenomenon of the moon symbolizes the time cycle through which creation evolves from the beginning to the end. Since the Lord is the Eternal Reality, He is beyond time. Thus, the crescent moon is only one of His ornaments, and not an integral part of Him.
Three eyes: Lord Shiva, also called Tryambaka Deva (literally, "three-eyed Lord"), is depicted as having three eyes: the sun is His right eye, the moon the left eye and fire the third eye. The two eyes on the right and left indicate His activity in the physical world. The third eye in the center of the forehead symbolizes spiritual knowledge and power, and is thus called the eye of wisdom or knowledge. Like fire, the powerful gaze of Shiva's third eye annihilates evil, and thus the evil-doers fear His third eye.
Half-open eyes: when the Lord opens His eyes, a new cycle of creation emerges and when He closes them, the universe dissolves for creation of the next cycle. The half-open eyes convey the idea that creation is going through the cyclic process, with no beginning and no end. Lord Shiva is the Master of Yoga, as He uses His yogic power to project the universe from Himself. The half-open eyes also symbolize His yogic posture.
Kundalas (two earrings): two Kundalas, Alakshya (meaning "which cannot be shown by any sign") and Niranjan (meaning "which cannot be seen by mortal eyes") in the ears of the Lord signify that He is beyond ordinary perception. Since the kundala in the left ear of the Lord is of the type used by women and the one in His right ear is of the type used by men, these Kundalas also symbolize the Shiva and Shakti (male and female) principle of creation.
Snake around the neck: sages have used snakes to symbolize the yogic power of Lord Shiva with which He dissolves and recreates the universe. Like a yogi, a snake hoards nothing, carries nothing, builds nothing, lives on air alone for a long time, and lives in mountains and forests. The venom of a snake, therefore, symbolizes the yogic power.
A snake (Vasuki Naga): is shown curled three times around the neck of the Lord and is looking towards His right side. The three coils of the snake symbolize the past, present, and future - time in cycles. The Lord wearing the curled snake like an ornament signifies that creation proceeds in cycles and is time-dependent, but the Lord Himself transcends time. The right side of the body symbolizes the human activities based upon knowledge, reason, and logic. The snake looking towards the right side of the Lord signifies that the Lord's eternal laws of reason and justice preserve natural order in the universe.
Rudraksha necklace: Rudra is another name of Shiva. Rudra also means "strict or uncompromising" and aksha means "eye." Rudraksha necklace worn by the Lord illustrates that He uses His cosmic laws firmly - without compromise - to maintain law and order in the universe. The necklace has 108 beads which symbolize the elements used in the creation of the world. click here to view more about Rudraksha
Varda Mudra: the Lord's right hand is shown in a boon- bestowing and blessing pose. As stated earlier, Lord Shiva annihilates evil, grants boons, bestows grace, destroys ignorance, and awakens the wisdom in His devotees.
Trident (Trisula): a three-pronged trident shown adjacent to the Lord symbolizes His three fundamental powers (shakti) of will (iccha), action (kriya) and knowledge (jnana). The trident also symbolizes the Lord's power to destroy evil and ignorance.
Damaru (drum): a small drum with two sides separated from each other by a thin neck-like structure symbolizes the two utterly dissimilar states of existence, unmanifest and manifest. When a damaru is vibrated, it produces dissimilar sounds which are fused together by resonance to create one sound. The sound thus produced symbolizes Nada, the cosmic sound of AUM, which can be heard during deep meditation. According to Hindu scriptures, Nada is the source of creation.
Kamandalu: a water pot (Kamandalu) made from a dry pumpkin contains nectar and is shown on the ground next to Shiva. The process of making Kamandalu has deep spiritual significance. A ripe pumpkin is plucked from a plant, its fruit is removed and the shell is cleaned for containing the nectar. In the same way, an individual must break away from attachment to the physical world and clean his inner self of egoistic desires in order to experience the bliss of the Self, symbolized by the nectar in the Kamandalu.
Nandi: the bull is associated with Shiva and is said to be His vehicle. The bull symbolizes both power and ignorance. Lord Shiva's use of the bull as a vehicle conveys the idea that He removes ignorance and bestows power of wisdom on His devotees. The bull is called Vrisha in Sanskrit. Vrisha also means dharma (righteousness). Thus a bull shown next to Shiva also indicates that He is the etemal companion of righteousness.
Tiger skin: a tiger skin symbolizes potential energy. Lord Shiva, sitting on or wearing a tiger skin, illustrates the idea that He is the source of the creative energy that remains in potential form during the dissolution state of the universe. Of His own Divine Will, the Lord activates the potential form of the creative energy to project the universe in endless cycles.
Cremation ground: Shiva sitting in the cremation ground signifies that He is the controller of death in the physical world. Since birth and death are cyclic, controlling one implies controlling the other. Thus, Lord Shiva is revered as the ultimate controller of birth and death in the phenomenal world.

Lord Shiva is 'shakti' or power, 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 - Lord Shiva is perhaps the most complex of Hindu deities. Hindus recognize this by putting his shrine in the temple separate from those of other deities.

Lord Shiva is absolute which does not have any parents who never take birth Which is all alone without association with any of the creatures or creations enjoying in the Self. God is the only one who is dependable for anybody/anything to surrender to as It is the only perennial Being. Hence God is the Lord of all creatures (lives/souls). For this reason, the Lord is hailed as Pashupati (Lord of living beings). Whether it is devas or asuras or humans or other creatures all are pashus. That being the case how could the Lord be partial to one section of pashus and withdrawing the Grace for the other? So anybody who worships the Lord sincerely could get blessed with Its Grace irrespective of the caste, creed, race, power, status, and qualities.

Lord Shiva is the God of all. Like the mother, He showers the grace for all the children, but the misusing children get punished. This Supreme Lord better than a mother does not withhold the grace, He is our beloved Pashupati.

God would not be biased. It would not differentiate between one group versus the other, whether it be divines or daemons or humans or plats or creatures or on sex or on race etc. All that matters is dharma and the pure devotion towards It. No doubt this lovely Lord Shiva is worshipped alike by divines, daemons, scholars, not much learned simple, and the other creatures.

The Cult of Shiva
Shaivism, or Saivism, is one of the most popular Hindu cults. It embraces many theological practices, although all agree on three principles: pati. or God; pasu, or individual soul; and pasa, or bonds that confine the soul to earthly existence. The aim of Shaivites is to rid their souls of bondage and achieve shivata, the "nature of Shiva". They achieve this through ascetic practices and penances, with an emphasis on yoga and renunciation. Many Shaivites become wandering sadhus or hold men. Shiavites mark their foreheads with three horizontal marks representing the three aspects of Shiva.

Shiva is represented in a variety of forms. One such form is as a lingam. The ovoid shape is a representation of the absolute perfection of Lord Shiva - if that which is beyond form had to be given form, the lingam would be the closest form to the mystical experience of the absolute perfection of Shiva.
The Story of the Shiva Lingam

Shiva saw no sense in the transitory pleasures of life, so he rejected samsara, smeared his body with ash, closed his eyes and performed austerities.
Shiva's tapas generated so much heat that his body transformed into a pillar of fire - a blazing lingam that threatened to destroy the whole world. The gods did not know how to control Shiva's fire.
Suddenly there appeared a yoni - the divine vessel of the mother-goddess. It caught the fiery lingam and contained its heat, thus saving the cosmos from untimely destruction. Shiva is often pictured in a pacific mood with his consort Parvati, as the cosmic dancer Nataraja, as a naked ascetic, as a mendicant beggar, as a yogi Dhakshinamurthy, and as the androgynous union of Shiva and Parvati in one body (Ardhanarisvara).
There are many shrines of Lord Shiva across India and the world.
May Lord Shiva shower his benign blessings on all. May happiness and peace surround all the people with his eternal love and strength.

MORE EXPLANATION OF '' LORD SHIVA ''
Shiva (शिव) is lord of the lords and it is really not easy to write/explain everything about Shiva. However many have tried to explain him and praised him as per their knowledge but the explanation is endless and it is un-imaginable from a human being even devas, asuras and other rishi munis have very little words to explain about the lord almighty.

Shiva means the supreme one, the auspicious one, the pure one and for me the beloved one. Shiva is named as Pashupati which means the Lord of all living beings either it is humans, devas, asuras or any creatures. Another name Mahadeva depicts the great God, supreme in all devas(Gods).
The God staying in a state blissful, enjoying in Its Own Self eternally, without any flaws is the Supreme Lord Shiva. Perfection is the completeness - there is nothing external that is required to make the Self blissful.
Lord Shiva is reckoned among the Tridevas (Trinity). Brahma is the creator, Lord Vishnu is the preserver and Lord Shiva is the destroyer. Shiva is the lord of Shakti also.
Lord Shiva is absolute which does not have any parents which never takes birth Which is all alone without association with any of the creatures or creations enjoying in the Self. God is the only one who is dependable for anybody/anything to surrender to as It is the only perennial Being. Hence God is the Lord of all creatures (lives/souls). For this reason, the Lord is hailed as Pashupati (Lord of living beings). Whether it is devas or asuras or humans or other creatures all are pashus. That being the case how could the Lord be partial to one section of pashus and withdrawing the Grace for the other? So anybody who worships the Lord sincerely could get blessed with Its Grace irrespective of the caste, creed, race, power, status, and qualities.
It is, in fact, to be noted that Lord Shiva is worshipped by the devas like viShNu, braHma, indra, by asuras like bANa, rAvaNa, Tripura, sUrapadma, by humans like sha~Nkara bhagavatpAda, samban^dhar, appar, by other creatures like jaTAyu, sampAdi (eagles), vAli (monkey) and the list goes on and on. One finds in the Puranas the variety of people of different backgrounds and qualities worship Lord Shiva. There are many histories of temples which talk of the cranes, bees, elephants, spiders, snakes worshipping the Lord and getting blessed. So the Lord as the Supreme blesses anyone who worships in sincere devotion. There is no discrimination on who the seeker is. The Lord is so merciful that He showers the boons one looks for when there is a determination to seek Him. It is evident from the history of asura bANa who attained a great fame of his valor and got the place in the abode of Lord Shiva all due to his determined worship of the Lord.
Lord Shiva is the God of all. Like the mother, He showers the grace for all the children, but the misusing children get punished. This Supreme Lord better than a mother does not withhold the grace, He is our beloved Pashupati.
God would not be biased. It would not differentiate between one group versus the other, whether it be divines or daemons or humans or plats or creatures or on sex or on race etc. All that matters is dharma and the pure devotion towards It. No doubt this lovely Lord Shiva is worshipped alike by divines, daemons, scholars, not much learned simple, and the other creatures.

Shiva is usually worshipped as the Shiva lingam.

LORD SHIVA'S APPEARANCE

Lord Shiva Appearance
Shiva with Parvati. Shiva is depicted three-eyed, with crescent moon on his head, the Ganga flowing through his matted hair, wearing ornaments of serpents and a skull necklace, covered in ashes and Trisula and Damaru are seen in the background.

VAMANGE CHAVIBHATI BHUDHARASUTADEVAYAGAMASTAKE |
BHALE BALA VIDHURGALE CHA GARALAM YASYORASIVYALARATA||
SOAYAMAM BHUTI VIBHUSHANAH SURA
VARAMSARVADHIYAH SARVADA,
SHARVAH SAVAGATAH SHIVAM SHASHINIMAH
SHRI SHANKARH SHATUMAM ||
Meaning : That Lord Shiva who has on his left side Mother Parvati, who has Ganges and moon on his forehead, who has poison in the throat and cobras on the chest, such an omnipresent greater than the gods, Lord Shiva may protect me.

Now, let us consider this scriptural form of Lord Shiva, with scientific view and see what does God want to preach the common people.

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WHY JAGDAMBA PARVATI IS PRESENT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF SHIVA
Jagdamba Parvati is the form of power. Lord Shiva always keeps her on to his left side, because, he himself remains in a state of Tapasya (meditation). People and scriptures too, assume that the left part of the males is inauspicious and trouble-causing. Where as Parvati is the form of power and thus always auspicious. Hence, in order to destroy all the inauspiciousness and obstacles, Lord Shiva keeps Parvati on his left side. Besides,

Lord Shiva is himself a form of inauspiciousness as :

AMANGALYAM SHEELAM TAVABHAVATU NAMAIVAMAKHILAM |
TATHAPI SMARTRINAMA VARADA PARAMAM MANGAMASI ||
Meaning : It is famous in the whole world that Lord Shiva is inauspicious, but a giver of all kinds of auspiciousness. Nevertheless, He is the giver of all kinds of auspiciousness for those who remember him. This virtue is because of Parvatis presence with him.

Thus acting on the principle :
NARYASTU YATRA PUJYANTE RAMANTE TATRA DEVATAH
That is where the womanfolk is worshipped, the gods stays there, Lord Shiva preaches the same to his devotees, that if they respecta woman, all the inauspiciousness all the hurdles, would be removed automatically.

WHY MOTHER GANGA ON THE HEAD?
Ans: The Ganges, the most sacred river in India, shows coolness, holiness, and serenity. Lord Shiva holds her on his head, thus preaching the devotees that if they bear coolness, holiness, and serenity in their head i.e. if they give up anger, envy and disturbance that haunts their mind they will achieve all kinds of perfections and successes.

WHY THE NEW MOON ON THE FOREHEAD (चन्द्रशेखर) ?
Ans: The moon is shinning but the cool celestial body. Lord Shiva wears it on his forehead, thus preaching for a peaceful mind and foresightedness. If the decision is taken with a cool peaceful mind and far sightedness, all the tasks will be completed successfully and an increment occurs in one's honor.

MEANING OF POISON IN THE THROAT (नीलकण्ठ)?
Ans: When the Gods and Demons unitedly churned the sea, it was the poison that came out first. Seeing the lethal poison, both the gods and the demons got nervous and reached to Lord Shiva and prayed him to hold it. Lord Ashutosh (Shiva) agreed to their prayers and swallowed the deadly poison. That poison, however, did not reach God's stomach, instead, it stuck in the throat turning it blue.

Thus, holding the poison in the neck, Lord Shiva preaches that one should not contain poison in his belly for the other. It also means that one should not even wish ill for the others, leave apart doing. Speaking harsh words is however other things, but one should not cultivate the feelings of envy and enmity for the others.

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WHY IS THE SNAKE ON THE CHEST?
It is very strange that people are usually scared of snakes because these are poisonous creatures. In scriptures and in practical life, snake is given a name Kaala i.e. the death. But Lord Shiva bears snakes on his chest. Thus he preaches the people that if they do not engage their mind and intellect in the worship of God, death is always facing them. If you keep your mind and intellect busy in prayers and worship, even death can do no harm to you. Instead it would become a means to adorn you.
The reason of having a snake around his chest is that, VISHASYAA VISHAMAUSHDHAMA, i.e. the best antidote for poison is poison itself. Hence to cancel the effect of the poison Lord Shiva has worn poisonous snakes around his shoulders.

WHY IS THE OX THE VEHICLE OF LORD SHIVA?
Scriptures assume the ox as an incarnation of Dharmraj as is mentioned in Parikshita Kaliyugaprasanga that Kaliyuga is killing the Dharma which is in oxen form.Sage Manu also writes :

VRISHO HIBHAGAWANA DHARMASTASYAYAHKURUT ALUM |
VRISHANAM TAM VIDURDE VASTASMADDHAMA NA LOPAYETA ||
Meaning: An Ox is a different incarnation of the Dharma god, whoever kills it must be taken as a sinner. Hence, one must not cause the disappearance of Dharma. Riding the Ox, Lord Shiva preaches the people that -

DHARMO RAKSHATI RAKSHITAH
Meaning: The protected religion protects the follower. Hence, follow the religious path, no shield is better than it.

Third Eye:
Shiva is often depicted with a third eye with which he burned Desire (Kāma) to ashes. There has been controversy regarding the original meaning of Shiva's name Tryambakam (Sanskrit: त्र्यम्बकम्), which occurs in many scriptural sources. In classical Sanskrit the word ambaka denotes "an eye", and in the Mahabharata Shiva is depicted as three-eyed, so this name is sometimes translated as "Having Three Eyes".

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