Who is sivan

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. The Hindu God Shiva often wears a snake coiled around his upper arms and neck symbolizing the power he has over the most deadly of creatures. Snakes are also used to symbolize the Hindu dogma of reincarnation. Their natural process of molting or shedding their skin is symbolic of the human souls transmigration of bodies from one life to another.

Thiruvalangadu, north of Madras, is associated with the dance contest between Shiva and his consort in the form of Kali.

According to legend, Shiva danced vigorously, and to subdue Kali, threw up his leg in the rhythm of the dance. Being a lady, Kali could not repeat this feat and stood dismayed. This dance and the subjugation of Kali, are described in the hymns of the female saint-poet Karaikkal Ammai.

Shiva's female consort and wife is Parvati; because of his generosity and reverence towards Parvati, Shiva is considered an ideal role model for a husband. The divine couple together with their sons - the six-headed Skanda and the elephant headed Ganesh- reside on Mount Kailasa in the Himalayas. As the destroyer, Shiva is dark and terrible, encircled with serpents and a crown of skulls. Shiva often holds a trident, which represents the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu.

It is also said to represent the threefold qualities of nature: creation, preservation, and destruction, although preservation is usually attributed to Vishnu.

This form of Lord Shiva was born to Sage Shilada. The sage performed intense penance to seek Lord Shiva's blessings and asked for a child who would remain immortal. Therefore, pleased by Sage's devotion, Lord Shiva took birth as Nandi, who then became the gate-keeper of Kailasha Lord Shiva's heavenly abode and the mount of the Lord. The Veerabhadra avatar of Lord Shiva is one of his fiercest forms. Lord Shiva incarnated as Veerabhadra after his wife Sati's death. The Bhairava Avatar also is one of the fiercest avatars of Lord Shiva.

Referred to as Dandapani, the Bhairava Avatar punishes those who are greedy, lustful and arrogant. These negative traits often lead to one's downfall, and hence the purpose of the Bhairava avatar. Ashwatthama Avatar.

Guru Dronacharya had performed intense penance to please Lord Shiva. He wanted the Lord to be born as his son. Therefore, pleased by Guru Dronacharya's devotion, Lord Shiva took birth as Ashwatthama, an able warrior who played a pivotal role in the Mahabharata. Sharabha avatar. This form of Lord Shiva appeared to calm Lord Narasimha after the latter killed demon Hiranyakashipu. The Sharabha avatar is one of its kind.

The Lord appeared as a being that partly looked like a lion and bird. In some texts, the Sharabha avatar is said to have eight legs. The Grihapati avatar of Lord Shiva was born to a sage named Vishwanar and his wife, who lived on the Narmada banks.

The sage's consort wanted Lord Shiva to be born as her son. Therefore, the sage performed intense penance in Kashi. A few days later, pleased by Vishwanar's devotion, Lord Shiva was born as Grihapati to the sage and his wife. He was known for being short-tempered and commanded respect both from the humans as well as the Devas. As per a legend associated with this avatar, Lord Shiva appeared as a bull to kill the sons born to Lord Vishnu and the Patala Loka women.

Lord Vishnu's sons caused destruction, and hence at Lord Brahma's behest, Lord Shiva appeared as Rishabha to save creation. Yatinath Avatar. The Yatinath avatar of Lord Shiva appeared to test a tribal couple, who were known for their hospitality.

The tribal man named Aahuk lost his life while safeguarding his guest, Yatinath. Instead of mourning, his wife took pride in him for giving away his life for the sake of a guest. This is the story. One day, the father of the goddess Sati decided to hold a prayer ceremony. At this prayer ceremony, all the gods would be invited and offerings would be made to them. But Shiva had married Sati against the wishes of her father and he was not invited.

Sati was deeply offended on behalf of her husband. In anger, Sati prayed intensely and jumped into the sacred fire that was burning on the day of the ceremony. During this time, Shiva had been in the midst of deep meditation. But when Sati jumped into the fire, he awoke in great anger, realising what his wife had done. The story becomes less certain at this point, but it is believed that Shiva started the cosmic dance of death. The whole universe was about to be destroyed before it was time.

The gods who were present at the prayer ceremony were very concerned. In order to pacify him, they scattered the ashes of Sati over him. This did the trick. He calmed down and did not complete the dance. But he went into meditation for many years, deeply upset over the death of his wife, ignoring all his godly duties. It was not until Sati was reborn as Parvati that Shiva finally came out of meditation. Through her love and patience, she taught him about family life and the importance of moderation.

Shiva and Parvati are held up as the perfect example of marital bliss by many Hindus, and one is rarely depicted without the other. Search term:. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets CSS if you are able to do so.

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Who is Shiva?