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Shiva
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

"Neelkanth"redirectshere.Forthe2012Indianfilm,seeNeelkanth(film).
Forotheruses,seeShiva(disambiguation).
Shiva(/iv/Sanskrit:iva,meaning"TheAuspiciousOne",

Shiva

alsoknownasMahadeva("GreatGod"),isoneofthethree
majordeitiesofHinduism.ShivaisdistinctfromVishnuand
Brahmayetonewiththem.HeisAnant,onewhoisneither
foundbornnorfounddead.HeistheGreatestofthe
GodswithinShaivism,oneofthethreemostinfluential
denominationsincontemporaryHinduism.[2][3]Heisone
ofthefiveprimaryformsofGodintheSmarta
Tradition,[2]and"theDestroyer"or"theTransformer".[4]
Atthehighestlevel,Shivaisregardedaslimitless,
transcendent,unchangingandformless.[5][6][7][8][9]Shivaalso
hasmanybenevolentandfearsomeforms.[10]Inbenevolent
aspects,heisdepictedasanomniscientYogiwholives

ShivaandParvati

anasceticlifeonMountKailash,[4]aswellasahouseholder

withwifeParvatiandhistwochildren,GaneshaandKartikeya,

Devanagari

andinfierceaspects,heisoftendepictedslayingdemons.

Sanskrittransliteration iva

Shivaisalsoregardedasthepatrongodofyogaand

Tamilscript

arts.[11][12][13]

Tamiltransliteration

ivan

ThemainiconographicalattributesofShivaarethethird

Abode

MountKailsa[1]

eyeonhisforehead,thesnakeVasukiaroundhisneck,the

Mantra

OmNamahShivaya
Mahamrityunjaya
Mantra

Weapon

Trishula(trident)

Consort

Parvati

Children

Ganesha
Kartikeya

Mount

Nandi

adorningcrescentmoon,theholyriverGangaflowingfromhis
mattedhair,thetrishulaashisweaponandthedamaruashis
musicalinstrument.Shivaisusuallyworshipedin
theaniconicformofLingam.[14][15][16]TheworshipofShivaisa
panHindutradition,practicedwidelyacrossall
ofIndia,NepalandSriLanka.[17][18]
Contents[hide]
1Etymologyandothernames
2Historicaldevelopmentandliterature

Partofaserieson

Hinduism

2.1Assimilationoftraditions
2.2IndusValleyorigins
2.3Vedicorigins
2.3.1Rudra
2.3.2Agni
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HinduHistory

2.3.3Indra
2.4LaterVedicliterature

Concepts

[show]

2.5Puranicliterature

Schools

[show]

Deities

[show]

Texts

[show]

3.2Panchayatanapuja

Practices

[show]

3.3Trimurti

Gurus,saints,philosophers

[show]

Othertopics

[show]

2.6Tantricliterature
3PositionwithinHinduism
3.1Shaivism

4Iconographyandproperties
4.1Attributes

GlossaryofHinduismterms
Hinduismportal

4.2Lingam
4.2.1Jyotirlinga

VTE

4.3Shakti
4.4Thefivemantras

ThisarticlecontainsIndic
text.Withoutproperrendering
support,youmayseequestion
marksorboxes,misplacedvowels
ormissingconjunctsinsteadof
Indictext.

5Formsandroles
5.1DestroyerandBenefactor
5.2AsceticandHouseholder
5.3Nataraja
5.4Dakshinamurthy
5.5Ardhanarishvara
5.6Tripurantaka
5.7Otherforms,avatars,identifications
6Festivals
7BeyondHinduism
7.1Buddhism
7.2Sikhism
7.3Others
8References
9Sources
10Externallinks

Etymologyandothernames

[ edit ]

Mainarticle:ShivaSahasranama
TheSanskritword"Shiva"(Devanagari:,iva)comesfromtheShriRudramChamakamoftheTaittiriya
Shakha(TS4.5,4.7)oftheKrishnaYajurveda.Therootwordi[19]meansauspicious.InsimpleEnglish
transliterationitiswritteneitherasShivaorSiva.Theadjectiveiva,isusedasanattributiveepithetfor
severalRigvedicdeities,includingRudra.[20]OtherpopularnamesassociatedwithShivaareMahadeva,
Mahesha,Maheshvara,Shankara,Shambhu,Rudra,Hara,Trilochan,Devendra(meaningChiefofthe
gods)andTrilokinatha(meaningLordofthethreerealms).[21][22][23]
TheSanskritwordaivameans"relatingtothegodShiva",andthistermistheSanskritnamebothforone
oftheprincipalsectsofHinduismandforamemberofthatsect.[24]Itisusedasanadjectiveto
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characterizecertainbeliefsandpractices,suchasShaivism.[25]
SomeauthorsassociatethenamewiththeTamilwordivappumeaning"red",notingthatShivaislinkedto
theSun(ivan,"theRedone",inTamil)andthatRudraisalsocalledBabhru(brown,orred)inthe
Rigveda.[26][27]
AdiShankara,inhisinterpretationofthenameShiva,the27thand600thnameofVishnusahasranama,
thethousandnamesofVishnuinterpretsShivatohavemultiplemeanings:"ThePureOne",or"theOne
whoisnotaffectedbythreeGuasofPrakti(Sattva,Rajas,andTamas)"or"theOnewhopurifies
everyonebytheveryutteranceofHisname."[28]ChinmayanandaSaraswati,inhistranslationoftheVishnu
sahasranama,furtherelaboratesonthatverse:Shivameans"theOnewhoiseternallypure"or"theOne
whocanneverhaveanycontaminationoftheimperfectionofRajasandTamas".[29]
Shiva'sroleastheprimarydeityofShaivismisreflectedinhisepithetsMahdeva("Great
god"mah"Great"anddeva"god"),[30][31]Mahevara("GreatLord"mah"great"
andvara"lord"),[32][33]andParamevara("SupremeLord").[34]
ThereareatleasteightdifferentversionsoftheShivaSahasranama,devotionalhymns(stotras)listing
manynamesofShiva.[35]TheversionappearinginBook13(Anusanaparvan)oftheMahabharatais
consideredthekernelofthistradition.[36]ShivaalsohasDashaSahasranamas(10,000names)thatare
foundintheMahanyasa.TheShriRudramChamakam,alsoknownastheatarudriya,isadevotional
hymntoShivahailinghimbymanynames.[37][38]

Historicaldevelopmentandliterature

[ edit ]

Seealso:HistoryofShaivism
TheworshipofShivaisapanHindutradition,practicedwidelyacross
allofIndia,NepalandSriLanka.[17][18]

Assimilationoftraditions

[ edit ]

Seealso:RootsofHinduism
ThefigureofShivaasweknowhimtodaywasbuiltupovertime,with
theideasofmanyregionalsectsbeingamalgamatedintoasingle
figure.[18]HowthepersonaofShivaconvergedasacompositedeityis
notwelldocumented.[39]AccordingtoVijayNath:
VisnuandSiva[...]begantoabsorbcountlesslocalcults
anddeitieswithintheirfolds.Thelatterwereeithertaken
torepresentthemultiplefacetsofthesamegodorelse

AsculptureofShivadepicting
himwithamoustache

weresupposedtodenotedifferentformsandappellations
bywhichthegodcametobeknownandworshipped.[...]
Sivabecameidentifiedwithcountlesslocalcultsbythe
sheersuffixingofIsaorIsvaratothenameofthelocal
deity,e.g.,Bhutesvara,Hatakesvara,Chandesvara."[40]
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AnexampleofassimilationtookplaceinMaharashtra,wherearegionaldeitynamedKhandobaisapatron
deityoffarmingandherdingcastes.[41]TheforemostcenterofworshipofKhandobainMaharashtrais
inJejuri.[42]KhandobahasbeenassimilatedasaformofShivahimself,[43]inwhichcaseheisworshipped
intheformofalingam.[41][44]Khandoba'svariedassociationsalsoincludeanidentification
withSurya[41]andKarttikeya.[45]

IndusValleyorigins

[ edit ]

Mainarticle:Pashupatiseal
ManyIndusvalleysealsshowanimalsbutonesealthathasattracted
attentionshowsafigure,eitherhornedorwearingahornedheaddress
andpossiblyithyphallic[46][47][48]figureseatedinaposturereminiscent
oftheLotuspositionandsurroundedbyanimalswasnamedbyearly
excavatorsofMohenjodaroPashupati(lordofcattle),anepithetof
thelaterHindugodsShivaandRudra.[46][49][50][51]SirJohn
Marshallandothershaveclaimedthatthisfigureisaprototypeof
Shivaandhavedescribedthefigureashavingthreefacesseatedina
"yogaposture"withthekneesoutandfeetjoined.
SomeacademicslikeGavinFlood[52][53]andJohnKeayhave
expresseddoubtsaboutthisclaim.JohnKeaywritesthat"Hemay
indeedbeanearlymanifestationofLordShivaasPashupati",buta
coupleofhisspecialtiesofthisfiguredoesnotmatchwith
Rudra.[54]Writingin1997DorisMethSrinivasanrejectedMarshall's

Sealdiscoveredduring
excavationoftheIndus
Valleyarchaeologicalsiteinthe
IndusValleyhasdrawnattentionas
apossiblerepresentationofa"yogi"
or"protoShiva"figure

packageofprotoShivafeatures,includingthatofthreeheads.She
interpretswhatJohnMarshallinterpretedasfacialasnothumanbut
morebovine,possiblyadivinebuffaloman.[55]
Writingin2002,GregoryL.Possehlconcludedthatwhileitwouldbeappropriatetorecognizethefigureas
adeity,itsassociationwiththewaterbuffalo,anditspostureasoneofritualdiscipline,regardingitasa
protoShivawould"gotoofar."[56]

Vedicorigins

[ edit ]

Shiva'srisetoamajorpositioninthepantheonwasfacilitatedbyhisidentificationwithahostofVedic
deities,includingPurusha,Rudra,Agni,Indra,Prajpati,Vyu,andothers.[57]
Rudra [ edit ]
Mainarticle:Rudra
ShivaasweknowhimtodaysharesmanyfeatureswiththeVedicgodRudra,[58]andbothShivaandRudra
areviewedasthesamepersonalityinHinduscriptures.Thetwonamesareusedsynonymously.Rudra,
thegodoftheroaringstorm,isusuallyportrayedinaccordancewiththeelementherepresentsasafierce,
destructivedeity.
TheoldestsurvivingtextofHinduismistheRigVeda,whichisdatedtobetween1700and1100BCbased
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onlinguisticandphilologicalevidence.[59]AgodnamedRudrais
mentionedintheRigVeda.ThenameRudraisstillusedasaname
forShiva.InRV2.33,heisdescribedasthe"FatheroftheRudras",a
groupofstormgods.[60]Furthermore,theRudram,oneofthemost
sacredhymnsofHinduismfoundbothintheRigandtheYajurVedas
andaddressedtoRudra,invokeshimasShivainseveralinstances,
butthetermShivaisusedasanepithetforthegodsIndra,Mitraand
Agnimanytimes.SinceShivameanspure,theepithetispossiblyused
todescribeaqualityofthesegodsratherthantoidentifyanyofthem
withtheGodShiva.
TheidentificationofShivawiththeoldergodRudhraisnotuniversally
accepted,asAxelMichaelsexplains:
Rudraiscalled"TheArcher"(Sanskrit:arva),[61]andthe
arrowisanessentialattributeofRudra.[62]Thisname
appearsintheShivaSahasranama,andR.K.Sharma
notesthatitisusedasanameofShivaofteninlater

ThreeheadedShiva,Gandhara,
2ndcenturyAD

languages.[63]
ThewordisderivedfromtheSanskritrootarv,whichmeans"toinjure"or"tokill",[64]andSharmauses
thatgeneralsenseinhisinterpretivetranslationofthenamearvaas"Onewhocankilltheforcesof
darkness".[63]ThenamesDhanvin("Bowman")[65]andBahasta("Archer",literally"Armedwitharrowsin
hishands")[65][66]alsorefertoarchery.
Agni [ edit ]
RudraandAgnihaveacloserelationship.[67][68]TheidentificationbetweenAgniandRudraintheVedic
literaturewasanimportantfactorintheprocessofRudra'sgradualdevelopmentintothelatercharacteras
RudraShiva.[69]TheidentificationofAgniwithRudraisexplicitlynotedintheNirukta,animportantearly
textonetymology,whichsays,"AgniisalsocalledRudra."[70]Theinterconnectionsbetweenthetwodeities
arecomplex,andaccordingtoStellaKramrisch:
ThefiremythofRudraivaplaysonthewholegamutoffire,valuingallitspotentialitiesand
phases,fromconflagrationtoillumination.[71]
Intheatarudrya,someepithetsofRudra,suchasSasipajara("Ofgoldenredhueasofflame")
andTivamati("Flamingbright"),suggestafusingofthetwodeities.[72]Agniissaidtobeabull,[73]and
LordShivapossessesabullashisvehicle,Nandi.ThehornsofAgni,whoissometimescharacterizedasa
bull,arementioned.[74][75]Inmedievalsculpture,bothAgniandtheformofShivaknownasBhairavahave
flaminghairasaspecialfeature.[76]

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