Lord Shiva or Siva is considered as the destroyer of the world. Shiva is one of the most popular gods of the Hindu religion. Lord Siva forms the part of the Trimurti (Trinity), the other being Brahma, the creator and Vishnu, the preserver. Shiva is known for the complexity of his nature, representing contradictory qualities. He is the destroyer and the restorer, the great ascetic and the symbol of sensuality, the kind herdsman of souls and a wrathful avenger.
Lord Shiva- The RoleLord Shiva represents the vital goodness in the form of Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram i.e.; Truth, Goodness and Beauty .Lord Shiva performs a celestial role of dissolution and recreation of the universe, that's why; he is mostly associated with the words, like destroyer and destruction. The role of Shiva is often confused with these terms and the difficulty arises, when the significance of his celestial role is not understood.
The conception is clear itself by a slight balance between the opposing forces of good and evil. When this balance gets disturbed and continuation of life becomes unfeasible, Lord Shiva dissolves the universe. This is known as '' pralay '' and it is done in order to create another cycle .So that the unliberated souls will get another opportunity to liberate themselves from the bondage of the material world. To put succinctly, Siva protects the souls from pain and suffering that is generated by the unhealthy universe.
Shiva - The GiverLord Shiva is known as the ''giver god'', lord of mercy and kindness. He always protects his devotees from evil forces like lust, greed and anger. He is the most kind -hearted God who grants boons and bestows grace to his devotees.
Shiva - The ImageLord Shiva has the unclad body covered with ashes symbolizing the transcendental aspect of the universe. Siva's three matted locks represent the integration of the mental, physical and spiritual energies. The crescent moon becomes the part of lord's ornament symbolizing the time cycle through which creation evolves from the beginning to the end. The three eyes of Lord Shiva suggest: the Sun is his right eye, the Moon is the left eye and fire, the third eye.
The Snake around his neck symbolizes the yogic power, which he uses to dissolve and recreate the universe. The Rudraksha necklace worn by the lord shows that he uses his celestial powers without compromise,to maintain law and order. The trishula (trident), symbolizes the Lord's three fundamental powers of will (iccha), action (kriya) and knowledge (gyana).The damaru (drum) and its two sides separated from each other symbolizes the two entirely dissimilar states of existence, invisible and evident.
The bull, Nandi is linked with Shiva and it is considered as his vehicle. The bull symbolizes both power and ignorance. Tiger's skin makes Lord Shiva's clothing and his seat, which illustrates the idea that he is the source of potential energy during the dissolution of the universe. Thus, Lord Shiva is well-regarded as the ultimate organizer of the birth and death in the corporeal world.
Shiva - The LingamShiva is worshipped in his invisible and an unborn form, known as the lingam. Lingam is always accompanied by the Yoni, which is the female part, adjoining the base of the lingam. The lingam symbolizes the male creative power of Shiva.
Shiva ChalisaShiva Chalisa is a "forty verse" prayer. Verses are recited or chanted by groups. The acts and deeds of Shiva are recalled in these verses to aid the devotee to meditate on virtuous and noble qualities.
Shiva LegendsShiva is considered as the destroyer of the universe, in Hinduism. Shiva is a complex god, in terms of nature and represents contradictory qualities, being the destroyer and the restorer simultaneously. There are numerous legends surrounding Lord Shiva and his powers. Here're a few popular stories of Lord Shiva.
Names of ShivaLord Shiva is considered as the destroyer of the Universe as per the Hindu Mythology. Shiva is one of the most popular gods of the Hindus. Lord Shiva is a complex god like goddess Kali, being destroyer and restorer at the same time. Shiva is also known as Bhole Shankar, the innocent god, who gets appeased easily.
![Photo: Tāṇḍava or Tāṇḍava nṛtya, (ताण्डव, ताण्डव नृत्य) the divine art form, is a dance performed by Shiva, a Hindu God. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva’s Tandava is a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. While the Rudra Tandava depicts his violent nature, first as the creator and later as the destroyer of the universe, even of death itself; the Ananda Tandava depicts him as enjoying. Shiva as Nataraja (lit. "Lord of dance") is considered the supreme lord of dance.[1]
The Tandava takes its name from Tandu, the attendant of Shiva, who instructed Bharata (author of the Natya Shastra) in the use of Angaharas and Karanas, modes of the Tandava at Shiva's order. Some scholars consider that Tandu himself must have been the author of an earlier work on the dramatic arts, which was incorporated into the Natya Shastra.[2] Indeed, the classical arts of dance, music and song may derive from the mudras and rituals of Shaiva tradition.
Some of the 108 Karanas of Nataraja at Kadavul Hindu Temple, on Kauai, Hawaii. It is one of the few complete collections in existence, commissioned by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami in the 1980s. Each sculpture is about 12 inches tall. Chidambaram Temple is also known to have a complete set.
The 32 Angaharas and 108 Karanas are discussed by Bharata in the 4th chapter of the Natya Shastra, Tandava Lakshanam.[3] Karana is the combination of hand gestures with feet to form a dance posture. Angahara is composed of seven or more Karanas.[4] 108 karanas included in Tandava could be employed in the course of dance, fight, and personal combats and in other special movements like strolling.
The dance is a pictorial allegory of the five principal manifestations of eternal energy:[5]
'Srishti' (सृष्टि) - creation, evolution
'Sthiti' (स्थिति) - preservation, support
'Samhara' (संहार) - destruction, evolution
'Tirobhava' (तिरोभाव) - illusion
'Anugraha' (अनुग्रह) - release, emancipation, grace
Thus Tandava symbolizes the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction, as well as the daily rhythm of birth and death.
Rudra Tandava: A dancer depicting Shiva kicking Yama, the god of Death.
Tandava, as performed in the sacred dance-drama of southern India, has vigorous, brisk movements. Performed with joy, the dance is called Ananda Tandava. Performed in a violent mood, the dance is called Rudra Tandava. In the Hindu texts, at least seven types of Tandava are found: Ananda Tandava, Tripura Tandava, Sandhya Tandava, Samhara Tandava, Kali (Kalika) Tandava, Uma Tandava and Gauri Tandava.[4] However, some people believe that there are 16 types of Tandava.
"How many various dances of Shiva are known to His worshipers I cannot say. No doubt the root idea behind all of these dances is more or less one and the same, the manifestation of primal rhythmic energy. Whatever the origins of Shiva's dance, it became in time the clearest image of the activity of God which any art or religion can boast of." - Ananda Coomaraswamy[6]
The dance performed by Goddess Parvati in response to Shiva's Tandava is known as Lasya, in which the movements are gentle, graceful and sometimes erotic. Some scholars consider Lasya to be the feminine version of Tandava. Lasya has 2 kinds, Jarita Lasya and Yauvaka Lasya.
The Hindu scriptures narrate various occasions when Shiva or other gods have performed the Tandava. When Sati (first wife of Lord Shiva, who was reborn as Parvati) jumped into the Agni Kunda (sacrificial fire) in Daksha's Yagna and gave up her life, Shiva is said to have performed the Rudra Tandava to express his grief and anger. The Shivapradosha stotra says when Shiva performs the Sandhya Tandava, the other gods like Brahma, Vishnu, Sarasvati, Lakshmi and Indra play musical instruments and sing Shiva's praises.[4] Ganesha, the son of Shiva, is depicted as Ashtabhuja tandavsa nritya murtis (Eight armed form of Ganesha dancing the Tandava) in temple sculptures.[7] The Bhagavata Purana talks of Krishna dancing his Tandava on the head of the serpent Kaliya.[8] According to Jain traditions, Indra is said to have performed the Tandava in honour of Rishabha (Jain tirthankar) on the latter's birth.[9]
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