The great hindu religion by Kelvin

Introduction to the religions
The religions
-Religion is the group of people who devote to their respective gods and
goddesses.
The same believes of every religion-
There is only one god.
There is a reason behind the cause.
Every creature and thing came into life only due to creative power.
The god is the only one who can guide us the way to be freed or the path
of DHAMMA.
The world is made up of (4) main religions.
1. The Hindu
2. The Buddhist
3. The Christian
4. The Muslim T
T
The size of the
circles are equaled
to the population.
The
Hindu
The Muslim
The
Christian

Gods of each religion and short histories
At the beginning of the world, people started to worship the sun
and the moon as they provide them light and heat which is necessary for
them .As you know, the fire usually occurs the forests they observed the
usage of fire and worshipped it again. Moreover, they also observed the
importance of drinking water; they prayed it as a god. Finally they
became to pray the air. In conclusion, they determined that the sky is
supreme (the origin of sun and moon).Moreover, they prayed the earth.
In scientific philosophy, our body is made up equally with these 5
things.
The Supreme

After a long time, they found the creator(Brahma), the preserver
(Vishnu), the destroyer or the transformer (Shiva).
Lord Vishnu often incarnates on the earth to guide human right ways
and to be pious. Once,he had incarnated on the earth as Lord Buddha
(Incarnation) ,the 9th
form of Dashavater or Awathra. The purpose is to
recall the rightness and Dhamma and to show the way to be freeded.
Later ,it become the Buddhist reliogion.
As his followers has increased in population,later the hermit called Jesus
came to existence.He treats the human in Western countries and thus
after his death,he became to be regarded as a god.
(The Christian religion)

The last one namely Muslim isn’t well- known exactly for its history.
The god – Allah
__________________________________________________________
(i) Hindu
Hindu Tri dev & Tri devi List(TRISHAKTI)
Gods Goddesses
Shiva Parvati
Their 2 son - Karthekeyi Ganesh
NarayanHari Vishnu Lakshmi
Brahman Dev Saraswati
Eishwara Durga, Gayatri, Mata Di, Kali
TRIMUTRI FEMININE POWER OR
MOTHER POWER
T

Maha Dev (Shiva)
Meaning – The destroyer or transformer
Names - Bolenar, Bole Bole Bar, Maha dev, Bole Shankal , Rudra..
Mantras - Om Namah Shivaya / Har Har Mahadev.
Also known as the god of death or punisher to bads.
Vehicle - Bull , Cow (Nandi)
Skin type – Bluish skin
His anger is known as Veerbhadra (plucked from his hair) like Maha Kali.
The 3rd eye – The one who know everything through 3 realms.
The one who is destructive to sinners.
The one whose stomach is the universe.
The one who can control time and destiny.
When it opens,it will lead to the great destruction called ‘Maha Vinash’.
Often appear with 2 hands or 4 hands.
Weapons - The trishul, the damaru (which has the sound to destroy
obstacles ,MAYA and negative power) & Beat.

ॐ नमः शिवाय;
Residence - Mount Kailash
Devotees pray him as a stone known as the LINGAM. The word
“Om Namah Shivaya”consists of water, fire, earth, stone, sky and air
equally. There are 12 well-known Lingas around the world.(Jolingara)

Appearance
Wearingthe clothes made up of leather and has the heap of hair
tied up with beat which is regarded as Ganga River. Also has a third
eye on forehead or in lingams with 3 stripes with a red dot in centre.
The colour of throat – BLUISH colour because he had kept all the
HALAHAKA poision which appeared from mixing the ocean in his
NEELKANTH form. Instead of his stomach, he kept the poison in his
neck as the entire universe is inside his stomach. If he did so ,this
poisonous gas will be spreaded through the universe and this will
cause all the living creatures for death. Thus, the colour of his
throatcolour had changed. Wearinga snake around his neck and has
a crescent moon (Kyantra) on his head.

ing homage to Shiva. However, in texts and artwork of either tradition, the mutual
salutes are symbolism forcomplementarity.[159]
The Mahabharata de#WIKI
REFERENCE
Shiva (/ˈʃiːvə/; Sanskrit: शिव, Śiva, lit. the auspicious one) also known
as Mahadeva ( lit. the great god)[7][8][9]
is one of the principal
deities of Hinduism. He is one of the supreme beings within Shaivism,
one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.[10][11]
Shiva is known as "The Destroyer" within the Trimurti, the Hindu
trinity that includes Brahma and Vishnu.[1][12]
In Shaivism tradition,
Shiva is one of the supreme beings who creates, protects and transforms
the universe.[7][8][9]
In the tradition of Hinduism called Shaktism, the
Goddess, or Devi, is described as one of the supreme, yet Shiva is
revered along with Vishnu and Brahma. A goddess is stated to be the
energy and creative power (Shakti) of each, with Parvati (Sati) the equal
complementary partner of Shiva.[13][14]
He is one of the five equivalent
deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism.[10]
According to the Shaivism sect, the highest form of Ishvar is formless,
limitless, transcendent and unchanging absolute Brahman,[15]
and the
primal Atman (soul, self) of the universe.[16][17][7]
There are many both
benevolent and fearsome depictions of Shiva. In benevolent aspects, he
is depicted as an omniscient Yogiwho lives an ascetic life on Mount
Kailash[1]
as well as a householder with wife Parvati and his two
children, Ganesha and Kartikeya. In his fierce aspects, he is often
depicted slaying demons. Shiva is also known as Adiyogi Shiva,
regarded as the patron god of yoga, meditation and arts.[18][19][20]
The iconographical attributes of Shiva are the serpent around his neck,
the adorning crescent moon, the holy river Ganga flowing from his
matted hair, the third eye on his forehead, the trishula or trident, as his
weapon, and the damarudrum. He is usually worshipped in
the aniconic form of Lingam.[2]
Shiva is a pan-Hindu deity, revered
widely by Hindus, in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.[21][22]
Shiva
Supreme Being; Lord of Divine Energy, Meditation, Arts, Yoga,

Time, Destruction, Dance; Supreme Destroyer of Evil; Lord of
The Devas (gods);
Member of Trimurti
Statue of Shiva in the lotus position at Murudeshwar
Other
names
Mahesha, Shankara, Bholenath, Neelkanth,
Mahadeva
Affiliation Parabrahman (Shaivism), Trimurti, Paramatman,
Ishvara, Deva
Abode Mount Kailash[1]
Mantra Om Namah Shivaya
Weapon Pashupatastra, Trident, Parashu-Axe, Pinaka
bow[2]
Symbols Lingam,[2] Trident, Crescent Moon, Damaru Drum
Mount Nandi (bull)[3]
Festivals Shraavana, Maha Shivaratri, Ekadashi, Kartik
Purnima, Bhairava Ashtami[4]
Personal information

Consort Parvati (Adi Parashakti, Sati, Durga, Kali)
Children Ganesha, Kartikeya, Ashokasundari
Regional: Ayyappa[5][6]
Vedic origins
The Vedic literature refers to a minor atmospheric deity, with fearsome
powers called Rudra. The Rigveda, for example, has 3 out of 1,028 hymns
dedicated to Rudra, and he finds occasional mention in other hymns of the
same text.[73] The term Shiva also appears in the Rigveda, but simply as an
epithet, that means "kind, auspicious", one of the adjectives used to describe
many different Vedic deities. While fierce ruthless natural phenomenon and
storm-related Rudra is feared in the hymns of the Rigveda, the beneficial
rains he brings are welcomed as Shiva aspect of him.[74] This healing,
nurturing, life-enabling aspect emerges in the Vedas as Rudra-Shiva, and in
post-Vedic literature ultimately as Shiva who combines the destructive and
constructive powers, the terrific and the gentle, as the ultimate recycler and
rejuvenator of all existence.[75]
The similarities between the iconography and theologies of Shiva with Greek
and European deities have led to proposals for an Indo-European link for
Shiva,[76][77] or lateral exchanges with ancient central Asian
cultures.[78][79] His contrasting aspects such as being terrifying or blissful
depending on the situation, are similar to those of the Greek
god Dionysus,[80] as are their iconic associations with bull, snakes, anger,
bravery, dancing and carefree life.[81][82] The ancient Greek texts of the time
of Alexander the Great call Shiva as "Indian Dionysus", or alternatively call
Dionysus as "god of the Orient".[81] Similarly, the use of phallic symbol as an
icon for Shiva is also found for Irish, Nordic, Greek (Dionysus[83]) and Roman
deities, as was the idea of this aniconic column linking heaven and earth
among early Indo-Aryans, states Roger Woodward.[76] Others contest such
proposals, and suggest Shiva to have emerged from indigenous pre-Aryan
tribal origins.[84]

Position within Hinduism
Lingodbhava is a Shaiva sectarian icon where Shiva is depicted rising
from the Lingam (an infinite fiery pillar) that narrates how Shiva is the
foremost of the Trimurti; Brahma and Vishnu are depicted bowing to
Lingodbhava Shiva in the centre. This also portrays that Lord Shiva is not
only worshiped by the whole universe but also by lord Vishnu and lord
Bhramha and all other gods.
Shaivism
Main articles: Shaivism and History of Shaivism
Part of a series on
Shaivism

Shaivism is one of the four major sects of Hinduism, the others
being Vaishnavism, Shaktism and the Smarta Tradition. Followers of
Shaivism, called "Shaivas", revere Shiva as the Supreme Being. Shaivas
believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer,
revealer and concealer of all that is.[8][7] He is not only the creator in
Shaivism, but he is also the creation that results from him, he is
everything and everywhere. Shiva is the primal soul, the pure
consciousness and Absolute Reality in the Shaiva traditions.[7]
The Shaivism theology is broadly grouped into two: the popular theology
influenced by Shiva-Rudra in the Vedas, Epics and the Puranas; and the
esoteric theology influenced by the Shiva and Shakti-related Tantra
texts.[147] The Vedic-Brahmanic Shiva theology includes both monist
(Advaita) and devotional traditions (Dvaita) such as Tamil Shaiva
Siddhanta and Lingayatism with temples featuring items such as linga,
Shiva-Parvati iconography, bull Nandi within the premises, relief artwork
showing mythologies and aspects of Shiva.[148][149]
The Tantric Shiva tradition ignored the mythologies and Puranas related
to Shiva, and depending on the sub-school developed a spectrum of
practices. For example, historical records suggest the
tantric Kapalikas (literally, the "skull-men") co-existed with and shared
many Vajrayana Buddhist rituals, engaged in esoteric practices that
revered Shiva and Shakti wearing skulls, begged with empty skulls, used
meat, alcohol, and sexuality as a part of ritual.[150] In contrast, the esoteric
tradition within Kashmir Shaivism has featured the Krama and Trika sub-
traditions.[151] The Krama sub-tradition focussed on esoteric rituals around
Shiva-Kali pair.[152] The Trika sub-tradition developed a theology of triads
involving Shiva, combined it with an ascetic lifestyle focusing on personal
Shiva in the pursuit of monistic self liberation.[153][151][154]
Vaishnavism
The Vaishnava (Vishnu-oriented) literature acknowledges and discussesShiva. Like
Shaiva literature that presents Shiva as supreme,the Vaishnava literature presents
Vishnu as supreme.However, both traditions are pluralistic and revere both Shiva

and Vishnu (along with Devi), their texts do not show exclusivism, and Vaishnava
texts such as the Bhagavata Puranawhile praising Krishna as the Ultimate Reality,
also present Shiva and Shakti as a personalized form an equivalent to the same
Ultimate Reality.[155][156][157]
The texts of Shaivism tradition similarly praise Vishnu. The
Skanda Purana, for example, states:
Vishnu is nobodybut Shiva, and he who is called Shiva is but identical with Vishnu.
— Skanda Purana,1.8.20–21[158]
Mythologies of both traditions include legends about who is superior, about Shiva
paying homage to Vishnu, and Vishnu pay clares the unchanging Ultimate Reality
(Brahman) to be identical to Shiva and to Vishnu,[160]
that Vishnu is the highest
manifestation of Shiva, and Shiva is the highest manifestation of Vishnu.[161]
Shaktism
Ardhanarishvara sculpture, Khajuraho, depicting Shiva with goddess Parvati as his equal half.[162]
The goddess-oriented Shakti tradition of Hinduism is based on the premise that the
Supreme Principle and the Ultimate Reality called Brahman is female
(Devi),[163][164][165]
but it treats the male as her equal and complementary
partner.[13][14]
This partner is Shiva.[166][167]
The earliest evidence of the tradition of reverence for the feminine with Rudra-Shiva
context, is found in the Hindu scripture Rigveda,in a hymn called the Devi
Sukta:[168][169]
I am the Queen, the gatherer-up of treasures, most thoughtful, first of those who
merit worship.
Thus gods have established me in many places with many homes to enter and
abide in.
Through me alone all eat the food that feeds them, – each man who sees,breathes,
hears the word outspoken.
They know it not, yet I reside in the essenceof the Universe. Hear, one and all,
the truth as I declare it.
I, verily, myself announce and utter the word that gods and men alike shall welcome.
I make the man I love exceeding mighty, make him nourished, a sage,and one
who knows Brahman.

I bend the bow for Rudra [Shiva], that his arrow may strike, and slay the hater of
devotion.
I rouse and orderbattle for the people,I created Earth and Heaven and reside as
their Inner Controller.
(...)
— Devi Sukta, Rigveda 10.125.3 – 10.125.8, [168][169][170]
The Devi Upanishadin its explanation of the theologyof Shaktism, mentions and
praises Shiva such as in its verse 19.[171][172]
Shiva, along with Vishnu, is a revered god
in the Devi Mahatmya,a text of Shaktism consideredby the tradition to be as
important as the BhagavadGita.[173][174]
The Ardhanarisvara conceptco-mingles god
Shiva and goddessShakti by presenting an icon that is half man and half woman, a
representation and theme of union found in many Hindu texts and temples.[175][176]
Smarta Tradition
Main article: Panchayatanapuja
Oleographby Raja Ravi Varmadepicting a Shiva-centric Panchayatana. A bearded
Shiva sits in the centre with his wife Parvati and their infant son Ganesha;
surrounded by (clockwise from left uppercorner) Ganesha, Devi, Vishnu, and Surya.
Shiva's mount is the bull Nandi below Shiva.
In the Smarta tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is a part of its Panchayatana
puja.[177] This practice consists of the use of icons or anicons of five deities
considered equivalent,[177] set in a quincunx pattern.[178] Shiva is one of the
five deities, others being Vishnu, Devi (such
as Parvati), Surya and Ganesha or Skanda or any personal god of
devotee's preference (Ishta Devata).[179]
Philosophically, the Smarta tradition emphasizes that all idols (murti) are
icons to help focus on and visualize aspects of Brahman, rather than
distinct beings. The ultimate goal in this practice is to transition past the
use of icons, recognize the Absolute symbolized by the icons,[180] on the
path to realizing the nondual identity of one's Atman (soul, self) and the

Brahman.[181] Popularized by Adi Shankara, many Panchayatana
mandalas and temples have been uncovered that are from the Gupta
Empire period, and one Panchayatana set from the village of Nand (about
24 kilometers from Ajmer) has been dated to belong to the Kushan
Empire era (pre-300 CE).[182] The Kushan period set includes Shiva,
Vishnu, Surya, Brahma and one deity whose identity is unclear.[182]
Yoga
Adiyogi Shiva statue, recognized by the Guinness World Records as the "Largest Bust Sculpture”
in the world;[183][184]the statue is for inspiring and promoting yoga, and is named Adiyogi, which
means "the first yogi", because Shiva is known as the originator of yoga.
Shiva is consideredthe Great Yogi who is totally absorbed in himself – the
transcendental reality. He is the Lord of Yogis, and the teacher of Yoga to
sages.[185]
As Shiva Dakshinamurthi, states Stella Kramrisch, he is the
supreme guru who "teaches in silence the oneness of one's innermost self (atman)
with the ultimate reality (brahman)."[186]
The theory and practice of Yoga, in differentstyles, has been a part of all major
traditions of Hinduism, and Shiva has beenthe patron or spokespersonin numerous
Hindu Yoga texts.[187][188]
These contain the philosophyand techniques for Yoga.
These ideas are estimated to be from or after the late centuries of the 1st millennium
CE, and have survived as Yoga texts such as the Isvara Gita (literally, "Shiva's
song"), which Andrew Nicholson – a professorof Hinduism and Indian Intellectual
History – states have had "a profound and lasting influence on the developmentof
Hinduism".[189]
Other famed Shiva-related texts influenced Hatha Yoga, integrated monistic
(Advaita Vedanta)ideas with Yoga philosophyand inspired the theoretical
developmentof Indian classical dance. These include the Shiva Sutras,the Shiva
Samhita,and those by the scholars of Kashmir Shaivism such as the 10th-century
scholar Abhinavagupta.[187][188][190]
Abhinavagupta writes in his notes on the relevance
of ideas related to Shiva and Yoga, by stating that "people,occupiedas they are
with their own affairs, normally do nothing for others", and Shiva and Yoga
spirituality helps one look beyond,understand interconnectedness,and thus benefit
both the individual and the world towards a more blissful state of existence.[191]

Trimurti
Main article: Trimurti
An art depiction of the Trimurti, with Shiva depicted on the right, at the Hoysaleswara
temple in Halebidu.
The Trimurti is a conceptin Hinduism in which the cosmic functions of creation,
maintenance, and destructionare personified by the forms of Brahma the creator,
Vishnu the maintainer or preserverand Shiva the destroyeror
transformer.[192][193]
Thesethree deities have been called "the Hindu triad"[194]
or the
"Great Trinity".[195]
However, the ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism feature many
triads of gods and goddesses,some of which do not include Shiva.[196]
Attributes
Shiva with Parvati. Shiva is depicted three-eyed, the Gangesflowing through his matted hair,
wearing ornaments of serpents and a skull garland, covered in ashes, and seated on a tiger skin

A seated Shiva holds an axe and deer in his hands.
 Third eye:Shiva is often depicted with a third eye, with which he burned Desire
(Kāma)to ashes,[197]
called "Tryambakam" (Sanskrit: त्र्यम्बकम ्), which occurs in
many scriptural sources.[198]
In classical Sanskrit, the word ambakadenotes "an
eye", and in the Mahabharata,Shiva is depicted as three-eyed, so this name is
sometimestranslated as "having three eyes".[199]
However, in Vedic Sanskrit, the
word ambā orambikā means "mother", and this early meaning of the word is the
basis for the translation "three mothers".[200][201]
These three mother-goddesses
who are collectivelycalled the Ambikās.[202]
Other related translations have been
based on the idea that the name actually refers to the oblations given to Rudra,
which according to some traditions were shared with the goddess Ambikā.[203]
 Crescentmoon:Shiva bears on his head the crescentmoon.[204]
The
epithet Candraśekhara (Sanskrit: चन्द्रिेखर "Having the moon as his crest" –
candra = "moon"; śekhara = "crest,crown")[205][206][207]
refers to this feature. The
placementof the moon on his head as a standard iconographic feature dates to
the period when Rudra rose to prominence and became the major deity Rudra-
Shiva.[208]
The origin of this linkage may be due to the identification of the moon
with Soma, and there is a hymn in the Rig Veda where Soma and Rudra are
jointly implored,and in later literature, Soma and Rudra came to be identified
with one another, as were Soma and the moon.[209]
 Ashes:Shiva iconography shows his body covered with ashes (bhasma,
vibhuti).[210][211]
The ashes representa reminder that all of material existence is
impermanent, comes to an end becoming ash, and the pursuit of eternal soul and
spiritual liberation is important.[212][213]
 Matted hair:Shiva's distinctive hair style is noted in the epithets Jaṭin,"the one
with matted hair",[214]
and Kapardin, "endowed with matted hair"[215]
or "wearing his
hair wound in a braid in a shell-like (kaparda) fashion".[216]
A kaparda is a cowrie
shell, or a braid of hair in the form of a shell, or, more generally, hair that is
shaggy or curly.[217]

 Blue throat:The epithet Nīlakaṇtha (Sanskrit नीलकण्ठ;nīla = "blue", kaṇtha =
"throat").[218][219]
Since Shiva drank the Halahala poisonchurned up from
the Samudra Manthan to eliminate its destructive capacity. Shocked by his act,
Parvati squeezed his neck and stoppedit in his neck to prevent it from spreading
all over the universe, supposed to be in Shiva's stomach. However the poison
was so potent that it changed the color of his neck to blue.[220][221]
 Meditating yogi:his iconography often shows him in a Yoga pose,meditating,
sometimeson a symbolic Himalayan Mount Kailasha as the Lord of Yoga.[210]
 SacredGanga:The epithet Gangadhara,"Bearer of the river Ganga" (Ganges).
The Ganga flows from the matted hair of Shiva.[222][223]
The Gaṅgā (Ganga), one of
the major rivers of the country, is said to have made her abode in Shiva's hair.[224]
 Tiger skin:Shiva is often shown seated upon a tiger skin.[210]
 Serpents:Shiva is often shown garlanded with a snake.[225]
 Trident:Shiva typically carries a trident called Trishula.[210]
The trident is a
weapon or a symbolin differentHindu texts.[226]
As a symbol,
the Trishul represents Shiva's three aspects of "creator, preserverand
destroyer",[227]
or alternatively it represents the equilibrium of three Gunas of
"sattva, rajas and tamas".[228]
 Drum:A small drum shaped like an hourglass is known as a damaru.[229][230]
This is
one of the attributes of Shiva in his famous dancing representation[231]
known
as Nataraja. A specific hand gesture (mudra) called ḍamaru-hasta (Sanskrit for
"ḍamaru-hand")is used to hold the drum.[232]
This drum is particularly used as an
emblem by members ofthe Kāpālikasect.[233]
 Axe (Parashu)and Deer are held in Shiva's hands in Odisha & south Indian
icons.[234]
 Rosary beads:he is garlanded with or carries a string of rosary beads in his right
hand, typically made of Rudraksha.[210]
This symbolises grace,mendicant life and
meditation.[235][236]
 Nandī:Nandī, also known as "Nandin", is the name of the bull that serves as
Shiva's mount (Sanskrit: vāhana).[237][238]
Shiva's associationwith cattle is reflected
in his name Paśupati,or Pashupati (Sanskrit: पिुपति), translated by Sharma as
"lord of cattle"[239]
and by Kramrisch as "lord of animals", who notes that it is
particularly used as an epithet of Rudra.[240]
 MountKailāsa:Mount Kailash in the Himalayas is his traditional abode.[210][241]
In
Hindu mythology, Mount Kailāsa is conceived as resembling a Linga,
representing the center of the universe.[242]
 Gaṇa: The Gaṇas are attendants of Shiva and live in Kailash. They are often
referred to as the bhutaganas, or ghostly hosts, on account of their nature.
Generally benign, exceptwhen their lord is transgressed against, they are often
invoked to intercede with the lord on behalf of the devotee.His son Ganesha was
chosenas their leader by Shiva, hence Ganesha's title gaṇa-īśa or gaṇa-pati,
"lord of the gaṇas".[243]
 Varanasi: Varanasi (Benares) is considered to be the city speciallyloved by
Shiva, and is one of the holiest places of pilgrimage in India. It is referred to, in
religious contexts, as Kashi.[244]

Forms and depictions
According to Gavin Flood, "Shiva is a god of ambiguity and paradox," whose attributes include
opposing themes.[245] The ambivalent nature of this deity is apparent in some of his names and the
stories told about him.
Destroyer and Benefactor
Shiva is represented in his many aspects.[246]Left: Bhairava icon of the fierce form of Shiva, from
17th/18th century Nepal; Right: Shiva as a meditating yogi in Rishikesh.
In Yajurveda, two contrary sets of attributes for both malignant or terrifying
(Sanskrit: rudra) and benign or auspicious (Sanskrit: śiva)forms can be found,
leading Chakravarti to conclude that "all the basic elements which created the
complexRudra-Śiva sect of later ages are to be found here".[247]
In the Mahabharata,
Shiva is depictedas "the standard of invincibility, might, and terror", as well as a
figure of honor, delight, and brilliance.[248]
The duality of Shiva's fearful and auspicious attributes appears in contrasted names.
The name Rudra reflects Shiva's fearsome aspects.According to traditional
etymologies,the Sanskrit name Rudra is derived from the root rud-, which means "to
cry, howl".[249]
Stella Kramrisch notes a differentetymologyconnected with the
adjectival form raudra,which means "wild, of rudra nature", and translates the
name Rudra as "the wild one" or "the fierce god".[250]
R. K. Sharma follows this
alternate etymologyand translates the name as "terrible".[251]
Hara is an important
name that occurs three times in the Anushasanaparvan version of the Shiva
sahasranama,where it is translated in differentways each time it occurs,following a
commentorialtradition of not repeating an interpretation. Sharma translates the
three as "one who captivates", "one who consolidates",and "one who
destroys".[252]
Kramrisch translates it as "the ravisher".[221]
Another of Shiva's
fearsome forms is as Kāla "time" and Mahākāla"great time", which ultimately
destroys all things.[42][253]
The name Kāla appears in the Shiva Sahasranama,where it
is translated by Ram Karan Sharma as "(the Supreme Lord of)

Time".[254]
Bhairava "terrible" or "frightful"[255]
is a fierce form associated with
annihilation. In contrast, the name Śaṇkara,"beneficent"[29]
or "conferring
happiness"[256]
reflects his benign form. This name was adopted by the
great Vedanta philosopher AdiShankara (c. 788–820),[257]
who is also known as
Shankaracharya.[42]
The name Śambhu (Sanskrit: िम्भु swam-on its own; bhu-
burn/shine) "self-shining/shining on its own", also reflects this benign aspect.[42][258]
Ascetic and householder
Shiva is depicted both as an ascetic yogi, and as a householder with goddess Parvati.
Shiva is depictedas both an ascetic yogi and as a householder(grihasta), roles
which have beentraditionally mutually exclusive in Hindu society.[259]
When depicted
as a yogi, he may be shown sitting and meditating.[260]
His epithet Mahāyogi ("the
great Yogi: Mahā = "great", Yogi = "one who practices Yoga") refers to his
association with yoga.[261]
While Vedic religion was conceived mainly in terms of
sacrifice,it was during the Epic period that the concepts of tapas, yoga, and
asceticism became more important, and the depictionof Shiva as an ascetic sitting
in philosophicalisolation reflects these later concepts.[262]
As a family man and householder, he has a wife, Parvati and two sons, Ganesha
and Kartikeya. His epithet Umāpati ("The husband of Umā")refers to this idea, and
Sharma notes that two other variants of this name that mean the same
thing, Umākānta and Umādhava,also appear in the sahasranama.[263]
Umā in epic
literature is known by many names, including the benign Pārvatī.[264][265]
She is
identified with Devi, the Divine Mother; Shakti (divine energy) as well as goddesses
like Tripura Sundari, Durga, Kali, Kamakshi and Minakshi. The consorts of Shiva are
the source of his creative energy. They representthe dynamic extension of Shiva
onto this universe.[266]
His son Ganesha is worshipped throughout India and Nepal as
the Removerof Obstacles,Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles.Kartikeya is
worshipped in South India (especially in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka) by the
names Subrahmanya, Subrahmanyan, Shanmughan, Swaminathan and Murugan,
and in Northern India by the names Skanda, Kumara, or Karttikeya.[267]
Some regional deities are also identified as Shiva's children. As one story goes,
Shiva is enticed by the beauty and charm of Mohini, Vishnu's female avatar, and
procreates with her. As a result of this union, Shasta – identified with regional
deities Ayyappan and Aiyanar – is born.[268][269][270][271]
In outskirts of Ernakulam
in Kerala, a deity named Vishnumaya is stated to be offspring of Shiva and invoked
in local exorcism rites, but this deity is not traceable in Hindu pantheon and is
possiblya local tradition with "vaguely Chinese" style rituals, states Saletore.[272]
In
some traditions, Shiva has daughters like the serpent-
goddess Manasa and Ashokasundari.[273][274]
According to Doniger, two regional

stories depictdemons Andhaka and Jalandhara as the children of Shiva who war
with him, and are later destroyed by Shiva.[275]
Iconographic forms
Chola dynasty statue depicting Shiva dancing as Nataraja (Los Angeles County Museum of Art).
The depictionof Shiva as Nataraja (Sanskrit: naṭarāja,"Lord of Dance") is
popular.[276][277]
The names Nartaka ("dancer") and Nityanarta ("eternal dancer")
appear in the Shiva Sahasranama.[278]
His associationwith dance and also with
music is prominent in the Puranic period.[279]
In addition to the specific iconographic
form known as Nataraja, various other types of dancing forms (Sanskrit: nṛtyamūrti)
are found in all parts of India, with many well-defined varieties in Tamil Nadu in
particular.[280]
The two mostcommonforms of the dance are the Tandava, which later
came to denote the powerful and masculine dance as Kala-Mahakala associated
with the destructionof the world. When it requires the world or universe to be
destroyed,Shiva does it by the Tandava,[281][282]
and Lasya, which is graceful and
delicate and expressesemotions on a gentle level and is considered the feminine
dance attributed to the goddess Parvati.[283][284]
Lasya is regarded as the female
counterpart of Tandava.[284]
The Tandava-Lasyadances are associated with the
destruction-creationof the world.[285][286][287]
Dakshinamurthy (Dakṣiṇāmūrti)[288]
literally describes a form (mūrti)of Shiva facing
south (dakṣiṇa).This form represents Shiva in his aspectas a teacher of yoga,
music, and wisdom and giving exposition on the shastras.[289]
This iconographic form
for depicting Shiva in Indian art is mostly from Tamil Nadu.[290]
Elements of this motif
can include Shiva seated upon a deer-throne and surrounded by sages who are
receiving his instruction.[291]
An iconographic representation of Shiva called Ardhanarishvara (Ardhanārīśvara)
shows him with one half of the body as male and the other half as female. According
to Ellen Goldberg,the traditional Sanskrit name for this form is besttranslated as
"the lord who is half woman", not as "half-man, half-woman".[292]

Shiva is oftendepicted as an archer in the act of destroying the triple
fortresses, Tripura,of the Asuras.[293]
Shiva's name Tripurantaka ( Tripurāntaka),
"ender of Tripura", refers to this important story.[294]
Shiva Lingam with tripundra.
Lingam
Main article: Lingam
Apart from anthropomorphic images of Shiva, he is also represented in aniconic
form of a lingam.[295][296][297]
These are depicted invarious designs.One commonform
is the shape of a vertical rounded column in the centre of a lipped,disk-shaped
object,the yoni,symbolism forthe goddessShakti.[298]
In Shiva temples,the linga is
typically presentin its sanctum sanctorum and is the focus of votary offeringssuch
as milk, water, flower petals, fruit, fresh leaves, and rice.[298]
According to Monier
Williams and Yudit Greenberg, lingaliterally means "mark, sign or emblem",and
also refers to a "mark or sign from which the existence of something else can be
reliably inferred". It implies the regenerative divine energy innate in nature,
symbolized by Shiva.[299][300]
Some scholars, such as WendyDoniger,
view lingamerelyas an erotic phallic symbol,[301]
although this interpretation is
criticized by others, including Swami Vivekananda,[302]
Sivananda
Saraswati,[303]
and S. N. Balagangadhara.[304]
According to Moriz Winternitz,
the linga in the Shiva tradition is "only a symbolof the productive and creative
principle of nature as embodied in Shiva", and it has no historical trace in any
obscene phallic cult.[305]
The worship of the lingam originated from the famous hymn in the Atharva-Veda
Samhitâ sung in praise of the Yupa-Stambha,the sacrificial post. In that hymn, a
descriptionis found of the beginningless and endless Stambhaor Skambha,and it
is shown that the said Skambha is put in place of the eternal Brahman. Just as
the Yajna (sacrificial) fire, its smoke,ashes, and flames,the Soma plant, and the ox
that used to carry on its back the wood for the Vedic sacrifice gave place to the
conceptions of the brightness of Shiva's body, his tawny matted hair, his blue throat,
and the riding on the bull of the Shiva, the Yupa-Skambhagave place in time to
the Shiva-Linga.[306][307]
In the text Linga Purana,the same hymn is expanded in the
shape of stories,meant to establish the glory of the great Stambha and the
superiority of Shiva as Mahadeva.[307]

The oldestknown archaeological linga as an icon of Shiva is the Gudimallam lingam
from 3rd-century BCE.[298]
In Shaivism pilgrimage tradition, twelve major temples of
Shiva are called Jyotirlinga, which means "linga of light", and these are located
across India.[308]
Five mantras
The 10th century five headed Shiva, Sadashiva, Cambodia.
Five is a sacred number for Shiva.[309]
One of his mostimportant mantras has five
syllables (namaḥśivāya).[310]
Shiva's bodyis said to consist of five mantras, called the pañcabrahmans.[311]
As
forms of God,each of these have their own names and distinct iconography:[312]
 Sadyojāta
 Vāmadeva
 Aghora
 Tatpuruṣa
 Īsāna
These are represented as the five faces of Shiva and are associated in various texts
with the five elements,the five senses, the five organs of perception,and the five
organs of action.[313][314]
Doctrinal differencesand, possibly,errors in transmission,
have resulted in some differencesbetweentexts in details of how these five forms
are linked with various attributes.[315]
The overall meaning of these associations is
summarized by Stella Kramrisch:
Through these transcendent categories,Śiva, the ultimate reality, becomes the
efficientand material cause of all that exists.[316]
According to the Pañcabrahma Upanishad:
One should know all things of the phenomenal world as of a fivefold character, for
the reason that the eternal verity of Śiva is of the character of the fivefold Brahman.
(Pañcabrahma Upanishad 31)[317]
Avatars

Puranic scriptures contain occasionalreferences to "ansh" – literally portion, or
avatars of Shiva, but the idea of Shiva avatars is not universally accepted
in Saivism.[318]
The Linga Purana mentions twenty-eight forms of Shiva which are
sometimesseenas avatars ,[319]
however such mention is unusual and the avatars of
Shiva is relatively rare in Shaivism compared to the well emphasized conceptof
Vishnu avatars in Vaishnavism.[320][321][322]
Some Vaishnava literature reverentially link
Shiva to characters in its mythologies.For example, in the Hanuman
Chalisa,Hanuman is identified as the eleventh avatar of
Shiva.[323][324][325]
The Bhagavata Purana and the VishnuPurana claim sage Durvasa to
be a portion of Shiva.[326][327][328]
Some medieval era writers have called the Advaita
Vedanta philosopher Adi Shankara an incarnation of Shiva.[329]
Festivals
Main article: Maha Shivaratri
Maha Sivaratri festival is observed in the night, usually in lighted temples or
special prabha (above).
There is a Shivaratri in every lunar month on its 13th night/14th day,[330]
but once a
year in late winter (February/March) and before the arrival of spring, marks Maha
Shivaratri which means "the Great Night of Shiva".[4][331]

Maha Shivaratri is a major Hindu festival, but one that is solemn and theologically
marks a remembrance of "overcoming darkness and ignorance" in life and the
world,[331]
and meditation about the polarities of existence, of Shiva and a devotion to
humankind.[330]
It is observed by reciting Shiva-related poems,chanting prayers,
remembering Shiva, fasting, doing Yoga and meditating on ethics and virtues such
as self-restraint, honesty, noninjury to others, forgiveness,introspection,self-
repentance and the discoveryof Shiva.[331][332]
The ardent devotees keep awake all
night. Others visit one of the Shiva temples or go on pilgrimage
to Jyotirlingam shrines. Those who visit temples,offermilk, fruits, flowers,fresh
leaves and sweets to the lingam.[4]
Some communities organize special dance
events, to mark Shiva as the lord of dance, with individual and group
performances.[333]
According to Jones and Ryan, Maha Sivaratri is an ancient Hindu
festival which probably originated around the 5th-century.[331]
Another major festival involving Shiva worship is Kartik Purnima,
commemorating Shiva's victory on the demons Tripurasura. Across India, various
Shiva temples are illuminated throughout the night. Shiva icons are carried in
processionin some places.[334]
Regional festivals dedicated to Shiva include the Chittirai festival in Maduraiaround
April/May, one of the largest festivals in South India, celebrating the wedding
of Minakshi (Parvati) and Shiva. The festival is one where both the Vaishnava and
Shaiva communities join the celebrations,because Vishnu gives away his sister
Minakshi in marriage to Shiva.[335]
Some Shaktism-related festivals revere Shiva along with the goddessconsidered
primary and Supreme.These include festivals dedicated to Annapurna such
as Annakuta and those related to Durga.[336]
In Himalayan regions such as Nepal, as
well as in northern, central and western India, the festival of Teej is celebrated by
girls and women in the monsoonseason, in honor of goddess Parvati, with group
singing, dancing and by offering prayers in Parvati-Shiva temples.[337][338]
The ascetic, Vedic and Tantric sub-traditions related to Shiva, such as those that
became ascetic warriors during the Islamic rule period of India,[339][340]
celebrate the
Kumbha Mela festival.[341]
This festival cycles every 12 years, in four pilgrimage sites
within India, with the event moving to the next site after a gap of three years. The
biggestis in Prayaga (renamed Allahabad during the Mughal rule era), where
millions of Hindus of differenttraditions gather at the confluence of rivers Ganges
and Yamuna. In the Hindu tradition, the Shiva-linked ascetic warriors (Nagas)get
the honor of starting the event by entering the Sangam firstfor bathing and
prayers.[341]
Forms and relation of Lord Shiva and Vishnu
Whiletalking about “avatars” or incarnations, onewill at first think about
Dashavatarsor the famous10 incarnationsof Lord Vishnu. But, the number is not
limited within10 only. And other deities do have avatars. Letsus know the meaning
of avatarsat first.
In the philosophicalor theologicalcontext anavatar meansa manifestationofGod
upon earth in corporealform, which canbe that of a humanbeing or any living

being. As an incarnation, God lives upon earth, goes through thesame lifecycle as
other living beingsto resolve some fundamentalproblemsof existence. It is always
to set thingsright, toresolve some problem, or destroy evil.
Technically, all living beings are incarnations of God only, since the soul or
the Self is an aspect of Brahmanand identicaltohim in all aspects. However, thereis
a fundamentaldifference. TheincarnationsofGod arefull-fledged. He manifestsall
his power and knows inherentlyhis divine purposeupon earth. An incarnationof
God is also different in many respectsfrom a manifestation(vibhuti) or an aspect
(amsa) of God. Practically, everythingis a manifestation of God. A
manifestationmayor maynot be awareof itsdivine nature. Its purposemay be
limited inscope and influence, and it mayrepresent only some qualitiesor aspectsof
God such ashis knowledge, intelligence, power, wealth, beauty, aura, grace, etc.
Secondly, a manifestationofGod may happenwith or without a form. For example,
it may happen in the dream world or in another world, not necessarily upon earth,
whereasan incarnationalwayshappensuponearth and in corporealform only.
Avatars of Lord Vishnu : The Dashavatarscomesinyour mind when we talk
about avatars. Theyare :
1. Matsya : Half narwhal-half man avatar. He saves the world from a cosmic deluge, with
the help of a boat made of the Vedas (knowledge), on which he also rescues Manu
(progenitor of man) and all living beings. Demon, Hayagriva steals and tries to destroy
the Vedas, but Matsya finds the demon, kills him, and returns the Vedas.
2. Kurma : Tortoise avatar. He supports the cosmos, while the gods and demons churn the
cosmic ocean with the help of serpent Vasuki to produce the nectar of immortality (just
like churning milk to produce butter). The churning produces both the good and the bad,
including poison and immortality nectar.
3. Varah : Boar avatar. He rescues goddess earth when the demon Hiranyaksha kidnaps
her and hides her in the depths of cosmic ocean. The boar finds her and kills the demon,
and the goddess holds onto the tusk of the boar as he lifts her back to the surface.
4. Narsimha : Half lion-half man avatar. Demon king Hiranyakashipu becomes
enormously powerful, gains special powers by which no man or animal could kill him,
then bullies and persecutes people who disagree with him, including his own son. The
Man-Lion avatar creatively defeats those special powers, kills Hiranyakashipu, and
rescues demon's son Prahlad who opposes his own father.
5. Vaaman : Dwarf avatar. Demon king Bali gains disproportionately enormous powers,
ruling the entire universe and abusing it. The dwarf avatar approaches Bali in the form of
a monk, when Bali is trying to show off by giving alms at a sacrifice. Bali offers the dwarf
any riches he wants, the monk refuses and asks for three steps of land. Bali grants it to
him. The dwarf grows, in his first step takes the earth, the second all of the heavens, and
for the third the netherworld where Bali returns to.
6. Parashuram : Sage with an axe avatar. The warrior class gets too powerful, and seizes
other people's property for their own pleasure. The avatar appears as a sage with an axe,
kills the king and all his warrior companions.
7. Ram : Lord Rama is considered to be the Maryada-Purushottam(most righteous and
dutiful human) incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the era of Treta. In this incarnation he
constructed a bridge over the ocean with the help of the Vanars and after crossing over to
Lanka killed many demons like Ravana, Kumbhakarna. He taught the value of morality.
8. Krishna : Lord Krishna born in Mathura was the only one complete (Purna-Avatar) and
Leela-Purushottam incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He fought against the exploitation right
from his childhood and killed many demons like Kalayavan, Kansa, Jarasandh etc. He
gave the divine knowledge in the form of Bhagvad Gita to Arjun during the battle of
Kurukshetra.

9. Buddha : In the Kaliyuga, the demons were completely subjugated by the deities.
Shukracharya the teacher of the demons instigated the demons to perform Yagya so that
they could regain power and authority. Fearing this, deities prayed toLord Vishnu for
help. Lord Vishnu took incarnation as Buddha and dissuaded the demons from
performing Yagya as it involves violence. The demons stopped performing yagyas.
10.Kalki : At the end of Kaliyuga, when the sins would be all pervading and the kings would
themselves becomes thieves then Lord Vishnu would take his twenty-fourth incarnation
as Kalki by taking birth in the village of 'Shambhal' in a Brahmin family of Vishnuyash. By
killing and destroying the sinners, he would re-establish the superiority of Virtuosity and
religiousness.
The list of Avatarsdoesn’t end here. The Bhagavata Puranaalsogoes on to give an
alternatelist, wherein it numericallylists out 22 Vishnu avatars.
1. Four Kumaras : Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana, and Sanatkumara are described
as the first mind-born creations and sons of the creator-god Brahma. Born from Brahma's
mind, the four Kumaras undertook lifelong vows of celibacy against the wish of their
father. They are said to wander throughout the materialistic and spiritualistic universe
without any desire but with purpose to teach.All four brothers studied Vedas from their
childhood, and always travelled together.
2. Sage Narad : Lord Vishnu in his incarnation as Sage Narada showed the devotion is best
means of getting free from bondages of Karma. He roams from place to place, realm to
realm, one loka(world) to another chanting “Narayana” name and singing devotional
songs with his Veena and thus carrying news and enlightening wisdom.
3. Nar-Narayana Sages : Lord Vishnu in this incarnation of Sage Nara-Narayana took
birth from the womb of a woman named Kala. It was the twin incarnation of Lord Vishnu
on the earth working for the preservation of righteousness. The human soul Nara is the
eternal companion of the Divine Narayana. Nara-Narayana performed a tremendous
penance by going to Badri and Kedar and showed the importance of Penance (Labour) to
the world that nothing can be achieved without it.
4. Matsya (described before)
5. Kurma (described before)
6. Varaah (described before)
7. Kapil Muni : Main Purpose of Lord Vishnu's incarnation as sage Kapila was to compile
all the divine knowledge that had been destroyed and to teach this world Sankhya Shastra
(rationalism) which helped the Brahmins, who had forgotten their duties to rectify their
mistakes. His mother Devahuti was his first disciple. He cursed sons of King Sagar and
that followed Ganga Avataran on earth.
8. Dattatreya : Dattatraya, born to Mata Ansuya and father Sage Atri, was the one who had
given Spiritual Knowledge to King Alarka and Prahlada. He had twenty four teachers. He
believed that in the world, a man can learn from each and every thing, so he accepted
twenty-four objects like water, bird, air, an unmarried girl, and even a prostitute etc. He is
believed to be a mixture of Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva in mortal form.
9. Yagyapurush : Yagya is a ritual of sacrifice and is performed to please the gods. It
involves pouring oblations into the divine fire. In this avatar, born to Prajapati and Akuti,
Lord Vishnu’s main thrust of teaching was based on the values of helpfulness and
protecting each other during the time of crisis.
10.Rishav avtar : Lord Vishnu in this incarnation as Rishabh Dev was born to king Nabhi
and Marudevi. His mother Marudeviwas the daughter of Indra. He attained that state of
Paramhansa which is an uphill task. He was given the title of 'Jin' which means 'a
knower'. His followers are known as Jains. He was the first of the 24 Tirthankaras.
11. King Prithu : Lord Vishnu as 'Prithu' took this incarnation as per the wishes of the
sages. The earth had concealed all the vegetation's within her and as a result the whole
land had become barren. To protect the humanity, Lord Vishnu took incarnation as
Prithu by milking the cow (earth). This is considered as supreme incarnation, because
after that the earth has remained full of vegetations.
12. Narsimha(described before)

13. Dhanvantari : Lord Vishnu took his incarnation as Dhanvantari at the time of Samudra
manthan(churning of the ocean of milk). He manifested from the ocean holding a vessel
filled with Amrita(ambrosia). He was the profounder of Ayurved Shastra.
14. Mohini : Lord Vishnu in his female incarnation as Mohini enchanted the demons by his
beautiful appearance of a woman(after Samudra manthan), and took away the pot filled
up with ambrosia from them and gave it to the deities. The deities were thus protected
from the demon.
15. Hayagreeva : The main purpose of this incarnation of Lord Vishnu was to restore and
protect the Vedas, which were stolen by Madhu and Kaitaba. In this incarnation of
Hayagreeva, his face resembled that of a horse and the rest of his body resembled that of
Sri Narayan with all of his four hands. He killed the demons and protected the Vedas.
16. Vaaman avtar(described before)
17. Parashuram(described before)
18. Ram(described before)
19. Vyas : Lord Vishnu(some say, Lord Brahma) took his nineteenth incarnation as Sage
Vyasa by taking birth from the womb of 'Satyavati'. His father was sage Parashar. He
made the division of Veda, and made extension of its branches. He also wrote eighteen
Mahapuranas and the Mahabharata.
20.Krishna(described before)
21. Buddha(described before)
22.Kalki(described before)
In few texts, avatarsof Sesha such as Balram, Lakshman arealso associated with
Vishnu. Again, Garuda, Hansa are also considered as ansh(part of energy) of Lord
Vishnu. Some scripturesdescribeVishnu asone of 12 Adityas(Sun), thusrelating
Sun or Suryadev with Vishnu. People used to say that Kingsare Vishnu himself
thus relating Kingsof 3 world Indra with Vishnu also.
Avatars of Shiva : Although Puranic scripturescontainoccasionalreferencesto
avatarsof Shiva, the avatar doctrineisneither universallyaccepted nor commonly
adopted in Shaivism. Theviews on the doctrineof incarnationhasbeenone of the
significantdoctrinaldifferencesbetweenVaishnavism and Shaivism, inadditionto
their differenceson the role of householder life versus monastic lifefor spiritual
release.
The Linga Purana liststwenty-eight avatarsofShiva. Someof them are,
1. Pippalaad Avatar : Lord Shiva took birth in the house of sage Dadhichi as Piplaad. But
the sage left his house even before Piplaad was born. When Piplaad grew up he came to
know that his father left the house due to bad planetary position of Shani. So, Piplaad
cursed Shani and caused the planet to fall from His celestial abode. Later he forgave
Shani on a condition that the planet would never trouble anyone before 16 years of age.
Hence worshipping the Piplaad form of Lord Shiva helps to get rid of Shani dosha.
2. Nandi Avatar : Nandi or the great bull is the mount of Lord Shiva. Nandi is described as
the son of the sage Shilada. Shilada underwent severe penance to have a boon — a child
with immortality like Lord Shiva and got Nandi as his son. It is said that Nandi was born
from a yagya performed by the Shilada and his body was clad in armour made out of
diamonds when he was born. The Nandi avatar of Lord Shiva is seen as the protector of
the herds.
3. Veerbhadra : After Goddess Sati immolated Herself at the Daksha yagna, Lord Shiva
became extremely furious. Lord Shiva plucked a hair strand from His head and threw it
on the ground. It was from the hair strand that Veerbhadra and Rudrakali were born. It is
the most fierce avatar of Shiva. He is depicted as a dark God with three fiery eyes, wearing
a garland of skulls and carrying terrifying weapons. This avatar of Lord Shiva severed
Daksh's head at the yagna.

4. Bhairava Avatar : Lord Shiva took this avatar at the time when Lord Brahma and Lord
Vishnu had a fight over superiority. When Lord Brahma lied about His superiority, Shiva
took the form of Bhairava and cut off Lord Brahma's fifth head. Severing a Brahma's head
made Lord Shiva guilty of the crime of killing a Brahmin (Brahma hatya) and hence Shiva
had to carry the skull of Brahma for twelve years and roam as a Bhikshatana. In this form
Shiva is said to guard all the Shaktipeeths.
5. Ashwatthama : When Lord Shiva consumed the deadly poison during the churning of
the ocean, the poison started burning His throat. The vish purush sprang out of Lord
Shiva and the Lord blessed him with a boon. Lord Shiva granted him the boon that the
vish purush would be born on Earth as the son of Drona and would kill all the oppressive
Kshatriyas. Thus the vish purush was born as Ashwatthama.
6. Sharabh Avatar : Sharabha form of Lord Shiva is Part human, part bird and part lion.
According to Shiv Purana, Lord Shiva took the form of Sharabha to tame Narasimha, the
half lion avatar of Lord Vishnu.
7. Grihapati : Lord Shiva took birth in the house of a Brahmin called Vishwanar as his son.
Vishwanar named Him Grihapati. When Grihapati attained the age of 9, Narada informed
His parents that Grihapati was going to die. So, Grihapati went to Kashi to conquer death.
Grihapati was blessed by Lord Shiva and He conquered death.
8. Aghora : As Aghora, Lord Shiva gave the teaching of Tantravidya tothis world. He
placed Goddess Kali, supreme power of Tantras, in a gigantic yantra expanding though all
over the universe so that no one else can bring Kali under their command.
9. Durvasa : Lord Shiva took this form to maintain discipline in the Universe. Durvasa was
a great sage and was known for being short tempered.
10.Hanuman : The great monkey God is also one of the avatars of Lord Shiva. It is said that
Lord Shiva took birth in the form of Hanuman to serve Lord Vishnu in the form of Ram.
11. Vrishabh Avatar : After the Samudra manthan, once Lord Vishnu went to the Patal Lok
or the underworld. There He was infatuated by the beautiful women. Lord Vishnu had
many sons during His stay there. But all His sons turned out to be cruel and monstrous.
They started tormenting all Gods and humans alike. It was then Lord Shiva took the form
of an ox or Vrishabha and killed all the cruel sons of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu came to
fight the ox but after recognising that it was Lord Shiva's incarnation, He returned to His
abode.
12. Yatinath Avatar : There was once a tribal named Aahuk. He and his wife were ardent
devotees of Lord Shiva. One day Lord Shiva visited them in the form of Yatinath. Since
they had a very small hut which could accommodate only twopeople, Aahuk decided to
sleep outside and let the guest sleep in. Unfortunately Aahuk was killed by a wild animal
at night. In the morning, finding Aahuk dead, his wife decided to kill herself. Then Lord
Shiva appeared in His real form and blessed her with a boon that she and her husband
will be reborn as Nala and Damayanti and Lord Shiva will unite them.
13. Krishna Darshan Avatar : Lord Shiva took this incarnation to highlight the
importance of yagna and rituals in a person's life.
14. Bhikshuvarya Avatar : This incarnations of Lord Shiva protects human beings from all
kinds of dangers.
15. Sureshwar Avatar : Lord Shiva once took the form of Indra to test one of His devotees.
That is why He came to be known as Sureshwar.
16. Keerat Avatar : Lord Shiva descended in the form of a hunter or Keerat while Arjuna
was meditating. Duryodhan had sent a demon named Mooka to kill Arjuna. Mooka had
disguised himself as a boar. Arjuna was engrossed in his meditation, when suddenly his
concentration got disturbed by a loud noise. He opened his eyes and saw Mooka. He and
the Keerat struck the boar at the same time with arrows. A fight broke between the Keerat
and Arjuna as to who struck the boar first. Arjuna challenged Lord Shiva in the form of
Keerat for a duel. Lord Shiva was pleased by Arjuna's valour and gifted him his
Pashupata.
17. Suntantarka Avatar : Lord Shiva took this incarnation to ask the hand of Parvatiin
marriage from Her father Himalaya.

18. Yaksheshwar Avatar : Lord Shiva took this avatar to take away the false ego from the
minds of the Gods. When Gods like Indra, Varun, Agni, Vayu were full of ego and proud
of their powers, Shiva in this form appeared before them with a small grass in his hand.
He asked the Gods to harm the piece of grass, but all failed.
19. Avadhut Avatar : This incarnation was taken by Lord Shiva to crush the arrogance of
Indra.
20.Khandoba : The legend tell of the demon Malla and his younger brother Mani, who had
gained the boon of invincibility from Brahma, creating chaos on the earth and harassing
the sages. When the Sapta Rishis approached Shiva for protection after Indra and Vishnu
confessed their incapability, Shiva assumed the form of Martanda Bhairava, as the
Mahatmya calls Khandoba, riding Nandi, leading an army of the gods. Martanda Bhairava
is described as shining like the gold and sun, covered in turmeric also known as Haridra,
three-eyed, with a crescent moon on his forehead. The demon army was slaughtered by
the gods and finally Khandoba killed Malla and Mani.
21. Batuk Bhairav Avatar : Lord Shiva took this child form to pacify Goddess Kali and
bring her back to her calm Gauri form. As Shakti is the mother of all universe, hearing the
cry of a child(Batuk Bhairav), Goddess Kali forgot her anger and thirst for blood and was
busy to take care of the child.
22.Pashupatinath Avatar : In this form, Lord Shiva guards over every animal species in
this world. He is the Lord of every living beings.
23.Chandrashekhar Avatar : When Lord Shiva came to the palace of Himavan and
Menaka, parents of Parvati, to marry their daughter, Menaka was frightened seeing his
future son-in-law in his original appearance. Lord Shiva was seated on Nandi, wore a
tiger skin and ornaments of Rudraksh and living snakes, all covered with ashes, a crescent
moon was on his forehead. Deadly appearing ghosts and pishachas and ganas were with
him. Menaka refused to let her daughter marry Shiva. So, on the request of Lord Vishnu,
Lord Shiva took this avatar which was more beautiful than Kaamdev(God of desire) and
Vishnu(Kaammohan) himself.
24.Dakshinamurti : ‘Dakshin-murti’, he who is facing towards south, is a special
manifestation of Shiva as a Guru or teacher seated under a great Banyan tree(symbolic
manifestation of macrocosm from microcosm. From a tiny seed of banyan, a huge tree
of banyan grows. This is compared to the formation of gross from subtle. Initiation
takes place without any words being exchanged) facing southwards giving invaluable
knowledge of Vedas, and other shashtras to his disciples the four Sanatkumaras. In this
form, Śiva is represented as seated on a rock in lalitāsana. His right hand is
in vyākhyānamudra. Other hands hold sarpa, agni and akṣamāla. The four sages
(Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumara and Sanatsujata) are represented as seated on the
foreground.
Apart from these, thereare 11 Rudras, 12 Jyotirlingas(Somnath,Mallikarjun,
Mahakaleshwar,Omkareshwar,Nageshwar,Vishwanath, Rameshwar,
Bhimashankar,Vaidyanath,Kedarnath,Trayambakeshwar &
Ghushmeshwar), 8 Murtis which were also different avatarsof Shiva.
11 Rudras : Rudras - Wikipedia
Ashtamurti : Satpad Brahmangivesthefollowing version of the eight forms of Śiva
: “When the life-principlebecamemanifest it had no name, so it cried. Prajāpati
asked the reasonand being informed that the child wanted a name, first gave him
the nameRudra, then Śarva, Paśupati, Ugra, Aśani, Bhava, Mahādeva and Īśāna.”
Thiswas the conceptionfrom which the purāṇa writersdeveloped theAṣṭamūrti
conceptionof Śiva. The fact is that the eight formsof Śiva symbolise thefive gross
materialelements(ether, air, fire, water, and earth), twooppositeprinciplesof Prāṇa
and Apāna (heat and cold represented by the sun and the moon) and the principleof
mind (manas) which is the eighth.

SatarudrasamhitaofShiva Purana describesother AvatarsofShiva. Shiva takes
these avatarsat end of every Dvapara Yuga with Vyasa toteach Yoga techniquesfor
people of Kali Yuga. Theseare the namesof Avatarsof Shiva in chronologicalorder
in thisVaivastaraManvnataraofSvetavaraha Kalpa.
1. Sveta muni
2. Sutaara
3. Damana
4. Suhotra
5. Kanka
6. Lokaaksi
7. Jaigeesaavya
8. Dashivaahana
9. Rsabha (well known Avatar of Shiva)
10.Brgu
11. Kaali
12. Puru
13. Bali
14. Gautama
15. Vedavarsin
16. Gokarna
17. Grhasvami
18. Sikhandi
19. Jaatimali
20.Attahas
21. Daaruka
22.Laanguli Bheema
23.Sveta
24.Sooli
25.Dandi
26.Sahinsu
27. Somasarma
28.Yogatma and becomes popular by name Lakuli.
Lakuli is identified as Lakulish who revived PasupataSect.
12 Jolingaras
12 Jyotirlingasareconsidered asavatar of Shiva. These are :
1. Somnath
2. Mallikarjuna
3. Mahakaleswar
4. Omkareshwar
5. Kedarnath
6. Bhimashankar
7. Vishwanath
8. Tryambakeshwar
9. Baidyanath
10. Aundha Nagnath
11. Rameshwar
12.Ghrushneshwar
11 Rudrasarealso considered as avatar ofShiva. They are:

1. Nirriti
2. Shambhu
3. Aparajita
4. Mrigavyadha
5. Kapardi
6. Dahana
7. Khara
8. Ahirabradhya
9. Kapali
10. Pingala
11. Senani
Apart from them, there are19 major avatars(called Anshavatars) ofShiva. They are:
1. Pippalad
2. Nandi
3. Veerbhadra
4. Bhairava
5. Ashwathhama
6. Sharabha
7. Grihapati
8. Hanuman
9. Durvasa
10. Rishabh
11. Yatinath
12.Krishna Darshan
13.Bhikshuvarya
14.Sureshwar
15.Kirat
16.Suntantarka
17.Bhramachari
18. Yaksheshwar
19.Avadhoot
Lord Vishnu:
There are10 major Avatarsof lord Vishnu:
1. Matsya
2. Kurma
3. Varaha
4. Narsimha
5. Vamana
6. Parshuram
7. Ram
8. Krishna
9. Budhha
10. Kalki (yet to come)
1. If you understand, our scripturesaremonotheistic, Narayanais theactual
god, rest all are his plenaryexpansions.

2. Shiva is a particular portion of Vishnu.Vishnu can show Shiva
but not viceversa. AlsoShiva is present only in living beings, if Shiva
leaves a living body it becomesShavam, absenceof shivam. But Narayanis
present in each and every atom including inliving beingsas Paramatma.
3. Shiva is a Mahadeva, Which meansgreatestamong all ‘devas’.
Narayan/Vishnu isreferred as Devadeva which means God of all ‘devas’,
ActualGod.
4. Bhagavad Gita saysKrishna (Personalform) is the source of impersonal
Param Brahman, Shiva isjust a portionof Para Brahman, whileNarayanis
completeParam Brahman.
5. NarayanisSupremeCreator, Preserver, Destroyer. Brahma is a secondary
creator, thereis Brahma for each and every universe. Shiva is a subduer who
is a form of Vishnu takes part in destruction. We say “HariHara” which
means when Hari becomes Hara.
6. Brahma is a mortal just like us but he lives for so long, Brahma is
himselfa created being, there are many Brahmasbut Narayanisunique.
7. Manypeople confuse Shiva to be God becauseof over exaggeration. Shiva is
no doubt a great yogi and tantric. Manytantricsand aghorisconsider him as
guru. Even they don’t consider him as guru.
I cansee manyanswers having picturesshowing Vishnu/KrishnaworshipingShiva
or Shiva linga by doing namaskaram. They are confusing betweenWorshipand
showing obeisances. Pouringwater on Shiv linga is not worship,it means
nourishingthe lives as Shiva means life. Just like pouring water on a plant
sapling.
Here you can see Garbha Vishnu pouring water on Shiva linga. Which
means he is nourishingall the lives present in the Cosmos.
I am very sorry to say this. People are confusing betweenWorship, Praiseand
Nourishment. Peopleareputting unauthorized imagesshowing Krishna/Vishnu

worshiping Shiva. Even I cancreateand upload a pictureshowing Ram worshiping
Laxmanand Parvathi worshipingGanesha.
Some people are just spreading their own mentality in the name of
Vedas. Let's see one example of their ignorance.

//Lord Vishnu is Supreme// who Denied. But does believing it make Lord Shiva inferior to
Vishnu?
Here it is Claimed that Unlike Vishnu, Shiva Doesn't have any Historylike
rAmayana and Mahabharata. It'salso wrong “Shiv-Rahasya” is great
1.
2.
3.
4.

text equivalent to size of Mahabharata. ShriShivaRahasya onemay read it
from link given.
If student studies in 9th class cannot understand what is concept of
“quantum mechanics” given in the Various books of college it is better
that student eitherconsult some college student or just fold his hands
with due respect.
Don't know from where the above person has learnt Vedas. I doubt Wheather hehas
even know what is Veda and Vedanta. One must read it What arethefalse beliefs
that people have about Lord Shiva? VeryGood And Relevant Question.
The Following are False Beliefs regarding Lord Shiva.
Myth-1) Shiv-Lingam:- Considering it as Genitals.
TRUTH:- It's not Genitals Vedas Clearly says What is Shiv-Lingam. It represents INFINITE
form of Lord Shiva.Refer below link to know what it is
The unassailable glory of Bhuvaneshwara – the SKAMBHA
Myth-2) Shiva is full of "Tamo Guna". He is embodiment of Tamo guna (ingnorance)
TRUTH:-
In Vedas Lord Shiva is reffered as following.
“dhavathe sathvanaam pathaye namo namah |” (Yajurveda Sri Rudram Anuvaka -2)
Meaning:-
“Salutations and salutations, to him who rushes to save his devotees, And to him who is the lord
of people with Satva qualities”
So Lord Shiva is Lord of All Satvik People.
Myth-3) Shiva cannot give Liberation to his devotee.
TRUTH:-
In Vedas Prayer for Salvation is done only to Lord Shiva.
In the Vedas it finds its place in three texts - a) the Rig veda VII.59.12, b) the Yajur Veda III.60,
and c) the Atharva VedaXIV.1.17.
Myth-4) All Shiva Bhaktas are Tamasic (ignorant) in nature. That's why they like Shiva.

TRUTH:-
Rama, Krishna, Parshuram, various incarnation of Lord Vishnu Worship Lord Shiva. Moreover
Vishnu get his SUDARAHANA Chakra from Lord Shiva. So did it mean Lord Vishnu too is Tamo-
guna? Not at all.
Many Sages like Rishi Dathichi, Rishi Svetaswatara, Rishi Durvasa, Rishi Markandey, Rishi
Kashyap and many Sages are Devotee of Lord Shiva. So all are Tamsik? Never.
MYTH-5) All Shiva Bhaktas are material mongers. That's why they like Shiva
TRUTH:-
Rishi Dathichi one of Great Lord Shiva Devotee… Sacrifice his life so that Indra can Make his
powerful weapon “vajra” from skeleton of Rishi Dathichi. Where could one find Materialistic
approach?
Myth-6) Shiva is inferior to Lord Vishnu. If anyone says both are equal and same then it should
be considered as the highest form of blasphemy.
TRUTH:-
Lord Shiva-Vishnu can Never be differentiated. Tattwam of both are Same and Identical. Only
Ignorant People cannot tolerate Union of Lord Shiva and Vishnu.
Myth-7) Only demons see Shiva as Supreme God.
TRUTH:-
Dhyey Bhatt (ઘ્યેય ભટૃ)'s answer to Is Lord Shiva a parabrahman?
Vedas Clearly declared Lord Shiva as Supreme. Does Vedas too are Demonic?? NOT AT ALL.
Myth-8) Shiva is a demi-god.
TRUTH:-
Never. Lord Shiva is Ved-Purusha. He can never be DemiGod. Only People affected by Shiva's
Maya propagate such things.
||Om Namah Shivaay||
Lord Shiva is Ved-Purusha(Supreme Personality of Godhead)
Is Lord Shiva a parabrahman?
Yes.He is ParaBramha.
Let's See some Reference from Vedas.

Prostration be to Thee, O Lord, Ruler of the universe, Great God Three-Eyed
One, Destroyer of the Tripuras, Death to the destructive Fire of the three worlds at the end of
Time, Terror toeven tothe terrible Fire of Time, Blue-necked One, Overcomer of
mortality, Overlord over everyone, Bestower of Blessedness, Ever-Auspicious, the Blessed
Great God—to Thee, prostration.”
Prostration to Thee who art (in the form of) the hosts of celestial attendants and their
chiefs; prostration to Thee who art the formless and the universal-formed; prostration to
Thee who art the great as well as the small; prostration to Thee who art those that ride in chariots
and those that do not; prostration to Thee who art the chariots as well as the chariot owners.”
“Prostration to the Creator and Destroyer of the Universe; prostration to the Remover of
sins and the Protector of all beings; prostration to the blue-necked One and the fair-necked
One; prostration to the matted-locked One and the clean-shaven One; prostration to the
thousand-eyed One and Him who wields multiple bows.”
It's Lord Shiva who exist in form of Lord Vishnu.
Prostration to the Resident of the mountains and who is in the form of Vishnu;
prostration to the One who wields arrows and rains heavily through the clouds; prostration to the
One who is dwarfed in size and small in limbs; prostration to the One who is huge in size and
multi-formed in limbs; prostration to the Ancient One who is glorified through
eternity.”

Prostration to Him who is the source of bliss, spiritual as well as temporal; prostration
to Him who dispenses all happiness, heavenly as well as earthly; prostration to
Him who is the Auspicious One, and is more auspicious than anything else.
It is Lord Shiva who dwells as inner self of all gods
Prostration to Him who is situated in the hearts of the gods, bestowing on devotees wealth
(material as well as spiritual); prostration to You who are undecaying; prostration to You who
grants the wishes of everyone; prostration to You who destroys evil from all sides;
prostration to You who manifests Yourself abundantly.”
Lord Shiva is all Pervasive and hence All Hands, Head belongs to none other then Him.
“sarvaanana shirogriivaH sarvabhuutaguhaashayaH |
sarvavyaapiisa bhagavaa.nstasmaat.h sarvagataHshivaH” (Svetaswatara Upanishad. 3:11)
“All faces are His faces; all heads, His heads; all necks, His necks. He dwells in the
hearts of all beings. He is the all—pervading Bhagavan. Therefore He is
omnipresent Shiva”.
Whatever is there it is None other then Lord Shiva.
“sarvovairudrastasmai rudraya namo astu|” (Taittiriya Aranyaka 10:24:1 of Yajurveda)
“All this is verily Rudra. ToRudra we offer our salutations.”
Entire Universe is Manifestation of Lord Shiva.Hence He is Lord of Entire Universe
“vishvam bhutam bhuvanam citram bahudha jatam jayamanam cayat sarvohyesha rudrastasmai
rudraya namo astu |” (Taittiriya Aranyaka 10:24:1 of Yajurveda)
“The whole universe, the created beings and whatever there is manifoldly and
profusely created in the past and in the present in the form of the world, all that is
indeed this Rudra. Salutations be to Rudra who is such”.
Lord Shiva himself is Pranava Mantra OM .
Prostration to Him who kills in front and from behind. Salutations to Him who is in the form of
everyone whoslays, and who kills all at the time of Pralaya.Prostration to the stately trees with
green tufts of leaves. Salutations to Him who is the Pravana mantra; Om.
Vedas Clearly Recognize Pranav “Om” as Nirgun Aspect of Lord Shiva.Below is the verse from
Shruti.
sarvakaraNAnimanasi saMpratiShThApya dhyAna.n viShNuH prANaM manasi saha karaNaiH
saMpratiShThApya dhyAtA rudraHprANaM manasi sahakaraNairnAdAnte paramAtmani
saMpratiShThApya dhyAyIteshAnaM pradhyAyitavya.n sarvamidaM |” (Atharvashika Upanishad
2:1)

“The pranava (the sound of Om) makes all the souls to bow before it. It is the one
and only one which has to be meditated upon as the four Vedas and the birth place
of all devas. One who meditates like that goes away from all sorrows and fears and gets the
power to protect all others who approach him. It is because of this meditation only that
Lord Vishnu who is spread every where, wins over all others. It is because Lord
Brahma controlled all his organs and meditated upon it, he attained the position of
the creator. Even Lord Vishnu , parks his mind in the sound (Om) of the place of
Paramathma (ultimate soul) and meditates upon Eeshana, who is most proper to
be worshipped. All this is only proper in case of Eeshana”.
Thus Lord Shiva Himself is Omkar Roopam.That’s why He is Known as OMKARESHWAR
“tasyottarataHshiro dakShiNataH pAdau ya uttarataHsa o~NkAraH ya o~NkAraH sa praNavaH
yaH praNavaH sa sarvavyApI yaHsarvavyApI so.anantaH yo.anantastattAra.n yattAra.n
tatsUkShma.n tachChukla.n yachChukla.n tadvaidyuta.n yadvaidyuta.n tatparaM brahma
yatparaM brahma sa ekaH ya ekaH sa rudraH ya rudraH yorudraH sa IshAnaH ya IshAnaH sa
bhagavAn.h maheshvaraH |” (Atharvasiras Upanishad 3:6)
“The head of “the sound of Om” is on your left side. Its feet are on your right side.
That “Sound of Om” is the Pranava (primeval sound). That Pranava is spread
everywhere. That which is everywhere is the greatest. That which is limitless, shines like a white
star. That which is also called Shuklam (seminal fluid- the basic unit of life) is very very minute.
That which is minute is like a lightning power. That which is like lightning power is the ultimate
Brahman. That Brahman is one and only one. That one and only one is Rudra, it is
also the Eeshana, it is also the ultimate God (Bhagavan) and it is also the lord of all
things.”
Lord Shiva is Father of Entire Universe and all other God.Therefore he is called Universal Father
or “Jagat-Pitaah”.
“somaḥ pavate janitā matīnāṃ janitā divo janitā pṛthivyāḥ
janitāghnerjanitā sūryasya janitendrasya janitota viṣṇoḥ ” (Rig Veda.IX.96.5)
“Father of sacred chants, Soma (Shiva with Uma) flows onwards, the Father of the
Earth, Father of the Celestial region: Father of Agni, the creator of Surya, the Father who
gave birth to Indra and Vishnu”.
He is Creator of All Other God And Bestows Power to Other God.
“hiraNyagarbha.n janayaamaasa puurva.n sa no buddhyaa shubhayaa sa.nyunaktu ||”
(Svetaswatara Upanishad 3:04)
“He, the omniscient Rudra, the creator of the gods and the bestower of their powers,
the support of the universe, He who, in the beginning, gave birth to Hiranyagarbha—
may He endow us with clear intellect!”
Lord Shiva is Parambrahma and He is Beyond Viraat and Hiranyagarbha.
“tataH paraM brahma paraM bR^ihanta.n yathaanikaaya.n sarvabhuuteshhu guuDham.h |
vishvasyaikaM pariveshhTitaaramiisha.n ta.n GYaatvaa.amR^itaa bhavanti|” (Svetasvathara
Upanishad 3:07)
“The Supreme Lord Rudra is higher than Virat, beyond Hiranyagarbha. He is
Brihat (=Brahman) and is hidden in the bodies of all living beings. By knowing Him who
alone pervades the universe, men become immortal”.
All the gods are contained inside lord Shiva only.
“yásya tráyastriṃśad devā́ áṅge sárve samā́hitāḥ |
skambháṃ táṃ brūhi katamáḥ svid evá sáḥ |” (Atharva Veda X:7:13)

“Who out of many, tell me, is that Skambha He in whose body are contained all three-and-
thirty Deities?”
In fact there is none who exists other than Shiva. It is due to low intelligence that people
discriminate between Gods, but all forms are the forms of Mahadeva only. Let’s us now see some
more interesting evidences from Vedas on how Lord Shiva manifested himself as which god in
which direction inside the Hiranyagarbha.
There is a hymn on Vratya (Ascetic Shiva) in Atharva Veda which details out how Vratya (Shiva)
transformed himselfinto various gods
and manifested them from his form. Let’s see the verses now.
Shiva became the Marut host:
“sá yát prā́cīṃ díśam ánu vyácalan mā́rutaṃ śárdho bhūtvā́nuvyàcalan máno ‘nnādáṃ kr̥tvā́ |”
(Atharva Veda XV:14:1)
“He when he went away tothe eastern region, went away having become the Marut host, and
having made Mind an eater of food”.
Shiva became Indra:
“sá yád dákṣiṇāṃ díśam ánu vyácalad índro bhūtvā́nuvyàcalad bálam annādáṃ kr̥tvā́ |” (Atharva
Veda XV:14:2)
“He, when he went away to the southern region, went away having become Indra, and having
made Strength an eater of food”.
Shiva became Varuna:
“sá yát pratīć īṃ díśam ánu vyácalad váruṇo rā́jā bhūtvā́nuvyàcalad apò ‘nnādīḥ́ kr̥tvā́ |”
“He, when he went away to the western region, went away having become King Varuna, and having
made the Waters eaters of food”.
Shiva became King Soma:
“sá yád údīcīṃ díśam ánu vyácalat sómo rā́jā bhūtvā́nuvyàcalat saptarṣíbhir hutá ā́hutim
annādīṃ́ kr̥tvā́ |” (Atharva Veda XV:14:4)
“He, when he went away to the northern region, went away having become King Soma and having
made the Seven Rishis’ oblation an eater of food”.
Shiva became VISHNU:
“sá yád dhruvā́ṃ díśam ánu vyácalad víṣṇur bhūtvā́nuvyàcalad virā́jam annādīṃ́ kr̥tvā́ |”
“He, when he went away to the stedfast region, went away having become Vishnu and having made
Virāj an eater of food”.
Shiva became Rudra (the deity responsible for destruction – kAlAgni rudrA):
“sá yát paśū́n ánu vyácalad rudró bhūtvā́nuvyàcalad óṣadhīr annādīḥ́ kr̥tvā́ |” (Atharva Veda
XV:14:6)
“He, when he went away to animals, went away having become Rudra and having made herbs
eaters of food”.

Shiva becameYama:
“sá yát pitr̥̄ń ánu vyácalad yamó rā́jā bhūtvā́nuvyàcalat svadhākārám annādáṃ kr̥tvā́ |”
“He, when he went away to the Fathers, went away having become King Yama and having made
the exclamation Svadhā an eater of food”.
Shiva became Agni:
“sá yán manuṣyā̀n ánu vyácalad agnír bhūtvā́nuvyàcalat svāhākārám annādáṃ kr̥tvā́ |” (Atharva
Veda XV:14:8)
“He, when he went away to men, went away having become Agni and having made the exclamation
Svāhā an eater of food”.
Shiva became Brihaspati:
“sá yád ūrdhvā́ṃ díśam ánu vyácalad br̥h́ aspátir bhūtvā́nuvyàcalad vaṣaṭkārám annādáṃ
kr̥tvā́ |” (Atharva Veda XV:14:9)
“He, when he went away to the upper region, went away having become Brihaspati and having
made the exclamation Vashat an eater of food”.
Shiva became Sun god (Aditya)[From the name Isana shiva manifested himself as
Sun as per Shatapatah Brahmana 6:1:3:17, so
although Ishana is Shiva’s name, the below verse means Sun]:
“sá yád devā́n ánu vyácalad īś́ āno bhūtvā́nuvyàcalan manyúm annādáṃ kr̥tvā́ |” (Atharva
Veda XV:14:10)
“He, when he went away to the Gods, went away having become Isana and having made Passion an
eater of food”.
Shiva became Prajapati:
“sá yát prajā́ ánu vyácalat prajā́patir bhūtvā́nuvyàcalat prāṇám annādáṃ kr̥tvā́ |” (Atharva
Veda XV:14:11)
“He, when he went away to creatures, went away having become Prajāpati and having made vital
breath an eater of food”.
Shiva became Parameshthin:
“sá yát sárvān antardeśā́n ánu vyácalat parameṣṭhī́bhūtvā́nuvyàcalad bráhmānnādáṃ kr̥tvā́ |”
“He, when he went away to all the intermediate spaces, went away having become Parameshthin
and having made Devotion an eater of food”.
Likewise Shiva created Earth, firmament (Sky), heaven, cosntellations, seasons, season-groups,
year, etc.
So, all the Gods including Vishnu are manifestations of Mahadeva alone. Hence
whatever form one prays to, actually all prayers go to Lord Shiva and again that same Lord Shiva
accepts the prayers of devotees through his forms and fulfils their wishes through those forms.
There is No Master/Ruler of Lord Shiva.He Never Worship Anyone Although it is
portrayed in Purana(s) that Shiva Meditates on Lord Rama /Vishnu. Here we need to Understand

that Shiva is Inner self of all deities that's why it shows Union Of “Hari-Har”. If
statement of rAmayana or Puranas are taken As it is it Contradict Vedas Since Veda Clearly
says that Lord Shiva has No Master to whom He could Worship.
“na tasya kashchit.h patirasti loke na cheshitaa naiva cha tasya liN^gam.h |
sa kaaraNa.n karaNaadhipaadhipo na chaasya kashchijjanitaa na chaadhipaH |”(Svetaswatara
Upanishad 6:09)
“There is no master of his in the world, no ruler of his, not even a sign of him. He is
the cause, the lord of the lords of the organs, and there is of him neither parent nor lord”.
No One in this Universe is equivalent to Lord Shiva.He has No Cause and effect.
“na tasya kaarya.n karaNa.n cha vidyate na tatsamashchaabhyadhikashcha dRîshyate |
paraasya shaktirvividhaiva shruuyate svaabhaavikiiGYaanabalakriyaa cha |” (Svetaswatara
Upanishad 6:08)
“There is no effect and no cause known of him, no one is seen like unto him or better; his
high power is revealed as manifold, as inherent, acting as force and knowledge”.
Lord Shiva is “ParamBramha”
“kasmAduchyate paraM brahma yasmAtparamaparaM parAyaNa.n cha |
bRîhadbRîhatyA bRî.nhayati tasmAduchyate paraM brahma |” (Atharvasiras Upanishad)
“He (Rudra) is called Para Brahmam (Supreme Brahman – the ultimate reality),
because he is the highest and excellent of all, though he is inside every thing, he is in and
out of everything, he is the refuge of every thing and bigger than the biggest. That’s why he is called
Parambrahma.”
Lord Shiva is Soul of each and every Being.
Taittiriya Aranyaka (10.16.2) of Yajurveda calls lord Shiva as:
“aatmaaya namaH |” (Salutations to Him, He who is the Spirit – Atman – dwelling in all creatures)
“aatmali~Ngaaya namaH |” (Salutations to Him, He who is concealed in the heart of all creatures
being their inmost Self .”
There is No God in Universe who can Grant Salvation (Moksha) to Living being except Lord Shiva.
“umaasahaayaM parameshvaraM prabhuM trilochanaM niilakaNThaM prashaantam.h |
dhyaatvaa munirgachchhati bhuutayoniM samastasaakShiM tamasaH parastaat.h | (Kaivalya
Upanishad 7)
sa eva sarvaM yadbhuutaM yachcha bhavyaM sanaatanam.h |
j~naatvaa taM mRîtyumatyetinaanyaH panthaa vimuktaye |” (Kaivalya Upanishad 9)
“Meditating on the highest Lord, allied to Uma, powerful, three-eyed, blue-necked,
and tranquil, the holy man reaches Him (Shiva) who is the source of all, the witness
of all and is beyond darkness (i.e. Avidya). He alone is all that was, and all that will
be, the Eternal; knowing Him, one transcends death; there is no other way to
freedom”.
Same thing is Mentioned elsewhere.

“aya.n hRîdi sthitaH saakshii sarveshhaamavisheshhataH|
tenaaya.n hRîdayaM proktaH shivaH sa.nsaaramochakaH |” (Panchabrahmopanishat 36)
“Lord Shiva, who grants salvation to one, from this day- to-day life of the world,
exists as witness without differentiation in the heart of all beings and is called
Hrudayam (That which exists within)”.
There is Only Lord Shiva exist in Universe.Other then Lord Shiva there is nothing.Shiva himself
Manifest as other deity and Hence there is Only One Shiva who exist in entire Universe.
“eko hi rudro na dvitiiyaaya tasthurya imaa.nllokaaniishata iishaniibhiH |
pratyaN^ janaastishhThati saJNchukochaantakaale sa.nsRîjya vishvaa bhuvanaani gopaaH |”
(Svetaswatara Upanishad 3:02)
“Rudra is truly one; for the knowers of Brahman do not admit the existence of a
second, He alone rules all the worlds by His powers. He
dwells as the inner Self of every living being. After having created all the worlds, He, their
Protector, takes them back into Himself at the end of time”.
From Lord Shiva Vedas have been Originated.
“kāló ha bhūtáṃ bhávyaṃca putró ajanayat purā́
kālā́d ŕ̥caḥ sám abhavan yájuḥ kālā́d ajāyata |” (Atharva Veda 19:54:3)
“In Kala erst the text produced what is and what is yet tobe. The Riks arose from Kala, the
Yagus was born from Kala”.
“chhandaa.nsi yaGYaaHkratavovrataanibhuutaM bhavya.n yachcha vedaa vadanti | asmaan.h
maayii sRîjate vishvameta-ttasmi.nshchaanyomaayayaa sanniruddhaH |” (Swetasvatara
Upanishad 4:09)
“The Lord of Maya projects the Vedas, sacrifices, spiritual practices, past and
future, religious observances, all that the Vedas declare, and the whole world
including ourselves. The lord of Maya, again, is bound by Maya in this [in the form of Jiva].
Ardhnareshwar Is Real Parambrahma verified by Vedas.
“Rîtam satyaM paraM brahma purushha.n kRîshhNapi~Ngalam.h |
uurdhvareta.n viruupaaksha.n vishvaruupaaya vainamo namaH |” (Taittiriya Aranyaka 10.23.1)
“Supreme Brahman, the Absolute Righteousness (rita) and Truth (satyam), is the androgynous
purusha (the Umamaheshvara or Ardhanareeshwara), dark blue and reddish brown in hue,
absolutely chaste (having semen rised up) and possessing uneven eyes (three eyed) . Salutations to
Him alone who is the Soul of the universe, or whose form is the universe”
Hope you Understand who is Parambrahma.
Only Ignorant People Dare to Insult Lord Shiva Calling them DemiGod And Tamo
Guni and what not
Vedas Clearly Warns us Not to Insult Lord Shiva in any way.
sahasrākṣám atipaśyáṃ purástād rudrám ásyantaṃ bahudhā́ vipaścítam |

mópārāma jihváyéyamānam | (Atharva Veda XI:2:17)
“Let us not with our tongue offend Rudra, who rushes on, thousand-eyed, overseeing all, who hurls
(his shafts) forward, who is manifoldly wise!”
Vedas even Says to Worship Lord Shiva Round the Clock.
“námaḥ sāyáṃ námaḥ prātár námo rā́tryā námodívā |
bhavā́ya ca śarvā́ya cobhā́bhyām akaraṃ námaḥ |” (Atharva Veda XI:2:16)
“Let us pay our homage in the morning, during the day, in the evening, and at night – to the Lord
who grants us life (Bhava) and who takes it away (Sarva).
Hope it Clarifies, all Doubt
|| Etat sarvaM sri umA-mahEshwara parabrAhmArpanam astu ||
|| I offer all these to Uma-Maheshwara – the Parabrahman ||
__/__||OM NAMAH SHIVAAY||__/__
Purusha Suktam - A Hymn to Lord Rudra It explainroughly who is Lord Shiva.
Moreover Ved-Vyasa himselfsaid
“īdṛśaḥsa mahādevobhūyaśca bhagavānajaḥ|
na hi sarve mayā śakyā vaktuṃ bhagavatoguṇāḥ|” (Mahabharata 7:173:70)
“Whatever ishighly mysteriousin theseveral branchesof the Vedas, in the
Upanishads, in the Puranas, and in those sciences that deal with the
soul, is that God, viz., Maheswara, Mahadeva is even such. That God is,
again, without birth. All the attributesofthat God arenot capableof being
enumerated byme even if, O son of Pandu, I were to recitethem continually for a
thousand years”.
Thisis what Lord Shiva is. Even Ved-Vyasa Admitsthathecan't Comprehend Lord
Shiva Completely but yet some Kali-Yuga'speopledemeanShiva.
Now let's talk about OriginalAnswer.
There is No differencebetweenHari-Har.
 Shiva is near and dear to his Devotee
 Vishnu is also called Bhakt-Vatsal.
Let's see further
 Lord Shiva (as Hanuman) lifted Sanjeevani Mountain.
 Vishnu(as Krishna) lifted Govardhana Mountain.
Not only this
 Shiva drank Poison at time of Ocean Churning.
 Vishnu (Krishna) drink Poison from Milky Breast of Putna(demoness).
ScripturesGlorifiesboth as

 Lord Shiva is called Vishwaroopam in Vedas and Vedantic Text.
 Lord Vishnu as Krishna shows Viraat-Roop many times in Mahabharata.
Thus Lord Shiva and Vishnu cannever separated from each other.
Lord Shiva sitting inVaikunth iscalled “Vishnu.” (Shiva himselfManifest as Vishnu)
Atharva Veda also clearly says that Shiva (Vratya) becameVishnu asfollows.
“sá yád dhruvā́ṃ díśam ánu vyácalad víṣṇur bhūtvā́nuvyàcalad virā́jam
annādīṃ́ kr̥tvā́ |”(Atharva Veda XV:14:5)
“He, when he went awayto the stedfast region, went awayhaving becomeVishnu
and having madeVirāj aneater of food”.
Even “Sata-Rudriya”Hymnof Yajur-Veda(AnuVaka-5)Clearlysays “Prostrationto
Rudra who Manifested asVishnu”.
So there is no differencebetween Hari-Har.
Hope Critics Learn from it.
||Om tat Sat||
 Hinduism is the oldest known religion best known as sanatana dharma, with its roots
going back to 10000 years and Hindu literature dating back to 7000 BCE.

Image courtesy: google.
 14% of the world's population follows Hindu dharma making it 3rd largest religion
after Christianity and Islam
 Yoga, pranayama, astrology, numerology, palmistry and vastuare all part of
Hindu culture and lifestyle.
 The largest Hindu temple is surprisingly not in india but is in Angkor, Cambodia.

 Nepal was formed by a Hindu saint called Ne Muni.
 In hindu religion, men and women are treated equally. Women are also treated as
goddesses.

 Hindu temples are not just architecture marvel, they are energy centers and hold great
scientific significance which was proven. The usage of metals and construction pattern
are proven to transmit positive energy.
 Dharma, artha, Karma and moksh are four goals for an ideal Hindu.
 The word ‘karma’ is derived from the hindu concept of ‘good and bad deeds.’
 Buddhism has its roots from Hinduism, ur originated in india and later spread across
Asia.

 One in every seven people in world is hindu living in india.
 Steve jobs had suggested mark zuckerberg to visit kainchi dham, a temple in
uttarakhand to find his inner peace and spirituality.
 The world's richest religious structure is in india, padmanabhaswamy temple in
kerala holds properties including most precious jewellery worth around US $ 22.3
billion.

 There are around 108,000 recognized temples in india.
 There is no known founder of Hinduism.
 ‘Hinduism’ is the not the real name of religion. The real name of Hinduism is ‘sanatana
dharma’ means eternal duty (Santana means eternal, dharma means duty).
 The word Hinduism is derived from ‘sindhu river’.

 ‘kumbhmela’ a Hindu festival which occurs once every 12 years is the largest religious
gathering of the humans in the world.
 The saree, a dress worn by women even in modern india and Nepal, dates it's origin to
hindu culture from Indus valley civilization(2000BC).
 Hinduism has its huge influence and comman concepts wit Sikhism and jainism which
are later originated in india.

 108 is one of the holiest numbers in Hinduism. 108 is considered a holy number also
in Buddhism, jainism and sikhism while it's roots originated from Hinduism.
 Rig veda is oldest known book in the world with it contents dating back to 7000 B.C

 Kamsutra book is one on of the highest selling books around the world.
 Vedas and many other teaching of Hinduism were preserved for thousands of years
without paper. They were chanted memorised and passed on the next generation.
 Singapore city is build based on the Hindu literature and architecture called ‘vastu’.
Which is appreciated by the most modern days architects and is adopted in their design
around the world.

On whom Lord Shiva meditateson?
1.Generally on himself and often on Lord Vishnu as in thehistory of Lord Ram.
Lord Shiva is always reciting Ram repeatedly. Theyare the gods to each other. There
is a story for this. Once, thetwo demon who are protected byShukra started to
attackgodswith theprotectiveshelter, like a diamond. Being the protector or
preserver, Lord Vishnu got down to thisbattleto slay these demon brothers. Thus,
he used his Chakra to breakthat protection. But even his weaponsare not able to
breakthem so he started the great devotionto Lord Mahadevwho cansolves all
problems. Vishnu offered to with 1008blue lotus but to test his true devotion Shiva
hide one of them. To completethis devotionhe said to Lord Shiva. “I have heard that
my eyes are as beautifulaslotus so let me offer it to you”. Then he took out his eye
and offered to Lord Shiva. Shiva was so pleased and so he reward him with the most
powerful and destructiveChankra and a boom that he would incarnateasthe
devotee of Vishnu in the life of Ram ,Hannuman.
2.His own self, ,Swatamaramam ramneti he is in Samadhi of his own Self the Avyakta formless
Parmatman. The Sadashiva. The state he is in is Unique, no Gods Avtaras Rishis or Yogis can
attain that state. What Samadhi enlightened Mukta Param Gyanis, Gods,Rishis Know and
experience is Only fragment of Shivas initial bliss which is also ever increasing and infinite never
ceasing. But the ParamAnanda The Ultra Sat Chit Ananda which actually is form of Shiva, No
body else can have Vedas say that only Shiva is bhokta, Pati, The Swamiof Bramhavidya. And for
all other even for trinity Bramhavidya is mother, the blissful Samadhi Yogis, Gyanis, Bhaktas etc
attain is her benevolence it is drop of her Ananda which of course is extremely blissful and ever
Increasing and Avyaya forever. But the Samadhi and Greatest ananda Shiva has no body else can
share or imagine. It is not possible as all are but mere drop of the ocean called Shiva all Gods
Avatars etc are also like waves transitory they come and go and Only Shiva can handle such
immense Ananda supercharged energies base. So there is nobody out there or in there on whom
Shiva meditates or better tosay could meditate. Shiva Meditates on his own Sat chit Ananda the
Avyakta Sadashiva whois presented in Shivalinga that is beyond form and mind. Puny beings can
not even have idea of it but yeah they can also attain bliss of Samadhi which is fragment of Shivas
Energy hence ever increasing blissful SatchitAnanda Too. Its not even possible that Shiva could
meditate on anything else because nothing is greater than Shiva so he meditates on
himself Sadashiva ParamShiva AdiShiva.
Now learn the truth of Vedas who declared “Eko hi Rudro na Dwiteeyay Imaanlokaan
Ishanibhih” , “There is only one final God and he is Rudra there is no body above him or any body
second to him he is alone, self sufficient having no desire or want he is bliss Sat Chit
Ananda himself he is root of universe and beyond”, further they assert Hiranyagarbham
Janyaamaas Poorvam, “He was there even before Hiranyagarbha Purush (of Purush Sookta) all

Gods sprouted from him Bramha, Vishnu, Mahesh and all Gods and Goddesses all are his own
fragments he is sole owner. SarveshwaraAkhilJagatBramhandEshwara of all that exists.
And this fact is elaborated in metascience of Shweta Shwatar Upanishad.
Now again Vedic Rudra hriday states about Shivas state.
Absolute Truth, ununderstandable, impersonal, Nirguna, Nirakara,
without ears, without eyes, without hands, without feet, eternal,
omnipresent, imperishable, and knowable by the intelligent daring
sages.
There do not shine the bodies of the sun, moon or
the stars. There does not blow the wind, there do not exist many
Devatas. He, the One Lord only exists. He only, the Purity of purities,
shines for ever and ever.
In reality all is Siva, Advaita, the One
Absolute. There is no difference of whatever kind.
When all is understood to be One, Omkara, the Absolute, there is no
sorrow, there is no Maya.
In Shiva Purana it is described in various places about Shiva getting engrossed in his own self.
So when he is God of all Gods and Goddesses hence known as Mahaadev. why he needs to
meditate on anything or any entity at all. Read Shastras all Gods be it Vishnu or his Avatars or
Bramha or Indra or Goddess Durga or Lakshami or Saraswati they all worshipped him always,
Rama established Rameshwaram, Krishna made Gopeshwar all gods and rishis planets have
established Shiva lingas in there own name all over the world, yet amazingly Shiva Rudra himself
worships Vishwanath of Kaashi.
See the Rudra we find in purans is Godly Avatar of Sadashiva exactly like his own .The main
Sadashiva the Root cause of all is beyond any realms of Gods even his place is beyond Vaikuntha or
Goloka or even Kailasa, and that is known as Anandavan Parama ShivaLoka which is in greatest
infinite immortal realm, its replica is Kashi The Varanasi of this Loka planet earth and still among
all Teerthas no matter how great they are but among all only Kashi remains Indestructible even at
Pralaya, anything which belong to him as in form is beyond end.
Now people may wonder that they have heard that he liked Raam he also worshipped Durga yes he
did for your information he even worshipped his own son MahaGanpati Kartik and NavaGrahas,
Rishis also. Because if he does not Worships them they wont be established as Gods Vishnu,s
Godliness his super abilities are gift of Shiva, and to establish the Godliness of Avatars and Gods
he tells the world that they are great and divine hence should be worshipped and revered. His
praising revering or loving a God is to sanctify ordain there Godliness. It is just to show the world
the importance divinity in other forms of Gods which are his own images and fragments. Vedas do
not consider the Deva or any entity as divine unless he is not ordained by Shiva.
It is because of Shivas boon that all nine planets got there power and authority they all have
sustained through long difficult penances Tapasya and Shiva blessed them to be Grah Devas
.Shree Hari Vishnu himself worshipped Shiva for 1000 of years and Shiva made him God who can

give four Mokshas. He worshipped his son Ganpati first since than Ganpati is No1 God to be
worshipped. Ganapati is not only Pratham Deva but He is also ParaBramha of Vedas. He is Vedic
God and one among prime PanchBramhas. Similarly He Invited all Gods and entire Sanatana
pantheon to commemorate Godliness of Shree Hari who was chief guest along with Mahalaxmi.
Shiva performed the abhishek of Shree Laxmi & Hari and Coronated him as God who can give four
mokshas who would take Avataras tomaintain Sanatana Vedic Dharma. Shiva ordered Vedas to
sing his praises and ordained him as Parabramha also and this he announced it to all Gods Rishis
Devas Asuras etc all entities. Shiva also asked Bramha to take care of creation and Rudra, his own
swaroop manifestation from his heart, to end it all when no gods can handle it at ghor kalyug.
In Shiva Puraan Shiva himself says toBhagwati that Oh dear i am God of all Gods everything and
all Gods emerge from me and at last merge back in me, and I always remain in Swatman
SadaShiva his own formless form. There is no image or anything but pure bliss of Sat Chit
Ananda, actually Shiva needs not meditate he is bliss manifested in words of Osho Shiva does not
has love but he is love manifested him self whatever you see in this world as lovely beautiful joyous
pleasurable is fragment of Shiva himself that is why Vedas describe him as Satyam Shivam
Sundaram.
So know the truth as per Vedas Shastras Puraans and Tantra Shiva only meditates on himself his
own formless form.
One more thing which many people do not know ,In Rudra samhita Shiva Puraan Shiva tells shree
hari and lord Bramha that oh dear you both are my avtaras ,Hari has come from my left hand and
Bramha you came through my right hand, and Rudra emerged from my heart centre. So you are
three from of me only hence there is no. difference between us. And let me tell you secret Hari is
Satwic from outside and tamasic from inside ,bramha is rajasic from outside and rajasic from
inside and they are but prakritic being made by prakritiand Rudra is my own self and is not
prakritik he is seems tamasic from outside only but he is Satwic inside always.
Now this is secret of Shivas meditative states being pure satwa he engages in meditation of self
because all pious activities Jaap ,Tapasya ,Chanting mantra Dhyaan Yagn worship and meditation
etc are work of Satwa Gun and Rudra who is form of Sadashiva, is Satwic and beyond three gunas
too in reality, so being engrossed in self meditation is obvious and natural to him. So this explains
the question , if still any one has doubts or questions go ahead i will answer them as this is truth or
shastra not some Gurus or cults imaginary sycophancy but HIGHEST TRUTHOF OUR
GREATEST VEDAS.
Relation between Shiva and VIshnu
Vishnu represents the householder’s aspect of God whereas Shiva represents the hermit’s aspect of
God, along with Shakti they make the sacred Hindu trilogy worshipped by everyone.
There are many types of relationships depicted in the scriptures between these twoprime deities.
Some as I recall are:

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