The Supreme Lord: Shiva 

Shiva, also known as Mahadeva “The Great God”, is one of the most important deities of Hinduism, and also the creator God in Shaivism, one of the major sects of Hinduism. He has many depictions in many different Hindu traditions, in some of them he is a warm-hearted being, and the others, he is a menacing deity. According to most Hindu traditions, he has no form and is an omnipotent being. He is neither born nor has an end, as a fourth state of consciousness. That fourth state of consciousness “Turiya avastha”, is beyond the waking, sleeping and dreaming state. Despite being formless, there are many depictions of him with iconographical attributes like the holy river Ganga flowing from his hair, the third eye on his forehead and the trident on his hand. When it comes to his family, he is the consort of Kali, and the father of Kartikeya, which we examined in the previous articles. 

Qualities of Shiva 

In his depictions, Shiva burns Desire “Kama” to ashes with his third eye. His body is covered with ashes, which is a reminder of the fact that every single thing in this universe is temporary. Because of that, the only meaningful thing that a human can do is to pursue eternal self and spiritual liberation before they become ash. Since Shiva is considered as an omniscient yogi with an ascetic life, he is commonly depicted in a Yoga pose, meditating. He has the title Gangadhara, which means “Bearer of the River Ganga” as he carries the river on his hair. Given that, we can understand why the River Ganges remains important to Indian people to this day. Hindu beliefs tell that Shiva caught the fall of the heavenly river, identified with the Milky Way, so he would spill gently to earth. 

Shiva, the Great Yogi 

The yogi side of Shiva is really important for Hindu traditions, because this role has been almost exclusive to Hindu society. His ascetic life became more important by time, especially after the Epic poetry period in India, the time when the concepts of tapas, yoga and asceticism became more valuable in society. Shiva is frequently depicted as an ascetic sitting in isolation in that time period. He rules over every single detail of Yoga in relation to aspects of consciousness, mind, and body. He is the Supreme Consciousness behind the entire universe, and the eternal presence of Yoga. Therefore, he is also the source of all mantras, like the most well-known mantra, the cosmic word “Om" in Hindu traditions. Shiva is the lord of meditation, and the teacher of Jnana yoga, which is the yoga of knowledge. In this specific yoga, the point is to enlighten with the power of the silent mind. 

Shiva in Shaivism

Shaivism is the Hindu tradition that worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. It is the second-largest Hindu belief, constituting about 252 million or 26.6% of Hindu population. In Shaivism, Shiva is also the lord of the animals, with a three-headed form. It is one of the oldest images in Indian art, found as early as the Harappan era (3300 BC~). Shiva represents the eternal presence of Yoga behind the dharmic culture of India for thousands of years, with numerous shrines with many yogic powers from Mount Kailas in Tibet to Rameshwaram in the south. Millions of Shaivite pilgrims attend these shrines regularly as they have for centuries.