The Auspicious One), also known as Parameshwara (God) Shiva is usually worshiped in the aniconic form of Lingam. Shiva of the highest level is limitless, transcendent, unchanging and formless.However, Shiva also has many benevolent and fearsome forms.In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient Yogi who lives an ascetic life on Mount Kailash,as well as a householder with wife Parvati and His three children, Ganesha, Kartikeya, and Asokasundari, or as the Cosmic Dancer. In fierce aspects, he is often depicted slaying demons. The most recognizable iconographical attributes of the God is a third eye on his forehead, a snake around his neck, the crescent moon adorning and the river Ganga flowing from his matted hair, the trishula as his weapon and the damaru as his instrument. Shiva, as we know him today, shares features with the Vedic god Rudra. Historians have also suggested that worship of Shiva existed in pre-Vedic times, but not all historians agree on this
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 08:26:49 +0000
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