Vedic form of Siva

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!! Sri Rama Jayam !!

 

Siva ( " Auspicious One " ), is one of the members of the trimurti

(Brahma, Visnu and Siva). He is in charge of the material mode of

ignorance (tamo-guna) connected with the destruction of the

universe. " The personality of the destructive principle in the form

of time has been identified with that of Sambhu by scriptural

evidences that have been adduced in the commentary. " (Brahma-samhita

5.45p.) His position is between the living beings (jiva-tattva) and

the Supreme Lord, Visnu (visnu-tattva), in the category of his own,

siva-tattva.

 

Siva is usually depicted in painting and sculpture as white or ash-

colored, with a blue neck (from holding in his throat the poison

thrown up at the churning of the cosmic ocean, which threatened to

destroy humankind), his hair arranged in a coil of matted locks

(jatamakuta) and adorned with the crescent moon and the Ganges (he

allowed her to trickle through his hair). He has three eyes, the

third eye bestowing inward vision but capable of burning destruction

when focused outward. He wears a garland of skulls and a serpent

around his neck and carries in his two (sometimes four) hands a

deerskin, a trident, a small hand drum, or a club with a skull at the

end.

 

Siva is represented in a variety of forms: in a pacific mood with his

consort Parvati and son Skanda, as the cosmic dancer (Nataraja), as a

naked ascetic, as a mendicant beggar, as a yogi, and as the

androgynous union of Siva and his consort in one body, half-male and

half-female (Ardhanarisvara). Among his common epithets are Sambhu

( " Benignant " ), Sankara ( " Beneficent " ), Pasupati ( " Lord of Beasts " ),

Mahesa ( " Great Lord " ), Mahadeva ( " Great God " ), Rudra ( " Crying " ),

Asutosa ( " Easily pacified " ), Bhutanatha ( " Lord of Ghosts/5

elements " ), Tripurari ( " Victor over the three demoniac cities " ) etc.

 

Brahma, the original creature in the universe, is the father of Rudra

who appeared from his forehead when Brahma became angry at his sons,

four Kumaras. (Srimad-Bhagavatam - SB - 3.12.4-10).

 

Rudra was given the following places for his residence: the heart,

the senses, the air of life, the sky, the air, the fire, the water,

the earth, the sun, the moon and austerity. (SB 3.12.11)

 

He has eleven other names: Manyu, Manu, Mahinasa, Mahan, Siva,

Rtadhvaja, Ugrareta, Bhava, Kala, Vamadeva and Dhrtavrata. (SB

3.12.12)

 

Laghu-bhagavatamrta 2.26: " Siva appears in eleven forms and eight

forms. Generally he has ten arms and five heads, with three eyes on

each head. " (e.g. Pasupatinath in Kathmandu)

 

Eleven wives of Rudra, Rudranis, are called Dhi, Dhrti, Rasala, Uma,

Niyut, Sarpi, Ila, Ambika, Iravati, Svadha and Diksa. (SB 3.12.13)

 

Panca-vaktra Siva (five forms of Siva with five faces) are Sadyojata,

Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusa, and Isana. (SB 8.7.29, Garuda Purana

1.21)

 

Lord Siva as the cosmic dancer Nataraja ( " lord of dance " ) is one of

the most famous deity forms, which include the magnificent Cola

bronzes of the 10th-11th century. Siva is shown with four arms and

flying locks dancing on the figure of a dwarf, the Apasmarapurusa

(purusa meaning " man, " and apasmara " forgetfulness, "

or " heedlessness " ). The back right hand of Siva holds the damaru

(hourglass-shaped drum); the front right hand is in the abhaya-mudra

(the " fear-not " gesture, made by holding the palm outward with

fingers pointing up); the back left hand carries agni (fire) in a

vessel or in the palm of the hand; and the front left hand is held

across the chest in the gajahasta (elephant-trunk) pose, with wrist

limp and fingers pointed downward toward the uplifted left foot. The

locks of Siva's hair stand out in several strands and are

interspersed with the figures of Ganga (the River Ganges), flowers, a

skull, and the crescent moon. His figure is encircled by a ring of

flames (prabhamandala). This form of dance, which is the most common

representation of Nataraja, is called in the classic Sanskrit

treatises on dance the bhujangatrasa ( " trembling of the snake " ).

 

The gestures of the dance represent Siva's five activities

(pancakrtya): creation (symbolized by the drum), protection (by the

abhaya-mudra), destruction (by the fire), embodiment (by the foot

planted on the ground), and release (by the foot held aloft).

 

Other dances of Siva seen in sculpture and painting are the wild

tandava, which he performs on cremation grounds in the company of his

consort Devi, and the evening dance performed on Mount Kailasa before

the assembly of gods, some of whom accompany him on various

instruments.

 

In the Brahma-samhita he is said to be another form of Maha-Visnu,

and is compared to a yogurt. Yogurt is nothing but milk, yet it is

not milk. As yogurt is prepared when milk is mixed with a culture,

the form of Lord Siva expands when the Supreme Personality of Godhead

is in touch with material nature.

 

His paraphernalia symbolizes: moon - time measurement in months,

three eyes - tri-kala-jna, snake around the neck - time measurement

in years, necklace of skulls with snakes - changing of ages and

begetting and annihilating of mankind.

 

One of his features is time (Bhagavad-gita 11.32: " Time I am " , SB

3.5.26-27, Brahma-samhita 5.10), the separating factor between the

material and spiritual world (SB 3.10.12) and a medium to perceive

the Lord's influence (SB 3.26.16).

 

He is worshiped as one of the five deities in the pancopasana system

established by Adi Sankaracarya, together with Surya, Ganesa, Durga,

and Visnu. Its goals are dharma, artha, kama and an impersonal moksa.

The final goal is Brahman. Visnu is considered an " impersonal

Supersoul " (SB 2.3.24 p.) because the whole system is impersonal. See

SB 6.4.34.

 

He is worshiped as the Supreme Lord by the Saiva (Saivite) groups and

described as such in the tamasic Puranas - Matsya Purana, Kurma

Purana, Linga Purana, Siva Purana, Skanda Purana, and Agni Purana.

However, he is always depicted in the constant meditation on the

Supreme Lord, Visnu. Lord Visnu, at the same time worships him as His

foremost devotee: " Conquered by the intimate love of His devotee,

Lord Krishna personally worships Siva just to glorify him. " (Brhad-

bhagavatamrta 1.2.87) He is worshiped by Lord in His Rama-lila. Lord

likes to worship His exalted devotees (SB 4.24.30 p.) and Siva in

turn worships Him. (SB 9.10.12)

 

sri rama rama rameti rame rame manorame

sahasra nama tat tulyam rama nama varanane

 

 

Lord Siva tells to his consort Devi Parvati: " O Delight of my heart,

o beautiful-faced lady! I myself constantly enjoy the supreme bliss

chanting the divine Name of my beloved as 'Sri Rama, Sri Rama' which

is equal to reciting one thousand Names of Lord Visnu, Sriman

Narayana. (Visnu Sahasra Nama)

 

svapne jagarane sasvath krishna dhyana ratah sivah

yatha krishnas tatha sambhur na bhedo madhavesayoh

 

 

" Sleeping or awake, Siva is constantly absorbed in meditation on

Krsna. As is Krsna, so is Sambhu; there is no difference between

Madhava and Isa. " (Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Prakriti Khanda 2.56.61)

 

He is the greatest of Vaisnavas (SB 2.10.13, 5.17.22-23, Brahma-

samhita 5.9-10).

 

His expansion is Sukadeva Gosvami, the celebrated narrator of the

Srimad Bhagavatam: " Suka, the son of Vyasa, who had been influenced

by Vayu, was the incarnation of Rudra. He was born for the spread of

knowledge in the world. " (Garuda Purana 3.18.21)

 

In the Patala-khanda of Padma-Purana it is stated that Suka became

the daughter of Upananda in Vrndavana, in order to take part in

Krsna's pastimes. Another story says that in his past life he was a

parrot of Radharani (therefore he cannot hear and speak her name

without falling into ecstasy) and heard SB spoken to Parvati by Siva.

When she fell asleep he imitated her voice and asked questions on her

behalf so that Siva didn't recognize she does not listen to him.

 

His mother is Vatika. More info about him can be found in Brahma-

vaivarta Purana.See also Srimad Bhagavatam...

 

According to " Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, ch. 36 " his

day is the fourteenth day of the dark half of the month, krsna-paksa

Caturdasi (with crescent moon).

 

Durga:

 

Siva's female consort is known under various names as Uma, Sati,

Parvati, Durga, Kali, and Sakti. The divine couple, together with

their sons - the six-headed Skanda and the elephant-headed Ganesa -

are inhabiting the Mount Kailasa in the Himalayas as well as the

Mahesa-dhama on the border of the material world (Devi-dhama) and the

spiritual world (Vaikuntha or Hari-dhama).

 

The original father, Krsna, says, aham bija-pradah pita: " I am the

seed-giving father. " That pita (father) is Lord Siva, Sambhu, and

material nature (goddess Durga) is considered the mother. By their

sexual union are all conditioned souls inserted into the material

nature. The impregnation of material nature is wonderful because at

one time innumerable living beings are conceived. Bhago jivah sa

vijneyah sa canantyaya kalpate (Svetasvatara Upanisad 5.9).

 

Siva is the original material male and Durga the original material

female. Durga is expansion of internal energy and Radharani is the

quintessence of internal energy. In that sense Durga is expansion of

Radharani.

 

Nandi:

 

Siva's mount is the white bull Nandi whose deity sits opposite the

main sanctuary of every Siva temple. He is one of Siva's chief

attendants and occasionally is depicted as a bull-faced dwarf figure.

Nandi is known also in a wholly anthropomorphic form, called

variously Nandikesvara, or Adhikaranandi. In sacred cities such as

Benares (Varanasi), certain bulls are given the freedom to roam the

streets. They are considered to belong to the lord, and they are

branded on the flank with the trident insignia of Siva.

 

Siva is famous as the personal friend of Lord Visnu. In this universe

I do not see anyone who is the object of the Lord's mercy as Siva.

 

Always intoxicated by the sweet nectar of Sri Krsna's lotus feet,

Siva has lost all interest in material goals, in supreme power and

opulence, and in varieties of sense-pleasure.

 

Eating Dhustura seeds and arka leaves, decorated with a garland of

skulls, and his naked body smeared with ashes, Siva laughs at

materialists like myself, who are addicted to sense-pleasures.

 

Wearing matted locks of disheveled hair, and eager to conceal his

actual nature, he staggers about like a madman. On his head he

happily carries the Ganges, which has washed the lotus feet of Lord

Krsna. When he dances he destroys the universe.

 

Let that auspicious Siva safegaurd our devotion.

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Hare Krishna

Hare Rama