Lord Shiva's Symbolism In Hinduism

Faith Mysticism

oi-Priya Devi

By Priya Devi

Tuesday, July 19, 2011, 12:23

To start with the symbolism of Lord Shiva, one of the members of the Hindu Trinity, Shiva represents the supreme Reality in its aspect of Annihilator, the other two aspects being those of Maintainer (Vishnu) and Creator (Brahma). Shiva symbolizes constructive destruction in the continuous process of creation, preservation, destruction, and re-creation.

The supreme Reality (Brahman) is described as the substratum upon which all creation, sustenance and destruction take place. This,continuous chain of creation and destruction maintains the entire universe. The destruction of the morning is the creation of the afternoon; the destruction of the afternoon is the creation of the evening; the destruction of the evening is the creation of the night. As a result of this chain of destruction-creation, day and night is maintained.

Shiva is married to the goddess Uma, who represents perishable matter (prakriti). The power of destruction is always associated with destructible matter, since this power can manifest only when perishable matter is available.

Lord Shiva is also known as the eternal Lord of Meditation. With a serenely peaceful countenance, He sits in deep meditation on the top of the world on Mount Kailas in the Himalayas, facing south. In this aspect, He is known as Dakshinamurti, the dispenser of supreme Knowledge. The term 'Dakshina' means "that divine power of subtle perception generated in a fully integrated, pure intellect". When this 'dakshina-power flows toward the vasana-conditioned hearts of the disciples, it is said to be "turned southward". Lord Shiva thus assumes the form of a guru and sitting on the peak of Kailash, turned southward to serve all seekers.

The meditating Shiva is seen against the background of the snow-capped Himalayas. The white snow represents the absolute purity of His mind. His posture symbolises the ideal of harmony and poise experienced by a realized person. In that state of perfection, He is in total· harmony with the external environment and happenings.

A seeker who wishes to meditate upon and reach the peak of human perfection must first endeavour to maintain purity of mind, symbolised by snow. An impure and agitated mind cannot concentrate and meditate upon the Truth. Purity of the mind is obtained by practising life of harmony in the face of the challenging situations of the world, and by steadily applying oneself thus until one gains subjective poise.

A life of harmony is attained by rising above one's limited egocentric, view of life and expanding one's mind so as to accommodate a constant awareness of the totality of the world, the entirety of human kind, and the vastness of the universal problems. A life of harmony brings to one's heart an inward peace and poise. By consistently living in harmony with the outer world, one gains sufficient poise, and the problems and challenges of life do not affect one at all. Lord Shiva sitting in meditation is a figurative representation of an ideal "man of poise" who remains ever unaffected by all surrounding disturbances.

A "man of poise" is not to be construed as living a life of idle acceptance or unintelligent surrender to external challenges. On the contrary, such a person is dynamic and serves as the leader of all beings. Drawing inspiration from the dynamic silence within, such a person applies a steady mind in the din and roar of the marketplace.

To be continued

About the author

Swami Chimayananda

Swami Chinmayananda talks about the symbolism of Lord Shiva in depth. It is an interesting read about Shiva in Hinduism, one among the important Hindu Gods.