Symbolisms Of Shiva

Lord Shiva is the Lord of mercy and compassion. He protects devotees from evil forces such as
lust, greed, and anger. He grants boons, bestows grace and awakens wisdom in His devotees.
The symbolism discussed below includes major symbols that are common to all pictures and
images of Shiva venerated by Hindus. Since the tasks of Lord Shiva are numerous, He cannot be
symbolized in one form. For this reason the images of Shiva vary significantly in their
symbolism.

The unclad body covered with ashes: the unclad body symbolizes the transcendental
aspect of the Lord. Since most things reduce to ashes when burned, ashes symbolize the
physical universe. The ashes on the unclad body of the Lord signify that Shiva is the
source of the entire universe which emanates from Him, but He transcends the physical
phenomena and is not affected by it.

Matted locks: Lord Shiva is the Master of yoga. The three matted locks on the head of the
Lord convey the idea that integration of the physical, mental and spiritual energies is the
ideal of yoga.

Ganga: Ganga (river Ganges) is associated with Hindu mythology and is the most sacred
river of Hindus. According to tradition, one who bathes in Ganga (revered as Mother
Ganga) in accordance with traditional rites and ceremonies on religious occasions in
combination with certain astrological events, is freed from sin and attains knowledge,
purity and peace. Ganga, symbolically represented on the head of the Lord by a female
(Mother Ganga) with a jet of water emanating from her mouth and falling on the ground,
signifies that the Lord destroys sin, removes ignorance, and bestows knowledge, purity
and peace on the devotees.

The crescent moon: is shown on the side of the Lord’s head as an ornament, and not as
an integral part of His countenance. The waxing and waning phenomenon of the moon
symbolizes the time cycle through which creation evolves from the beginning to the end.
Since the Lord is the Eternal Reality, He is beyond time. Thus, the crescent moon is only
one of His ornaments, and not an integral part of Him.

Three eyes: Lord Shiva, also called Tryambaka Deva (literally, “three-eyed Lord”), is depicted as having three eyes: the sun is His right eye, the moon the left eye and fire the third eye. The two eyes on the right and left indicate His activity in the physical world. The third eye in the center of the forehead symbolizes spiritual knowledge and power, and is thus called the eye of wisdom or knowledge. Like fire, the powerful gaze of Shiva’s third eye annihilates evil, and thus the evil-doers fear His third eye.

Half-open eyes: when the Lord opens His eyes, a new cycle of creation emerges and when He closes them, the universe dissolves for creation of the next cycle. The half-open eyes convey the idea that creation is going through cyclic process, with no beginning and no end. Lord Shiva is the Master of Yoga, as He uses His yogic power to project the universe from Himself. The half-open eyes also symbolize His yogic posture.

Kundalas (two ear rings): two Kundalas, Alakshya (meaning “which cannot be shown by any sign”) and Niranjan (meaning “which cannot be seen by mortal eyes”) in the ears of the Lord signify that He is beyond ordinary perception. Since the kundala in the left ear
of the Lord is of the type used by women and the one in His right ear is of the type used
by men, these Kundalas also symbolize the Shiva and Shakti (male and female) principle of creation.

Snake around the neck: sages have used snakes to symbolize the yogic power of Lord Shiva with which He dissolves and recreates the universe. Like a yogi, a snake hoards nothing, carries nothing, builds nothing, lives on air alone for a long time, and lives in mountains and forests. The venom of a snake, therefore, symbolizes the yogic power. A snake (Vasuki Naga): is shown curled three times around the neck of the Lord and is looking towards His right side. The three coils of the snake symbolize the past, present
and future – time in cycles. The Lord wearing the curled snake like an ornament signifies
that creation proceeds in cycles and is time dependent, but the Lord Himself transcends
time. The right side of the body symbolizes the human activities based upon knowledge, reason and logic. The snake looking towards the right side of the Lord signifies that the Lord’s eternal laws of reason and justice preserve natural order in the universe.

Rudraksha necklace: Rudra is another name of Shiva. Rudra also means “strict or uncompromising” and aksha means “eye.” Rudraksha necklace worn by the Lord illustrates that He uses His cosmic laws firmly – without compromise – to maintain law and order in the universe. The necklace has 108 beads which symbolize the elements used in the creation of the world.

Varda Mudra: the Lord’s right hand is shown in a boon- bestowing and blessing pose. As stated earlier, Lord Shiva annihilates evil, grants boons, bestows grace, destroys ignorance, and awakens wisdom in His devotees.

Trident (Trisula): a three-pronged trident shown adjacent to the Lord symbolizes His three fundamental powers (shakti) of will (iccha), action (kriya) and knowledge (jnana). The trident also symbolizes the Lord’s power to destroy evil and ignorance.

Damaru (drum): a small drum with two sides separated from each other by a thin
neck-like structure symbolizes the two utterly dissimilar states of existence, unmanifest
and manifest. When a damaru is vibrated, it produces dissimilar sounds which are fused
together by resonance to create one sound. The sound thus produced symbolizes Nada,
the cosmic sound of AUM, which can be heard during deep meditation. According to
Hindu scriptures, Nada is the source of creation.

Kamandalu: a water pot (Kamandalu) made from a dry pumpkin contains nectar and is
shown on the ground next to Shiva. The process of making Kamandalu has deep spiritual significance. A ripe pumpkin is plucked from a plant, its fruit is removed and the shell is cleaned for containing the nectar. In the same way, an individual must break away from
attachment to the physical world and clean his inner self of egoistic desires in order to
experience the bliss of the Self, symbolized by the nectar in the Kamandalu.

Nandi: the bull is associated with Shiva and is said to be His vehicle. The bull symbolizes both power and ignorance. Lord Shiva’s use of the bull as a vehicle conveys the idea that He removes ignorance and bestows power of wisdom on His devotees. The bull is called Vrisha in Sanskrit. Vrisha also means dharma (righteousness). Thus a bull shown next to Lord Shiva also indicates that He is the etemal companion of righteousness.

Tiger skin: a tiger skin symbolizes potential energy. Lord Shiva, sitting on or wearing a
tiger skin, illustrates the idea that He is the source of the creative energy that remains in
potential form during the dissolution state of the universe. Of His own Divine Will, the
Lord activates the potential form of the creative energy to project the universe in endless
cycles.

Cremation ground: Shiva sitting in the cremation ground signifies that He is the
controller of death in the physical world. Since birth and death are cyclic, controlling one
implies controlling the other. Thus, Lord Shiva is revered as the ultimate controller of
birth and death in the phenomenal world.

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