Shiva The Destroyer

[Leon]

Shiva is the god of the yogis, self-controlled and celibate, while at the same time a lover of his spouse (shakti). Lord Shiva is the destroyer of the world, following Brahma the creator and Vishnu the preserver, after which Brahma again creates the world and so on. Shiva is responsible for change both in the form of death and destruction and in the positive sense of destroying the ego, the false identification with the form. This also includes the shedding of old habits and attachments.

All that has a beginning by necessity must have an end. In destruction, truly nothing is destroyed but the illusion of individuality. Thus the power of destruction associated with Lord Shiva has great purifying power, both on a more personal level when problems make us see reality more clearly, as on a more universal level.

Destruction opens the path for a new creation of the universe, a new opportunity for the beauty and drama of universal illusion to unfold. As Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram or Truth, Goodness and Beauty, Shiva represents the most essential goodness.

While of course many hindu deities are associated with different paths of yoga and meditation, in Shiva the art of meditation takes its most absolute form. In meditation, not only mind is stopped, everything is dropped. In deep meditation or samadhi, even the object of the meditation (like a mantra) is transformed into its formless essence, which is the essence of everything and everyone. Thus Shiva stands for letting go of everything in the world of forms. The path of Lord Shiva is the path of the ascetic yogi.

[clara927]

I find Shiva and Kali so interesting. According to mythology, Kali was Shiva's consort which is fitting considering that both are 'destroyers', though not necessarily in the negative sense of the word. I find it interesting that Shiva is usually depicted as being very pale and Kali is usually depicted as being very dark, so it's kind of like they're each other's yin and yang.

I just want to clarify that I'm not an expert on Hindu mythology or anything, those were just some things that I noticed.

[Leon]

There is a lot of symbology in these characters from different belief systems, you only have to look at the pictures that people have drawn to find meaning. In this picture Shiva has 4 arms, 2 arms behind her back and 2 arms at the from like anyone else. One hand at the front is relaxed, the other is pointing towards you, it is more a pose of respect, it is saying respect me and there will be no need for the snakes and rod of iron that are behind me. Be respectful of life and death and I will allow you to carry on with your daily business.

This might be mythology to many of us, but to others it is an actual belief system, so you cannot take it lightly. There is so much to learn if you would just allow your mind to understand the concepts related to these figures.

[clara927]

Hello Leon,

I'm very new to studying Hinduism. I called it mythology out of bad habit, because of my lack of familiarity with this belief system. I try to not take any of the visual images lightly. Pictures of the different deities have always intrigued me. It's cliche, but a picture's worth a thousand words when it comes to paintings of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses. There are thousands of years worth of stories, interpretation, translation within those paintings. Who was allowed to paint and sculpt the first images of these deities? I wonder if the visual interpretation of any particular God was restricted at any point in time and for what reason. It's an aspect I want to research more.

[wayne]

Hi clara ...

just a little clarification concerning Kali being Shiva's consort; Shiva's consort is Parvati, their son - Ganesha.

The Divine Mother Kali, read the life of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa which you may find very interesting.