Shiva and Vishnu - Essay Example

Shiva and Vishnu Lord Shiva is one of the main deities of Hinduism. And he is regarded as the representation of the Supreme Being. He is known as the third element in the Hindu Trinity, the two others being, Brahma and Vishnu. Lord Shiva is the destructive form of the Almighty, but he also reproduces that which has been destroyed and dissolved. A description of some of the important symbols that depict Lord Shiva are as follows: 1. Unclad body covered with ashes: Shiva’s body smeared with ash points to the philosophy of life and death and the fact that death is the ultimate reality of life. 2. Tiger skin: the tiger is the vehicle of Shakti, the goddess of power and force. Lord Shiva is shown sitting on or wearing tiger skin, symbolizing his victory over every force. Tiger also represents lust, thus by sitting on it Lord Shiva indicates that he ahs also conquered lust. 3. Matted hair: the flowing matted hair of Shiva, represent his as the lord of wind or Vayu, who is the subtle form of breathing present in all living beings. 4. Sacred Ganga: Lord Shiva has provided an outlet for the holy river to traverse the earth from the crown of his head. The Ganga represents the casual waters from which the earth arises, purity and it also denotes fertility. 5. The third eye: famously known as the three eyed god, the right eye of Lord Shiva is the sun, the left eye is the moon and the third eye on his forehead is the eye of wisdom. The third eye looks beyond the obvious and it can identify evil from anywhere and destroy it completely. 6. Half open eyes: Completely closed eyes represent the dissolvent of the universe and when it is completely open a new cycle of creation begins. Half open eyes denote that the universe cycle is in process. 7. Crescent: Shiva bears on his head the crescent of the Panchami moon. This shows the power of Soma, a representative of the moon. It denotes that Shiva possess the power of procreation along with the power of destruction. The moon is also a measure of time and hence the crescent also denotes his control over time. 8. Cobra necklace: the cobra that circles Shiva’s neck thrice depicts the past, present and future time. It represents the fact that he is beyond the power of death and also dormant energy. The serpent looking in the right direction of the Lord signifies that Shiva’s laws of reason and justice preserve natural order in the universe. 9. Vibhuthi: vibhuthi is a three line of ashes drawn on the forehead that signifies the immortality of the soul and the manifested glory of the lord. 10. Elephant skin and deer skin: Elephants represent pride and by wearing them Shiva indicates that he has conquered pride. The deer represents a flickering mind and by wearing its skin lord Shiva indicates that he has controlled the mind perfectly. 11. Rudraskha necklace: Rudra ia the other name of lord Shiva and it also means strict or uncompromising and aksha means eye. The Rudraksha necklace worn by lord Shiva around his neck shows that he is firm about his cosmic laws and and to maintain law and order in the universe. The 108 beads in the necklace symbolize the elements used in the creation of the world. 12. Damaru: A small drum with 2 sides represents the two different states of existence namely unclear and clear. The sound heard when the drum is shaken denotes nada, the cosmic sound of aum. 13. Trishul: it is a three branched trident shown adjoining to lord Shiva, symbolizes his three fundamental powers namely will action and knowledge. 14. Nandi, the Bull: Nandi is the vehicle of lord Shiva. It represents both power and ignorance and by using it Shiva expresses the idea that he removes ignorance and bequeaths power of wisdom on his followers. Lord Vishnu Lord Vishnu is the second element in the Hindu Trinity. He is the maintainer of the universe and represents goodness by which everything is sustained. The symbologies associated with this deity are as follows: 1. Human body with 4 arms: the four arms indicate omnipresence and omnipotence. The two front arms signify the lord’s activity in the physical world and the two back arms signify his activity in the spiritual world. 2. Conch: A conch in the upper hand indicates that the lord communicates with his devotees with love and understanding and when blowing it he reminds his devotees to turn to a higher reality and live with kindness and compassion with all fellow beings. The sound created from the conch is associated with the sound of creation of the universe. 3. Chakra: the chakra, called sudharsan, which he holds in his upper right hand signifies the universal mind or awareness. It has six spokes and shows the revolving nature of the universe.It rids all darkness and destroys all forms of ignorance. 4. Mace: lord Vishnu holds a mace in his lower left hand. It denotes energy signifying cosmic intellect or knowledge and that the world is sustained by the energy he holds in himself. 5. Snake: lord Vishnu is often portrayed resting on the huge serpent of Sesha and all the thousand heads of Sesha are all turned inward looking toward the absolute truth of lord Vishnu. Snake denotes the mind and the thousand heads of the snake signify innumerable desires and passions of an individual. Lord Vishnu seated on two coils of the snake shows that he has controlled all desires. 6. Lotus: in his lower left hand the lord holds a lotus which is a symbol for the moving universe and a symbol for all things that are good. 7. Bow: it is called Sharnga and it represents the darker form of false ego and the arrows are the activities of the intellect which can cut through false ego when used properly. 8. Dark blue complexion: this represents pure consciousness and the all pervading power and that the lord has infinite attributes. Reference: 1. http://www.koausa.org/Gods/God3.html 2. http://www.mahashivratri.org/about-lord-shiva.html 3. http://www.stephen-knapp.com/lord_vishnu.htm 4. http://www.miracosta.cc.ca.us/home/gfloren/shivaparvati.htm 5. http://www.muktinath.org/hinduism/shiva.htm 6. http://spirituality.indiatimes.com/ Read More