Some Amazing Facts About Lord Shiva

 

TOP 10 AMAZING FACTS RELATED TO LORD SHIVA -

1. Shiva – The first Yogi -

Many, like Sadhguru, believe Shiva was the Adiyogi. Yoga being the science and technology to know the essential nature of how this life is created and how it can be taken to its ultimate possibility. Sadhguru says “This first transmission of yogic sciences happened on the banks of Kanti Sarovar, a glacial lake a few miles beyond Kedarnath in the Himalayas, where Adiyogi began a systematic exposition of this inner technology to his first seven disciples, celebrated today as the Saptarishi. This predates all religions. Before people devised divisive ways of fracturing humanity to a point where it seems almost impossible to fix, the most powerful tools necessary to raise human consciousness were realized and propagated.”

 

2. Shiva's Trishul or Trident symbolizes the unity of three worlds -

The Trident or Trishul of Lord Shiva unites the three worlds a human being is associated with - his inside world, the immediate world around him and the broader world. The trident shows a harmony between the three.

 

3. Ardhanarishwar is Shiva's androgynous form -

Often cited as an example of perfect marriage, Shiva along with his consort Parvati is represented in the Ardhanarishwar form - which is a half male and half female icon. It is believed that this androgynous form shows that the masculine energy (Purusha) and feminine energy (Prakrithi) of the universe in a synthesis.

 

4. According to a Hindu legend, Shiva explained the secret of life and eternity in the Amarnath Cave to Parvati.-

It is believed , this is the cave where Shiva explained the secret of life and eternity to his divine consort, Parvati. Every year, followers and devotees of Lord Shiva pay their visit to the famous Amarnath cave. The cave also houses an ice stalagmite Lingam.

 

5. The three lines of ash on his forehead refers to destruction of the three worlds-

Shiva has three lines of ash smeared on his forehead in a horizontal orientation. The lines represent the destruction of the three worlds of Hinduism. It suggests inertia and lack of movement and refers to the merging of the three worlds to become one with the self.

 

6. Half Open Eyes of Shiva -

The half-open nature of the eyes conveys that the cycle of the universe is still in process. When Shiva opens his eyes completely, then a new cycle of creation begins, and when he closes them, then the universe is destroyed until the next phase of creation. The half-eyes show that creation is an eternal cyclic process that has no end or beginning.

 

7. Ashokasundari – Daughter of Shiva -

According to Padma Purana, Once Shiva took Parvati to Nandanvana, a beautiful garden where Parvati found Kalpavriksha which could fulfill any wish. She asked for the Daughter and her wish was granted. Ashokasundari was born as a daughter of Parvati and Shiva.

 

8. The Snake Around the Neck -

The snake coils three rounds on the neck of Shiva, and that represents time in its most accurate form: the past, the present and the future, and the coiling signifies the cyclic nature of it. And him wearing the snake shows that Shiva is immune to the wrath of time and death. They also represent dormant energy known as Kundalini Shakti that resides within him.

 

The snake turns in the same direction as the Lord, and that shows that the laws of Shiva is the law of reason and justice that preserves the natural order.

 

9. 108 Names –

From Mahadev, Neelkantha and Shiva to Mahakaal, Shrikanth, Triolokesh, Lord Shiva has more than 108 names. Interestingly, each of his names highlights a special attribute or a quality or a mythological event. Lord Shiva is prayed to as the creator, preserver as well as the destroyer of our world. The number 108 is considered to be an important number in Hinduism.

 

10. Lord Shiva punished one crore gods:

 

Hindu mythology states that once, Lord Shiva was on his way to Kashi along with one crore gods and goddesses. And he asked all of them to wake up before sunrise the following day, before taking a night’s rest in Unakoti, Tripura. But in the morning, no one except Shiva woke up. Furious, Shiva set out for Kashi on his own, cursing the others to become stone images.