Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and transformation, has many forms. While his appearances vary depending on the region and text, the symbolism of God Shiva remains consistent throughout Hinduism.
His body is covered in ash, he wears tiger skin as clothing, and he sits or dances on a lotus flower while riding on his bull Nandi (or elephant).
Shiva Is the Destroyer and the Restorer
God Shiva is all about duality. He represents good and evil, life and death. His role is to eliminate chaos and restore order in lives. He is known by many names, but one of his most popular titles is Nataraja. He is often called Nataraja, or Lord of Dance, for his performance of Tandava—the cosmic dance that heralds” creation and destruction.
Here are seven facts about Lord Shiva’s symbolism in Hinduism to help you better understand what he represents to millions of Hindus worldwide.
1. Lord Shiva’s Damru
The Damru of God Shiva represents the ever-expanding and ever-collapsing universe. Creation occurs via an expansion, which then collapses and then re-expands. If you can feel your heart beating, it is not just one line running straight through; it is a rhythmic pattern that rises and falls.
There is nothing in the world but rhythms: waves of energy rising and then falling before climbing again. The Damru or drum denotes this. Look at the Damru’s shape when it is used: it expands, then collapses, then expands again.
Additionally, the Damru represents a sound. The notion of rhythm and energy mainly defines the quality of sound. The whole cosmos is nothing more than a wave function, a set of rhythms.
2. Three Eyes
God Shiva has a third eye or Trinetra on his forehead, just above his eyebrows. The eye represents omniscience—Shiva’s ability to see everything and know all things. The three eyes also represent Shiva’s most essential characteristics: creation, preservation, and destruction. The third eye of God Shiva also relates to a state of alertness and awareness.
It is believed that Lord Shiva opens the third eye only when he is furious. His fury knows no bounds, and there are stories of him using it to incinerate humans, demons, and other beings instantaneously. This is why he is also known as Shiva, the destroyer.
3. Moon on Lord Shiva’s Head
In Shiva Tattva, the mind does not exist, and the moon represents the mind. Therefore, there is no mind to convey. To perceive, experience, and express, at least some amount of mental capacity is required. The moon on his head represents the minuscule intellect that can’t be put into words.
4. Serpent Around Neck
The level of bliss known as Shiva is reached when there is nothing in one’s mind except awareness itself. It is expressed with a snake slung over Shiva’s neck to convey this level of awareness.
Even in his sleep, Lord Shiva is fully awake and aware of everything that is happening in the world. The serpent around his neck represents this level of awareness.
5. Lord Shiva’s Trident
Trishul or Trident symbolizes the three parts of consciousness – the waking state, the dream state, and the state in between – and it illustrates the three Gunas – the high quality (sattva), the harmonious (rajas), and the ignorant (tamas).
When Lord Shiva is shown as holding a Trishul (Trident), it symbolizes that he is above all three phases. The deity keeps the three Gunas together, even though he is transcendent to the three Gunas.
6. Shiva’s Blue Throat
The blue throat and body of Lord Shiva are believed to be due to him drinking the deadly Halahala poison that emerged when the other gods were churning the cosmic ocean in search of the elixir of immortality. Lord Shiva drank all the poison to protect the others, but it soon started turning his throat and body blue, prompting his wife, Goddess Parvati, to intervene and stop the poison from affecting him.
The blue represents all-pervading eternity that has no boundaries. It does not have a form. God Shiva is not human. Shiva never existed as a person.
7. The Lingam as an Important Symbol
The primary symbol of God Shiva is the Lingam, an object which can be a simple smooth pillar or phallus-shaped object, or even a yoni (vulva). The Lingam serves several vital functions in the worship of Shiva.
It represents the generative power of God and his all-pervasive wakefulness. There are several spiritual and artistic explanations for why the Lingam, an upright stone slab, is important in this faith.
