Shiva is addressed by thousands of names, however, they all lead to the same supreme consciousness like how all rivers and streams merge into the ocean and become one.Ĭhanting Om Namah Shivaya daily leads to inner peace and stability. Vrishavahana - One who has the bull as his vehicle.Veerabhadra - Supreme Lord of the Nether World.Vajrahasta - One who has a thunderbolt in his hands.Trishoolin - One who has a trident in his hands.Tripurari - Destroyer of the ‘Tripur’ (the 3 planets created by Asuras).
Shiva is that nothingness, from which all creation - the stars, planets, galaxies, mountains, oceans, all living beings, etc. Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says Shiva was never really a person but is an abstract principle - Shiva Tattva - an all-pervading consciousness that is seated deep within every animate and inanimate entity of this universe. He is known as Aashutosh (one who is easily pleased) and yet the third-eye of Shiva is feared by everyone because of which he is called Bhalanetra (one who has an eye in the forehead). He is the lovable Bholenath (the innocent one) and yet he is also the wise all-knowing Adiguru (the first Guru). This has led to him being depicted in various forms - as a householder with Goddess Parvati and children, Ganesha and Skanda as an ascetic in deep meditation in the snow-clad Himalayas he is both the master of fertility as well as the conqueror of desire. The iconography and the legend of Shiva are found throughout the length and breadth of the Indian sub-continent. One of the most popular icons of South-East Asia is Shiva.