Celebrating Shravan with Shiva Introduction

 

Celebrating Shravan month with Shiva 

With simple explanations, I am bringing forward the evolving Concept of God in Hinduism”. It is my contribution in the struggle to satisfy the human inquisitiveness with an activated intellect to identify the creator and its creation.

Shiva existed in every Yuga that created a concept of God. Hence Siva had many names in the evolving time. Some popular names associated with him are; Adiyogi, Shivalinga, Shankara, Rudra, Mahesh, Consciousness, Mahadev, Bholenath, and many more.

Shiva as Adiyogi

In the yogic culture, Shiva is not known as a God, but as the Adiyogi or the first yogi – the originator of yoga. The Adiyogi transformed himself into the Adi Guru. After many years, when the transmission was complete, it produced seven fully enlightened beings – the seven celebrated sages, who are today known as the Saptarishis.

Shiva as Shivalinga.

Shiva literally means “that which is not” (Vasudeva 2003); Shiva means “nothing”; Siva is the supreme depiction of God and is been worshipped in the oval or egg-shaped form of the Shivalinga. Shiva is formless, which means Shiva can assume all forms at will and is the pivot on which the entire universe turns

Shiva as Shankara

 Shiva is referred to as Shankara, when he is with his wife Goddess Parvathi, and their children (family man). There is a subtle difference between the Supreme Soul Shiva and Shankar the deity.

Shiva as Rudra

Shiva, Shankar, and Rudra are all different aspects or forms of the same divine energy. “Shiva” was called Rudra in Rig Veda and he was granted the post - “God of Destruction” Rudra with his glory and infinite energy protects and grants devotees his blessings.

Shiva as Mahesh

In Hinduism, cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by three deities typically Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Mahesh (Shiva) the destroyer/regenerator; also known as Trimūrti

Shiva as consciousness

 Human life has evolved to its best with Matter, Energy, and Intellect in an allocated space and time. For an observer in an open domain, time and space become an illusion and in the absence of matter and energy, the intellect has no platform to exist but to get diffused with consciousness. This is the abode of Shiva.