Who is Siva?
If there is a god of mythology that is difficult to apprehend with its multiple facets, shiva is undoubtedly this one.
God of destruction, he is also of creation, he keeps his eyes half-closed, he opens them for the creation of the world and closes them to put an end to it. His benevolent character makes him the god who allows us to destroy in order to better rebuild, so he is prayed to. His long passage as aesthetes makes him the essential god of sadhus who mark themselves with his trident on their forehead.
He is the god of yoga, moreover represented in a yogi position as well as of dance.
How did it appear?
It is said that he would have intervened to decide between Brahma and bickering to know which was the greatest god, himself being part of this Hindu trinity. His strength would come from a subterfuge, when the gods were threatened by demons, he would have asked that everyone give him a part of their power to remedy the attacks and would never have returned these, making him an extremely god. powerful, the most powerful in the universe.
Often associated with destruction, it has no less than eight thousand names according to legend.
Who is his family?
Polygamous God, like most hindu gods, Shiva's main wife is Parvati, sister of Vishnu, mother of the famous Ganesh and daughter of the king of the Himalayas. She would have chosen, to seduce him while he was in deep meditation, a life of prayer and mortification, impressing Shiva who would have married her. Another of his wives is Kali who represents domination over the forces of evil, the goddess of the Ganges, Ganga, is also one of his wives. Finally there is Gaudi.
How is it represented?
Its four arms represent in the eyes of its worshipers protection, the hope of liberation, the rhythmic impulse of the universe and destruction. the Ganges, the sacred river of Hindus, flows from her hair, her main attribute is the trident, representing destruction, creation and perpetuation. From his hair emerges a crescent moon signifying rebirth, his third eye, always closed, represents destruction, which is why he keeps it closed.
The cobra around his neck is the symbol of power, the bull that frequently accompanies him serves as his mount and is itself the object of worship among some Hindus. The tiger skin around his body, meanwhile, would be a trophy following the fight he would have delivered with Vishnu against heretics who would have opposed a snake and a tiger and a black dwarf. Taming the cobra snake, he would have killed the tiger and made a garment of it.
What is its symbol?
He is revered throughout the lingam or linga, a phallic-shaped object, legend has it that lingam-shaped stones are found in the Narmada River. There are two kinds, those of the river, therefore natural, and those made by the hand of man. There are all over India, lingams of all sizes with the sign of Shiva, in a raised position like a phallus.
