Siva: Difference between revisions

Shiva: (pronunciation: [ʃɪ.ʋə]; Sanskrit: शिव, Śiva, lit. "Auspicious one" ) is a major Hindu god, and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is one of the five primary forms of God.

Followers of Hinduism who focus their worship upon Shiva are called Shaivites or Shaivas (Sanskrit Śaiva). Shaivism, along with Vaiṣṇava traditions that focus on Vishnu, and Śĝkta traditions that focus on the goddess Devī are three of the most influential denominations in Hinduism.]

Shiva is often propitiated in the form of a Shiva linga. In images, he is generally represented as immersed in deep meditation or in a well known sculpture, which is usually cast in bronze, where he is seen dancing the Tandava (the dance of destruction/of the world) [1] with Shiva dancing in an aureole of flames, lifting his left leg (and in rare cases, the right leg) and balancing over a demon or dwarf (Apasmara) who symbolizes ignorance (Maya). It is a well known sculptural symbol in India and is popularly used as a symbol of Indian culture. The Tandava dance, in which Shiva dances to destroy a weary universe and make preparations for Lord Brahma to start the process of creation is similar to the fundamental beliefs of many of the world's major religions.

• Christians believe that Jesus will return to destroy an evil world and that those who believe Jesus to be the Messiah will be resurrected and dwell in Heaven.
• Sunni Muslims also believe that Jesus will return during the resurrection (but not as God or his son) and will eventually die and be buried next to Mohamet. They too will be resurrected (Yaum al-Qiyamah) [2] and join those who have already made it to Heaven (Martyrs, et al) and its wondrous bounties.
• Shia Muslims believe that their last or 12th Imam, who is currently in seclusion (who has not died) will again reveal himself as the Mahdi [3], who will rid the world of error, injustice and tyranny alongside Jesus. (during the Yaum al-Qiyamah). The Sufis (a sect of Shia Islam) who played an important role in the converts to Islam in India (the Bani of Baba Farid who is revered as a Sufi is included in the Guru Granth Sahib). Some of the Sufis often use dance as a whirling form of meditation. Often referred to as Whirling Dervishes {http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufi_whirling} they try to desert their egos or personal (worldy) desires by dancing to sufi music, thinking (about God) and whirling , as electrons whirl around their nucleus or the planets around the Sun.

• All Muslims, during the Haj, do a set of counter clockwise circumnambulations around the Kaaba (in the direction the planets circle the Sun). Hindus do clockwise circumnambulations around the Murtis (representations of the Hindu Gods) in many Temples.
• Sikhs, likewise, circle the Harmandar Sahib (House of God) before entering the 'Golden Temple' in a clockwise direction.

In some other Hindu denominations, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva represent the three primary aspects of the divine and are collectively known as the Trimurti. In this school of religious thought, Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the maintainer or preserver, and Shiva is the destroyer or transformer.

Reference

Wikipedia / Shiva [4]