19 Symbols of Lord Shiva: Meaning and Significance
Last updated on March 11th, 2024 at 03:32 pm
One of the principal deities of Hinduism, among the trinity of Hindu Gods, the God of Destruction, God of Time, Lord of Yogis, the Supreme Being. Epitomizing the vast void that holds everything, he is all-encompassing and the universal soul. Lord Shiva!
The Symbolism of Lord Shiva’s Adornments
Lord Shiva is often depicted with a crescent moon on his head, river Ganga held in his locks, a snake around his neck, a trident held in one hand and a damaru in the other, half-open eyes and a third eye. Some of his common symbols include the rudraksha, kundalas, tripunda, shivalinga and a nandi, among others. Here is a look at the 19 symbols of Lord Shiva and their meaning and significance.
1. Ash-smeared Body
Ashes smeared on Lord Shiva’s body represent the ultimate truth, stand for thinking beyond the materialistic world, and serve as a reminder to stay humble. According to Sadhguru, Shiva’s body smeared with ashes depicts him as one who constantly lives death as he lives life. He is the one who is always aware that the flesh and blood is mortal and will ultimately turn into ashes. As per Sadhguru, Shiva does not smear ashes on his body, rather ashes ooze out from each of his pores, representing the ultimate dispassion that he embodies.
2. Shiva’s Blue Throat
As per legend, during the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthana), a deadly poison came out. It was called halahal. The Gods were afraid that so much poison could destroy life. Lord Shiva drank up all the poison. Goddess Parvati held Shiva’s throat to stop the poison from entering the Lord’s body, which is how Lord Shiva’s throat turned blue.
According to Hindu tradition, Lord Shiva’s throat is blue (which has given him the name Neelkanth), and not his entire body. However, Shiva’s whole body is depicted as blue very often, which is actually to represent the infinite, all-pervading sky. It is also said that Lord Shiva, as also some other Gods like Krishna and Rama are depicted with blue skin and referred to as blue Gods since they had a blue aura.
3. Crescent Moon
Shiva uses the moon as a decoration because he is a great yogi who is intoxicated all the time, but he sits in great alertness. That is how yogis are – totally drunk, but fully alert. – Sadhguru
So, when Shiva is called ‘Somasundara,’ it recognizes the moon’s symbolism and suggests a state of blissful intoxication, indicating heightened consciousness.
Lord Shiva’s crescent moon also symbolizes the cyclic nature of the universe. The waxing and waning of the moon represents the cycle of creation and destruction.
4. Damaru or Drum
The depiction of Lord Shiva with the Damaru symbolizes the cosmic sound energy. It’s believed that the rhythmic resonance of the Damaru governs the creation and destruction of the universe.
The Damaru signifies the expanding and collapsing of the universe, the pattern of the heartbeats going up and down, and the rising and collapsing of the energy. This symbolism can be derived from the unique shape of the damaru; it expands, collapses and expands again. Devotees of Lord Shiva believe that when Shiva played the damaru and started dancing to its beats, the universe was created.
5. His Half Open Eyes
The half open eyes of Shiva mean that the cycle of the universe is in progress. Completely open eyes would mean the beginning of creation while closed eyes would mean destruction. The half-open, half-closed eyes of Lord Shiva also depict that he is looking at the outside world with inner wisdom.
Fully open eyes would mean an extrovert nature, or looking outside, while completely closed eyes would mean introversion or looking inward. However, Shiva’s half-open eyes mean that he is fully aware of the outer world as well as his inner self.
6. Mount Kailash
Kailash is held as the abode of Shiva, not because he is sitting on top of Kailash, but everything that he knew he stored in this mountain. – Sadhguru
Sadhguru explains, that abode does not mean you will find Shiva in his physical form over there, but it means that all the knowledge Lord Shiva possessed, is present in Mount Kailash, in energy form. This also means that the knowledge and ability carried by Shiva is accessible at Kailash.
7. Kamandalu or Water Pitcher
It is a water pot with a handle, and is commonly used by ascetics. The kamandalu in Shiva’s hand depicts him as an ascetic and the water in the kamandalu is symbolic of amrita (or the elixir of life). The kamandalu is also a representation of a self-contained, minimalistic lifestyle, and the giving up of materialistic joys. Lord Shiva carrying a kamandalu quite aptly depicts him as the supreme yogi.
8. Kundalas (Two Ear Rings)
Lord Shiva is depicted as wearing two kundalas in his ears; one named as Alakshya and the other called Niranjan. Alakshya means ‘that which cannot be shown using any sign’ and Niranjan means ‘that which cannot be seen with mortal eyes’. The kundalas worn by Shiva depict his complex nature, or that he is difficult to be understood by an ordinary soul.
It is also said that Lord Shiva wears the makara kundala on his right ear and the tarakanka on his left ear, where the makara kundala denote the male principle of Shiva while the tarakanka signifies his female principle.
9. Matted Hair
Lord Shiva’s matted hair represent his renunciation of worldly pleasures, his ascetism, and his purity (as the hair are never cut or combed). The flow of Shiva’s matted hair is believed to represent wind (or Vayu). Each of his hair strands is also said to represent desires, and his matted locks symbolize that he has knotted all desires thus keeping them in control, which is also his message to his devotees; to keep one’s desires in control and renounce the materialistic pleasures.
10. Nandi – The Sacred Bull
Nandi is Shiva’s closest accomplice because he is the essence of receptivity. Nandi is a symbolism of eternal waiting, because waiting is considered the greatest virtue in Indian culture. One who knows how to simply sit and wait is naturally meditative. Meditation is about listening to God and existence without the need to speak. Nandi exemplifies this by sitting alert and attentive, which is a vital aspect of meditation.
11. River Ganga
In the Himalayas, each peak is thought to embody Shiva, with river streams resembling his dreadlocks, ultimately forming the sacred river Ganga. Thus, the image of Ganga flowing from Shiva’s hair symbolizes the river’s divine purity and mystical origin.
Ganga is also symbolic of the knowledge that purifies the soul. Knowledge leads to freedom, it purifies the mind, it also means movement and fluidity; which is why river Ganga coming out of Shiva’s head can mean the flow of knowledge.
12. Rudraksha
Lord Shiva is seen wearing Rudraksha beads on his head, arms and hands. Rudraksha is believed to contain the secrets of the evolution of cosmos. It is also believed that Rudraksha beads are the tears of Lord Shiva, as Rudra means Shiva and Aksha means tears.
One legend says that during meditation, Shiva had shed tears of joy, while another legend says that after years of meditation when Lord Shiva opened his eyes, on seeing the humanity in suffering, he got tears in his eyes. These tears fell on the Earth and turned into seeds of Rudraksha.
13. Shiva Linga
The Linga symbolizes Lord Shiva. It’s believed that during the process of creation, the first form taken was an ellipsoid, which is also the shape of a lingam. Interestingly, it is also the final form. It is said that when one goes into a deep state of meditation, just before the point of absolute dissolution, the energy takes the form of an ellipsoid.
14. Snake
Lord Shiva wearing a snake around his neck depicts him as fearless and powerful. Legend says that the snake that coiled around the Lord’s neck is Vasuki, the child of Kashyap and Kadru. He was a great devotee of Lord Shiva and the most powerful snake. Vasuki is depicted with three coils around Lord Shiva’s neck, where the three coils represent the three parts of time; past, present and future.
Vasuki’s head is seen resting on the Lord’s right shoulder, which symbolizes Lord’s justice and laws to preserve nature and order of the universe. There’s another legend which says, that once when the snake species was in danger, they approached Lord Shiva for shelter, who allowed them to stay on Mount Kailash. The snakes, unable to bear the cold temperatures there, sought protection from Shiva, who let them rest on his body for warmth.
Spiritually speaking, the snake around Lord Shiva’s neck, is symbolic of the dormant energy within us. It is said that when one inclines towards spirituality, the Kundalini, symbolized by the snake, is awakened, and it starts rising upwards. The snake is also believed to be a symbol of our passions and desires.
15. Tandava
It is the cosmic dance of creation and is believed to have been performed by Lord Shiva on various occasions. The various forms of this dance include Ananda Tandav and Rudra Tandava, among others. Lord Shiva is believed to perform the Ananda Tandava when he is happy and Rudra Tandava when he is angry.
16. The Third Eye
The third eye refers to an eye that can see something that is not physical, meaning that which cannot be seen by the two sensory eyes. While the two eyes can see what is outside you, the third eye can be used to see what is inside you. So, opening the third eye can mean, turning inward to see and understand your real nature or gaining awareness of your true self.
Legend says that Kamadeva, the God of lust, once shot an arrow towards Shiva’s heart. Shiva who was working towards yoga, or working towards being limitless, got perturbed by this act of Kamadeva. Shiva opened his third eye and burned down Kamadeva. Symbolically, this sequence of events can mean that while Shiva was practicing yoga, he was disturbed by his own desires (or lust), so he opened his third eye and destroyed his lust. As per Sadhguru, the opening of Shiva’s third eye refers to him perceiving a dimension of himself that is beyond the physical world.
17. Tiger Skin
Lord Shiva is depicted as sitting on the tiger skin. Ascetics used animal skin as a seat to prevent the flow of their energy towards the ground. Lord Shiva is commonly depicted as also wearing tiger skin. It symbolizes power. It is also symbolic of the triumph of divine forces over animal instincts.
18. Tripundra or Tilak or Three Stripes
It is a tilaka worn by Shaivas and the Smarta Hindus, and consists of three horizontal lines and sometimes a dot. It symbolizes the Prana or life force and the three horizontal lines represent the three responsibilities of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, which are creation, sustenance and destruction, respectively. Thus, the tripundra is symbolic of the Holy trinity of Hindu Gods.
The three lines also represent the three Vedic fires (fire in the kitchen, fire lighted for ancestors, and the fire used for Homa), three syllables of AUM, three gunas, three worlds and the three aspects of Lord Shiva.
19. Trident/Trishul
Trident (or Trishul) depicts the three states of consciousness; waking, dreaming and sleeping. Lord Shiva holding the trident represents him as the upholder of these states. The Trishul also represents the three gunas (satva, rajas and tamas). The trident held by Shiva is believed to destroy illusion in the physical world, ego in the mental world and take us towards spiritualism. According to Sadhguru, Shiva’s trident signifies the three aspects of life, or the three dimensions of life; Ida, Pingala and Sushumna.
The varied and interesting symbols of Lord Shiva are indeed a unique representation of this deity as someone who is powerful, dispassionate, and incomprehensible to the ordinary. He is a true yogi, the destroyer of evil, and the liberator.
He is accessible as a God, unattainable as a form. He is like the all-pervading darkness that is the reality of everyone’s existence, and that which can be perceived without senses but can never be fully understood. Easy to see, difficult to fathom, and impossible to embody – that’s Shiva!!
Thank you so much 👍👍👍