Questions tagged [shiva]
Shiva (The auspicious one) is the "Destroyer" among the Trimurti. He is considered as supreme Brahman according to Shaivism. Use this tag to ask questions that concern about Shiva in any of his forms
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How were the Trimurti born?
In Hinduism, there are three supreme gods, Brahma, Vishnu & Mahesh (Shiva). Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the protector/Preserver, and Shiva (Rudra) is the Destroyer/Regenerater.
But how these ...
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Why is Shiva primarily worshipped in a linga form?
In Hindu temples, the statues of the deities are present in the sanctum. But in (most) Shiva temples, only a linga is present instead of a Shiva statue. The linga worship seems to be limited only to ...
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What is Shakti Visishtadvaita philosophy?
Does any one know what this(Shakti Visishtadvaita) philosophy is all about? I know what are dvaita, advaita philosophies but this is new one.
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What is the Life span of the Hindu Gods.?
I have seen an article at the following url it says all god have live span including Vishnu, Shiva and Par Brahm (Akshar Purush).
Is there any evidence in Hindu books that Shiva and Vishnu also go ...
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What is the story of Sharaba?
I found most of our religious books speak about Lord Vishnu's avatars and there are much fewer books that I know of about Lord Shiva. If Lord Vishnu has 10 avatars then how many avatars do Lord Shiva ...
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Why doesn't Shiva worship anybody where as Vishnu worships him in all his incarnations?
There is a difference between Bhagwata Purana and Shiva Purana:
Bhagwata Purana states that Vishnu is more supreme than Shiva, and from Vishnu, Brahma and by Brahma, Shiva was born. But if that is so,...
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Who are Pancha brahmas' Lalita Devi sits on and Why are they called so?
Lalita Sahasranama(the thousand names of Lalitha tripura Sundari) is a hymn found in the Uttara Khanda of Brahmanda Purana. In the Lalitha sahasranama, one of the names is
Pañcabrahmāsanasthitā
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Who gives Moksha?
Lord Krishna is the supreme Being according to the Bhagavad Gita and is the giver of moksha. Also, can all the avatars of Vishnu give moksha? Like Lord Govinda, Lord Rama, Lord Lakshmi Narasimha, Lord ...
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What names of Lord Shiva used today are from Vedas?
Generally people have a severe misconception that Shiva is represented by the name 'Rudra' only in Vedas. Various names used today used for Lord Shiva are from Vedas.
Some names are only in Puranas ...
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Why is Lord Shiva called Pashupati? Who are the Pashus?
Pashu means those whose which are tied and thus Pashupati literally means Lord of those which are tied. Pashu also means Cattles/Animals, and Pashupati also means Lord of Animals
The name PashuPati ...
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Why did Lord Shiva take 44 avatars if his primary role is to be the destroyer?
Lord Maha Vishnu is the protector of whole universe and he said that he will take avatars whenever there is degradation of righteousness on this planet.
Famous dashavatars are the avatars of Lord ...
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Are Lord Shiva and Lord Shankar two different deities?
According to TimesofIndia,
There is a subtle difference between the Supreme Soul Shiva and Shankar the deity. The Supreme has been worshipped in the oval or egg-shaped form of the Shivalingam.
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Supreme Brahman in Hinduism
Here is What i understood after reading various stories from Puranas and Mahabharatha and theories of Creationism.
Vishnu Purana states Vishnu is Supreme God or Supreme Brahman. Also
I read ...
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What is the story of Kasi Vishwanatha Jyotirlinga?
Lord Shiva has been worshipped in Linga form from time beginning as described in answer here. Among the Lingas there are 12 Jyotirlingas which are of special importance.
Mahatmya of 12 Jyotirlingas is ...
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What is the story of Somanath Jyotirlinga?
Lord Shiva has been worshipped in linga form from time beginning as described in answer here. Godesses Saraswati in Linga Purana states:
सर्वं लिंगमयं लोकं सर्वं लिंगे प्रतिष्ठितम् ।
तस्मात्सर्वं परि...
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What are the eight forms (Ashtamurti) of Lord Shiva?
Lord Shiva pervades the entire universe through various forms like that of Ekadasha Rudra, or PanchaBrahma and also through Ashtamurti form. Lord Shiva is also called by the name Ashta Murti, for eg. ...
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What is the Yogic meaning of getting liberation by reaching Varanasi?
Varanasi which is also known by the name Kashi is one of the the most sacred place. It is also known as Avimukta which means which is never forsaken by Shiva.
अविमुक्तं स्वयं लिङ्गं स्थापितं परमा...
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What is the story of Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga?
Lord Shiva has been worshipped in Linga form from time beginning as described in answer here. Among the Lingas there are 12 Jyotirlingas which are of special importance.
Mahatmya of 12 Jyotirlingas is ...
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What is the story of Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga?
Lord Shiva has been worshipped in Linga form from time beginning as described in answer here. Among the Lingas there are 12 Jyotirlingas which are of special importance.
Mahatmya of 12 Jyotirlingas is ...
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What is the story of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga?
Lord Shiva has been worshipped in Linga form from time beginning as described in answer here. Among the Lingas there are 12 Jyotirlingas which are of special importance.
Mahatmya of 12 Jyotirlingas is ...
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I want to know the exact explanation of Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra
Can any one give the exact explanation of this mantra? What is the logic behind chanting this Mantra?
How the mind of a person related to this and is it true that we can save the life of a dying ...
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Is Hanuman an avatar of Lord Shiva?
I grew up watching Ramayana and Mahabharata TV series which was telecasted on Dhoordharshan channel. I vaguely remember my grandma say that Hanuman is an avatar of Shiva to help Vishnu (Ram) to ...
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Is Draupadi a goddess?
There are many myths that say Draupadi is a goddess. Many people, including myself, have prayed to her. There are many legends of her being a goddess. Some legends are given below:
It is said that ...
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What is the story of Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga?
Lord Shiva has been worshipped in Linga form from time beginning as described in answer here. Among the Lingas there are 12 Jyotirlingas which are of special importance.
Mahatmya of 12 Jyotirlingas is ...
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Is Shiva or Rudra born and is he still alive? Was he killed or merged with supreme brahman at any point of time?
Is there any references in Vedas, ithihasas and puranas or any scriptures about birth of Siva or Rudra? Also, shiva purana says that Siva also has incarnations. So are all these incarnations still ...
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What is the story of Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga?
Lord Shiva has been worshipped in Linga form from time beginning as described in answer here. Among the Lingas there are 12 Jyotirlingas which are of special importance.
Mahatmya of 12 Jyotirlingas is ...
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Do any Deities, other than the Pancha Mahadevatas, have Swayambhu representations?
The Pancha Mahadevatas are Ganapaty,Shiva,Vishnu,Devi(Ambika) & Surya.
There is a Smarta tradition of worshiping them together in the Panchayatana Puja..In this Puja instead of idols or images of ...
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Why did Lord Shiva fight with Lord Vishnu?
What were the reason(s) behind the fight between Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu? I think the Harivamsa Parva of the Mahabharata narrates this incident.
The story goes like this:
Mahadev makes Goddess ...
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How Rudra became Shiva in Vedas?
There are four parts of Vedas; Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads. Among these Samhita are those parts which are directly revealed to the seers. ie. They are always eternal syllable by ...
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Is Shiva Sankalpa Suktam also a Khila Sukta of RigVeda?
Khila Suktas of RigVeda are those Suktas which are associated only in Baskala Shakha of RigVeda and not in Sakala Shakha. For eg. Sri Suktam of RigVeda is also a Khila Sukta.
Shiva Sankalpam Sukta is ...
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Was Nandi really a bull?
The general belief about Nandi (related to Lord Shiva) is that he is a bull who is generally in human form but at times changes into the form of a bull. But after reading Shiva Purana, I feel that ...
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Which Vedic verses depict Lord Shiva/Rudra as the Brahman?
I need any verses from sruti literature that is Vedas, Upanishad, Brahmanas etc to get answer.
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Why does Lord Shiva fulfill wishes of evil people also?
Ravana was Lord Shiva's devotee. Lord Shiva was impressed with Ravana's tapasya and fulfilled his dream. My question is, Ravana was evil and took Sita from Rama, then why did Lord Shiva help him?
I ...
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Why was Surya killed by Lord Shiva?
I heard of an incident in which Suryadev was once killed by Lord Shiva. Can somebody explain to me what is this incident and what Surya's mistake was? And also, please let me know how he became alive ...
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What is the meaning of the word "Shiva"?
Is "Shiva" just a name of a God or does the word actually denote something?
In other words, what is the real meaning of the word "Shiva" (also spelled as Śiva or शिव)?
user304
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Why Lord Shiva is depicted as Lord of Time?
Kali Mata was named as Kaali because she is wife of Lord Shiva, who is said to be Lord of time. As He is Lord of time, few avatars or Amsas of Him are named after him such as KaalaBhairava. What is ...
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Was Adi Shankaracharya a Shaiva or a Vaishnava? What were his views on Shiva and Vishnu?
Adi Shankaracharya taught Advaita philosophy. What was his belief on how one should see Shiva and Vishnu? Was he a Shaiva or a Vaishnava? Are Shiva and Vishnu same as per Him?
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What scriptures mention Shiva's Dakshinamurthi form?
One of the most popular forms of Shiva worshipped in South India is the sage Dakshinamurthi, whose name literally means "the South-facing form". Dakshinamurthi is the subject of the famous ...
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Do Shaivites believe in something greater than Sadashiva?
In this excerpt from the Vayaviya Samhita of the Shiva Purana, various time scales are described:
Brahma's one day is equivalent to a kalpa. He is of unmanifest origin. A thousand kalpas make a ...
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Are there any scriptural references of the trinity "Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh(Shiva)" as depicted in popular culture?
Brahma is typically depicted as an ancient deity with multiple heads
[& hands] in various directions.
Vishnu is depicted in form of a deity sleeping in the midst of an
ocean over a big snake (...
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What is the story of "Kali Maa"?
Will anyone please tell me the origin of Kali Maa?
What is the relation between Shiva and Parvati?
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How does the names and events reoccur in different manvantara or Kalpa or different universes?
In Mahabharata Bhishm narrates the Vishnu Sahasranamam to Yudhishthir.
Later he inquires about Lord Shiva; but Bhishm being incapable sends him to Lord Krishna.
Bhishma in prolog to the Shiva ...
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Why is Lord Shiva called NilaLohita?
NilaLohita which means the Lord who is both Blue and Red. Nila means blue and Lohita means Red.
NilaLohita is one of the popular name of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is called by the name NilaLohita itself ...
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How does Adishankaracharya Advaita explain concept of Avatar?
In Chapter 33 of book Autobiography of a Yogi, Yogananda says that Babaji is Mahaavatar (great incarnation). Sri Mahavatar Babaji is believed to be avatar of Shiva who is still teaching Kriya Yoga to ...
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Did Lord Rama really worship Lord Shiva?
Traditionally, the Ramayana is attributed to Valmiki. The Hindu tradition is unanimous in its agreement that the poem is the work of a single poet; the sage Valmiki, a contemporary of Rama and a ...
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What is the story of Trayambakeshwara Jyotirlinga?
Lord Shiva has been worshipped in Linga form from time beginning as described in answer here. Among the Lingas there are 12 Jyotirlingas which are of special importance.
Mahatmya of 12 Jyotirlingas is ...
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What is the story of Bheemshankar Jyotirlinga?
Lord Shiva has been worshipped in Linga form from time beginning as described in answer here. Among the Lingas there are 12 Jyotirlingas which are of special importance.
Mahatmya of 12 Jyotirlingas is ...
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Partial and full incarnations: When divine beings incarnate on earth, do they continue to exist in their original abode?
I am having confusion that, whenever divine beings incarnate on earth, do they also continue to exist in their original abode?
Let us take the example of Narayana, the supreme god. It is said that ...
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What is the significance of Bel leaves in Shiva worship?
Aegle Marmelos or Bel Leaves are used in the rituals related to Lord Shiva. What is the significance of these leaves in Hinduism?
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