Shiva
Shiva is a Hindu god. He is the third god of the Trimurti (popularly called
the "Hindu trinity"). In the trimurti, Shiva is the destroyer, while Brahma
and Vishnu are creator and preserver, respectively. However, even though he
represents destruction, he is viewed as a positive force (The Destroyer of
Evil), since creation follows on from destruction.
Some of his chief attributes are signified by his hundreds of
names, such as Mahabaleshwar (Great God of Strength), Tryambakam (Three-Eyed
One, i.e. All-Knowing), Mahakala (Great Time, i.e. Conqueror of Time),
Nilkanth (The one with a Blue Throat) etc.
Shiva is the chief god of Shaivism, one of the two main branches of Hinduism
today.
His holy mount (called vahana in Sanskrit) is Nandi, the Bull. His attendant
is named Bhadra. He is usually represented by the Shiva linga (or lingam). He
is generally represented in Hindu tradition as immersed in deep meditation, on
Mount Kailash (Reputed to be the same as the Mount Kailash on the Tibet-India
border, near Manasarovar Lake) in the Himalaya, which is supposed to be his
abode.
Shiva's consort is Devi, a goddess who comes in many different forms, one of
whom is Kali, the goddess of death. Parvati, a more pacific form of Devi is
also popular.
According to the foundational myth of Kalism, Kali came into
existence when Shiva looked into himself; she is his mirror image.
As Nataraja, Shiva is the Lord of the Dance, and also symbolises the dance of
the Universe/Nature, with all its delicately balanced heavenly bodies and
natural laws which complement & balance each other. At times, he is also
symbolized as doing his great dance of destruction, called Taandav (Pronounced
with a soft 't' and a hard 'd'), at the time of pralaya, or dissolution of the
universe.
Although he is defined as a destroyer (Or rather recreator), Shiva, along with
Vishnu, is considered the most benevolent god of the Hindu pantheon. One of
his names is Aashutosh, he who is pleased by small offerings, or, he who gives
a lot in return for a little.
Traditionally, Shiva does not have any avatars (in Hinduism, an Avatar is
defined as the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of an Immortal Being, or of
the Ultimate Being).
However, several persons have been claimed as avatars of him, such as
Shankara. Some people consider Hanuman to be an avatar of Shiva.
read more on
The Internet Book of Shadows
Source:
Wikipedia.com
Shakti
In most South Asian languages, shakti translates literally as
power.
In Hinduism, Shakti is an aspect of Devi, and a goddess who represents the
active, dynamic principles of feminine power.
Shaktism is a denomination of Hinduism that worships Shakti, the Divine
Mother, in all of her forms whilst not rejecting the importance of masculine
and neuter divinity.
The feminine energy (Shakti) is considered to be the motive force behind all
action and existence in the phenomenal cosmos in Hinduism. The cosmos itself
is Brahman, the concept of the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent
reality that is the Divine Ground of all being, the "world soul". Masculine
potentiality is actualized by feminine dynamism, embodied in multitudinous
goddesses who are ultimately reconciled in one.
The immanent Mother, Devi, is focused on with intensity, love, and
self-dissolving concentration in an effort to focus the shakta (as a Shakti
worshipper is sometimes known) on the true reality underlying time, space and
causation, thus freeing one from karmic cyclism.
Source: Wikipedia.com |
