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noun
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ŚIVA , s. A celebrated Hindū God, the Destroyer of Creation, and therefore the most formidable of the Hindū Triad. He also personifies reproduction, since the Hindū philo- sophy excludes the idea of total annihilation without subsequent regeneration. Hence he is sometimes con- founded with Brahmā, the Creator, or first person of the Triad. He is the particular god of the Tāntṛkas, or followers of the books called Tantras. His worshippers are termed Śaivas, and although not so numerous as the Vaishnavas, exalt their god to the highest place in the heavens, and combine in him many of the attributes which properly belong to the other deities. According to them Śiva is Time, Justice, Fire, Water, the Sun, the Destroyer and Creator. As presiding over generation, his type is the Linga, or Phallus, the origin probably of the Phallic emblem of Egypt and Greece. As the god of generation and of justice, which latter character he shares with the god Yama, he is represented riding a white bull. His own colour, as well as that of the bull, is generally white, referring probably to the un- sullied purity of Justice. His throat is dark blue; his hair of a light reddish colour, and thickly matted together, and gathered above his head like the hair of an ascetic. He is sometimes seen with two hands, sometimes with four, eight, or ten, and with five faces. He has three eyes, one being in the centre of his forehead, pointing up and down. These are said to denote his view of the three divisions of time, past, present, and future. He holds a trident in his hand to denote, as some say, his relationship to water, or according to others, to show that the three great attributes of Creator, Destroyer, and Regenerator are combined in him. His loins are enveloped in a tiger's skin. In his character of Time, he not only presides over its extinction, but also its as- tronomical regulation. A crescent or half-moon on his forehead indicates the measure of time by the phases of the moon; a serpent forms one of his necklaces to denote the measure of time by years, and a second neck- lace of human skulls marks the lapse and revolution of ages, and the extinction and succession of the generations of mankind. He is often represented as entirely covered with serpents, which are the emblems of immor- tality. They are bound in his hair, round his neck, wrists, waist, arms, and legs; they serve as rings for his fingers, and earrings for his ears, and are his con- stant companions. Śiva has more than a thousand names, which are detailed at length in the sixty-ninth chapter of the Śiva Purāna. The following list of the principal of these will give the best idea of his character and attributes.
(The Auspicious one) शिवः, शम्भुःm., शङ्करः, सदाशिवः, श्रीमान्m.(त्), भद्रः, भगः. —
(The great god or lord) महादेवः, ईश्वरः, महेश्वरः, महेशः, ईशः, ईशानः, नाथः, देवः. —
(Lord of the universe, as worshipped at Benares) वि-श्वेश्वरः, विश्वेशः, विश्वनाथः, सर्व्वेश्वरः. —
(Lord of the earth) धर-णीश्वरः. —
(The seizer) हरः, हरकः, हरिःm. —
(The Destroyer, a personification of Time that destroys all things) कालः,महाकालः, जगद्घातीm.(न्), जगद्भक्षकः, कालञ्जरः. —
(The Repro- ducer, the Conqueror of Death and cause of life and being) भवः, मृत्युञ्जयः, मृत्युवञ्चनः, जगद्योनिःm., भूतात्माm.(न्),जः, भरुःm. —
(Disperser of the tears of mortals) रुद्रः. —
(The terrific or tremendous one) भैरवः, घोरः, भीषणः, भीष्मः,भीमः. —
(The fierce one) उग्रः, चण्डः. — (Blue-throat, having a dark blue and beautiful throat, so stained by the acri- mony of the poison, which he swallowed on its produc- tion at the churning of the ocean; see OCEAN) नीलकण्टः,श्यामकण्टः, नीलग्रीवः, शितिकण्टः, कालकण्टः, श्रीकण्टः, नीललो-हितः. —
(Tri-ocular, having three eyes) त्रिलोचनः, त्रिनेत्रः,त्रिदृक्m.(श्), त्रिनयनः, त्र्यक्षः. —
(Having deformed or un- natural eyes) विरूपाक्षः. —
(Moon-crested, having a crescent on his brow) चन्द्रमौलिःm., चन्द्रशेखरः, शशिशेखरः, इन्दुभृत्,चन्द्रापीडः, शशीशः, चन्द्रिलः, सोमः. —
(Borne on, or accom- panied by the Bull which personifies Justice) वृषवाहनः,वृषभवाहनः, वृषध्वजः, वृषभध्वजः, धर्म्मवाहनः, वृषपतिःm., वृषभगतिःm., वृषपर्व्वाm.(न्), वृषाङ्कः, वृषाञ्चनः, वृषाणकः. —
(Having matted or braided hair) धूर्जटिःm., जटाधरः, जटाधारीm.(न्), जटिलः,जटाटङ्कः, जटाटीरः कपर्दीm.(न्), कर्पदः. —
(Having sky-coloured hair) व्योमकेशीm.(न्), व्योमकेशः. —
(Trident-bearer) शूलीm.(न्), त्रिशूलीm., शूलधरुः, पिनाकीm. — (Lord of animals or cattle) पशुपतिःm., गोपतिः, गोरक्षः, गोपालकः. —
(Lord of spirits) भूतेशः, भूतनाथः, भूतः. — Bearer of the Ganges, this river having on its descent from heaven alighted on his head, and thence descended upon earth, through a chasm in the Himālaya mountains called Gomukha) गङ्गाधरः. — (Clothed with a tiger's skin) कृत्तिवासाःm.(स्), कृत्तिवासः. —
(Bound or covered with snakes) अहिब्रध्नः. —
(Having a necklace of human skulls) कपालभृत्, कपालीm.(न्), अस्थिमालीm., पुरुषास्थिमालीm., अस्थिधन्वाm.(न्), भगालीm. —
(The white one or yellowish white) शुचिः, गौरः, हरिणः. —
(Conqueror and Destroyer of the district and king of Tripura) त्रिपु-रजित्, त्रिपुरसूदनः, त्रिपुरदहनः, त्रिपुरान्तकः. — (Presiding over the three Vedas, or the three letters of the mystical syl- lable om) त्र्यम्बकः. —
(He of whom one form is water) जल-मूर्त्तिःm. —
(The Steadfast) स्थाणुःm. —
(The Universal) सर्व्वः. —
(The Omnipresent) सर्व्वगः. —
(The Omniscient) सर्व्वज्ञः. —
(The Imperishable) अक्षरः. —
(The Five-faced) पञ्चमुखः,पञ्चाननः, पञ्चवक्त्रः, सर्व्वतोमुखः. — (Scorcher of Cupid, see KĀMA- DEVA) स्मरहरः, कामध्वंसीm.(न्), अनङ्गासुहृद्, भर्गः. —
(Restorer of his body) पराङ्गदः. — (Lord of Kailāsa, in the Himālayas, the favourite haunt of both Śiva and Kuvera) गिरीशः, गिरिशः,कैलासौकाःm.(स्), कैलासनिकेतनः. —
(Lord of Benares) काशी-नाथः, काशीशः; hence one of the names of Benares is रुद्रावासः, शिवपुरी. —
(Having three residences) त्रिधामाm. — (Destroyer of Daksha's sacrifice. That sage having on one occasion made a sacrifice, to which he invited all the gods, excepting his son-in-law Śiva and his daughter Durgā, the latter went unbid, and being received coldly, threw herself into the fire, whence emanated a form of Śiva, who decapitated the sage) दक्षाध्वरध्वंसकृत्, दक्षयज्ञवि-नाशीm.(न्), क्रतुध्वंसीm. —
(He of whom the seed was cast into Fire) वह्निरेताःm.(स्), कृशानुरेताःm. — (Teacher of the gṛhya, or book of domestic rites) गृह्यगुरुः. — (Possessor of the head of Brahmā, having in a dispute cut off one of the heads of that deity) ब्रह्ममूर्द्धभृत्. —
(Enemy of the demon Pura) पुरारिःm., पुरासुहृद्. —
(Enemy of the demon Andhaka) अन्धकरिपुःm. —
(He who cuts to pieces with his axe) खण्डपरशुःm., खण्डपर्शुःm. — (Armed with the Khatvānga or Pānśula) खट्वाङ्गीm., खट्वाङ्गभृत्m., पांशुलीm. —
(Armed with a rope) पाशीm. —
(Lord of devotion or devotees) योगेशः. —
(Lord of gold) हेमकेशः. —
(Fond of danc- ing) नाट्यप्रियः. —
(The naked one) दिगम्बरः, दिग्वासाःm.(स्),नग्नः. —
(Covered with sandal powder) पांशुचन्दनः, पांशुलः. —
(Mounted on a dog in his terrific form) श्वाश्वः. —
(The perverse) वामः, वामदेवः. — (Husband of Pārvatī) पार्व्वतीनाथः. —
(Of Durga) दुर्गापतिः, दक्षजापतिः. — (Of Gaurī) गौरीपतिः. — (Of Umā) उमापतिः. — (Of Bhavānī) भवानीपतिः. —
(Lord of the Pramathas, his attendants) प्रमथाधिपः. —
(Lord of Nandi, one of his chief attendants) नन्दीशः, नन्दीश्वरः, नन्दिवर्धनः. — (Lord of Bhṛngi, one of his chamberlains) भृङ्गीशः. —
(Loved of Vishnu) हरिप्रियः. — (Having Vishnu as his dart. that deity having served him for a shaft which set the city of Tripura on fire) हरिशरः. Some of his other names, the derivation of which is not very apparent, are the fol- lowing: नकुलः, अध्यूढः, शिपिविष्टः, शिविपिष्ठः, श्रीरङ्गः, नात्रः,मृडः, कुष्करः, वारः, उःm. —
(Under the emblem of the Phallus) लिङ्गं;
‘a worshipper of him under that type,’ लिङ्गीm. — (A form of Śiva, half male and half female) अर्द्धनारीशः,अर्द्धनारीनटेश्वरः. —
(Inferior manifestations of him, called Bhairavas) असिताङ्गः, रुरुःm., चण्डः, क्रोधः, उन्मत्तः, कुपतिः,भीषणः, संहरः, नकुलः. —
(His wife) पार्व्वती, दुर्गा, गौरी, उमा,सती, भवानी,see PARVATĪ; as the symbol of created nature his wife is called प्रकृतिः. —
(His sons) कार्त्तिकेयः, गणेशः,seeKĀRTIKEYA, GANESHA. —
(His attendants) प्रमथः, शिवकीर्त्तनः. —
(Some of the names of his attendants are) नन्दीm., नन्दिःm., भृङ्गीm., नाडीदेहः, नाडीविग्रहः, नाडीस्नेहः, भृङ्गरिटः,तण्डुः, पशुः. —
(His vehicle or bull) वृषः, नन्दीm. —
(Tem- ple consecrated to his bull) गोपुटिकः. —
(His trident) त्रिशूलं, पिनाकः, महितं, पाशुपतास्त्रं. —
(His bow) पिनाकः, अजगवं. —
(One of his weapons, a staff with transverse pieces, representing the breast-bone and ribs, surmounted by a skull) खट्वाङ्गं, पांशुलः. —
(His rope for binding incorrigible offenders) पाशः. —
(His musical instrument, a kind of rattle, shaped like an hour-glass, and held in one hand) डमरुःm. —
(His serpent earrings) नागकुण्डलं. —
(His necklace of skulls) अस्थिमाला, मुण्डमाला. —
(His matted hair) जटा, जटा-जूटः, कपर्दः. —
(His superhuman power) विभूतिःf., भूतिःf., see SUPERHUMAN, a. —
(Daitya flayed by him) रुरुः. — (Worship- per of Śiva) शैवः, शैव्यः, शिवज्ञः, पाञ्चार्थिकः. Many plants are sacred to Śiva, as the aśoka, vilva, mango, &c.
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