The Shiva Sutras (also Maheshvara Sutras) are the 14 sutras that form the basis of the Aṣṭādhyāyī (See: Aṣṭādhyāyī), the Sanskrit grammar by Pāṇini (See: Pāṇini). According to legend, these sutras were revealed to

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Shiva-Sutra:

Shiva-Sutra ("Shiva's Aphorisms"): like the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, a classical work on yoga, as taught in the Shaivism of Kashmir; authored by Vasugupta (ninth century C.E.)

(See also: Shiva-Sutra, Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Shiva

The �destroyer,� third member of the primary triad of gods in Hinduism, the others being Brahma and Vishnu.

(See also: Shiva, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Shiva (Sanskrit: शिव or श्रीशिव (when used to distinguish lordly status), and written Śiva in the official IAST transliteration, pronounced as "shιvə") is a form of Ishvara or God in the later Vedic scriptures of Hinduism. Adi Sankara interprets the name Śiva to mean "One who purifies everyone by the utterance of His name" or the Pure One. That is, Śiva is unaffected by the three gunas (characteristics) of Prakrti (matter): Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. Śiva is "the destroyer", ...

Including:

• Shiva - Introduction
• Shiva - Consorts and the Burning of Kamadeva
• Shiva - Other Legends
• Shiva - The Sons of Shiva
• Shiva - Attributes of Lord Shiva
• Shiva - Other Forms and Legends
• Shiva - Schools and Views of Śivaism
• Shiva - Origin Theories
• Shiva - Names of Śiva

Read more here: » Shiva: Encyclopedia - Shiva

Sravana, a Month Devoted to Shiva

The devout spend the entire month of Sravana in austerities and worship of Shiva, culminating in the Sravana Purnima on Raksha Bandhan day. Shiva is beyond the gunas, as His trident represents all three, sattva, rajas and tamas. The elephant skin attire indicates that he is beyond pride; the tiger skin symbolises his going beyond lust, and the snake around his neck represents wisdom and eternity.

Read more here: » Shiva: Sravana, a Month Devoted to Shiva

There is an interesting legend connected with Mahashivratri, the day Shiva got married a second time to Shakti, his divine consort.

Once Shiva and Sati or Shakti were returning from the ashram of sage Agastya, after listening to Ram Katha or the story of Ram.

On the way when Shiva saw Rama roaming the forest - in search of Sita who was kidnapped by Ravana - he bowed his head in reverence. A surprised Sati inquired of Shiva why he was paying obeisance to a mere mortal.

(See also: Mahashivratri, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

A Meditation On Lord Shiva - a Hindu Prayer

From Hindu Fasts & Festivals by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Hindu Prayers: Meditation On Lord Shiva - a Hindu Prayer

Whenever the Golden Temple is mentioned, we tend automatically to think of the beautiful Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, which is known worldwide by that name. However, there is another Golden Temple down South - the great Nataraja temple at Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu.

This temple figures prominently in Tamil Shaivite literature and is considered to be one of the most holy spots dedicated to Lord Shiva, next in importance to Mount Kailash itself.

(See also: Nataraja, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Shanidev is Partly Shiva's Avatar

Shani or Shanichar (Saturn) is believed to be the son of Surya the Sun-god and Chhaya. So he is also called Saura. His other names include Kruradris and Kruralochana (the cruel-eyed), Mandu (dull or slow), Pangu (physically challenged), Saptarchi (seven-eyed) and Asita (dark). Shani is believed to wield evil influence, so anyone born under his influence is at risk. Hence the day named after him, Shanivara, is considered inauspicious to begin any new venture.

Read more here: » Shani: Shanidev is Partly Shiva's Avatar

The Lalitasahasranama enumerates the one thousand names of Devi as Lalita-parameshwari . When Manmata , the god of love, was reduced to ashes by Shiva’s opening his third eye, the ashes were collected by Chitrakarman, one of Shiva’s attendants, who used it for drawing the figure of a man.

When Shiva glanced at the figure, it leaped into life at once. The artist advised the person so created to pray to Shiva, by reciting the Sata-Rudriya. Pleased at his devotion, Shiva blessed him with the overlordship of the world for 60,000 years. On hearing this, Brahma cried in dismay, '' Bhand, Bhand ’’ and so the person came to have the name Bhanda.

(See also: Devi Lalita, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Ever since historian Ananda Coomaraswamy extolled the Nataraja bronze (dancing Shiva) from Tamil Nadu as ''poetry but nonetheless science’’, interpreting the Nataraja as the ''cosmic dance’’ of Shiva has been widely accepted.

Fritjof Capra catapulted Nataraja into a modern-day scientific icon when he euphorically stated in his cult book of 1974 The Tao of Physics that ''the dancing Shiva is the dancing universe, the ceaseless flow of energy going through an infinite variety of patterns that melt into one another’’.

(See also: Nataraja, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Babaji's disciples think of him as the incarnation of Lord Shiva, and so believe that he is present everywhere. Babaji once told his disciples of the Creator: ''He is deathless. He can do whatever He wills. The whole universe is an expanded bubble ready to burst before Him.''

If Patanjali, who wrote the Yoga Sutra nearly 2,005 years ago, was instrumental in defining the principles of yoga in its different forms, Paramhansa Yogananda played a major role in popularising those principles worldwide.

(See also: Yogananda and Babaji, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

The puranas are among the most widely read religious scriptures in India. The word purana literally means "narrative of ancient times". The puranas are said to be contemporaneous with the Vedas . The Chandogya Upanishad calls them the fifth veda . Eighteen major ( maha ) and eighteen subsidiary ( upa ) puranas are recognised.

The authorship of all the puranas is attributed to rishi Vedvyasa, who also compiled the four Vedas, the Mahabharata and the Vedanta Sutras . The puranas deal with a variety of Gods, mainly Vishnu, Shiva and Shakti, catering to the diverse human temperaments and their varied approaches to spirituality.|

(See also: Puranas, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Indian tradition tells us that the intensity of demon-king Ravana's devotion to Lord Shiva drove him to create the Indian raga/melodic system so that he could sing Shiva's praises. In his hymn of praise, the Shiv Tandav Stotra, Ravana describes Shiva's power and beauty. Both the fourth and fifth quatrains of his hymn conclude with lists of Shiva's epithets as destroyer, even the destroyer of death itself. Alliteration and onomatopoeia create roiling waves of resounding beauty ...

Read more here: » Shiva Tandava Stotra: Encyclopedia - Shiva Tandava Stotra

Vandana Shiva (born November 5, 1952) is a physicist, philosopher, ecofeminist, environmental activist and writer. Vandana was born in Dehra Dun, Uttaranchal State, which was formerly a part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. She participated in the Chipko movement during the 1970s. The movement, whose main participants were women, adopted the tactic of hugging trees to prevent their felling. In 1982, she founded the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology. Initiatives of this foundation are the organic farmi ...

Read more here: » Vandana Shiva: Encyclopedia - Vandana Shiva

Vasugupta (860–925) was the author of the famous Shiva Sutras. Other related archives860, 925, Shiva Sutras

Read more here: » Vasugupta: Encyclopedia - Vasugupta

In Hinduism, Daksha is an ancient creator god, one of the Prajapatis, the Rishis and the Adityas, and a son of Aditi and Brahma. With his wife Prasuti, he is the father of many daughters, twenty-seven of whom were married to Soma. Daksha found that Soma overly favored one daughter (Rohini) over the others, thus neglecting their needs and flouting his responsibilities. For this, Daksha cursed him to wither and die. The daughters intervened and made his death periodic, sym ...

Including:

• Daksha - Story of Sati and Shiva
• Daksha - Other daughters

Read more here: » Daksha: Encyclopedia - Daksha

In Hinduism, Gowrī or Dākshāyani is the Goddess of marital felicity and longevity; she is worshipped particularly by ladies to seek the long life of their husbands. An aspect of Devi, Dakshayani is the consort of Shiva. Other names for Dakshayani include Gowrī, Umā, Satī, Aparnā, Lalithā, Sivakāmini and over a thousand others; a listing is to be found in the Lalithā Sahasranāmam. Dakshayani - Legend. The Goddess Umā, a personificatio ...

Including:

• Dakshayani - Legend
• Dakshayani - Dakshayani weds Shiva
• Dakshayani - Dakshas arrogance
• Dakshayani - Dakshayani's self-immolation
• Dakshayani - Shiva's rage
• Dakshayani - Aftermath

Read more here: » Dakshayani: Encyclopedia - Dakshayani

In the epic Mahabharata, Jayadratha is the king of Sindhu. He is married to Dusshala, the sister of the Kaurava brothers. Jayadratha - Boon from Shiva. Jayadratha insults Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas, by attempting to abduct her and forcibly marry her. After the Pandavas capture him, he is saved from death by Yudhisthira, who proclaims him his slave. Desiring to avenge his humiliation, Jayadratha performs a tapasya to please Shiva. He asks for the power to defeat the Pandavas, but Shiva says th ...

Including:

• Jayadratha - Boon from Shiva
• Jayadratha - In the War
• Jayadratha - Arjuna's revenge
• Jayadratha - Aftermath

Read more here: » Jayadratha: Encyclopedia - Jayadratha

Yama (Sanskrit: यम) is the lord of death, whose first recorded appearance is in the Vedas. He is one of the most ancient beings in the world and parallel forms of one sort or another have been found all over Eurasia. He is known as Yima by Zoroastrians, and is considered to be cognate with Ymir of Norse legend and has become known as Enma, or Emma-o, in Japanese legend. Some even claim that he also ...

Including:

• Yama - Characteristics of Yama
• Yama - Subordination to Shiva and Vishnu
• Yama - Yamas as codes of conduct
• Yama - Yama in popular culture

Read more here: » Yama: Encyclopedia - Yama