Shiva, along with Brahma and Vishnu, is a part of the holy trinity of Hinduism. Shiva is known as “The Destroyer,” but despite the name, it is associated with good and evil. He is associated with creation and destruction due to his cycle of rebirth. He is also associated with evil because he is seen as the leader of evil spirits, ghosts, and vampires; who at times do his bidding. Shiva has many names and forms, and is worshipped by Hindu followers in different ways; often times believers set up temples, or go on pilgrimages, as ways of worshiping the deity. Shiva is seen as one of the most important deities of the Hindu religion. Shiva goes by many names, and the two most prominent are, “Shiva the Destroyer” and “Shiva the Protector.” He …show more content…
The Mahamrityunyaya Mantra is one of the two main mantras in the Vedas, the other being the Gayatri Mantra. The Mahamrityunyaya Mantra is chanted to remove death and disease. It is also important to understand Shiva’s attributes, which include Shiva’s snakes, his two sided drums, his white bull, tiger skin, and The Himalayan Mountains. Shiva’s snakes show his power over death and poison, but also represent the Kundalini energy. The Kundalini energy is dormant energy; represented by a snake coiled up at the base of the spine, also seen as the first chakra. (Gruenwald, 2015.) The sound of the two-sided drums is meant to represent the rhythm of the heartbeat and is used during processions for Shiva and in types of worship for Him. The white bull, also called Nandi, is seen as the vehicle of Shiva. In many depictions of Shiva he is seen riding atop Nandi, or going through the Himalayas on Nandi. Also, in many depictions of Shiva he is seen as being seated on top of a tiger skin, or wearing a tiger skin shroud. The tiger is used to represent the mind. Lastly, a large connection with Shiva is between him and the Himalayas because Shiva is said to live on Mount