Shiva

Shiva
Supreme God in Shaivism, Lord of Annihilation and Dance and Arts [1][2]
Member of Trimurti
Shiva and Parvati on Nandi
Affiliation	Parabrahman(Shaivism), Trimurti
Abode	Kailash, Heaven
Mantra	ॐ नमः शिवाय (Om Namah Shivaya)
Weapon	Trishula [3]
Symbols	Linga, Damaru, Vasuki
Mount	Nandi (bull)
Festivals	Maha Shivaratri, Shravana, Kartik Purnima
Consorts	Parvati [3]

Shiva or Mahadeva is the supreme god in Shaivism tradition in Hinduism and one of the chief deities as a member of the Trimurti. Shiva is causeless auspiciousness. Shiva is known as the Maha Rudra (the master of all Rudras). Shiva is an embodiment of ultimate space of enlightenment. He assumed human form to guide humans in the past and thus is known as Adhiguru (first guru).

His space of enlightenment is what all spiritual seekers aspire for. All enlightened masters live in this space of Shiva. Shiva is known as the destroyer god because he removes all evil from the world. His wife is the goddess Parvati or Devi Durga.

According to Hindu legend, he has a blue neck because he swallowed a poison in order to save the universe. He has three eyes, the third eye is on his forehead. Shiva is one-third of the Hindu trimurti including Brahma and Vishnu. Lord Shiva lives in the Mount Kailash with his two sons Kartikeya and Ganesha who is known as the Remover of Obstacles. There is a statue of Shiva in Bangalore which is a great tourist attraction.^[4]

1. ↑ Wendy Doniger (1999). Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions. Merriam-Webster. p. 1134. ISBN 978-0-87779-044-0.
2. ↑ Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2008). Encyclopedia of World Religions. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. pp. 445–448. ISBN 978-1-59339-491-2.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Constance Jones; James D. Ryan (2006). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Infobase Publishing. pp. 491–492. ISBN 978-0-8160-7564-5.
4. ↑ Dalal, Roshen (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.