Shiva is known by several names – Mahadeva, Pashupati, Bhairava, Vishwanath, Bhole Nath, Shambhu and Shankar. Shiva is also regarded as the patron god of yoga,meditation, and arts. In his fierce aspects, he is often depicted slaying demons.
In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient Yogi who lives an ascetic life on Mount Kailash, as well as a householder with wife Parvati and his two children, Ganesha and Kartikeya.Shiva has many benevolent and fearsome depictions. He is worshiped as the Supreme God within Shaivism, one of the three most influential denominations in contemporary Hinduism and is also called “the Creator, the Preserver, the Transformer and the Destroyer”.Īt the highest level, Shiva is regarded as formless, limitless, transcendent, and unchanging. Shiva meaning “The Auspicious One” is one of the three major deities of Hinduism.
