While trying to understand the purport of this word Shambhu, we must also pair it with another word known as Shankar. Note that both these words come from the common root known as, ’Sham’. This is a very rich word in Sanskrit having several shades of meaning. Some of the ideas implied by the term […]
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Lord Shiva is one of the trinity of gods in Hinduism. Considered the manifestation of the Apara Brahman (Formless Supreme Source of the Universe) in a form to be enjoyed and worshipped by the devotees, Shiva is considered the destroyer or annihilator or the final destination of the entire gamut of creation. The other two
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The term Ashutosh means one who is easily pleased. Lord Shiva is called by this name since He is highly compassionate and merciful and does not discriminate between devas (gods), asuras (demons) and naras (humans) for granting the boons they ask for. There are several stories from mythology that highlight Shiva’s easily pleased nature. Once
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Bholenath is one of the most interesting names of Lord Shiva that means the innocent Lord (Bhole – innocent; Nath – Lord). Shiva is merciful and highly compassionate to his devotees. The easily pleased Lord blesses his devotees with bounteous boons often without even reflecting on the repercussions of the boons he gives. This is
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The title Bhoothnath ascribed to Lord Shiva is highly interesting and is endowed with a deep meaning. The literal translation of the word means the Lord (Nath) of Bhooth (here booth could mean five elements, spirits, or ganas). Here we discuss the different dimensions of this name. The term Bhooth means the five elements that
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Before discussing why Shiva is called Ardhanarishwar, let us first split up this word and understand its meaning. (Ardha – half, Nari – woman, Ishwar – Lord) The meaning is the Lord who has the feminine form in half of his body. As per this concept, Lord Shiva is shown in his androgynous form with
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Lord Shiva is called as ‘Gangadhar’ as he carries the holy Ganges River on his matted hair. Why should Ganges flow from Shiva’s head is revealed through an interesting story narrated here. The story Once a king called Sagara, one of the forefathers of Lord Rama ruled the kingdom Kosala. He wished to conduct Ashwamedha
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The term Tripurari translates as the destroyer of the three cities. Let us go through the interesting mythological story narrating how Lord Shiva got this title. The store behind the name Once there were three powerful demons called Kamalaksha, Tarakaksha, and Vidyunmalin who were blessed with three flying fortified cities made of gold, silver and
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Rudra Gayatri is a powerful mantra chanted in Sanskrit with intonation of sound to invoke the blessings of Lord Rudra, which is a form of Lord Shiva. In this mantra, the grandeur of Lord Rudra is mentioned and chanted. Below is the English transliteration of this Sanskrit mantra with swara marks for easy pronunciation
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