Why is Shiva called "the supreme consciousness" and why does the image of Shiva have snakes on it? Can you please explain the icon's symbolism to me?
2007-12-12 17:54:30 · 5 answers · asked by MumOf5 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
That's freaky ommotherlifeforce! I wonder how they do that. The snakes must be de-fanged or something.
2007-12-14 10:32:21 · update #1
That's freaky ommotherlifeforce! I wonder how they do that. The snakes must be de-fanged or something.
2007-12-14 10:32:23 · update #2
Shiva is not called supreme consciousness.... the supreme consciousness has been named Shiva for us to understand.
The Supreme Consciousness is called Bramh (Turiya or Aum)....who is formless, attributeless ... and is pure bliss and light.
His first differentiation into awareness is called Param-Shiva (or shiva normally). This self awared entity then separates his energy from him (called shakti) and thus the re-mating of this awareness and energy.... results into manifestation of cosmos.
Shiva's idol has a trident, snakes, hair lock and third eye which denote :-
Snakes : denote the desires...which play on the body of Shiva, but do not bite him (means desires do not affect him or bind him)
Trident : denotes 3 gunas (sat - pure light, Raj- action, Tam- inertia). With the help of these three gunas (attributes) shiva runs the universe.
Hair-lock : denotes his mind is focused and not scattered on different thoughts,,,and the Ganges of wisdom is flowing from his hairlock
Third eye- denotes his agya chakra is fully open and activated and he sees his Universe through this eye.
Aum Namah shivaye
2007-12-12 18:04:10 · answer #1 · answered by ۞Aum۞ 7 · 12⤊ 1⤋
I think Aum has answered it well.
But you have to remember that there are MANY different factions of Hinduism.Some that worship a formless Brahman manifested into Shiva.Some that worship Lord Vishnu and his avatars,some that reach god through the paramatma (god within our soul),some who are Smartist and don't really have a form of god.
So you will get a lot of different answers for this question (if every Hindu in the world had Y!A that is).
For me however,Shiva is not the supreme consciousness.Lord Krishna is,Lord Krishna is equal to Maha Vishnu,the preserver of the cosmic creation and Lord Krishna is the eternal salvation.He manifests himself through the expansion,Maha Vishnu who manifests in trillions of different Universes as the trinity,Garbodakshaya Vishnu,Shiva and Brahma.And that is manifested toward our soul as Paramatma,god within us.
Lord Shiva is considered the most powerful demi god,and the destroyer in my beliefs.
With others,Lord Shiva may represent Brahman (a formless energy) manifested as a diety.
2007-12-12 18:12:04 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 1⤋
Shiva + shakti together make Supreme Consciousness,
The snakes around shiva's nake because shiva lives in solitude and loves all animals treated dangrous by us.
it also denotes , for shiva all living beings are equal
jai mata di
2007-12-12 18:57:47 · answer #3 · answered by Divya Jyoti 4 · 6⤊ 1⤋
i though the snaky poo was that he was friends with the cobera and it wouldn't bite a god.Shiva is the god of death /change and if you got bit by a cobera you would be pretty dead.
snake handlers in India are pretty fearless, saw a man on [maximum exposer] TV show that kisses snakes and ,another that puts hundreds of snakes on his children for there nap times.....creep me out
__________________
not what i was looking for
WARNING intence ,if you frear sankes dont wach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuafquTIwP4
2007-12-13 17:27:42 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
READ BOOK OF SHIV PURAAN
2007-12-13 12:23:35 · answer #5 · answered by only kewal 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
i think AUM said it the best;)
2007-12-13 03:00:33 · answer #6 · answered by gasp 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋