Lord Shiva- A basic introduction (Part 4)

Is Shiva really a part of the Vedic Trinity or an independent supreme God?

Both of the things can be seen as truth. He is supreme existing personality in Trinity as well as Brahman. Shiva can't be easily understand. The leelas of him can't be fully described.

Vedas, Upanishads, Agamas, Itihaasas, Puranas and many other books can just give you an idea of him.

Who is Shiva ?

Shiva is something which is auspicious pure as well as something which is not. Yes, something which is not is Shiva.

When we read different stotras composed for glorifying Shiva, most of the states these line like how Bhagwatapada Adi Shankaracharya wrote in Vedasaar Shivasatvaha :-

न भूमिर्न चापो न वह्निर्न वायुर्
न चाकाश आस्ते न तन्द्रा न निद्रा ।
न ग्रीष्मो न शीतो न देशो न वेषो
न यस्यास्ति मूर्तिस्त्रिमूर्ति तमीडे ॥६॥

Na bhoomir Na chaapo Na vahanir Na vaayur,

Na chaakash aaste Na tandra Na nidra,

Na grishmo Na shite, Na desho Na vesho,

Na yasyaasti murti, trimurtim tamide !!!!!!

This actually means that he who is not Earth, who is not Fire, who is not Air, who is not Sky, who is not Sleep who is not Awakening too, who is not Heat, who is not Coldness, who has no Country, who has no particular Wearings and even who dont have Figure, I bow to that supreme who is Trimurti (Trinity) himself.

So now you may think he is not at all anything then who is he ? These lines basically tells him as the Lord of all these things. Like not being anything from Pancha bhoot (earth,water, air, sky, fire) makes him controller or Lord of Pancha bhoot and is called as Pancha Bhoteshwara or Bhoothnath Mahadeva.

So basically Shiva is something above all these qualities and is also above all the dualistic qualities like Truth and Lie, Good and Bad, etc. He is something above everything. He in reality is Pati. We Shaivas call him Shaktipati and Pahshupati. Shaktipati means who is Shaktimaan and who have Shakti as his wife. Shakti of the whole universe is Maa Uma Jagadambika Bhavani Durga whom we accept as Mahakaali, Tripur Sundari, Mahalakshmi, Mahasaraswati, Sati, Parvati, Rudrani, and many many more names can be assign to her because she is Shakti (power) of whole universe and this makes her mother of whole universe and Shiva as father of whole universe.

Pashupati name assigns to him because we believe that this whole world is real and is actually a Paasha by which he controls everything and everything is Pashus. Shakti becomes that Paasha by becoming Prakriti which is real. Every Shaiva sampradayas have its own belief associated with it, I will not go in details.

Now coming to Shiva being Vedic Trinity or being Vedic God or not I will explain. According to Shiva Maha Purana, Shiva after dividing Vishnu and Bramha from himself, took a perfect incarnation (poorna avatar) of Rudra and according to Tantras (Agamas), poorna avatar means lord himself is there. No difference between incarnation taker and incarnation. So basically Rudra is Shiva himself and that can be even proved by Vedas :-

Let us see first Satrudriya paath from Krishna Yajurveda’s Namakam Chamakam part, Here is that shloka, Anuvaka 1 !!!!!!

ōm namaste rudra manyava utota iṣave namaḥ,
namaste astu dhanvane bāhubhyāmuta te namaḥ.

Prostration to Thee, Rudra; prostration to Thy wrath and Thy arrow (which destroy evil); prostration to Thy bow; prostration to Thy mighty Arms.

yā ta iṣuḥ śivatamā śivaṁ babhūva te dhanuḥ,
śivā śaravyā yā tava tayā no rudra mṛḍaya.

This, Thy arrow that has become exceedingly peaceful (to the devout); Thy bow become a source of auspiciousness, and Thy quiver of blessedness; with these, O Valiant One (Rudra), make us happy.

yā te rudra śivā tanūraghorā'pāpakāśinī,
tayā nastanuvā śantamayā giriśaṁtābhicākaśīhi.

Rudra! That blessed and benign form of Thine, which obliterates the trace of all sins—with that most hallowed and calm phase of Thy being, reveal Thyself to us, O Radiator of Peace from the Mount of Kailasa

yāmiṣuṁ giriśaṁta haste bibharṣyastave,
śivāṁ giritra tāṁ kuru mā higṁsīḥ puruṣaṁ jagat.

O Benefactor from the Mount of Kailasa! That arrow which Thou wieldest for aiming at enemies, make that benign (in respect of us). Harm not human beings or others in creation, O Protector on the sacred Mount (here refers to Universe).

When you will read the full verse it even says some more names like Sadashiva, Trayambaka, Shriman Mahadeva, etc.

You know namaskara mantra ? It is also a part of Shri Rudram in Anuvaka 8 Here is it :-

नमः सोमाय च रुद्राय

च नमस्तस्मृति चारुनाय च नमः शंगाय

च पाशुपतये च नामा अकाराय च भिमाया

च नमो अग्रवेधाय च दुर्वेदाय च नमो हन्त्रे

च हन्यासीस च, नमो वृक्षेभ्यो हरिकेसभ्यो

नामा ताराया नमः शम्भेव च मेयो भावे च नमः शंकराय

च मयस्कराय च नमः शिवाय च शिवरताया च !!!!

Namah somaya Cha rudraya

Cha namastamraya charunaya Cha nama shangaya

Cha pashupataye Cha nama ugraya cha bhimaya

Cha namo agrevadhaya Cha dure vadhaya cha namo hantre
Cha haniyase Cha, namo vrukshebhyo harikeshebhyo

Nama staraya namash shambhave Cha mayo bhave cha namah shankaraya

Cha mayaskaraya cha namah shivaya Cha shivataraya cha !!!!

Even the line from Yajurveda :- Eko Rudra dwitiyo naasti is the main line for Shaivas which comes from Swetashwara Upanishad.

There are many many such proofs in Vedas and Upanishads to prove the same !!!!!!!!!!!!!

So if asked that is he among the Vedic trinity so Yes and even if asked is he supreme god, then also answer is yes. Vishnu and Bramha are incarnations of Shiva only. Shiva incarnated Vishnu from left side of his body and Bramha from right side of his body. So this actually says there is no difference between Shiva Vishnu and Bramha. As we know left is the part where heart is situated so for him, Narayana is the most near and dear and also from this part Shakti too emerged so Narayana is considered as Shakti’s brother.

So I would like to end my answer with a beautiful prayer :-

Namah Shivaya Namah Shivaya Om Namah Shivaya

Om Namah Shivaya Hara Hara Bhole Namah Shivaya

Mahakaaleshwaraya Mahakaaleshwaraya, Hara Hara Bhole Namah Shivaya

Om Namah Shivaya Hara Hara Bhole Namah Shivaya

Om Someshwaraya Shiva Someshwaraya, Hara Hara Bhole Namah Shivaya

Om Namah Shivaya Hara Hara Bhole Namah Shivaya

Rameshwaraya Shiva Rameshwaraya Hara Hara Bhole Namah Shivaya

Om Namah Shivaya Hara Hara Bhole Namah Shivaya

Vishweshwaraya Shiva Vishweshwaraya Hara Hara Bhole Namah Shivaya !!!!!!!!!

Hara Hara Hara Hara Hara Hara Mahadeva !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jay Uma Maheshwara !!!!!