The Destructive & the Regenarting Aspects

Shiva is believed to be at the core of the centrifugal force of the universe, because of his responsibility for death and destruction. Unlike the godhead Brahma, the Creator, Shiva is the dissolving force in life. But Shiva dissolves in order to create, since death is the medium for rebirth into a new life. So the opposites of life and death and creation and destruction both reside in his character.

Since Shiva is regarded as a mighty destructive power, to numb his negative potentials he is fed with opium and is also termed as Bhole Shankar, one who is oblivious of the world. Therefore, on Maha Shivratri, the night of Shiva worship, devotees, especially the menfolk, prepare an intoxicating drink called Thandai (made from cannabis, almonds, and milk) sing songs in praise of the Lord and dance to the rhythm of the drums.

According to Gavin Flood, "Siva is a god of ambiguity and paradox", whose attributes include opposing themes. The ambivalent nature of this deity is apparent in some of his names and the stories told about him.

Destroyer versus Benefactor

In the Yajurveda two contrary sets of attributes for both malignant or terriffic (Sanskrit: Rudra) and benign or auspicious (Sanskrit: siva) forms can be found, leading Chakravarti to conclude that "all the basic elements which created the complex Rudra-Siva cult of later ages are to be found here." In the Mahabharata, Shiva is depicted as "the standard of invincibility, might, and terror", as well as a figure of honor, delight, and brilliance. The duality of Shiva's fearful and auspicious attributes appears in contrasted names.

The name Rudra reflects his fearsome aspects. According to traditional etymologies, the Sanskrit name Rudra is derived from the root "rud"- which means "to cry, howl." Stella Kramrisch notes a different etymology connected with the adjectival form raudra, which means wild, of rudra nature, or even the midday's or summer's fierce sunrays, and translates the name Rudra as "the Wild One" or "the Fierce God". R. K. Sharma follows this alternate etymology and translates the name as "Terrible".

Hara is an important name that occurs three times in theAnushasanaparvan version of the Shiva sahasranaama, where it is translated in different ways each time it occurs, following a commentorial tradition of not repeating an interpretation. Sharma translates the three as "One who captivates", "One who consolidates", and "One who destroys." Kramrisch translates it as "The Ravisher". Another of Shiva's fearsome forms is as Kaala, "Time", and as Mahakaala, "Great Time", which ultimately destroys all things. Bhairava, "Terrible" or "Frightful" is a fierce form associated with annihilation.

In contrast, the name Shankara, "Beneficent" or "Conferring Happiness" reflects his benign form. This name was adopted by the great Vedanta philosopher Shankara (c. 788-820 CE), who is also known as Shankaracharya. The name Shambhu, "Causing Happiness", also reflects this benign aspect.

Ascetic versus householder

He is depicted as both an ascetic yogin and as a householder, roles which are mutually exclusive in Hindu society. When depicted as a yogin he may be shown sitting and meditating. His epithetMahayogin (The Great Yogi: Maha = great, Yogin = one who practices Yoga) refers to his association with yoga. While Vedic religion was conceived mainly in terms of sacrifice, it was during the Epic period that concepts of tapas, yoga, and asceticism, became more important, and the depiction of Shiva as an ascetic sitting in philosophical isolation reflects these later concepts.

As a family man and householder he has a wife, Parvati (also known as Uma), and two sons, Ganesha and Skanda. His epithet Umapati("The husband of Uma") refers to this idea, and Sharma notes that two other variants of this name that mean the same thing,Umakanta and Umadhava, also appear in the sahasranaama. Uma in epic literature is known by many names, including Parvati. She is identifed with Devi, the Divine Mother, and with Shakti (divine energy).

Shiva and Parvati are the parents of Karthikeya and Ganesha. Karttikeya is popular in South India by the names Subrahmanya and Murugan, and in North India he is more popular by the name Skanda, Kumara, or Karttikeya. Ganesha being still again, one of the five main Gods of Hinduism.

The Five Mantras

Five is a sacred number for Shiva. One of his most important mantras has five syllables (na-mah shi-vaa-ya). Shiva's body is said to consist of five mantras, called the pañcabrahmans: As forms of god, each of these have their own names and distinct iconography:

* Sadyojaata
* Vaamadeva
* Aghora
* Tatpurusha
* Ishaana

These are represented as the five faces of Shiva, and are associated in various texts with the five elements, the five senses, the five organs of perception, and the five organs of action (see above for details: Section: The Eleven Rudras). Doctrinal differences and possibly errors in transmission have resulted in some differences between texts in details of how these five forms are linked with various attributes. But the overall meaning of these associations is summarized by Stella Kramrisch: "Through these transcendent categories, Siva, the ultimate reality, becomes the efficient and material cause of all that exists". According to the Pañcabrahma Upanishad: "One should know all things of the phenomenal world as of a fivefold character, for the reason that the eternal verity of Siva is of the character of the fivefold Brahman".