आस्था और भगवान शिव की दंतकथा

The common thread of thought in the religious beliefs of the Indian subcontinent upholds a single Reality (as in absolute monoism) and holds in reverence each of the several manifestation of the Ultimate Reality in the forms of Gods.Bhrama, Vishnu and Shivaare revered as the Supreme Trinity of multitude of manifestations of Divinity. It is said that all that is true, all that is good and all that is beautiful is God (Satyam Shivam Sundaram).

Shiva is referred to as 'the good one' or the 'auspicious one'. Shiva - Rudra is considered to be the destroyer of evil and sorrow. Shiva - Shankara is the doer of good. Shiva is 'tri netra' or three eyed, and is 'neela kantha' - blue necked (having consumed poison to save the world from destruction. Shiva - Nataraja is the Divine Cosmic Dancer. Shiva -Ardhanareeswara is both man and woman.

He is both static and dynamic and is both creator and destroyer. He is the oldest and the youngest, he is the eternal youth as well as the infant. He is the source of fertility in all living beings. He has gentle as well as fierce forms. Shiva is the greatest of renouncers as well as the ideal lover. He destroyes evil and protects good. He bestows prosperity on worshipers although he is austere. He is omnipresent and resides in everyone as pure consciousness.

Shiva is inseparable from Shakti - Parvati the daughter of Himavaan - Haimavati. There is no Shiva without Shakti and no Shakti without Shiva, the two are one - or the absolute state of being - consciousness and bliss.

The five mantras that constitute Shiva's body are Sadyojaata, Vaamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha and Eesaana. Eesaana is Shiva not visible to the human eye, Sadyojaata is Shiva realized in his basic reality (as in the element earth, in the sense of smell, in the power of procreation and in the mind). The Vishnudharmottara Purana of the 6th century CE assigns a face and an element to each of the above mantras. (Sadyojaata - earth,Vaamadeva - water, Aghora - fire, Tatpurusha - air and Eesaana - space).

The names of the deified faces with their elements are Mahadeva (earth), Bhairava (fire),Nandi (air), Uma (water) and Sadasiva (space). Panchamukha lingams have been seen from the 2nd century onwards. The Trimurthi Sadasiva image of Shiva in the Elephanta Caves near Mumbai is a portrayal in stone, of the five faces of Shiva. The fourth and the fifth heads are not seen in this image here.

भगवान की महिमा

There are stories in old texts about why Lord Shiva is shown as a Shiva Lingam. A Shiva Lingam may be very small or very large in size. It may be made of stone, metal or whatever. But essentially it symbolizes the glory of Lord Shiva.
Lord Shiva is Para Brahma. He is the Jagadguru. He is the only truth and he creates the cosmos as a game and then destroys it.
Lord Shiva creates every living being.
Lord Shiva creates Heaven and Hell.
He creates us on the earth. The whole earth is created by him and he rules the cosmos with his own laws. Only he knows the law of Karma fully. No body else knows the law of karma.
The trees, precious stones, wild animals, bacteria, fish, and every other living being is created by Lord Shiva.
He creates everything that is seen as dead.
He creates the atoms and molecules. He creates gases, liquids and solids.
He creates the holy texts and he recited The Guru Geeta.
His name is most sacred. Chanting his name can make a person free of impurities.
Other than him, everything else can change. Only he remains the same at all times and at all places.
According to Guru Geeta, he has no shape; no color and one cannot feel him. He cannot be destroyed by anything. He cannot be described in any way.
A sadguru shows us that we are all Shiva and that everything else is Shiva. Lord Shiva is always in bliss and knows all about everything. He is the knower of past, present and future. He is also the creator of past present and future.
One can keep speaking about Shiva till eternity but it will not end. The clouds you see in the sky, the moon, the stars, the sun, the earth, the soil, the emotions, time, everything is nothing but the Lord.