Index | Aumkaaram & Aum | Asato Maa | God is All | Shiv Stotra
Om Sarve Vai Sukhinas Santu | Devi Stotra | Goddess Lakshmi Namastestu Mahamaye
Vishnu Stotra | Stotra "Poorvam Rama" | Stotra on Hanuman "Manojavam"
Vedanuddharate | Gayatri Mantra | Om Poornamadah Poornamidam

Shiva is the facet of the Divine representing the power of disintegration and dissolution (laya).

Both Vishnu and Shiva represent the one ultimate universal. He is 'Vairagya' aspect - complete non attachment, the Lord who has perfected the Cosmos by His own will does not crave for a fraction of His own creation. Shiva - auspicious - Mangle. He renders ashes Manmatha or the six passions in man, viz., Moha, Lobha, Mada, Matsarya, Kama and Krodha.

KAILASARANA SHIVA CHANDRAMOULI
PHANEENDRA MAATHA MUKUTEE ZALAALEE
KAARUNYASINDHU BHAVADUKHA HAAREE
THUJAVEENA SHAMBHO MAJA KONA TAAREE.

MEANING
Oh, Lord Shiva! Who is seated on Mount Kailas, whose forehead is decorated with the moon and the king of serpents as a crown, who is the Ocean of Mercy and the remover of delusion, You alone can protect me. I surrender to Thee.

Kailash Rana - Lord of the Abode of Light, Purity and Bliss. Chandramouli. - Adorned by the moon. We have every month a Shivarathri dedicated to worship of Shiva. The moon dominates the night. The moon has 16 phases. Each day when it wanes, a fraction is reduced until it is annihilated on New Moon night.

The waning of the moon is the symbol for the waning of the mind; for the mind has to be controlled, reduced and finally destroyed. All Sadhana is directed towards this end. Every day during the dark half of the month, the moon, symbolically its counterpart in man, the mind, wanes and a fraction is diminished. Its power declines and finally, on the 14^th night, i.e. Chaturdasi there is just a wee bit left. If the Sadhaka makes a little extra effort that day, even that little bit can be wiped off and "Manonigraha" completed. The night should be spent in Japa and Dhyana of Shiva Upavasa and vigil without any thought of food and sleep.

[S.S.S. IV]

Fanindra Matha - the raised hood of a cobra. Symbolism of serpent. Serpent represents Kundalini Shakti with its six chakras and Sahasrara (the raised hood). Subramanyam, as the serpent is worshipped in temples. The serpent is the symbol of the vital spiritual energy that lies dormant in the nerve centers of man, waiting to be awakened and used for uplift.

Significance of bull
Shiva's vehicle is symbol of Sanatana Dharma standing on the four legs of Sathya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema.

Shambho "Swayambhu". None has created him. Feminine derivative is Shambhavi. Shiva is the Vairagya aspect: the Lord, who has projected the Cosmos by His own will, does not crave for a fraction of his own creation.

The story of Amritamanthana
The Devious (good people) and the Asuras (Wicked people) once churned the ocean of milk to get the various treasures from it. They used the Mandara Mountain as the rod and the serpent king, Vasuki, as the rope to churn. First came the Kamadhenu (the wish fulfilling cow), then the Kalpavriksha (the wish fulfilling tree), Laxmi (the Goddess of wealth and plenty) also the deadly Halahala poison. This poison threatened to destroy the worlds. The people prayed to Lord Shiva to save them. In response to their prayers, Shiva who is "Karunya Sindhu", Ocean of Mercy and Compassion, Consumed the poison. The heat of the fumes was well nigh unbearable even for HIM. So it is said, Ganga was poured uninterruptedly on his matted locks (this is the significance of the "Abhisheka" which is offered in all Shiva temples for hour on end and in some places uninterruptedly).

(S.S.S.I)

The Lord is 'Bhava Dukha Haari'
You know the Garuda bird feeds on snakes. Well, once the garuda of Vishnu went to Kailash to pay his respects to Lord Shiva, who wears snakes around his neck, arms, wrists, waist and ankles. When the snakes saw Garuda, they were unafraid; they even dared to put out their forked tongues at Garuda and challenged it to come near them. That was the extent of the courage lent to them by the association with the Lord. So when we are close to God by regular prayer and by obeying His teachings, no worry or grief or fear can harm us.

Significance of Damaru
Shiva is accessible through audible praise and song.

Significance of Trident
He is the Master of Past, Present and Future and takes responsibility for the same of his Bhaktas.

Significance of the third eye
It is the eye of wisdom. The lord is 'Sarvajna' and 'Sarvassakshi'. He visualizes the past, present and future.

Karunya Sindhu
The Lord is 'Karunya Sindhu'. The grace of the Lord is as the ocean, vast, limitless. By your Sadhana, your Japa, Dhyana and systematic cultivation of virtues, this grace is converted into clouds and they rain on the Sadhaka as Showers of Prema, which form streams and Rivers of Amanda.

(SSS-1)

Story (related to Stotra)
When the demons and the God churned the Ocean, they found fourteen jewels coming out of the sea, one after another. At one stage, there came out a cup full of poison. The poison was so strong, that even a drop of it would have burnt the whole world. Now the problem was how to get rid of it! Where to keep such a deadly thing?

Gods and demons approached Lord Vishnu, who was their only supporter. In order to show how mighty Lord Shiva was; Lord Vishnu directed them to him. They all reached the Kailasa Mountain, carrying the cup of poison in their hands very carefully. The Lord was seated in His meditative mood. They all pleaded to Him and explained to Him what they had come for. Lord Shiva smiled and assured them. with one gulp, He swallowed the poison. There it started going down this throat. But Shiva knew that, if the poison got mixed with His blood, then with the contact of His feet to the earth, the whole world would burn to ashes. So he did not allow the poison to go down the throat. He kept it in His throat. The poison scorched Him so much that he tried all remedies to cool the burning effect of the poison.

First, he kept the moon to cool it, but it could not reduce the burning. He then put Ganga upon his matted hair, yet it had no effect. At last, Lord Shiva began to chant 'Rama Nama', and at once it cooled the scorching of the poison. That is why Lord has moon on His forehead. He is the ocean of mercy, because he took mercy upon His devotees and swallowed the poison for them