Everything in the universe starts with nothing & ends up in nothing. – SagebySoul
We’ll have witnessed an upsurge in curiosity every time we talk about the universe, gods, creator, or whatever you can call it. And why not, after all, we all are connected and part of that very source of everything.
And that source is – Shiva.
What is the Meaning of Shiva
Shiva literally means zero or nothingness, i.e., that which is not. Research now confirms everything in the universe comes from nothing and ends up in nothing.
This cosmos has no beginning or end, and this whole cosmos resembles a dance of Nataraja (another form of shiva).
The whole cosmos is the ocean of energies and everything in the universe is held by Shiva because only nothingness can hold everything. There resides the reason why Shiva is lord of the lords.
What are Shiva’s Different Forms
Well, Shiva is formless but the most significant forms of Shiva are:
Nataraja
This form of Shiva resembles the cosmos and is like a dance of Shiva and is also known as the Dance of Bliss. The dance is a glimpse of the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction.
Adiyogi: Lord of the Yoga
The Shiva in this form is known as the lord of yoga who was the first one to experience the taste of ecstasy and then transferred yogic science to his seven disciples.
In the yogic culture, Shiva is known as the first guru or adiyogi because he is the first yogi. Being the first one to realization for stillness, he became ecstatic & danced all over the mountains and then sit absolutely still.
People around him known as saptrishis witnessed him in a higher state of consciousness and requested him to pass on all the science so that they can also realize it and taste ecstasy.
At their request, Shiva taught saptrishis all the techniques of yogic science to let everyone realize that each one of us has everything that this universe comprised of.
We’re one, we’re light, we’re divine.
Taking all the knowledge from Adiyogi or shiva, the saptrishis navigated to different parts of the world to distribute this knowledge and help people taste glorious drops of ecstasy. To make people’s life more simple and free from miseries by helping them realize actually who they are.
Mrityunjaya
Mrityunjaya means the one who conquered death. There is a popular and powerful mantra named Mahamrityunjaya mantra, and there are various benefits of chanting this mantra.
Shiva as a Family Man
Lord Shiva’s consort is Parvati, who is the ultimate goddess also known as Parvati. She’s often called by different names Parvati (as Shiva’s wife), Durga (resembling courage and justice), Kali (destroyer of evils), Uma (God of motherhood), Shakti (Nature or energy), and more.
ArdhaNarishwar
Shiva’s left part of his own body is Shakti and this fusion of Shiva and Shakti is known as Ardhanarishwar.
Mythological Background in Ancient Texts
There is an ancient texture named Shiva Purana, one of eighteen significant texts of the Purana genre of Sanskrit texts in Hinduism consisting of the journey of Shiva as a God.
So, these textures mention that Shiva was the first one who realized yoga, meditation, and the very source of everything which is often referred to as god, consciousness, stillness, and more. And that is the reason he’s known as Adiyogi.
This way he is the first meditator, Adi means very first, and Yogi means meditator. He was the first one to experience the ecstasy of consciousness which he then introduced to his 7 disciples popularly known as Sapt Rishis.
Birth of Shiva
It is still unknown where Shiva came from, and nobody has ever witnessed growing him up as a kid. His birth is unknown, but he had a family as per ancient textures.
Family of Shiva
The four members of the family of shiva were his wife Parvati, Kartikeya (son), Ganesha (son), and Ashokasundari (daughter).
How many sons does Shiva have?
Shiva had two sons named Kartikeya and Ganesh. Kartikeya is known to be the commander of the Gods and Ganesha is the god known to remove hurdles and miseries from life.
Shiva also had sons who were born with the tears of Shiva named Jalandhar and Andhak but due to their Evil traits, they were never a part of the Shiva family.
Shiva in Spirituality
Shiva is the ultimate, almighty, the one that is beyond time and space. Because Shiva means nothingness that resides in the universe out there, independent, all-pervading without any limits.
Nothingness & Shiva
Now science has come to the conclusion that 99% of the space in the universe is nothingness. Everything begins from nothing and ends up in nothing.
Nobody to date has been able to figure out how big the universe is. All the space where all the planets along with so many stars roam is not random, it’s Shiva holding everything.
Because only nothingness can hold everything.
Space
All-pervading space in the universe is continuously expanding and has no limits. Have you ever observed or asked yourself where this big space originates from and is continuously expanding?
Well, it is limitless.
Space is limitless, boundless with so many galaxies, stars, planets, and black holes, and the most fundamental part of existence is atoms.
Shiva as an atom and Cosmos
Atoms are the most fundamental part of the whole existence. And Shiva Lingam resembles the structure of an atom like protons, and neutrons which are surrounded by fast-spinning electrons.
There are protons and electrons present in the atom, and the neutron (0) resembles Shiva. Because nothingness is present in everything and everywhere.
Everything we see in existence is made up of atoms.
How You are connected to Shiva
So, as I mentioned above, everything is held by nothingness and that is shiva. Moreover, nothingness is present in each and everything whether it’s stars, galaxies, black holes, human beings, and more.
Why?
Because everything consists of atoms and is present in each and everything in the universe. Nothingness holds everything, so it is present in everything we can imagine in this universe.
That’s how the universe is governed by these forces or energy and is referred to as Shakti or energy. So, the whole existence and everything consists of the atom, shiva, nothingness, or whatever you can call it.
And these fundamentals are driven by Shakti for the creation of life. As human beings, we all have billions and trillions of atoms present in our body that is collectively held by life, and that life force is Shakti.
Since both Shiva and Shakti reside in us, we all are connected spiritually as we all are driven or created by the same life force.
Shiva and Shakti
Shiva and Shakti are the divine energies that are present between all of us. That is the reason we all are connected.
You may have observed sometimes what you think happens or already happened.
For example, You get feelings of uncertainty about your friend, and when you call them, you found them ill.
It happens just because everything in the universe is connected.
Let me share an experience with you, when I was in a relationship, there was a party that I needed to go to with my girlfriend and I was wearing a black dress. I was totally unaware of what she might be wearing, but I was getting a strong feeling that she also may have worn a black dress.
Guess what? She was wearing a black dress.
We sometimes get strong feelings and intuition about something like any event, people, vibes, and more. And that is because we are part of that creation and connected with each other.
Shiva Q & A
Who is Shiva?
Shiva is nothing yet everything because nothingness is present everywhere and in everything in the universe. Everything in space, the universe happening in the lap of Shiva.
What is the meaning of Shiva?
Shiva means nothingness, which means that which is not. It can also resemble a zero or nil.
Was lord shiva a human or a real person?
No, lord shiva was not a human or a person. He is formless, all-pervading, and doesn’t have any physical form.
Does lord shiva exist?
Lord Shiva exists in everything you can ever imagine. Shiva is nothing and nothingness is present in every particle or space like all the creatures, thoughts, emotions, and non-living things, in everything.
Final Words
The Shiva is nothing yet everything, the vast space in the universe, and everything residing in this vast space. As Shiva is nothingness and is present everywhere and in everything whether its space, ether, or atoms everything is connected.
The whole universe, all the creation, and cosmic events are all happening in the lap of Shiva. There is no beginning and end to this.
