Legion of the Damned - Death Is My Master
Shiva:
Shiva meaning “The Auspicious One”, also known as Mahadeva(“Great God”). He is the Supreme God within Shaivism, one of the three most influential denominations in contemporary Hinduism.[2][3] He is ”the Destroyer” or “the Transformer”[4] among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine.At the highest level Shiva is limitless, transcendent, unchanging and formless.[6][7][8][9][10] In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient Yogi who lives an ascetic life on Mount Kailash,[4] as well as a householder with wife Parvati and his two children, Ganesha and Kartikeya and in fierce aspects, he is often depicted slaying demons. Shiva is also regarded as the patron god of yoga and arts.[11][12][13]
The main iconographical attributes of Shiva are the third eye on his forehead, the snake Vasuki around his neck, the crescent moon adorning, the holy river Ganga flowing from his matted hair, the trishula as his weapon and the damaru as his instrument. Shiva is usually worshiped in the aniconic form of Lingam.[14][15][16] The figure of Shiva as we know him today was built up over time, with the ideas of many regional sects being amalgamated into a single figure.[38] Shaivism is the oldest of the four major sects of Hinduism. Followers of Shaivism, called “Shaivas”, and also “Saivas” or “Saivites”, revere Shiva as the Supreme Being. Shaivas believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer, revealer and concealer of all that is. The tantric Shaiva tradition consists of the Kapalikas, Kashmir Shaivism and Shaiva Siddhanta. The Shiva MahaPurana is one of the purāṇas, a genre of Hindu religious texts, dedicated to Shiva. Shaivism is widespread throughout India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, mostly. Areas notable for the practice of Shaivism include parts of Southeast Asia, especially Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.
Shiva forms a Tantric couple with Shakti, the embodiment of energy, dynamism, and the motivating force behind all action and existence in the material universe. Shiva is her transcendent masculine aspect, providing the divine ground of all being. Shakti manifests in several female deities. Sati and Parvati are the main consorts of Shiva. She is also referred to as Uma, Durga (Parvata), Kali[157] and Chandika.[158] Kali is the manifestation of Shakti in her dreadful aspect.
The depiction of Shiva as Nataraja, ”Lord of Dance” is popular.[200][201] He dances the Tandava, which later came to denote the powerful and masculine dance as Kala-Mahakala associated with the destruction of the world. When it requires the world or universe to be destroyed, Lord Śiva does it by the tāṇḍavanṛtya.[205][206] and Lasya, which is graceful and delicate and expresses emotions on a gentle level and is considered the feminine dance attributed to the goddess Parvati.[207][208] Lasya is regarded as the female counterpart of Tandava.[208] The Tandava-Lasya dances are associated with the destruction-creation of the world.[209][210][211]
Text: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva
Pics: http://eymuaddib.tumblr.com/post/82100084287/just-meditate, http://www.speakingtree.in/spiritual-blogs/seekers/god-and-i/shiva-the-destroyer-197341
