Who can worship Lord Shiva?
Lord Shiva is an important god that is worshipped in a sect of Hinduism called Shaivism. He is responsible for the destruction of the universe, with the goal of recreating it. This powerful god is known for his contradictory nature but he can be generous to his worshippers, especially if they are devout.
According to Hinduism, worshiping Shiva Linga is considered good, and not only in India, but wherever Hindus live in the whole world, they believe in this worship. But the surprising thing is that only men have the right to touch and worship Shivling and it is absolutely forbidden for women, especially unmarried girls!
Worshipping Lord Shiva keeps one's mind calm and balanced and also keeps sorrows away. Lord Shiva, is considered to be the most divine among all Hindu gods. “Maha Dev”, which means greatest God is another name given to him.In the Hindu religion, Lord Shiva is also considered to be the father of the whole universe.
Ketaki, known as umbrella tree or screw pine or keura in Hindi, is barred from the worship of Lord Shiva. It is not offered during pujas and worship as it is cursed by Lord Shiva. There is an interesting story mentioned in the Tamasic shiva Purana that explains why Ketaki Flower is forbidden.
In Vaishnavism and Shaivism, God, Vishnu or Shiva respectively, is personified as male.
Lord Shiva likes those who are as innocent as he himself is. If somebody tries to spoil another person's dignity and respect in the society, this might enrage Lord Shiva. He considers it a sin if you try to defame a person.
In Hindu society, unmarried girls are still taught to worship Lord Shiva with the idea that they may get husbands like him. You would see a lot of women worshiping shivling or the idol of Lord Shiva. The calm and loving God is worshiped in different cultures to get a good and caring husband like Lord Shiva.
There is no such law to worship Lord Shiva that menstruating women can't worship him.
The god Shiva is utterly seduced by Mohini, the enchanting female form assumed by the god Vishnu during the churning of the ocean for nectar.
Christ spent the last phase of his life in the Himalayas. After regaining health, Christ established a 'math' (monastery) at the foothills of the Himalayas, probably in Kashmir. He worshipped Lord Shiva there for three years and achieved 'darshan' of Shiva.
Does Shiva accept everyone?
Shiva is described as a destroyer, and therefore held in awe at times. For every renewal, destruction is necessary, and Shiva is an important part of the destruction and rejuvenation cycle. Everything that perishes goes towards Shiva. Shiva accepts everyone and everything with equal kindness.
Monsters, ghouls, goblins, devils, animals, insects, serpents, and all kinds of creatures worship him. Everyone rejects them, but Lord Shiva accepts them wholeheartedly.

Shiva is also the great ascetic, abstaining from all forms of indulgence and pleasure, concentrating rather on meditation as a means to find perfect happiness. He also has a darker side as the leader of evil spirits, ghosts and as the master of thieves, villains and beggars.
Lord Shiva is the God of wisdom. He is one of the three gods who rule the universe. Though he is known as a god of destruction, he posses all the knowledge this universe has to offer. When you worship him, you will be bestowed upon with immense knowledge that will change your perspective towards life.
As per legend, Shiva consumed the poison that was obtained during the ocean churning. Doing so, Datura emerged from his chest and ever since, it is believed to be his favourite flower.
The Ardhanarishvara (Sanskrit: अर्धनारीश्वर, romanized: Ardhanārīśvara, lit. 'the half-female Lord'), is a form of the Hindu deity Shiva combined with his consort Parvati. Ardhanarishvara is depicted as half-male and half-female, equally split down the middle.
Ardhanareeshvara is a combination of three words “Ardha,” “Nari,” and “Ishwara” means “half,” “woman,” and “lord,” respectively, which when combined means the lord whose half is a woman. It is believed that the God is Lord Shiva and the woman part is his consort Goddess Parvati or Shakti.
According to Cekkilar's story Karaikkal Ammaiyar was born at Karaikal, South India. She was the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant, named Punitavati, a devotee of Lord Shiva since childhood. She continued to remain devoted to Shiva after marriage.
Shiva Gayatri Mantra is extremely powerful, it gives you peace of mind and that pleases Lord Shiva. This is a very powerful mantra that helps you ask for forgiveness from Lord Shiva for any sin that you may have done along the course of your life.
According to Monier Monier-Williams, the Sanskrit word "śiva" (Devanagari: शिव, also transliterated as shiva) means "auspicious, propitious, gracious, benign, kind, benevolent, friendly".
What is Lord Shiva's Favourite?
03/11Lord Shiva
The Mahayogi loves kand-mool as per the shashtras. His favouries include bhang, dhatura, milk, thandai and sweets white in colour.
Shivling Puja : Only Men Can Perform
The lingam is frequently represented alongside the yoni, a symbol of the goddess or of Shakti, female creative energy. It is believed that the Puja of Linga should only be carried by men and not women. Especially Unmarried Women should not do Shiv Linga Puja.
Although there is restriction on couples, they can visit on certain occasions for blessing. The reason behind the restriction is once Lord Shiva asked his sons Ganesh and Kartikeya to circle the world.
' It is said that an unmarried woman is not allowed to get close to Shivling and unmarried woman should not move around it. This is because Lord Shiv remains in Penance and that's why it is forbidden for women to touch the shivling.
Hindus who prefer to worship Shiva are called Shaivites. Shaivites worship while focusing on the importance of Shiva and practise raja yoga . This kind of Hinduism is called Shaivism . Vaishnavas (sometimes know as Vaishnavites) are Hindus who follow Vishnu and want to show Vishnu that he is the most special deity .
According to a folklore, Lord Shiva also blessed him to be born as his greatest devotee in his next birth. So, he is born again as a devotee in the Kali Yuga as Kannappa Nayanar and finally got liberation.
Qasmi elaborated that Muslims were also followers of Sanatan Dharma and "have no reservations in accepting that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati were part of the series of a lakh and twenty four thousand prophets sent to Earth with a mission to establish humanity, true religion and God's rule in the world".
Shiva, (Sanskrit: “Auspicious One”) also spelled Śiwa or Śiva, one of the main deities of Hinduism, whom Shaivites worship as the supreme god. Among his common epithets are Shambhu (“Benign”), Shankara (“Beneficent”), Mahesha (“Great Lord”), and Mahadeva (“Great God”).
"Sitting" shiva
As mentioned in the Book of Job, upon mourning, Job's friends "sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights". Therefore, originally, individuals who were observing a period of mourning were required to turn couches or beds over and sit on the ground.
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Shiva | |
---|---|
Devanagari | शिव |
Affiliation | Trimurti, Ishvara, Parabrahman and Paramatman (Shaivism) |
Abode | Mount Kailash Cremation grounds (Shmashana Adhipati) |
Was Shiva a half woman?
Ardhanareeshvara is a combination of three words “Ardha,” “Nari,” and “Ishwara” means “half,” “woman,” and “lord,” respectively, which when combined means the lord whose half is a woman. It is believed that the God is Lord Shiva and the woman part is his consort Goddess Parvati or Shakti.
Each is the Lord of the other. In Hindu scriptures, there are 18 puranas – each dedicated to a particular name for God – and each establishing that name as supreme. The Shiva purana establishes Lord Shiva as the greatest.
Quran has mentioned very few of them. But Lord Shiva was a Prophet has no proof in Islam. By declaring him as a messenger of Islam, he has hurt the sentiments and Muslims. On the other hand, Hindus worship Lord Shiva as their God; therefore, by calling him as a messenger of God is his disrespect,” he explained.
Note that both Brahma and Shiva-Mahadev in this scheme are jinns created by the absolute God.
Shiva is therefore seen as the source of both good and evil and is regarded as the one who combines many contradictory elements. Shiva is known to have untamed passion, which leads him to extremes in behaviour. Sometimes he is an ascetic, abstaining from all wordly pleasures. At others he is a hedonist.
Shiva engaged him in battle and pierced his heart, but Andhaka was able to recover and strike Shiva with his mace. The blood that fell on the ground from the wound gave rise to the eight forms of Bhairava.
He (Jesus) spent six years in Puri and Rajgir, near Nalanda, the ancient seat of Hindu learning. Then he went to the Himalayas and spent time in Tibetan monasteries studying Buddhism and through Persia returned to Judea at the age of 29'.
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