| Shiva’s
image appears to provoke the fundamental question: "What is
this life all about?" and forces us to demand an answer such as
sacrifice, worship and service as the potential elements towards
salvation.
Shiva is worshipped as a lingam to
help us contemplate the need to think of Him as the most basic and
essentially formless one. Shiva is commonly portrayed as an ascetic
with a serpent around His neck, vibhooti (sacred ash) adorning His
face and His essentially bare body, a trishul (trident) in one of
His hands and a kamandalu (container of water for use in religious
practices) in an other hand, and a damaruga (small drum) in yet
another hand. |
