Shiva’s शिव is Supreme

Incorporeal Supreme Soul Shiva शिव is called the one who knows the three aspects of time- the past, present and future. He knows the life History of every soul and also knows which human soul can become his chariot or medium. God Father Shiva शिव is represented and worshipped in the form of the Shivlingam शिवलिंगम or Jyotirlingam ज्योतिर्लिन्गम in India. The oldest Temples in the country are said to be of Shiva शिव, the Supreme Soul. Of these, the 12 Jyotirlingam ज्योतिर्लिन्गम shrines are believed to the most auspicious for pilgrimage.

These 12 temples, located in different corners of India, are named in praise of Shiva’s शिव qualities and deeds.

In the north, Shiva शिव is worshipped as Amarnath अमरनाथ, the Lord of immortal souls. In the south, He is venerated as Rameshwar रामेश्वर, the Lord who was worshipped by Sri Rama श्री राम. This is a point to ponder upon. If Sri Rama श्री राम himself was God, what was the need for Him to worship the Jyotirlingam ज्योतिर्लिन्गम? The answer is that Sri Rama श्री राम knew that if he had to defeat Ravana रावण, he needed to seek the help and blessing of Shiva शिव, and also that Ravana रावण has got his prowess from Supreme soul Shiva शिव after intense meditation (Tapasya तप्पस्या). Sri Ram श्री राम also knew that his own powers were insufficient to prevail over Shiv’s शिव powers.

This is why it’s popularly said that before entering the battlefield one should have thorough knowledge of one’s own powers as well as those of the enemy; only then can one emerge victorious. Hence Sri Rama श्री राम himself made and worshipped a Shivalingam शिवलिंगम to fight the powers given by Shiva शिव to Ravana रावण. And finally he defeated Ravana रावण.

Similarly, in the battlefield of Kurukshetra कुरुक्षेत्र, before the Mahabharata महाभारत war, Sri Krishna श्री कृष्ण and the five Pandava पांडव brothers are said to have worshipped Shiva शिव as Sthaneshwar स्थानेस्वर to gain powers. Subsequently, the Pandavas पांडव won their battle against the Kauravas कौरव.

Apart from these instances, the Puranas पुराण and Vedas also mention the ‘Devatas‘देवता or deities turning to God Shiva शिव in times of trouble.

But why is God represented as a Jyotirlingam ज्योतिर्लिन्गम? It’s because incorporeal God Shiva’s शिव form is that of a point of light, but for the rituals of worship the devotees need a solid form, and so He is depicted as a lingam.

The names of Shiva शिव temples in Indian bear the suffix ‘Nath’ नाथ or ‘Ishwar’ ईश्वर to indicate that He is the God or Preceptor of all beings. As preceptor, He is known by the names Babulnath बबुलनाथ, Bholenath भोलेनाथ, Somnath सोमनाथ, Vishwanath विश्वनाथ and Amarnath अमरनाथ. As God, He is praised by the names Rameshwar रामेश्वर, Gopeshwar गोपेश्वर, Vishweshar विश्वेश्वर, Papkateshwar पाप्कत्वेस्वर, Mahakaleshwar महाकालेश्वर and Omkareshwar ओम्कारेस्वर.

Worship of God Shiva शिव and the deities differs in another respect. The deities are now worshipped regionally; in the north of the country, worship of Sri Rama श्री राम and Sri Krishna श्री कृष्ण is popular while in the south, forms of Vishnu विष्णु like Venkateshwara वेंकटेश्वर or Balaji बालाजी are revered more.

In the east, Kali काली and Durga दुर्गा are the preferred deities, whereas in the western states of Maharashtra महाराष्ट्र and Gujraat गुजरात, worship of Ganesh गणेश is more widespread. Supreme Soul Shiva शिव, however is adulated all over India.

Another indication of the difference between God Shiva शिव and deities is made in the images of Shankar शंकर, who is shown meditating, often in front of a Shivalingam शिवलिंगम.

It is implicit that Shankar शंकर, who is also called ‘Mahadev’ महादेव, is remembering Shiva शिव, who is the only entity in the Hindu हिन्दू pantheon, referred to as ‘Parmatma’ परमात्मा or Supreme Soul.

The Idea of God being an incorporeal being finds acceptance in other religious traditions, too.

In the Grand Mosque in Mecca, there is a stone symbol named Sang-E-Aswad to which all pilgrims pay homage by kissing it from a distance. The stone signifies an incorporeal entity that doesn’t have tangible or tactile form. It is also referred to as ‘Noor-e-Ilahi’ नूर इ इलाही, which means ‘that light’, ‘that radiance’ or ‘that luminosity’.

In Japan, followers of a religious movement called Ananai-kyo meditate on a round, black stone they call ‘chikon seki’. The word means one he bestows peace. It is believed that one can experience peace by meditating on the stone, which is said to have divine qualities.

Jesus Christ said God is light and also said that the form of God is light. According to the Old Testament, God revealed Himself to Moses in the form of fire. The sanctuary lamp that burns before the altar in many Christian and Jewish places of worship symbolizes God’s eternal presence.

The founder of Skhism सिख, Guru Nanak गुरु नानक, called God ‘Ek Omkar Nirankar’ एक ओंकार निरंकार (One Supreme incorporeal). God has been vividly described in the Gurubani गुरुबाणी as supreme, bodiless, vice less, truth and immortal.

In Zoroastrianism, one comes across the ‘holy fire’. It is said that when the Parsis arrived in India from Iran, they bought with them fire which they called ‘Akhand Jyoti’ अखंड ज्योति (ceaseless fire).

Even today, when a new Parsi temple is built, fire from an existing temple is brought there. The fire is never extinguished and is said to signify immoral, luminous form of the Supreme Soul.

In other ancient civilizations also God was referred to by names that are not too different from the word Shiva, such as ‘Shuin’ Babylon, ‘Seva’ or ‘Sevajya’ in Syria, Egypt and Fiji, ‘Sibru’ in the land occupied by the progeny of Abraham, and Jehova by Moses and his followers.

The Sanskrit संस्कृत word ‘Shiva’ शिव, according to some scholars, is the confluence of two phonetic parts. ‘shi’ and ‘va’, meaning redeemer and liberator from sins and sufferings.

From all the above, we can conclude that there was definitely a point of time when most religions and cultures accepted, believed and worshipped God as an incorporeal Supreme Soul.