Hindu deity
Shiva
the Auspicious One — destroyer and transformer
In short
Shiva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism, the destroyer and transformer within the trinity (Trimurti). He represents the still, unchanging awareness beneath all change — the calm centre of the cosmos. He is worshipped both as the ascetic of Kailasa and as the formless Shivling.
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Significance & stories
Shiva holds together seeming opposites: the meditating ascetic and the householder married to Parvati; the still yogi and the dancer whose Tandava moves the cosmos; the destroyer who, by dissolving the old, makes renewal possible.
He is worshipped in many forms — as Nataraja the cosmic dancer, as the compassionate Ardhanarishvara who is half Parvati, and most widely as the Shivling, the aniconic emblem of the formless divine. His great night is Maha Shivaratri.
A mantra to Shiva
ॐ नमः शिवाय
oṃ namaḥ śivāya
I bow to Shiva, the auspicious inner Self who transforms and frees.
See all Shiva mantras with Devanagari, transliteration, meaning, and how to chant.
Festivals of Shiva
Temples of Shiva
Questions about Shiva
Other deities
About Shiva
Who is Shiva in Hinduism?
Shiva is the destroyer and transformer of the Hindu trinity, representing the still awareness beneath all change. He is worshipped as the ascetic of Kailasa and as the formless Shivling.
What is Shiva's main mantra?
Om Namah Shivaya — 'I bow to Shiva' — the five-syllable panchakshara mantra. The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is also central to his worship.
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