Shiva

by Sean - 8/26/11 9:52 AM

Shiva is part of the hindu trinity it is how the hindu's see God or the Divine (to them there is only one God which reveals his/her self in many forms depending on what is required - a christian similarity is God showing him self through an Archangel for example). he is called the destroyer as it is the cycle of creation, he is also the bringer of Light and the destroyer of ignorance (which is equivalent to sin in christianity). Shakti is his consort or wife (basically his power which is feminine) Shakti (also called Durga, Kali, Pravati) is the Goddess Destroyer of Evil (not the evil goddess of destruction). In her form of Kali (which is a scary but sacred image) she is reviling her self as the master over evil and is standing on a demon of ignorance. the story says that she will destroy all the ignorance and evil in man with her weapons of Light.

The 1008 is referring to the 1008 names of the Mother Divine. Hindus don't see God as Male. but as both Male and Female at once. they believe God ultimately cannot be known as God is the formless presence and is the Light. but one cannot see Light directly, one can only see what light reflects off of when it hits an object, the object becomes illuminated, so the question is are you seeing God or the Object? in the end both are true. so the God's and Goddesses are the many different ways God reveals him/herself to us.

to show a comparison, God always sent an angel and when the time came Jesus Christ so that we might know God. God never appeared as a direct form except through Jesus, Archangels, Saints etc..

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