A-AS Level (CIE) Hinduism: Specimen Questions with Answers 20 - 20 of 51

Question 20

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Why lord Shiva is considered as the Destroyer? Does it have any negative impact?

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Explanation

  • It is absolutely right that the lord Shiva is known as the ultimate Destroyer. That is why he is known as ‘Samharamurthy’ . But, Hinduism or Puranas does not takes it in a negative manner. He is the Destroyer of sins, evils, negativities, time (kaal) and so on. He is known as Mahakaal. It means that lord Shiva always exists beyond the time. He does not get affected by the past, present and future.
  • It is him who saved the whole world by swallowing halahal named poison that came out from the ocean as the result of churning. It is the lord Shiva who destroyed Kamadeva (who took charge on the lust) by opening the third eye for disturbing him while meditating.
  • To protect his own devotee-sage Markanteya, he never hesitates to kill even Yama deva (the lord of death) .
  • Lord Shiva trembled the entire world by his popular terrible dance form known as-Thandava. Out of anger and grief lord Shiva sent his bhoot gana to take the life of Daksha, who is responsible for the loss of his beloved wife-Sati.
  • Apart from all these, lord Shiva is also known as ‘Devadidev’ (the lord of all lords) . He leaves no stone unturned and never go unanswered to those who worship him with pure heart. He fulfil wishes and grants boon to his devotees within no time.
  • His crescent moon on his head represents the calmness of the mind. Wearing of Rudraksha and ashes represents the detachment in materialistic life. He is a yogi, who have no fear. By wearing of snake, he wants to convey the message that-if you are fearless, even the snake will turn into an ornament. He is always accompanied with the bhoot gana (battalion of ghosts) and that is why he is known as Bhootnath (lord of ghosts) too. He is known as Pashupatinath (protector of animals) .
  • Both incarnations (avatar) of lord Vishnu-sage Parashurama and lord Rama, demon king Ravana, Guru of demons-sage Shukracharya etc are all the famous devotees of lord Shiva.
  • That is why Puranas mention lord Shiva as ‘Kshipra prasadi’ (instant boon) and ‘kshipra kopi’ (instant anger) .
  • As per the Shivapurana, lord Shiva says-one remain fearless and free from all the bondages and untimely death if, he/she keeps chanting the Mahamrityunjaya mantra. He will let you to break the attachment with the worldly desires, just like pumpkin breaks its own creeper.
  • So, from all above mentioned statements we can conclude that the lord Shiva doesn՚t have any single negative image or context by considering him as ultimate destroyer.