Shaivism
Shaivism (also spelled
Saivism,
IAST ; see
Sanskrit for pronunciation) is a branch of
Hinduism that worships
Siva as the Supreme
God (Brahman.) Followers of Śaivism are called Śaivas or Śaivites. There are approximately 220 million Śaivites in the world. Even non-Hindus practice worship of Shiva and He is worshipped by many Buddhists, Sinic peoples, Shintos and
Indochinese and Indonesian peoples.
Śaivism is a form of nondual spiritual practice and philosophy originating in India. Śaivites believe that the entire creation is both an expression of conscious divinity and is non-different from that divinity which they call "Śiva". Because he is simultaneously the created and the creator, Śiva is both
immanent and
transcendent. This concept contrasts with many semitic religious traditions in which God is seen as fundamentally different from the creation and
transcendent, or "higher" than the creation. As in all
Hindu denominations, Śaivism acknowledges the existence of many other deities. These deities are expressions of the Supreme One. This type of spiritual view is called
Monistic Theism: the cosmos is a "monad" or single consciousness that expresses itself dualistically, but is fundamentally one. This philosophy is known in
Sanskrit as
Advaita Ishvaravada.
Śaivism is a very deep, devotional and mystical
denomination of Hinduism. As a very broad religion, Śaivism encompasses philosophical systems, devotional rituals, legends, mysticism and varied yogic practices. It contains
monistic, and
dualistic traditions.
Śaivites believe God transcends form, and devotees often worship Śiva in the form of a
lingam, symbolizing the entire universe. God Śiva is also revered in Śaivism as the
anthropomorphic manifestation of Śiva
Nataraja, the Divine Dancer who animates the universe. He is also
Dakshinamurti, the silent teacher;
Hari-Hara, half-Śiva half-
Vishnu; and
Bhairava, who wields the
trishula, the trident of desire, action and wisdom. In some traditions,
Hanuman is also a form of Lord Siva.
Originated in
India, Śaivism has appeal all over India. Some traditions credit the spreading of Śaivism into southern India by the great sage,
Agastya, who is said to have brought Vedic traditions as well as the
Tamil language.
There can be found almost innumerable Śaivite temples and shrines, with many shrines accompanied as well by
murtis dedicated to
Ganesa, Lord of the
Ganas, followers of Śiva, and son of
Śiva and
Śakti. The twelve
Jyotirling, or "golden Iingam", shrines are among the most esteemed in Śaivism.
The salient features of Saivism as it is today are:-
#Siva is the supreme God among the Hindu god-trinity - Brahma, Vishnu and Siva.#He is worshipped in two forms. One as a
lingam and the other as human form. The human form has several varieties. The most important of them are Nataraja - the dancing posture and Dakshinamoorthy - the teacher instructing the four sages on the absolute truth.#His consort
Parvati, his sons
Ganapati and Murugan are also worshipped in the temples.#There are many temples in Tamil Nadu dedicated to Siva. Their architecture, lay-out, the location of various idols, methods of worship, are all prescribed by books called Agamas and no deviation is allowed. #People also worship Siva at home. They have idols of natural
lingam-shaped stones to which they perform ablution flower-worship and Nivedhanam. (food offering)#Certain portions of the Vedas such as
Rudram and Chamakam are adoratory to Siva.#The sacred ash forms an important part of worship. Siva is bathed in it. This is distributed to the devotees who wear it on their forehead and other parts of the body with reverence.#The sacred syllable Om is used during the worship profusely.#The five syllabled word Na-ma-si-va-ya is considered holy and devotees consider it their duty to repeat it several times. #The priests of the Siva temples are called Sivacharyas(Saiva Brahmins).#Chidambaram, a town in Tamilnadu houses the famous Nataraja temple. This place is considered the holiest of siva shrines.#Thirugnana Sambandar, Thirunavukkarasar, Sundaramurthy and Manicka vachakar are considered the Gurus of Saivism. The hymns sung by the first three are collected into a book called Thevaram. The work of Manickavachakar is called Thiruvachakam. These books are reverentially worshipped and recited by the devotees. The first three form part of the 63 Nayanmars, staunch devotees of Siva.
Benares is considered the holiest city of all Hindus and Śaivites. A very revered Śaivite temple is the ancient
Chidambaram, in South India.
One of the most famous hymns to Śiva in the
Vedas is
Śri Rudram.The foremost Śaivite Vedic Mantra is
Aum Namah Sivaya.
Major theological schools of Śaivism include
Kashmir Śaivism,
Śaiva Siddhanta and
Virasaivism.
It is believed that the greatest author on the Śaiva religion writing in Sanskrit was
Abhinavagupta, from
Srinagar,
Kashmir, c. 1000 CE.
Nayanars (or Nayanmars), saints from Southern India, were mostly responsible for development of Śaivism in the Middle Ages.
The presence of the different schools within
Hinduism should not be viewed as a schism. On the contrary, there is no animosity between the schools. Instead there is a healthy cross-pollination of ideas and logical debate that serves to refine each school's understanding of Hinduism. It is not uncommon, or disallowed, for an individual to follow one school but take the point of view of another school for a certain issue.
Of the 108
Upanishads of the
Muktika canon, 14 are associated with Shaivaism. They are listed with their associated Veda ():
# (KYV)# (AV)# (AV)# (AV)# (KYV)# (KYV)# (AV)# () (RV)# (KYV)# (AV)# (SV)# (AV)# (KYV)# (Sāmaveda) (SV)
A leading secular authority on Śaivism is Professor Alexis Sanderson at the
University of Oxford (All Souls College).
*
Kashmir Shaivism*
Kashmir Shaivism Discussion Group*
video of building of a TamilShaiva temple]
* http://www.shaivam.org/index.html; specifically, http://www.shaivam.org/shp.htm
*
himalayanacademy.com; site from a deceased Western convert and then teacher, to Hinduism, specifically Shaivism
*http://members.aol.com/ukumbar/vsny/Detailed.htm#BM6
* http://www.sroutasaivasiddhanta.org/
* http://www.geocities.com/shivaperuman/saivalinks.html
*
Śaivism from a dualistic perspective.* For a brief discussion about these branches and Hinduism in general, please see Swami Sivananda's excellent book, "All about Hinduism" at http://www.dlshq.org/download/hinduismbk.htm#_VPID_101
* For an excellent overview of Śaivism and basic beliefs, please see the following web site,http://www.hinduism-today.com/archives/2003/10-12/44-49_four_sects.shtml.
* Additionally, please see excerpts from the book, "Dancing with Śiva" which discusses Hinduism and Śaivism in particular on the web site, http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/dws/dws_table_of_contents.html
* http://www.geocities.com/nayanmars/Documents.html (link for obtaining PDF documents of prayers to Śiva.)
*
Listen to Kashmir Śaivism Scriptures in streaming realplayer Including Śiva Sutras, Spanda Karikas, and Pratyabhijnahrdayam
*
Coverage of the famous preminent Śiva temples, the 12 Jyotirlingas and Panchabhoota Stalams.*
Vaishnavism*
Know all about Shaivism*
Shaktism*
Siddha Yoga*
Evolution of Shaivism*
Lingayatism
