Shiva derives her name from the Hindu god Shiva, one of the most revered and powerful gods in the Vedic pantheon. He is part of the triad of the great Hindu gods: Brahma, the Creator; Vishnu, the Preserver; and Shiva, the Destroyer. While Shiva is called the Destroyer, there is also the aspect of regeneration in his powers. As the destroyer, he is dark and terrible, appearing as a naked ascetic accompanied by a train of hideous demons, encircled with serpents and necklaces of skulls. As an auspicious and reproductive power, he is worshipped in the form of the Linga, or phallus. Shiva is depicted as white, with a dark-blue throat, with several arms and three eyes. He carries a trident and rides a white bull. His consort is Parvati (Devi) in her aspect as mountain-goddess. He is considered one of the greatest gods of Hinduism, and is also called Mahadeva. Shiva is identified with the fierce Vedic god Rudra and, in his terrible aspect, is the god of destruction and cosmic dissolution. His other main forms are the great yogi, or ascetic, and Nataraja, Lord of the Cosmic Dance. As a yogi he is depicted as seated deep in meditation in the Himalayas, holding a trident, a snake coiled around his neck, his body smeared with ashes, and his hair long and matted. As Nataraja, he is shown four-armed, bearing various emblems, and dancing on one foot on a prostrate demon. In this form, he dances the great great Cosmic dance; the energy from this is said to fuel the cosmos and when the dances stops, so does the universe. Some Hindus worship Shiva as the supreme deity and consider him a benevolent god of salvation as well as a god of destruction.
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