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.

Philosophy and worship

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.

History

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.

Features of Shaivism

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 Parvathi, his sons Ganapathi and Murugan are also worshipped in the temples.
There are many temples in Tamilnadu 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.

Within Hinduism

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.

Shaiva Upanishads

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)

Research

A leading secular authority on Śaivism is Professor Alexis Sanderson at the University of Oxford (All Souls College).

External links

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.

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