Let's Talk About Shiva

[The Sum of Awe]

I do retain the idea than Siva is not different from His emanation, as He is the whole universe, everything.

Would you say the same for Vishnu? What about Brahma?

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Brahman doesn't mean genderless. Nirguna Brahman (Brahman without qualities/attributes) is genderless. Brahman manifests as deities (Saguna Brahman) and appears to have gender.

Śiva is Saguna Brahman.

Are Vishnu and Brahma Saguna Brahman as well?

 

[Vinayaka]

Would you say the same for Vishnu? What about Brahma?

For Vishnu, yes, but not for Brahma. For Vaishnavites, Vishnu does it all and is all, while there is no sect who worship Brahma as Supreme, doing it all.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Are Vishnu and Brahma Saguna Brahman as well?

Yes.

 

[Tomef]

Looking over the religious threads, a fair amount of them are about Jesus or Christianity.

It seems unbalanced.

Let's talk about Shiva for awhile instead.

What do you know about him that feels relevant? What would you like to know about him? What's a favorite story about him? (Or other related questions or comments.)

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Does the trident have some kind of symbolic meaning?

 

[SalixIncendium]

Does the trident have some kind of symbolic meaning?

In my understanding it is the representation of the three gunas (properties/qualities) of the universe.

• Sattva - goodness/truth/purity/balance
• Rajas - activity/passion
• Tamas - inactivity/chaos