Shaivism

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Shaivism (also spelled Saivism, IAST Śaivism; see Sanskrit for pronunciation) is a branch of Hinduism that worships Shiva as the supreme God (Bhagavan). Followers of Śaivism are called Śaivas or Śaivites. It left a major imprint on the intellectual life of classical Cambodia, Champa in what is today south Vietnam, Java, Kashmir and the Tamil land. The wave of Saivite devotionalism that swept through late classical and early medieval India redefined Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Saivite worship legitimized several ruling dynasties in pre-modern India be they the Chola, the Rajput or tribal. A similar trend was witnessed in early medieval Indonesia with the Majapahit empire and pre-Islamic Malaya. If the global Hindu population in 2007 nears the 1,000 million mark, one could surmize that approximately 300 million can be broadly classified as Śaivite. However, such categorizations are fraught with risk given definitional imprecisions.

1 Philosophy and worship
2 History
3 Features of Shaivism
4 Within Hinduism
5 Shaiva Upanishads
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Philosophy and worship

Main article: Six Schools of Shaivism

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 Abrahamic religious traditions in which God is seen as fundamentally different from the creation and transcendent, or "higher" than the creation. As in other Hindu denominations, Śaivism acknowledges the existence of many other deities which, within Śaivism are viewed as 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 contains both devotional and mystical elements being a very broad tradition that encompasses both philosophical systems, devotional rituals, legends, mysticism and varied yogic practices. It contains both monistic, and dualistic traditions.

Śaivites believe God transcends form, although devotees will still 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; HariHara, half-Śiva half-Vishnu; and Bhairava, who wields the trishula, the trident of desire, action and wisdom. He is Vaideeshwarar, the Lord of Healing. In some traditions, Hanuman is believed to be an avatar or form of Shiva.

Another form of Shiva is Rudra who is the destroyer (samhara murthi). A question arises; how can God be a destroyer? But God destroys to relieve us from bondages and pains and give us a new lease of life. It is better to use the term Shiva instead of Siva because Shiva means mangala: i.e everything beautiful and auspicious.

[edit] History

Main article: History of Shaivism

With its origins in India, Śaivism has appeal throughout the Hindu world. An icon resembling Siva in his aspect of Pashupata meditating in yogic pose has been found among the remains of the Indus Valley Civilization in the 3rd millennium BCE, leading to speculation that Shiva may be an ancient indigenous deity later incorporated in Vedic Hinduism. John Marshall who first excavated the sites in the Indus valley found evidence of the Linga. The Rig Veda, that can be dated to the second half of the second millennium BCE, refers to Rudra, a concept that later merged with Shiva. Some traditions credit the spreading of Śaivism into southern India to the great sage, Agastya, who is said to have brought Vedic traditions. Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Maurya, refers to the worship of Shiva in the 3rd century BCE. Patanjali describes the austere asceticism of the Śaivites in the 2nd century BCE. The earliest coins with Śaivite emblems can be traced back to the Kushanas in the early centuries CE. The Śaivite school then spread to the Cham, Javanese and Khmer courts in South East Asia. The Pallava and Chola empires in South India sponsored Śaivite worship.

There can be found almost innumerable Śaivite temples and shrines, with many shrines accompanied as well by murtis dedicated to Ganesha, 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.

[edit] Features of Shaivism

Major theological schools of Śaivism include Kashmir Śaivism, Śaiva Siddhanta and Virasaivism.

The Svetasvatara Upanishad is viewed by many as setting forth the doctrines of the Saivite school. It is believed that the greatest author on the Śaiva religion writing in Sanskrit was Abhinavagupta, from Srinagar, Kashmir, c. 1000 CE. Kashmir Saivism had two philosophic schools i.e. Spanda and Pratyabhijna.

Nayanars (or Nayanmars), saints from Tamil Nadu, and the Vira Saivas or Lingayats from Karnataka lead a multi-caste mass movement that explained the devotional upsurge of Śaivite worship in early medieval South India.

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, Murugan and Ayyappan are also worshipped in the temples.
There are many temples in Tamil Nadu dedicated to Siva. Their architecture, lay-out, the location of various icons, methods of worship, are all prescribed by books called Agamas and no deviation is allowed.
People also worship Siva at home. They have 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 - known as Vibhuti or Tiru-neeru - 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 Sambanthar, Thirunavukkarasar, Sundaramoorthy Nayanar and Manikkavasagar are considered the gurus of Saivism. The hymns sung by the first three are collected into a book called Thevaram. The work of Manikkavasagar is called Thiruvasagam. 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. The Vadakkunnathan temple in Trichur is perhaps the foremost Śaivite place of worship in Kerala as is Pashupatinath temple in Nepal. There was an ancient Śiva temple in Trincomalee with possible origins in the 4th century CE on the east coast of Sri Lanka.

One of the most famous hymns to Śiva in the Vedas is Śri Rudram. The foremost Śaivite Vedic Mantra is Aum Namah Sivaya.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Shaiva Upanishads

Of the 108 Upanishads of the Muktika canon, 14 are associated with Shaivaism^{[citation needed]}. They are listed with their associated Veda (ṚV, SV, ŚYV, KYV, AV):