Shiva

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For other uses, see Shiva (disambiguation).

Shiva
A statue depicting Shiva meditating
Devanagari	शिव
Sanskrit Transliteration	Śiva
Affiliation	Deva (Trimurti)
Abode	Mount Kailāsa[1]
Mantra	Om Namah Sivaya
Weapon	Trident (Trishula)
Consort	Sati, Parvati, Kali, Durga, Chandi
Mount	Nandi (bull)

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Shiva (pronounced /ˈʃiːvə/; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, meaning "auspicious one" ) is a major Hindu deity, and the Destroyer or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine.^[2] In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the Supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is regarded as one of the five primary forms of God ^[3] and in the Brahma Kumaris perspective, he is known as Father, or Shiva Baba.
Followers of Hinduism who focus their worship upon Shiva are called Shaivites or Shaivas (Sanskrit Śaiva).^[4] Shaivism, along with Vaiṣṇava traditions that focus on Vishnu and Śākta traditions that focus on the goddess Shakti, is one of the most influential denominations in Hinduism.^[3]
Shiva is usually worshipped in the abstract form of Shiva linga. In images, he is generally represented as immersed in deep meditation or dancing the Tandava upon Apasmara Purusha, the demon of ignorance in his manifestation of Nataraja, the lord of the dance. He is also the father of Ganesha and Murugan.