OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

Shiva: शिव Śiva, meaning "auspicious one" the Destroyer or transformer among the Trimurti, the Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. In the Shaiva tradition, Shiva is seen as the Supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is regarded as one of the five primary forms of God.

Followers who focus their worship upon Shiva are called Shaivites or Shaivas (Sanskrit Śaiva). 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. Shiva is usually worshipped in the abstract form of Shiva linga. In images, he is represented as a handsome young man immersed in deep meditation or dancing the Tandava upon Apasmara, the demon of ignorance in his manifestation of Nataraja, the lord of the dance. It is said that he looks like an eternal youth because of his authority over death, rebirth and immortality. He is also the father of Ganesha and Murugan.