| Siva is
represented with three eyes, symbols of Sun, Moon and Fire and of time, past, present and
future. The third eye is located between the eyebrows and is known as the Eye of Wisdom.
He wears in his right ear a man's earring (Makara- kundala) and on hisleft a woman's
(Tatanka or Todu) to indicate the combination of both male and female. He wears a necklace of skulls symbolizing
that he is Lord of destruction, Samhara- murti. He wears
ashes on his body. Hence the use of ashes by his devotees as a
sacrament, the symbol of purification by the fire of His
grace, for each soul must lose the world to find God.
He also wears a necklace of Rudrakshas, berries of the
Elaeocarpurs Ganitrus. Saivite devotees wear such beads. He also wears the Upavita, the
sacred thread, over the left shoulder and under the right arm. The Upavita generally
consists of 96 strands, representing the 96 Tattwas, categories or constituents of the
Universe. No ritual can be celebrated without wearing the Upavita. |
