Symbol of Shiva | The Attributes of Lord Shiva - Trishul, Nandi, Third Eye, Damru

At the highest level, Lord Shiva is regarded as formless, limitless, transcendent and unchanging. Yet he appears in many benevolent and fearsome depictions. In his benevolent aspects, he is the omniscient Yogi living an ascetic life on Mount Kailash, and the householder with his consort Goddess Parvati and his children Ganesha and Kartikeya. In his fierce aspects, he is often depicted slaying demons. Above all, Shiva is the patron God of yoga, meditation and the arts.

His most important attributes are:

• The trishul as his weapon
• The damaru as his musical instrument
• The adorning crescent moon and the holy river Ganga flowing from his matted hair
• The snake Vasuki around his neck
• The awaiting and patient Nandi
• His tiger skin clad body
• The third eye on his forehead

Trishul

Shiva's trishul represents the three fundamental dimensions of life, symbolised in many ways. They can also be called Ida, Pingala and Sushumna — the three basic nadis (the left, right and central channels) in the pranamaya kosha, the energy body of the human system. Nadis are the pathways of prana in the system, and there are 72,000 nadis that spring from these three fundamental ones. Ida and Pingala represent the basic duality of existence — the duality we traditionally personify as Shiva and Shakti, the masculine and feminine qualities in each nature.

Damru

The damru symbolises the universe, which is always expanding and collapsing — from an expansion it collapses and then re-expands. This is the very process of creation. Just as the heartbeat is not a straight line but a rising and falling rhythm, so the whole world is nothing but rhythms, energy rising and collapsing to rise again. The damru is also a symbol of sound, and sound is rhythm and energy; the entire universe is one wave. Thus the damru signifies the non-dual nature of the universe.

Moon (Soma)

Among the many names of Shiva, one of the most common is Soma or Somasundara. Soma can literally mean the moon, but essentially it means inebriation or intoxication. Shiva wears the moon as a decoration because he is a great yogi who is intoxicated all the time yet sits in great alertness. To enjoy intoxication, one must be alert — even when one drinks, one stays awake to enjoy it. That is how yogis are: totally drunk, yet fully alert.

Snake (Vasuki)

A snake is extremely sensitive to certain energies, and Shiva wears one around his throat. There is a whole science behind this. There are 114 chakras in the energy body, of which the 7 fundamental chakras are most discussed; among them, the vishuddhi chakra at the pit of the throat is strongly associated with the snake. Vishuddhi means "filter" — if it becomes powerful, you gain the ability to filter everything that enters you. Shiva's centre is vishuddhi, which is why he is known as Vishakantha or Neelakanth: he filters all poison and does not allow it into his system. Poisons are not only what one consumes — a wrong thought, emotion, idea, energy or impulse can poison a life. When the vishuddhi is active, a person becomes so powerful within himself that what surrounds him no longer influences him; he becomes established within himself.

Nandi

Nandi, the vehicle of Shiva, is a symbol of eternal waiting — and waiting is considered the greatest virtue in Indian culture. One who knows how to simply sit and wait is naturally meditative. Nandi is not expecting Shiva to come out tomorrow; he is not anticipating anything. He simply waits, forever. That quality is the essence of receptivity — before entering a temple, one must cultivate the quality of Nandi: simply to sit, alert. He is not sleepy or passive; he sits fully alive and alert. That is meditation.

Tiger Skin

Lord Shiva is often seen wearing a tiger skin. According to folklore, it signifies him as the controller of all the powers in the world, and sitting on a slain tiger skin symbolises the victory of the divine force over animal instincts. A tiger skin also symbolises potential energy: Shiva, sitting on it, shows that he is the source of the creative energy that remains in potential form during the dissolution of the universe and is activated by his Will in endless cycles. The tiger is the vehicle of Shakti, the Goddess of force — and Shiva, who wears the tiger skin, is the master of every force. Tigers also represent lust; by sitting on or wearing the skin, Shiva indicates that he has conquered lust.

Third Eye

Shiva is called Tryambaka because he has a third eye, which signifies that another dimension of perception has opened. The two physical eyes are merely sensory organs that feed the mind impressions, because what one sees is not the truth — one sees things only as is necessary for survival, and another creature sees the same world differently. This is why the world is called maya: not that existence is illusory, but that the way we perceive it is illusory. So another eye — an eye of deeper penetration — must be opened. The third eye means perception that has gone beyond the dualities of life, seeing life just the way it is.

Key Attributes of Lord Shiva

• Deity: Lord Shiva (Mahadeva)
• Consort: Goddess Parvati
• Vahana: Nandi (the bull)
• Weapon: Trishul (trident)
• Ruling Planet: Moon (Soma)
• Element: Not specified
• Mantra: "Om Namah Shivaya" (ॐ नमः शिवाय)
• Symbols: Trishul, Damru, crescent Moon, Ganga, snake Vasuki, tiger skin, third eye, Nandi

Practical / Modern Context

The symbols of Shiva are a complete technology for inner wellbeing:

• Activate your vishuddhi (filter) — consciously choose the thoughts, emotions and information you allow in; like Neelakanth, you can hold the poison without being poisoned.
• Cultivate Nandi's stillness — spend a few minutes daily simply sitting, alert but unmoving; that is meditation.
• Open your third eye — question your assumptions and see beyond appearances, for your perception is filtered through conditioning.
• Balance the nadis — through pranayama and asana, bring Ida and Pingala into harmony with Sushumna, as the trishul teaches.

Common Misconceptions

1. "Shiva is the god of destruction only." — He destroys ignorance, ego and evil — the transformative power that makes new creation possible, not mere annihilation.
2. "The third eye is a literal physical eye." — It is a symbol of awakened perception beyond the dualities and illusions of ordinary sight.
3. "Shiva's 'intoxication' is drunkenness." — Soma signifies the ecstatic awareness of a yogi who is fully alert even while absorbed.
4. "The snake is a sign of danger." — Vasuki represents the mastery of pranic energy and the active vishuddhi filter that converts poison into nectar.

Conclusion

Every attribute of Lord Shiva — the trishul of the three nadis, the damaru of cosmic rhythm, the crescent moon of alert intoxication, the snake of the filtering vishuddhi, the patient Nandi, the tiger skin of conquered instinct and the all-seeing third eye — points to a single reality: a being established in himself, beyond every influence and duality. By meditating on these symbols, we learn the art of living from Shiva himself — calm, alert, powerful and free.

Related Prabhukedwar Guides

• Complete Guide to Chanting Gayatri Mantra
• Kashi Vishwanath Temple & Sacred Banaras
• Meaning of Om Namah Shivaya Mantra

For more authentic Hindu temple guides, pilgrimage routes, mantras, and Vedic insights, visit Prabhukedwar.