Deities & devotionMahadeva, one of the Trimurti
Shiva
The destroyer and renewer, lord of yogis.
Try it at home
On a Monday, offer water to a Shiva lingam or simply chant Om Namah Shivaya 11 or 108 times.
Optional, as always. Adapt it to your family, region and health.
The wisdom
Shiva is worshipped as the great god who dissolves the world so it can be renewed, as the ascetic of Mount Kailash and as the cosmic dancer Nataraja, often in the form of the lingam.
Shiva stands for letting go: of ego, attachment and what has run its course, so that something new can begin.
What the evidence says
Evidence: TraditionalThe value rests on lived tradition and reasoning, not on tests.Research doesn't test devotion to a deity. Studies of chanting and prayer in general report calmer mood (see Mantra chanting); claims of blessings or results are matters of faith.
How we rate evidenceSignificance
What it means to the people who keep it. Faith-based meaning is described as belief, not as proven fact.
Devotees offer water, milk and bilva leaves to the lingam. Mondays, the month of Shravan, Pradosh and Maha Shivaratri are especially his.