Lord Shiva Symbolizes Acceptance

शंकराय नमस्तुभ्यं नमस्ते करवीरक। त्र्यम्बकाय नमस्तुभ्यं महेश्वरमत: परम्।।

Can you live peacefully with someone who can hurt you? It’s difficult, isn’t it? We always choose to live and spend our lives with those who are like us, whom we like, and who can never think of hurting us. But in the case of Lord Shiva, things are quite different. He symbolizes acceptance in a magnificent way and through this symbolism, He is teaching acceptance to mankind. Despite being a family man, He is the supreme Yogi, who believes that everything will fall in place eventually. He teaches us to accept everything with its true nature, for no one changes nature.

Diverse Attributes of Nature & Lord Shiv

There are three attributes of nature, Sat, Raj, and Tam, and a man is also composed of three traits, Satwik, Rajasik, and Tamasic. These three traits are very different from each other and are simply not compatible. But with Lord Shiv, everything is possible.

Look at Lord Shiva’s Tripunda, the three stripes on His forehead. They symbolize three attributes- Satwik (positive), Rajasik (passion), and Tamasic (negative). Lord Shiv carries all the three dissimilar attributes with ease. Such is his acceptance level. His Trident also embodies the three aspects of consciousness – waking, dreaming, and sleeping, the unrelated aspects that go together with God. 

Moreover, it is not just God and Kings who worship Lord Shiva. Monsters, ghouls, goblins, devils, animals, insects, serpents, and all kinds of creatures worship him. Everyone rejects them, but Lord Shiva accepts them wholeheartedly. keeps them close and provides them with food and security.  His acceptance level is beyond the imagination of a normal human being.

The Lord of Animals and a Unified Energy of Masculinity & Feminity

The wedding of Lord Shiva is a wonderful show of heterogeneity. He invites all the devils, demons, wild creatures, all the animals, including, insects, birds, marsupials, and snakes- everyone came and attended His wedding. This shows He is in a state of absolute oneness with all forms of life. There is no segregation, no prejudice, and no bias.

Now, look at His family. Snakes kill and eat rats. Lord Shiva is always shown wearing a snake around his neck, but his son, Lord Ganesh’s Vahana is a rat. Moreover, Lord Shiva’s son Kartikeya who is also known as Murugan has a peacock as his Vahana which kills and eats snakes. And in Lord Shiva’s family these snakes, rats, and peacocks are living together.

In today’s world, where small lifestyle differences are bringing big problems in families and societies. Lord Shiva’s family is a great example of acceptance. Further, Lord Shiva is the symbol of ultimate masculinity, yet He also exists in His ‘Ardhanarishvar’ form, one-half man and another a woman. Such acceptance of the feminine energy that exists within everyone, without any embarrassment is also a divine lesson for every human being.

The World Needs More Acceptance & Tolerance

If human beings yearn to achieve great things in life, they have to learn how to go well with people who may be very different from them. This requires them to be accepting of those whom they might not like. Even if you disagree with the opinions or lifestyles of others, it is better to accept that for peace and harmony in family and society.