When Shiva tried to swallow the poison that emerged from the churning ocean, he experienced intense heat.
He had to douse his body with cold water to neutralise the effect. Indra asked the skies to open up. To this day devotees pour water and milk on the Shivling and the rainy season is the time when kanwarias make the pilgrimage to Haridwar and back, after offering prayers to Shiva.
Namah Shivaya is the five syllable mantra that means 'Salutations to Shiva'. When Om is chanted before it then it becomes a six syllable mantra. The five syllables in this mantra stand for the five elements. Na stands for Shiva's hidden grace, Ma symbolises the world, Shi means Shiva, Va is the revealing grace and Ya is the soul. Adi Shankaracharya has said that Shiva means, “One who purifies the one who repeats His name.''
Ramakrishna Paramhansa had a vision of Shiva when he was visiting Benaras. When he was asked by the pundits of Benaras whether Shiva really lived in the holy city he replied, “I saw a tall white person with tawny matted hair walking with solemn steps to each pyre in the burning-ghat, raising carefully every jiva and imparting into his ear the mantra of supreme Brahmn. On the other side of the pyre the all-powerful Mahakali was untying all the knots of bondage, gross, subtle and causal of the jiva produced by past impressions and sending him to the indivisible sphere by opening with Her own hands the door to liberation.''
Shiva represents destruction; He is also Ashutosh or the One who is easily pleased. Shiva is the Supreme Reality who is our Inner Self. Shiva is the name of the eternal Consciousness that resides in all. More
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