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| Home > Hatha Yoga and Shiva Shakti > Shiva as the central theme
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| | Shiva as the central theme in Hath Yoga
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 Praise to him who is the self of yoga
Whom the alert, breath conquered silent yogis,
Who look on everything indifferently,
Behold as light
I go for refuge to you, ultimate lord,
Supreme and ever-blissful soul,
Who rests on nothing but yourself,
Without division
Supernal Siva!
A more detailed exploration of some of the mythological and philosophical ideas associated with Shiva is carried out in the core concepts of Hatha yoga. Few of these ideas are expounded at length in the hatha manuals themselves, they strongly form the ideological framework, which permeates the language of hatha and provides the setting for its soteriological practices.
The term Shiva itself may be said to mean `the one in whom all things lie`. As reincarnation of lord Rudra, it may be rendered simply as `auspicious` or `beneficent`. Similarly, Rudra, which can mean `howler` or `roarer` as well as `red, shining` is one of the many epithets possessed by the god Siva in later mythological material such as the Puranas. It has been commonly assumed, therefore, that, even if Rudra and Siva are not identical, there is at least a strong continuity between them. The nature of both of these deities is ambivalent, each being associated with storms, violence and destruction on the one hand, and with mercy and benevolence on the other.
Shiva can be understood in a more personalised and abstract sense. Abstractly, it stands for Brahma, the `Absolute`, and may, in this sense, be prefixed by Parama, meaning the `highest` or `supreme`. This is the transcendental aspect of Siva. The `power` or `energy` of Siva is characterised as a feminine consort, Shakti. Although Siva and Shakti are often represented as distinct deities, they may best be understood as the static and dynamic poles of the creative process.
Shakti is not separate from shiva. It is his consciousness, the intensity, power and purpose to create. The symbolic representations of both Siva and Sakti throughout the various Saiva traditions are immensely fascinating and colourful. And understanding this concept is a must to understand the soul of Hatha Yoga.
Presence and Absence of Saiva representation.
Siva is symbolized and worshipped in many forms. Representations of him, or of the divine principle for which he stands, fall into two main categories:
Firstly, there are those, which are iconic or anthropomorphic, displaying the god in human form. This kind of representation is termed, in Sanskrit, as "Sakala", meaning `(sa-) parts (kala)` or `with attributes`.
And, secondly, there are aniconic (absence of representation) images or sculptures, in whichSiva is represented by a smooth, dark egg-shaped stone or dome-topped pillar known as a Siva-linga or simply linga. The linga, is termed "Niskala", meaning `without parts`.
The basic meaning of linga is `sign` or `emblem`. Linga can be symbolically said to be the form in which everything is absorbed or dissolved, and the one from which everything emerges and unfolds.
Linga-matra implies `wholeness` or the `totality` of a thing. Prakirti (Nature of a being) herself is held to remain alinga, i.e. unmanifested or `undifferentiated`, although it is in her that the threefold potentiality for manifestation known as triguna is harboured.
For the Saivas, it is Siva-tattva himself who is the linga, while Parama-Siva is the aspect of Siva that is beyond all representation, and is alinga. This latter principle may also be described as the one who `possesses` the emblem of the linga, who `wears` it as a garment; he is Paramesvara, ths `Supreme Lord`, of whom the perceptible universe is a mere shadow or symbol.
Accordingly, Prakriti is the `subtle body or the intangible matrix which gives rise to the tangible world. On the microcosmic level, the linga-sanra is the human subtle body, composed of five `subtle elements` which give rise to the `gross elements`, that make up the sthula-sarira or `gross physical body`. In hatha-yoga, it may be noted here, it is principally upon the linga- or sukshma-sanra that the techniques are designed to work.
The stone lingas act as media of worship and take pride of place in Saiva shrines, are really only symbols of symbols, i.e. symbols of the cosmic linga which is itself a symbol of Siva. These lingas may be situated on their own or, more frequently, in conjunction with a yoni (vulva, womb). The linga-yoni stands for the `masculine` and `feminine` poles of the process of cosmic creation or transformation from one state to another.
Such symbolism has spurred some interpreters to characterize ceremonies involving the linga-yoni as phallic worship or mere lauding of the human sexual act. It is true that sexual intercourse, in the microcosmic sphere of human relations, shares a correspondence with the `union` of Siva and Shakti. The metaphysical concepts behind the Sivalinga symbology are far more subtle and sophisticated than a straightforward phallus-linga identity allows. Even then Phallus is considered to be a generator, instead of a mere Penis. This being said, however, the fact that the linga can take the form of an erect Phallus ought not to be shied away from. When Siva is represented by an erect phallus or is portrayed in human form with an upright penis then the image can no longer be termed aniconic, although neither should it be construed entirely literally as simply a sexually excited man.
 It can be inferred that the phallus of Siva `is swollen with all the potentialities of future creations and these potentialities may indeed `burst forth`, as it were, at some point, but there is nothing uncontrolled about such a process. The upright phallus symbolizes chastity because it suggests Siva`s ability to retain his creative essence.
A reference to Siva in the Mahubhurata reads: `He is called urdhvalinga ["upright phallus"] because the lowered linga sheds its seed, but not the raised linga.Developing this capacity to retain sexual potency, and to channel the subtle essence of sexual fluid (bindu) upwards rather than downwards and out through the genitals, is an important aspect of hatha yoga, as the relationship between bindu, prana and chitta is held to be an extremely intimate one.
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