What is the name of lord Shiva's trishul?

Lord Shiva carries Vijay , a sacred trident.

• Trishul means three spears.
• Trishul represents planning , execution and destruction.
• Trishul also represents Sattva , Rajas and Tamas - three state of existence.
• Seers believe that a Trishul represents waking , dreaming and deep sleep.
• Yogis state a Trishul represents Ida,, Pingala and Sushmana.
• Devotees believe that Kashi rests on the tip of Trishul.
• Incidentally, Bholenath gifted his Trishul to his ardent devotee Madhu, a demon.
• Later, Bholenath gifted it to Goddess Durga to slay Mahishasur, a buffalo like demon.
• Naga sanyasi and Shakta carry Trishul as a symbol of Shiva-Shakti.

Prayer : Sri Ganesh Ambika Gurubyo Namah Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram Namo Parvatipataye Har Har Mahadev Jai Jai Jai Hanuman Gosai Kripa Karo Gurudev Ki Nai

Pic Credits : Google Images / Web

How did Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva become gods? Who gave them the powers that they have? How can they self-declare themselves as gods?

 As per Shatapatha brahmana, Vishnu strode the existence with three strides and granted the gods the prevading power over the universe.

• यज्ञो वै विष्णुः स देवेभ्य इमां विक्रान्तिं विक्रमे यैषामियं विक्रान्तिः ।
• Viṣṇu, forsooth, is the sacrifice; by his strides he obtained for the gods that all-pervading power (vikrānti) which now belongs to them; by his first step he gained this same Earth, by the second the region of air, and by the last Heaven.”
• Shatapatha brahmana 1.9.3.9–10

By the three strides of Vishnu, Prajapati created the universe.

• विष्णुक्रमैर्वै प्रजापतिरिमं लोकमसृजत ।
• विष्णुक्रमैर्वै प्रजापतिरन्तरिक्षमसृजत ।
• विष्णुक्रमैर्वै प्रजापतिर्दिवमसृजत ।
• विष्णुक्रमैर्वै प्रजापतिर्दिशोऽसृजत ।
• Indeed, Prajāpati created this world by means of Viṣṇu's strides. By means of Viṣṇu's strides Prajāpati created the atmosphere. By means of Viṣṇu's strides Prajāpati created Heaven. By means of Viṣṇu's strides Prajāpati created the directions."
• Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 6.7.4.7

The three strides of Vishnu encompass all of existence.

Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa 2.4.3.4 Ṛgveda 1.154.2

• अधिक्षियन्ति भुवनानि विश्वा ॥
• Under his three strides, all the worlds dwell

Vishnu's cosmic strides are the means through which creation of the universe is possible and gods obtained the prevading power over the universe.

Are there ever any interactions between Lord Shiva and Goddess Lakshmi (as in a brother-sister relationship, obviously)?

 Yes according to karveer mahatmya and local kolhapur traditions and folks, king jyotība (an incarnation of shankara) shares siblings relation to Ambabaī (an incarnation of laksmī ).

Jyotība an incarnation of shankara who shares sibling bond with ambabaī, and who is king of dakkhan (an sacred place in maharashtra) and who defeated asuras like ratnasur and raktabhoj.

Ambabaī, lately know as Mahalakshmī incarnation of laxmī who shares sibling relation with jyotība, she is ruler of karveera lately known as kolhapur (an very sacred place in maharashtra) and she struck terror and slayed an demon named kolhasura.

[According to karveer mahatmya, padma purana, maharashtra/kolhapura tradition & local folks]

Nextly according to atharvana rahasya of laxmihrudayamstotram.

Lakshmī is as same tattva swaroopa as sadashīva.

Shīva is also same tattva swaroopa as laxmī.

And as an advaīt vedanta, i worship them as eternal siblings.

|| Shrī matarayé namaha ||

Can you describe the wedding scenes of Lord Shiva on his way to the goddess Parvati?

 

• Wedding proposal: Lord Shiva is known as Kedarnath or mendicant Lord of mountains . When, Devrishi Narada -the celestial sage- approached him with a wedding proposal of Goddess Uma - the cosmic mother; he asked him to present his best image to his would be in laws.

• Wedding procession: Narada knew that it was not going to be easy as Lord Bholenath-lord of compassion will invite every one- ghosts, mendicants , gods and goddesses to human beings - to join his wedding procession.

• कर त्रिसूल अरु डमरु बिराजा।

चले बसहँ चढ़ि बाजहिं बाजा॥

देखि सिवहि सुरत्रिय मुसुकाहीं।

बर लायक दुलहिनि जग नाहीं॥3॥ (Ramacharitmanas)

• Well, many of his guests created scenes and made every one feel scared with their strange behavior, over excitement.
• Finally, Lord Vishnu was compelled to ask them to maintain decorum.

• Arrival: According to Ramayana and Ramacharitmanas; when Maina devi- mother of Goddess Uma saw her would be son in law and his followers ;she fainted .
• King Kailash -father of Goddess Uma- also became sad and pensive.

• Wedding: पानिग्रहन जब कीन्ह महेसा।

हियँ हरषे तब सकल सुरेसा॥

बेदमन्त्र मुनिबर उच्चरहीं।

जय जय जय संकर सुर करहीं॥2॥ (Ramacharitmanas)

• Nevertheless; Goddess Uma convinced all that Lord Bholenath is her soul mate and an indispensable part of her existence.

• Narada also explained to all that Lord Shiva is master of entire cosmos and Goddess Uma is his Shakti or energy.

• Triguninarayan shrine: According to sacred texts; Lord Shiva married Goddess Uma at triguninarayan shrine in Rudra prayag district in Uttarakhand.

• As Lord Vishnu acted as brother of Goddess Uma in her marriage and performed necessary rituals ; thus this shrine is named as Triguninarayan.
  [1]
• Conclusion: All's Well That Ends Well : Shakespeare
• Pic credit: Google
• Jai Badri Vishal Om Namah Shivaya !

What is the most powerful form of Lord Shiva and why?

 Some devotees ; mostly married folks have postulated a theory that SHIVA is ardhanareshvar . They make him great because of this humanness. Of course the sanyassins…bachelor yogis and swamis who are above gender might probably choose to go silent : “ mum’s the word “

It is somewhat akin to people who think that he (SHIVA) smokes “WEEDS” because he is always high .

Why did Lord Shiva drink the halahal poison alone when there were prominent gods present there who could have also done it?

 As per Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavad Mahapuraan), once the Halahala poison started spreading everywhere, all Devas, along with Bhagavan Vishnu approached Bhagavan Shiva.

Bhagavan Neelkanth drinking poison (and Devi Parvati stops it in his throat)

तदुग्रवेगं दिशि दिश्युपर्यधो विसर्पदुत्सर्पदसह्यमप्रति ।
भीता: प्रजा दुद्रुवुरङ्ग सेश्वरा अरक्ष्यमाणा: शरणं सदाशिवम् | (Srimad Bhagavatam 8.7.19)

All Prajapatis, prayed to Bhagavan Shiva to save them from the poison.

देवदेव महादेव भूतात्मन् भूतभावन ।
त्राहि न: शरणापन्नांस्त्रैलोक्यदहनाद् विषात् ॥ (Srimad Bhagavatam 8.7.21)

Listening to their prayers Bhagavan Shiva told to Parvati that it is his duty to protect those who have taken shelter unto him and hence, he drank the poison. He also stated that by doing this Bhagavan Hari will be pleased. If Hari is pleased, then Bhagavan Shiva himself is also pleased.

श्रीशिव उवाच
अहो बत भवान्येतत् प्रजानां पश्य वैशसम् ।
क्षीरोदमथनोद्भ‍ूतात् कालकूटादुपस्थितम् ॥ (Srimad Bhagavatam 8.7.37)

आसां प्राणपरीप्सूनां विधेयमभयं हि मे ।
एतावान्हि प्रभोरर्थो यद् दीनपरिपालनम् ॥ (Srimad Bhagavatam 8.7.38)

पुंस: कृपयतो भद्रे सर्वात्मा प्रीयते हरि: ।
प्रीते हरौ भगवति प्रीयेऽहं सचराचर: ।
तस्मादिदं गरं भुञ्जे प्रजानां स्वस्तिरस्तु मे ॥ (Srimad Bhagavatam 8.7.40)

Devi Parvati also agreed with Bhagavan Shiva and nodded her approval. Having said thus, Bhagavan Shiva took the poison in his palms and drank.

तत: करतलीकृत्य व्यापि हालाहलं विषम् ।
अभक्षयन्महादेव: कृपया भूतभावन: ॥ (Srimad Bhagavatam 8.7.42)

Short answer to your question, though there were many Devatas present, they all prayed to Bhagavan Shiva to save them and hence, he drank the poison.

Om Namah Shivaaya!!!

Sarvam Sri Krishnaarpanam!!!

Why is Lord Shiva called Bahupradaay?

 

Lord Sri Shiv Shankar is proverbially the greatest donor.

Bahu means many and pradaya mean giver of blessings.

Blessing : Lord Shiva donated his abode to Lord Badrinath in humalayas.

Chakra : Lord Shiva proverbially donated his Sudarshan Chakra to Lord Sri Hari.

Victory : He as Sri Rameshwaram blessed Lord Rama with victory over Lankapati Ravana.

Boons : He blessed Lord Sri Krishna with eight types of boons.

Wealth : His blissfully turned Gunanidhi, a poor Brahmin, into Kubera-the custodian of wealth.

Lanka : He donated his Swarna Lanka to Ravana, his great devotee.

Parshu : He gifted his Parshu (axe) to Lord Parshuram , his ardent devotee.

Pashupatra : He blessed Arjuna with Pashupatra - a divine weapon.

Facts : Lord Shiva is aughardaani , one who donates with a second thought.

Prayer : Sri Ganeshaya Namah Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram Namo Parvatipataye Har Har Mahadev

Jai Jai Jai Hanuman Gosai Kripa Karo Gurudev Ki Nai

Pic Credits : Google Images / Web

Lord Shiva served Lord Vishnu in the form of Hanumanji - but we don't see the reverse- why is that?

 🟥 Vaishnava answer ahead!

P.C.: Pinterest

Lord Hanumana being an incarnation of Lord Shiva is famous, but isn't universal! Scriptures talk of multiple source-deities of Hanuman, for example:

Skanda Purana 1.01.8.100:

“Naṇḍī, the son of Śilāda, who was a favourite follower of Śiva, incarnated as the great monkey Hanūmān for rendering assistance to Viṣṇu of unmeasured splendour.”

Shiva Purana 3.20.07:

“In due course Śiva was born of it in the form of a monkey named Hanūmat. He had great strength and exploit.”

Garuda Purana 13.16.68:

“When Lord Rama incarnated on Earth, Vayu was born as Hanuman for rendering assistance to Rama.”

Sri Madhvacharya has clearly explained multiple times that Lord Mukhyaprana’s first avatara is indeed Lord Hanumana, through scriptural authority. He states conclusively:

“He (Vayu) was directed by the God to take three incarnations. In the first incarnation He carried the orders of Sri Rama. In the second incarnation He destroyed Kauravas and their army. In the third incarnation, composing the works that describe the blissful God, He obtained the name Madhva.”

[Vishnu Tattva Nirnaya-90]

Other sects are free to belief whatever else they want. The reconciliation with the Shiva and Skanda Purana cannot be kalpabheda, since Hanumana isn't a post, but a characteristic of Vayu. So, to reconsile this, we need to dive deep into tattvavada.

Hanumana’s incarnation was taken by Sri Mukhyaprana only, Who has been called ‘Rudra’ in the Vedas. As:

"O Prana (Life-Force)! You are Indra (lord of power); by your brilliance, you are Rudra, the protector.

[Satprashnopanishad 2.06]

Sri Vamana Panditacharya, in his commentary, explains it as: rudrastho jagatparito rakṣitāsi— ‘Being in Rudra, You (Prana) are the protector on all sides’. Normally, the name ‘Rudra’ is derived from ‘roditi rudrah’, but contextually, when the epithet is assigned to Vayu, it becomes synonymous with protection and brilliance. That's why in some scriptures, Hanumana is said to be the avatara of Lord Shiva, when in reality, He is indeed the avatara of Lord Vayu. This is even accepted in Ramayana, this:

“I knower of Dharma! If you are worshipped, Marut (Vayu) gets worshipped. For that reason you are to be worshipped by me.”

[Ramayana 5.1.122]

Regarding His attribution with Lord Nandi, two theories crop up: one is based on Hanumana's attribution to Lord Shiva, another is the curse of Nandi upon Ravana.

Lord Hanumana, as an incarnation of Lord Shiva is accepted from various sources, primarily the Shaiva-Shakta shastras and a few regional resentions of the Ramayana. The latter must not be paid heed, because poetic freedom maybe attributed to those texts. The former is a little complex. The Shaiva-Shakta tantras are branded as Chala-shastrani in the Bharadwaja Samhita, and hence, are to be entirely disregarded by the Vaishnavas. Regarding Puranas, kalpabheda maybe attributed. In some kalpas, Hanuman is attributed with Shiva too. But again, avatara-hood mustn't be falsely meant, owing to theological constraints and differences in hierarchy. Hanumana, when attributed to Shiva, should be understood as ‘avesha’ of Him and not ‘avatara’. That is because if it is contended that Shiva is supreme, then He wouldn't do anything beyond His nature, that is appear to have ‘ananya bhakti’ or ‘paramekanti bhakti’ towards Sri Vishnu as Sri Raghava. Moreover, this contention would justify the words such as ‘rudrāṃśaḥ kapisattamaḥ’ (Shiva Purana 3.20.12), ‘shivamsa’ (Skanda Purana 5.02.79.06, Ananda Ramayana 8.16.19) and others. Shivamsa/Rudramsa means the portion or avasesha of Shiva and not avatara of Shiva. In Shiva Purana 3.06.34, Nandi is described as ‘tava putro bhaviṣyāmi nandī nāmnā tvayonijaḥ’. Thus, whenever in any scripture, Nandi will be called as the source of Hanumana, the implied meaning would be Shiva only.

Another explanation is gathered from Vishnu Dharmottara Purana, which narrates a story between Nandi and Ravana:

“Seeing that the movement of the Pushpaka vimana was obstructed there, the night-walker (Ravana) looked around and saw Nandi, possessing the form of a monkey, seated on the peak of the mountain. Upon seeing him (Nandi), Ravana burst into laughter; thereupon, Nandi cursed him."O Ten-necked Ravana! Lord Shiva Himself sports on this mountain. Since you have approached His presence in your aerial vehicle and mocked me, I shall therefore pronounce a curse upon you: ‘Fierce monkeys of immense valor, resembling my exact appearance, shall be born in your lineage of Pulastya to bring about your total destruction!"

[Vishnu Dharmottara Purana 1.222.5–8]

Following this explanation, the Shiva Purana 1.01.8.100 verse should be understood, to mean that the beast bearing resemblance with Nandi’s appearance was born to render assistance to Vishnu of unmeasured valour. This is understood.

Now to the question, “Why don't we see Vishnu serving Shiva or His forms?”.

Well a simple exploration in a few of the reputed Shaiva pages will end this question. But they surely won't provide the reason for Vishnu’s actions!

Padma Purana, Uttara Khanda 235.25: “O powerful Rudra, in every age in My different incarnations I too shall worship you to delude the demons.”

This has been explained in the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya 2.133–134: “Lord Vishnu sometimes worships Shiva; Sometimes He worships Rishis; Sometimes He worships Devatas; Sometimes He worships humans; He bows to them and praises them; He asks boons from them; He establishes Lingas; He asks boons from Asuras; He, who is eternally the Supreme Lord, independent, infinitely capable, infinitely knowledgeable and above all beings, does so to cause illusion to (some) people”

So Vishnu's supreme nature is indeed established. Further:

Śiva, the consort of Umā spoke again to Viṣṇu, "Give me this boon, O God, so I become eminent among all beings. By incarnating on Earth, O Keśava, worship me and get boons from me, O God of gods. From this, I will become worship-worthy to all the gods.”

[Varāha Purāṇa 73.42-43]

So, whenever in any scripture, instances of Vishnu worshipping Shiva for boons or for maintaining His ‘narayana-hood’ appears, it should be duly remembered that they are there for the purpose of delusion of the demoniac or the fallen. Vaishnavas of purity and righteous approach, should duly interpret those portions in that light.

Sri Krishnarpanamastu 🪷

Can I worship Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati together as my Ishta Devata?

 Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!

Of course, in fact, you worship both if you worship one because Shiva-Shakti are nondifferent from one another and are known together as Arhanarishvara.

They are the Father and Mother of the universe, respectively, and the material universe represents their union.

This material manifestation is the union of Shiva-Shakti.

liṅga-yony-ātmikā jātā imā māheśvarī-prajāḥ

Translation:

“All offspring of the consort of the great lord [Maheśvara] of this mundane world are of the nature of the embodiment of the mundane masculine and feminine generative organs.” - Brahma Samhita 5.9

Shiva represents the unchanging, passive masculine aspect – Shaktiman/energetic.

Ma Parvati represents the dynamic, active feminine aspect – Shakti/energy.

You cannot separate them – without Shakti, Shiva becomes “Shav” (a dead body), and without Shiva, Shakti is not controlled or tamed.

• When the masculine aspect is God, the feminine is Goddess.
• When the masculine is Pure Consciousness, the feminine is Pure Energy.
• When the masculine is Purity, the feminine is Impurity.
• When the masculine is Light, the feminine is Darkness.
• When the masculine is Soul, the feminine is Body.
• When the masculine is Witness (passive), the feminine is Actor (active)
• When the masculine is Cause, the feminine is Effect.
• When the masculine is Subject, the feminine is Object.
• When the masculine is Energetic (Shaktiman), the feminine is Energy (Shakti).
• When the masculine is Master, the feminine is Servant.
• When the masculine is God, the feminine is Devotee.
• When the masculine is Goal, the feminine is Path.

The Shiva Purana describes Devi as the nondifferent energy that emerged from Lord Shiva:

yāmāhurbrahmavidvāṃso devīṃ divyaguṇānvitām parasya paramāṃ śaktiṃ bhavasya paramātmana yasyāṃ na khalu vidyaṃte janma mṛtyujarādayaḥ yā bhavānī bhavasyāṃgātsamāvirabhavatkila yasyā vāco nivartante manasā ceṃdriyaiḥ saha sā bharturvapuṣo bhāgājjāteva samadṛśyata yā sā jagadidaṃ kṛtsnaṃ mahimnā vyāpya tiṣṭhati śarīriṇīva sa devī vicitraṃ samalakṣyata sarvaṃ jagadidaṃ caiṣā saṃmohayati māyayā īśvarātsaiva jātābhūdajātā paramārthataḥ na yasyā paramo bhāvaḥ surāṇāmapi gocaraḥ viśvāmareśvarī caiva vibhaktā bharturaṃgataḥ

Translation:

“It is the goddess whom scholars of the Vedas call the ParaŚakti endowed with the divine qualities of Śiva the Paramatma. It was the goddess in whom there is neither birth, nor death nor old age nor other similar things. It was the goddess who manifested herself from the body of Śiva. She from whom words recede along with the mind and the sense-organs, appeared to be born of a part of the body of her husband. The goddess who pervades everything through her greatness was seen like a wonderfully embodied being. It is she who fascinates the entire universe with her Māyā. Really she is unborn but she appeared to be born of Śiva. Her great form is not visible even to the gods. Such a great goddess of all the gods was divided in the body of her lord.” - Shiva Purana 7.1.16.7–12

Hare Krishna