OM SHIVAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Auspicious One

OM MAHESHVARAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Great God Shiva

OM SHAMBHAVE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who exists for our happiness alone

OM PINAKINE NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva, who guards the path of dharma

OM SHASHISHEKHARAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who wears the crescent moon in his hair

OM VAMADEVAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who is pleasing and auspicious in every way

OM VIRUPAKSHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God of spotless form

OM KAPARDINE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord with thickly matted hair

OM NILALOHITAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God splendid as the red sun at daybreak

OM SHANKARAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the source of all prosperity

OM SHULAPANAYE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who carries a spear

OM KHATVANGINE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who carries a knurled club

OM VISHNUVALLABHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva, who is dear to Lord Vishnu

OM SHIPIVISHTAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord whose form emits great rays of light

OM AMBIKANATHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Ambika's Lord

OM SHRIKANTAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to he whose throat is shining blue

OM BHAKTAVATSALAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who loves His devotees like new born calves

OM BHAVAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who is existence itself

OM SARVAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva who is all

OM TRILOKESHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva who is the Lord of all the three worlds

OM SHITAKANTHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the primal soul whose throat is deep blue

OM SHIVAPRIYAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the god who is dear to Shakti

OM UGRAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva whose presence is awesome and overwhelming

OM KAPALINE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God whose begging bowl is a human skull

OM KAMARAYE NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva who conquers all passions

OM ANDHAKASURA SUDANAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who killed the asura Andhaka

OM GANGADHARAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who holds the Ganges River in his hair

OM LALATAKSHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord whose sport is creation

OM KALAKALAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva who is the death of death

OM KRIPANIDHAYE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who is the treasure of compassion

OM BHIMAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva whose strength is awesome

OM PARASHU HASTAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who wields an axe in his hands

OM MRIGAPANAYAE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who looks after the soul in the wilderness

OM JATADHARAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva who bears a mass of matted hair

OM KAILASAVASINE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who abides on Mount Kailas

OM KAVACHINE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who is wrapped in armor

OM KATHORAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva who causes all growth

OM TRIPURANTAKAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who destroyed the three demonic cities

OM VRISHANKAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God whose emblem is a bull (Nandi)

OM VRISHABHARUDHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva who rides a bull

OM BHASMODDHULITA VIGRAHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord covered with holy ash

OM SAMAPRIYAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God exceedingly fond of hymns from the Sama Veda

OM SVARAMAYAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva who creates through sound

OM TRAYIMURTAYE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who is worshiped in three forms

OM ANISHVARAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the undisputed Lord

OM SARVAGYAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who knows all things

OM PARAMATMANE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Supreme Self

OM SOMASURAGNI LOCHANAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the light of the eyes of Soma, Surya and Agni

OM HAVISHE NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva who receives oblations of ghee

OM YAGYAMAYAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the architect of all sacrificial rites

OM SOMAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Moon-glow of the mystic's vision

OM PANCHAVAKTRAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God of the five activities

OM SADASHIVAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the eternally auspicious benevolent Shiva

OM VISHVESHVARAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the all-pervading ruler of the cosmos

OM VIRABHADRAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva the foremost of heroes

OM GANANATHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God of the Ganas

OM PRAJAPATAYE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Creator

OM HIRANYARETASE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who emanates golden souls

OM DURDHARSHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the unconquerable being

OM GIRISHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the monarch of the holy mountain Kailas

OM GIRISHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord of the Himalayas

OM ANAGHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva who can inspire no fear

OM BUJANGABHUSHANAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord adorned with golden snakes

OM BHARGAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the foremost of rishis

OM GIRIDHANVANE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God whose weapon is a mountain

OM GIRIPRIYAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who is fond of mountains

OM KRITTIVASASE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who wears clothes of hide

OM PURARATAYE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who is thoroughly at home in the wilderness

OM BHAGAVATE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord of prosperity

OM PRAMATHADHIPAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who is served by goblins

OM MRITUNJAYAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the conqueror of death

OM SUKSHMATANAVE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the subtlest of the subtle

OM JAGADVYAPINE NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva who fills the whole world

OM JAGADGURAVE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the guru of all the worlds

OM VYOMAKESHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God whose hair is the spreading sky above

OM MAHASENAJANAKAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the origin of Mahasena

OM CHARUVIKRAMAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva, the guardian of wandering pilgrims

OM RUDRAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who is fit to be praised

OM BHUTAPATAYE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the source of living creatures, including the Bhutas, or ghostly creatures

OM STHANAVE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the firm and immovable deity

OM AHIRBUDHNYAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who waits for the sleeping kundalini

OM DIGAMBARAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva whose robes is the cosmos

OM ASHTAMURTAYE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who has eight forms

OM ANEKATMANE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who is the one soul

OM SATVIKAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord of boundless energy

OM SHUDDHA VIGRAHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to him who is free of all doubt and dissension

OM SHASHVATAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva, endless and eternal

OM KHANDAPARASHAVE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who cuts through the mind's despair

OM AJAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the instigator of all that occurs

OM PAPAVIMOCHAKAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who releases all fetters

OM MRIDAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who shows only mercy

OM PASHUPATAYE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the ruler of all evolving souls, the animals

OM DEVAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the foremost of devas, demigods

OM MAHADEVAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the greatest of the gods

OM AVYAYAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the one never subject to change

OM HARAYE NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva who dissolves all bondage

OM PASHUDANTABHIDE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the one who punished Pushan

OM AVYAGRAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who is steady and unwavering

OM DAKSHADHVARAHARAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the destroyer of Daksha's conceited sacrifice

OM HARAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who withdraws the cosmos

OM BHAGANETRABHIDE NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva who taught Bhaga to see more clearly

OM AVYAKTAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to Shiva who is subtle and unseen

OM SAHASRAKSHAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord of limitless forms

OM SAHASRAPADE NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who is standing and walking everywhere

OM APAVARGAPRADAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the Lord who gives and takes all things

OM ANANTAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the God who is unending

OM TARAKAYA NAMAHA

Obeisances to the great liberator of mankind

OM PARAMESHVARAYA NAMAHA

The Trident

 The trident is the weapon of Siva with which he destroys evils and restores order. The trident stands for the triple qualities of nature, namely, sattva, rajas and tamas. Siva is the master of maya and thereby master of these three qualities with which he controls the universe.

The trident symbolically represents the fact that Siva is the controller of the universe and the controller of all illusion. The trident also represents the three aspects of time, the past, the present and the future.

Siva is master of Time, Kala Bhairava who determines the progress of the universe according to his will. The trident represents the three paths to self-realization, namely the path of knowledge, the path of action and the path of devotion.

With these three paths, Siva transforms his devotees and destroys the evil in them. The trident stands for the three primary evils which need to be destroyed in order to make progress towards the divine. They are the evil of anger, the evil of lust and the evil of pride

The damaru denotes his connection with the primal sound AUM, the creation of alphabets, languages, grammar and music. His long matted hair denotes his spiritual life and his great powers.The crescent moon adorns his hair like a silver diadem.

Symbolism of Snakes

He wears a garland of snakes around his neck. Sometimes we see more snakes; one across his body like a sacred thread and two acting as bracelets around his muscular hands. The snakes symbolically represent his control over desire and sensuality. Sometimes in his ferocious aspects, he is shown wearing a garland of skulls.

There is a deep symbolism hidden behind this. The snake stands for all the evil and demonical nature in the world. By wearing the snake around his neck, Lord Siva gives us the assurance that no evil can touch us or destroy us once we surrender to him, seek his protection and worship him with deep devotion.

The snake also stands for the power of kundalini, which is described as a coiled serpent lying dormant in the muladhara chakra of all human beings and descends upwards when one starts ones spiritual journey and becomes increasingly divine oriented.

The snake around the neck of Siva conveys the meaning that in him the kundalini not only has arisen fully but is also actively involved in the divine activity by keeping an eye on all the devotees who approach Siva with their individual problems.

The snake also stands for all passions and desires. By wearing the snakes around his neck, Lord Siva conveys the message to all his devotees that He has overcome all desires and is in full control of Prakriti, or maya and its various machinations.