Lord Shiva is the summum bonum of all creation and pervades the whole world. He is also known as Mahadev, Mahesha, Maheshvara (God of the Gods), and Paramesvara (“Supreme Lord”). He is the essence of life, and he may be found deep inside every living being. We are all propelled by an unknown and unexplainable force. It has yet to be named by scientists. However, ancient saints called this unknown energy Shiva. He is the power that is thought to give all living things life. We can breathe, eat, move, and go about our everyday lives because of Shiva. This liveliness not only powers living beings, but it may also be found in non-living substances. Hence, Shiva drives the universe forward. We seek refuge in Shiva because Shiva is our true nature. Serenity, infinity, beauty, and non-duality come from this source.
Our soul and Lord Shiva are inextricably linked. Both are identical. That’s exactly what we’re made of. When our Sahasrara chakra is spinning and spreading divine energy in an unobstructed way, we uncover these larger traits inside ourselves. It should be noted that our connection with this higher dimension, which is also our inner source, is never completely lost because we would not be able to continue living without it, which means our Sahasrara chakra is always operating to some extent, but when it is optimally balanced, we are driven to our spiritual peak and realize we are one with Shiva, the all-pervading force that penetrates the entire universe and is present in all living things.
As a consequence, Shiva is not what we think God to be based on our previous beliefs or expectations; Shiva symbolizes the Supreme Reality as it is, regardless of any particular religion, philosophy, book, idea, institution, or ideology. Whatever we assume or believe, there is no formula or framework that can encompass the Shiva reality since there is no bucket in which He can be put. He overflows the universe on all sides, both internally and externally. He is the ultimate unity’s force, greater than the sum of its parts, and He wields all dualities’ combined strength at the same time.
The word Shiva also means “liberation, final emancipation,” and “the auspicious one,” according to the Rig Veda (c. 1700–1100 BCE). The Sanskrit word “Siva” denotes “auspicious, propitious, cordial, benign, kind, benevolent, friendly” according to Monier Monier-Williams. In folk etymology, Si means “in whom all things lie, pervasiveness” and va means “embodiment of grace”, thus Siva.
The Kaivalya Upanishad (1st millennium BCE) declares:
“He who sees himself in all beings,
And all beings in him,
attains the highest Brahman,
not by any other means.”