In Shaivism, Shiva is revered as the supreme, all-encompassing reality, both the highest personal deity and the impersonal absolute. He is regarded as Parameshvara, the Supreme Lord from whom all existence emanates, and as pure consciousness and bliss, the very ground of being. As such, he is not merely one deity among many, but the source, sustainer, and dissolver of the cosmos. The universe and all beings are understood as manifestations of his consciousness and power, often expressed through the language of Shakti or dynamic energy. In this vision, devotion to Shiva is not only worship of a transcendent Lord, but a turning toward the deepest reality that underlies self and world alike.

Shiva’s cosmic role is expressed through the great cycles of creation, preservation, and dissolution, which are seen as aspects of a single divine activity. As destroyer and transformer, he dissolves forms, ego, and ignorance, making possible renewal and higher realization rather than mere annihilation. This destructive aspect is therefore understood as fundamentally auspicious and benevolent, serving the purposes of purification and liberation. His dance as Naṭarāja symbolizes this ceaseless rhythm of emergence and withdrawal, the interplay of stillness and movement that characterizes existence. In this way, Shiva embodies both transcendental stillness and dynamic energy, the unmanifest potential and the manifested cosmos.

On the inner plane, Shiva is honored as the true Self within all beings and as the Lord of Yoga. He is Adiyogi, the primordial yogi and teacher of spiritual discipline, meditation, and self-knowledge, representing mastery over mind, senses, and ego. The path oriented toward him seeks liberation through realization of one’s identity with Shiva, a recognition that the individual self is not separate from the supreme consciousness. This awakening is often described as dependent upon Shiva’s grace, through which ignorance and karmic bondage are overcome. Thus, the worship of Shiva becomes a means of aligning with the deepest nature of reality and uncovering the Shiva-nature that is already present within.

Shiva is also portrayed as the union of apparent opposites: ascetic and householder, terrifying and compassionate, formless absolute and manifest deity. This paradoxical character points to a nondual vision in which all dualities are grounded in a single, undivided reality. His symbols and forms, such as the liṅga and the image of Naṭarāja, serve as gateways to contemplate this mystery of consciousness and energy, stillness and dance. Through these rich layers of meaning, Shaivism presents Shiva as the supreme principle in whom the cosmos arises, by whom it is sustained, and into whom it ultimately returns, while at the same time dwelling as the innermost essence of every being.